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Compare Virgin Islands (2001) - South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands (2005)
Compare Virgin Islands (2001) z South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands (2005)
| Virgin Islands (2001) | South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands (2005) | |
 |  | |
| Administrative divisions | none (territory of the US); there are no first-order administrative divisions as defined by the US Government, but there are three islands at the second order; Saint Croix, Saint John, Saint Thomas | - |
| Age structure | 0-14 years:
27.27% (male 17,121; female 16,204) 15-64 years: 63.92% (male 35,391; female 42,727) 65 years and over: 8.81% (male 4,638; female 6,130) (2001 est.) |
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| Agriculture - products | fruit, vegetables, sorghum; Senepol cattle | - |
| Airports | 2
note: international airports on Saint Thomas and Saint Croix (2000 est.) |
none (2004 est.) |
| Airports - with paved runways | total:
2 1,524 to 2,437 m: 2 (2000 est.) |
- |
| Area | total:
352 sq km land: 349 sq km water: 3 sq km |
total: 3,903 sq km
land: 3,903 sq km water: 0 sq km note: includes Shag Rocks, Black Rock, Clerke Rocks, South Georgia Island, Bird Island, and the South Sandwich Islands, which consist of some nine islands |
| Area - comparative | twice the size of Washington, DC | slightly larger than Rhode Island |
| Background | During the 17th century, the archipelago was divided into two territorial units, one English and the other Danish. Sugarcane, produced by slave labor, drove the islands' economy during the 18th and early 19th centuries. In 1917, the US purchased the Danish portion, which had been in economic decline since the abolition of slavery in 1848. | The islands lie approximately 1,000 km east of the Falkland Islands and have been under British administration since 1908, except for a brief period in 1982 when Argentina occupied them. Grytviken, on South Georgia, was a 19th and early 20th century whaling station. Famed explorer Ernest SHACKLETON stopped there in 1914 en route to his ill-fated attempt to cross Antarctica on foot. He returned some 20 months later with a few companions in a small boat and arranged a successful rescue for the rest of his crew, stranded off the Antarctic Peninsula. He died in 1922 on a subsequent expedition and is buried in Grytviken. Today, the station houses scientists from the British Antarctic Survey. The islands have large bird and seal populations, and, recognizing the importance of preserving the marine stocks in adjacent waters, the UK, in 1993, extended the exclusive fishing zone from 12 nm to 200 nm around each island. |
| Birth rate | 15.9 births/1,000 population (2001 est.) | - |
| Budget | revenues:
$364.4 million expenditures: $364.4 million, including capital expenditures of $NA (1990 est.) |
- |
| Capital | Charlotte Amalie | - |
| Climate | subtropical, tempered by easterly trade winds, relatively low humidity, little seasonal temperature variation; rainy season May to November | variable, with mostly westerly winds throughout the year interspersed with periods of calm; nearly all precipitation falls as snow |
| Coastline | 188 km | NA km |
| Constitution | Revised Organic Act of 22 July 1954 | - |
| Country name | conventional long form:
United States Virgin Islands conventional short form: Virgin Islands former: Danish West Indies |
conventional long form: South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands
conventional short form: none |
| Currency | US dollar (USD) | - |
| Death rate | 5.47 deaths/1,000 population (2001 est.) | - |
| Debt - external | $NA | - |
| Dependency status | organized, unincorporated territory of the US with policy relations between the Virgin Islands and the US under the jurisdiction of the Office of Insular Affairs, US Department of the Interior | overseas territory of the UK, also claimed by Argentina; administered from the Falkland Islands by a commissioner, who is concurrently governor of the Falkland Islands, representing Queen ELIZABETH II; Grytviken, formerly a whaling station on South Georgia, is a scientific base |
| Diplomatic representation from the US | none (territory of the US) | none (overseas territory of the UK, also claimed by Argentina) |
| Diplomatic representation in the US | none (territory of the US) | none (overseas territory of the UK, also claimed by Argentina) |
| Disputes - international | none | Argentina, which claims the islands in its constitution and briefly occupied the islands by force in 1982, agreed in 1995 to no longer seek settlement by force |
| Economic aid - recipient | $NA | - |
| Economy - overview | Tourism is the primary economic activity, accounting for more than 70% of GDP and 70% of employment. The islands normally host 2 million visitors a year. The manufacturing sector consists of petroleum refining, textiles, electronics, pharmaceuticals, and watch assembly. The agricultural sector is small, with most food being imported. International business and financial services are a small but growing component of the economy. One of the world's largest petroleum refineries is at Saint Croix. The islands are subject to substantial damage from storms. The government is working to improve fiscal discipline, support construction projects in the private sector, expand tourist facilities, and protect the environment. | Some fishing takes place in adjacent waters. There is a potential source of income from harvesting finfish and krill. The islands receive income from postage stamps produced in the UK, sale of fishing licenses, and harbor and landing fees from tourist vessels. Tourism from specialized cruise ships is increasing rapidly. |
| Electricity - consumption | 948.6 million kWh (1999) | - |
| Electricity - exports | 0 kWh (1999) | - |
| Electricity - imports | 0 kWh (1999) | - |
| Electricity - production | 1.02 billion kWh (1999) | - |
| Electricity - production by source | fossil fuel:
100% hydro: 0% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (1999) |
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| Elevation extremes | lowest point:
Caribbean Sea 0 m highest point: Crown Mountain 474 m |
lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m
highest point: Mount Paget (South Georgia) 2,934 m |
| Environment - current issues | lack of natural freshwater resources | NA |
| Ethnic groups | black 80%, white 15%, other 5%
note: West Indian (45% born in the Virgin Islands and 29% born elsewhere in the West Indies) 74%, US mainland 13%, Puerto Rican 5%, other 8% |
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| Exchange rates | the US dollar is used | - |
| Executive branch | chief of state:
President George W. BUSH of the US (since 20 January 2001); Vice President Richard B. CHENEY (Since 20 January 2001) head of government: Governor Dr. Charles Wesley TURNBULL (since 5 January 1999) and Lieutenant Governor Gererd LUZ James II (since 5 January 1999) cabinet: NA elections: US president and vice president elected on the same ticket for four-year terms; governor and lieutenant governor elected on the same ticket by popular vote for four-year terms; election last held 3 November 1998 (next to be held NA November 2002) election results: Dr. Charles Wesley TURNBULL elected governor; percent of vote - Dr. Charles W. TURNBULL (Democrat) 58.9%, former Governor Roy L. SCHNEIDER (ICM) 41.1% |
- |
| Exports | $NA | - |
| Exports - commodities | refined petroleum products | - |
| Exports - partners | US, Puerto Rico | - |
| Fiscal year | 1 October - 30 September | - |
| Flag description | white, with a modified US coat of arms in the center between the large blue initials V and I; the coat of arms shows a yellow eagle holding an olive branch in one talon and three arrows in the other with a superimposed shield of vertical red and white stripes below a blue panel | blue, with the flag of the UK in the upper hoist-side quadrant and the South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands coat of arms centered on the outer half of the flag; the coat of arms features a shield with a golden lion centered; the shield is supported by a fur seal on the left and a penguin on the right; a reindeer appears above the shield, and below it on a scroll is the motto LEO TERRAM PROPRIAM PROTEGAT (Let the Lion Protect its Own Land) |
| GDP | purchasing power parity - $1.8 billion (2000 est.) | - |
| GDP - composition by sector | agriculture:
NA% industry: NA% services: NA% |
- |
| GDP - per capita | purchasing power parity - $15,000 (2000 est.) | - |
| GDP - real growth rate | NA% | - |
| Geographic coordinates | 18 20 N, 64 50 W | 54 30 S, 37 00 W |
| Geography - note | important location along the Anegada Passage - a key shipping lane for the Panama Canal; Saint Thomas has one of the best natural, deepwater harbors in the Caribbean | the north coast of South Georgia has several large bays, which provide good anchorage; reindeer, introduced early in the 20th century, live on South Georgia |
| Highways | total:
856 km paved: NA km unpaved: NA km (2000) |
- |
| Household income or consumption by percentage share | lowest 10%:
NA% highest 10%: NA% |
- |
| Imports | $NA | - |
| Imports - commodities | crude oil, foodstuffs, consumer goods, building materials | - |
| Imports - partners | US, Puerto Rico | - |
| Industrial production growth rate | NA% | - |
| Industries | tourism, petroleum refining, watch assembly, rum distilling, construction, pharmaceuticals, textiles, electronics | - |
| Infant mortality rate | 9.43 deaths/1,000 live births (2001 est.) | - |
| Inflation rate (consumer prices) | NA% | - |
| International organization participation | ECLAC (associate), Interpol (subbureau), IOC | - |
| Internet Service Providers (ISPs) | 50 (2000) | - |
| Irrigated land | NA sq km | 0 sq km (1998 est.) |
| Judicial branch | US District Court of the Virgin Islands (under Third Circuit jurisdiction); Territorial Court (judges appointed by the governor for 10-year terms) | - |
| Labor force | 47,443 (1990 est.) | - |
| Labor force - by occupation | agriculture 1%, industry 20%, services 79% (1990 est.) | - |
| Land boundaries | 0 km | 0 km |
| Land use | arable land:
15% permanent crops: 6% permanent pastures: 26% forests and woodland: 6% other: 47% (1993 est.) |
arable land: 0%
permanent crops: 0% other: 100% (largely covered by permanent ice and snow with some sparse vegetation consisting of grass, moss, and lichen) (2001) |
| Languages | English (official), Spanish, Creole | - |
| Legal system | based on US laws | the laws of the UK, where applicable, apply; the senior magistrate from the Falkland Islands presides over the Magistrates Court |
| Legislative branch | unicameral Senate (15 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve two-year terms)
elections: last held 7 November 2000 (next to be held NA November 2002) election results: percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - Democratic Party 6, ICM 2, independents 7 note: the Virgin Islands elects one non-voting representative to the US House of Representatives; election last held 7 November 2000 (next to be held NA November 2002); results - Donna M. CHRISTIAN-CHRISTENSON (Democrat) elected |
- |
| Life expectancy at birth | total population:
78.27 years male: 74.38 years female: 82.39 years (2001 est.) |
- |
| Literacy | definition:
NA total population: NA% male: NA% female: NA% |
- |
| Location | Caribbean, islands between the Caribbean Sea and the North Atlantic Ocean, east of Puerto Rico | Southern South America, islands in the South Atlantic Ocean, east of the tip of South America |
| Map references | Central America and the Caribbean | Antarctic Region |
| Maritime claims | exclusive economic zone:
200 NM territorial sea: 12 NM |
territorial sea: 12 nm
exclusive fishing zone: 200 nm |
| Merchant marine | none (2000 est.) | - |
| Military - note | defense is the responsibility of the US | defense is the responsibility of the UK |
| National holiday | Transfer Day (from Denmark to the US), 27 March (1917) | - |
| Nationality | noun:
Virgin Islander(s) adjective: Virgin Islander |
- |
| Natural hazards | several hurricanes in recent years; frequent and severe droughts and floods; occasional earthquakes | the South Sandwich Islands have prevailing weather conditions that generally make them difficult to approach by ship; they are also subject to active volcanism |
| Natural resources | sun, sand, sea, surf | fish |
| Net migration rate | 0.12 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2001 est.) | - |
| Political parties and leaders | Democratic Party [Arturo WATLINGTON]; Independent Citizens' Movement or ICM [Usie RICHON]; Republican Party [Gary SCROUVE] | - |
| Political pressure groups and leaders | NA | - |
| Population | 122,211 (July 2001 est.) | no indigenous inhabitants
note: the small military garrison on South Georgia withdrew in March 2001, to be replaced by a permanent group of scientists of the British Antarctic Survey, which also has a biological station on Bird Island; the South Sandwich Islands are uninhabited (July 2005 est.) |
| Population below poverty line | NA% | - |
| Population growth rate | 1.06% (2001 est.) | - |
| Ports and harbors | Charlotte Amalie, Christiansted, Cruz Bay, Port Alucroix | Grytviken |
| Radio broadcast stations | AM 5, FM 11, shortwave 0 (1998) | 0 (2003) |
| Radios | 107,000 (1997) | - |
| Railways | 0 km | - |
| Religions | Baptist 42%, Roman Catholic 34%, Episcopalian 17%, other 7% | - |
| Sex ratio | at birth:
1.06 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.06 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.83 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.76 male(s)/female total population: 0.88 male(s)/female (2001 est.) |
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| Suffrage | 18 years of age; universal; note - indigenous inhabitants are US citizens but do not vote in US presidential elections | - |
| Telephone system | general assessment:
NA domestic: modern, uses fiber-optic cable and microwave radio relay international: submarine cable and satellite communications; satellite earth stations - NA |
general assessment: NA
domestic: NA international: coastal radiotelephone station at Grytviken |
| Telephones - main lines in use | 62,000 (1997) | - |
| Telephones - mobile cellular | 2,000 (1992) | - |
| Television broadcast stations | 2 (1997) | 0 (2003) |
| Terrain | mostly hilly to rugged and mountainous with little level land | most of the islands, rising steeply from the sea, are rugged and mountainous; South Georgia is largely barren and has steep, glacier-covered mountains; the South Sandwich Islands are of volcanic origin with some active volcanoes |
| Total fertility rate | 2.25 children born/woman (2001 est.) | - |
| Unemployment rate | 4.9% (March 1999) | - |
| Waterways | none | - |
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