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Compare Virgin Islands (2003) - Bahamas, The (2003)
Compare Virgin Islands (2003) z Bahamas, The (2003)
| Virgin Islands (2003) | Bahamas, The (2003) | |
 |  | |
| 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 | 21 districts; Acklins and Crooked Islands, Bimini, Cat Island, Exuma, Freeport, Fresh Creek, Governor's Harbour, Green Turtle Cay, Harbour Island, High Rock, Inagua, Kemps Bay, Long Island, Marsh Harbour, Mayaguana, New Providence, Nichollstown and Berry Islands, Ragged Island, Rock Sound, Sandy Point, San Salvador and Rum Cay |
| Age structure | 0-14 years: 26% (male 16,685; female 15,794)
15-64 years: 64.4% (male 36,241; female 44,157) 65 years and over: 9.5% (male 5,078; female 6,823) (2003 est.) |
0-14 years: 28.8% (male 42,799; female 42,730)
15-64 years: 65.4% (male 95,718; female 98,875) 65 years and over: 5.8% (male 7,092; female 10,263) (2003 est.) |
| Agriculture - products | fruit, vegetables, sorghum; Senepol cattle | citrus, vegetables; poultry |
| Airports | 2 (2002) | 64 (2002) |
| Airports - with paved runways | total: 2
1,524 to 2,437 m: 2 (2002) |
total: 30
over 3,047 m: 2 2,438 to 3,047 m: 3 1,524 to 2,437 m: 12 914 to 1,523 m: 11 under 914 m: 2 (2002) |
| Airports - with unpaved runways | - | total: 34
1,524 to 2,437 m: 3 914 to 1,523 m: 9 under 914 m: 22 (2002) |
| Area | total: 352 sq km
land: 349 sq km water: 3 sq km |
total: 13,940 sq km
land: 10,070 sq km water: 3,870 sq km |
| Area - comparative | twice the size of Washington, DC | slightly smaller than Connecticut |
| 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. | Arawak Indians inhabited the islands when Christopher Columbus first set foot in the New World on San Salvador in 1492. British settlement of the islands began in 1647; the islands became a colony in 1783. Since attaining independence from the UK in 1973, The Bahamas have prospered through tourism and international banking and investment management. Because of its geography, the country is a major transshipment point for illegal drugs, particularly shipments to the US, and its territory is used for smuggling illegal migrants into the US. |
| Birth rate | 15.8 births/1,000 population (2003 est.) | 18.57 births/1,000 population (2003 est.) |
| Budget | revenues: $364.4 million
expenditures: $364.4 million, including capital expenditures of $NA (1990 est.) |
revenues: $918.5 million
expenditures: $956.5 million, including capital expenditures of $106.7 million (FY 99/00) |
| Capital | Charlotte Amalie | Nassau |
| Climate | subtropical, tempered by easterly trade winds, relatively low humidity, little seasonal temperature variation; rainy season May to November | tropical marine; moderated by warm waters of Gulf Stream |
| Coastline | 188 km | 3,542 km |
| Constitution | Revised Organic Act of 22 July 1954 | 10 July 1973 |
| Country name | conventional long form: United States Virgin Islands
conventional short form: Virgin Islands former: Danish West Indies |
conventional long form: Commonwealth of The Bahamas
conventional short form: The Bahamas |
| Currency | US dollar (USD) | Bahamian dollar (BSD) |
| Death rate | 5.68 deaths/1,000 population (2003 est.) | 8.68 deaths/1,000 population (2003 est.) |
| Debt - external | $NA | $371.6 million (2001) |
| 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 | - |
| Diplomatic representation from the US | none (territory of the US) | chief of mission: Ambassador (vacant); Charge d'Affairs Robert M. WITAJEWSKI
embassy: 42 Queen Street, Nassau mailing address: local or express mail address: P. O. Box N-8197, Nassau; Department of State, 3370 Nassau Place, Washington, DC 20521-3370 telephone: [1] (242) 322-1181, 328-2206 (after hours) FAX: [1] (242) 356-0222 |
| Diplomatic representation in the US | none (territory of the US) | chief of mission: Ambassador Joshua SEARS
chancery: 2220 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 319-2660 FAX: [1] (202) 319-2668 consulate(s) general: Miami and New York |
| Disputes - international | none | have not been able to agree on a maritime boundary with the US |
| Economic aid - recipient | $NA | $9.8 million (1995) |
| 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, reduce crime, and protect the environment. | The Bahamas is a stable, developing nation with an economy heavily dependent on tourism and offshore banking. Tourism alone accounts for more than 60% of GDP and directly or indirectly employs half of the archipelago's labor force. Steady growth in tourism receipts and a boom in construction of new hotels, resorts, and residences had led to solid GDP growth in recent years, but the slowdown in the US economy and the attacks of 11 September 2001 held back growth in these sectors in 2002. Manufacturing and agriculture together contribute approximately a tenth of GDP and show little growth, despite government incentives aimed at those sectors. Overall growth prospects in the short run rest heavily on the fortunes of the tourism sector, which depends on growth in the US, the source of most of the visitors. |
| Electricity - consumption | 957.9 million kWh (2001) | 1.451 billion kWh (2001) |
| Electricity - exports | 0 kWh (2001) | 0 kWh (2001) |
| Electricity - imports | 0 kWh (2001) | 0 kWh (2001) |
| Electricity - production | 1.03 billion kWh (2001) | 1.56 billion kWh (2001) |
| Electricity - production by source | fossil fuel: 100%
hydro: 0% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (2001) |
fossil fuel: 100%
hydro: 0% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (2001) |
| Elevation extremes | lowest point: Caribbean Sea 0 m
highest point: Crown Mountain 474 m |
lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m
highest point: Mount Alvernia, on Cat Island 63 m |
| Environment - current issues | lack of natural freshwater resources | coral reef decay; solid waste disposal |
| Environment - international agreements | - | party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements |
| Ethnic groups | black 78%, white 10%, other 12%
note: West Indian 81% (49% born in the Virgin Islands and 32% born elsewhere in the West Indies), US mainland 13%, Puerto Rican 4%, other 2% |
black 85%, white 12%, Asian and Hispanic 3% |
| Exchange rates | the US dollar is used | Bahamian dollars per US dollar - 1 (2002), 1 (2001), 1 (2000), 1 (1999), 1 (1998) |
| 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 Vargrave RICHARDS (since NA January 2003) 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 5 November 2002 (next to be held NA November 2006) election results: Dr. Charles Wesley TURNBULL reelected governor; percent of vote - Dr. Charles Wesley TURNBULL (Democrat) 50.5%, John de JONGH 24.4% |
chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952), represented by Governor General Ivy DUMONT (since NA May 2002)
head of government: Prime Minister Perry CHRISTIE (since 3 May 2002) and Deputy Prime Minister Cynthia PRATT (since 7 May 2002) cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the governor general on the prime minister's recommendation elections: none; the monarch is hereditary; governor general appointed by the monarch; following legislative elections, the leader of the majority party or the leader of the majority coalition is usually appointed prime minister by the governor general; the prime minister recommends the deputy prime minister |
| Exports | NA (2001) | NA (2001) |
| Exports - commodities | refined petroleum products | fish and crawfish; rum, salt, chemicals; fruit and vegetables |
| Exports - partners | US, Puerto Rico | US 39.1%, Germany 15.4%, Spain 10.8%, France 7.4%, Poland 4.6%, Switzerland 4.3% (2002) |
| Fiscal year | 1 October - 30 September | 1 July - 30 June |
| 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 | three equal horizontal bands of aquamarine (top), gold, and aquamarine, with a black equilateral triangle based on the hoist side |
| GDP | purchasing power parity - $2.4 billion (2001 est.) | purchasing power parity - $4.59 billion (2002 est.) |
| GDP - composition by sector | agriculture: NA%
industry: NA% services: NA% |
agriculture: 3%
industry: 7% services: 90% (1999 est.) |
| GDP - per capita | purchasing power parity - $19,000 (2001 est.) | purchasing power parity - $15,300 (2002 est.) |
| GDP - real growth rate | 2% (2001 est.) | 0.1% (2002 est.) |
| Geographic coordinates | 18 20 N, 64 50 W | 24 15 N, 76 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 | strategic location adjacent to US and Cuba; extensive island chain of which 30 are inhabited |
| Heliports | - | 1 (2002) |
| Highways | total: 856 km
paved: NA km unpaved: NA km note: the only US possession where driving on the left side of the road is practiced (2000) |
total: 2,693 km
paved: 1,546 km unpaved: 1,147 km (1999 est.) |
| Household income or consumption by percentage share | lowest 10%: NA%
highest 10%: NA% |
lowest 10%: NA%
highest 10%: NA% |
| Illicit drugs | - | transshipment point for cocaine and marijuana bound for US and Europe; offshore financial center |
| Imports | NA (2001) | NA (2001) |
| Imports - commodities | crude oil, foodstuffs, consumer goods, building materials | machinery and transport equipment, manufactures, chemicals, mineral fuels; food and live animals |
| Imports - partners | US, Puerto Rico | US 20.3%, South Korea 20.1%, Germany 11.5%, Norway 11.5%, Japan 10%, Italy 7.2% (2002) |
| Independence | - | 10 July 1973 (from UK) |
| Industrial production growth rate | NA% | NA% |
| Industries | tourism, petroleum refining, watch assembly, rum distilling, construction, pharmaceuticals, textiles, electronics | tourism, banking, e-commerce, cement, oil refining and transshipment, salt, rum, aragonite, pharmaceuticals, spiral-welded steel pipe |
| Infant mortality rate | total: 9 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 10.12 deaths/1,000 live births female: 7.81 deaths/1,000 live births (2003 est.) |
total: 26.21 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 32.45 deaths/1,000 live births female: 19.83 deaths/1,000 live births (2003 est.) |
| Inflation rate (consumer prices) | 2% (1992) | 1.8% (2001 est.) |
| International organization participation | ECLAC (associate), Interpol (subbureau), IOC | ACP, C, Caricom, CDB, ECLAC, FAO, G-77, IADB, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt (signatory), ICFTU, ICRM, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, ITU, LAES, NAM, OAS, OPANAL, OPCW (signatory), UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCO, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTrO (observer) |
| Internet Service Providers (ISPs) | 50 (2000) | 19 (2000) |
| Irrigated land | NA sq km | NA sq km |
| Judicial branch | US District Court of the Virgin Islands (under Third Circuit jurisdiction); Territorial Court (judges appointed by the governor for 10-year terms) | Supreme Court; Court of Appeal; magistrates courts |
| Labor force | 49,000 (2002 est.) | 156,000 (1999) |
| Labor force - by occupation | agriculture 1%, industry 20%, services 79% (1990 est.) | tourism 50%, other services 40%, industry 5%, agriculture 5% (1999 est.) |
| Land boundaries | 0 km | 0 km |
| Land use | arable land: 15%
permanent crops: 6% other: 79% (1998 est.) |
arable land: 0.6%
permanent crops: 0.4% other: 99% (1998 est.) |
| Languages | English (official), Spanish, Creole | English (official), Creole (among Haitian immigrants) |
| Legal system | based on US laws | based on English common law |
| Legislative branch | unicameral Senate (15 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve two-year terms)
elections: last held 6 November 2002 (next to be held NA November 2004) election results: percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - Democratic Party 8, ICM NA, no party affiliation NA note: the Virgin Islands elects one non-voting representative to the US House of Representatives; election last held 6 November 2002 (next to be held NA November 2004); results - Donna M. CHRISTIAN-CHRISTENSON (Democrat) reelected |
bicameral Parliament consists of the Senate (16-member body appointed by the governor general upon the advice of the prime minister and the opposition leader for five-year terms) and the House of Assembly (40 seats; members elected by direct popular vote to serve five-year terms)
elections: last held 1 May 2002 (next to be held by May 2007) election results: percent of vote by party - PLP 50.8%, FNM 41.1%, independents 5.2%; seats by party - PLP 29, FNM 7, independents 4 |
| Life expectancy at birth | total population: 78.59 years
male: 74.73 years female: 82.68 years (2003 est.) |
total population: 65.71 years
male: 62.3 years female: 69.18 years (2003 est.) |
| Literacy | definition: NA
total population: NA% male: NA% female: NA% |
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 95.6% male: 94.7% female: 96.5% (2003 est.) |
| Location | Caribbean, islands between the Caribbean Sea and the North Atlantic Ocean, east of Puerto Rico | Caribbean, chain of islands in the North Atlantic Ocean, southeast of Florida, northeast of Cuba |
| Map references | Central America and the Caribbean | Central America and the Caribbean |
| Maritime claims | exclusive economic zone: 200 NM
territorial sea: 12 NM |
exclusive economic zone: 200 NM
territorial sea: 12 NM |
| Merchant marine | none (2002 est.) | total: 1,090 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 33,065,778 GRT/46,202,085 DWT
ships by type: bulk 150, cargo 223, chemical tanker 45, combination bulk 12, combination ore/oil 18, container 108, liquefied gas 26, livestock carrier 2, multi-functional large-load carrier 8, passenger 102, passenger/cargo 1, petroleum tanker 178, refrigerated cargo 135, roll on/roll off 40, short-sea passenger 17, specialized tanker 2, vehicle carrier 23 note: includes some foreign-owned ships registered here as a flag of convenience: Angola 1, Argentina 1, Australia 4, Belgium 18, Bermuda 1, Canada 5, Chile 1, China 3, Croatia 2, Cuba 3, Cyprus 2, Denmark 27, Ecuador 1, Estonia 2, Finland 9, France 15, Germany 26, Greece 173, Hong Kong 6, India 2, Indonesia 2, Ireland 1, Israel 3, Italy 9, Jamaica 1, Japan 32, Kenya 3, Malaysia 10, Malta 2, Monaco 67, Netherlands 32, New Zealand 2, Norway 237, Panama 2, Philippines 3, Poland 13, Reunion 1, Russia 6, Saudi Arabia 9, Singapore 13, Slovenia 1, South Korea 2, Spain 7, Sweden 12, Switzerland 8, Thailand 1, Trinidad and Tobago 2, Turkey 2, Ukraine 2, United Arab Emirates 10, United Kingdom 107, United States 159, Uruguay 1 (2002 est.) |
| Military - note | defense is the responsibility of the US | - |
| Military branches | - | Royal Bahamas Defense Force (Coast Guard only), Royal Bahamas Police Force |
| Military expenditures - dollar figure | - | $20 million (FY95/96) |
| Military expenditures - percent of GDP | - | 0.7% (FY99) |
| National holiday | Transfer Day (from Denmark to the US), 27 March (1917) | Independence Day, 10 July (1973) |
| Nationality | noun: Virgin Islander(s)
adjective: Virgin Islander |
noun: Bahamian(s)
adjective: Bahamian |
| Natural hazards | several hurricanes in recent years; frequent and severe droughts and floods; occasional earthquakes | hurricanes and other tropical storms cause extensive flood and wind damage |
| Natural resources | sun, sand, sea, surf | salt, aragonite, timber, arable land |
| Net migration rate | 0.12 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2003 est.) | -2.21 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2003 est.) |
| Political parties and leaders | Democratic Party [Arturo WATLINGTON]; Independent Citizens' Movement or ICM [Usie RICHARDS]; Republican Party [Gary SPRAUVE] | Free National Movement or FNM [Tommy TURNQUEST]; Progressive Liberal Party or PLP [Perry CHRISTIE] |
| Political pressure groups and leaders | NA | NA |
| Population | 124,778 (July 2003 est.) | 297,477
note: estimates for this country explicitly take into account the effects of excess mortality due to AIDS; this can result in lower life expectancy, higher infant mortality and death rates, lower population and growth rates, and changes in the distribution of population by age and sex than would otherwise be expected (July 2003 est.) |
| Population below poverty line | NA% | NA% |
| Population growth rate | 1.02% (2003 est.) | 0.77% (2003 est.) |
| Ports and harbors | Charlotte Amalie, Christiansted, Cruz Bay, Port Alucroix | Freeport, Matthew Town, Nassau |
| Radio broadcast stations | AM 5, FM 11, shortwave 0 (2002) | AM 3, FM 4, shortwave 0 (1998) |
| Railways | 0 km | 0 km |
| Religions | Baptist 42%, Roman Catholic 34%, Episcopalian 17%, other 7% | Baptist 32%, Anglican 20%, Roman Catholic 19%, Methodist 6%, Church of God 6%, other Protestant 12%, none or unknown 3%, other 2% |
| Sex ratio | at birth: 1.06 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.06 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.82 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.74 male(s)/female total population: 0.87 male(s)/female (2003 est.) |
at birth: 1.02 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.97 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.69 male(s)/female total population: 0.96 male(s)/female (2003 est.) |
| Suffrage | 18 years of age; universal; note - indigenous inhabitants are US citizens but do not vote in US presidential elections | 18 years of age; universal |
| 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: modern facilities
domestic: totally automatic system; highly developed international: tropospheric scatter and submarine cable to Florida; 3 coaxial submarine cables; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean) (1997) |
| Telephones - main lines in use | 65,000 (1997) | 96,000 (1997) |
| Telephones - mobile cellular | 2,000 (1992) | 6,152 (1997) |
| Television broadcast stations | 2 (2002) | 1 (1997) |
| Terrain | mostly hilly to rugged and mountainous with little level land | long, flat coral formations with some low rounded hills |
| Total fertility rate | 2.22 children born/woman (2003 est.) | 2.25 children born/woman (2003 est.) |
| Unemployment rate | 4.9% (March 1999) | 6.9% (2001 est.) |
| Waterways | none | none |
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