Compare Virgin Islands (2003) - Congo, Democratic Republic of the (2004)

Compare Virgin Islands (2003) z Congo, Democratic Republic of the (2004)

	Virgin Islands (2003)	Congo, Democratic Republic of the (2004)

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	10 provinces (provinces, singular - province) and one city (ville); Bandundu, Bas-Congo, Equateur, Kasai-Occidental, Kasai-Oriental, Katanga, Kinshasa, Maniema, Nord-Kivu, Orientale, Sud-Kivu
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: 48.2% (male 14,122,237; female 14,008,654) 15-64 years: 49.3% (male 14,097,301; female 14,646,285) 65 years and over: 2.5% (male 590,262; female 853,191) (2004 est.)
Agriculture - products	fruit, vegetables, sorghum; Senepol cattle	coffee, sugar, palm oil, rubber, tea, quinine, cassava (tapioca), palm oil, bananas, root crops, corn, fruits; wood products
Airports	2 (2002)	230 (2003 est.)
Airports - with paved runways	total: 2 1,524 to 2,437 m: 2 (2002)	total: 24 over 3,047 m: 4 2,438 to 3,047 m: 2 1,524 to 2,437 m: 16 914 to 1,523 m: 2 (2004 est.)
Airports - with unpaved runways	-	total: 206 1,524 to 2,437 m: 17 914 to 1,523 m: 92 under 914 m: 97 (2004 est.)
Area	total: 352 sq km land: 349 sq km water: 3 sq km	total: 2,345,410 sq km land: 2,267,600 sq km water: 77,810 sq km
Area - comparative	twice the size of Washington, DC	slightly less than one-fourth the size of the US
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.	Since 1997, the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DROC; formerly called Zaire) has been rent by ethnic strife and civil war, touched off by a massive inflow in 1994 of refugees from the fighting in Rwanda and Burundi. The government of former president MOBUTU Sese Seko was toppled by a rebellion led by Laurent KABILA in May 1997; his regime was subsequently challenged by a Rwanda- and Uganda-backed rebellion in August 1998. Troops from Zimbabwe, Angola, Namibia, Chad, and Sudan intervened to support the Kinshasa regime. A cease-fire was signed on 10 July 1999 by the DROC, Zimbabwe, Angola, Uganda, Namibia, Rwanda, and Congolese armed rebel groups, but sporadic fighting continued. KABILA was assassinated on 16 January 2001 and his son Joseph KABILA was named head of state ten days later. In October 2002, the new president was successful in getting occupying Rwandan forces to withdraw from eastern Congo; two months later, the Pretoria Accord was signed by all remaining warring parties to end the fighting and set up a government of national unity. A transitional government was set up in July 2003; Joseph KABILA remains as president and is joined by four vice presidents from the former government, former rebel camps, and the political opposition.
Birth rate	15.8 births/1,000 population (2003 est.)	44.73 births/1,000 population (2004 est.)
Budget	revenues: $364.4 million expenditures: $364.4 million, including capital expenditures of $NA (1990 est.)	revenues: $269 million expenditures: $244 million, including capital expenditures of $24 million (1996 est.)
Capital	Charlotte Amalie	Kinshasa
Climate	subtropical, tempered by easterly trade winds, relatively low humidity, little seasonal temperature variation; rainy season May to November	tropical; hot and humid in equatorial river basin; cooler and drier in southern highlands; cooler and wetter in eastern highlands; north of Equator - wet season April to October, dry season December to February; south of Equator - wet season November to March, dry season April to October
Coastline	188 km	37 km
Constitution	Revised Organic Act of 22 July 1954	a new constitution was adopted 17 July 2003
Country name	conventional long form: United States Virgin Islands conventional short form: Virgin Islands former: Danish West Indies	conventional long form: Democratic Republic of the Congo conventional short form: none local long form: Republique Democratique du Congo local short form: none former: Congo Free State, Belgian Congo, Congo/Leopoldville, Congo/Kinshasa, Zaire abbreviation: DROC
Currency	US dollar (USD)	Congolese franc (CDF)
Death rate	5.68 deaths/1,000 population (2003 est.)	14.64 deaths/1,000 population (2004 est.)
Debt - external	$NA	$11.6 billion (2000 est.)
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 Aubrey HOOKS embassy: 310 Avenue des Aviateurs, Kinshasa mailing address: Unit 31550, APO AE 09828 telephone: [243] (88) 43608 FAX: [243] (88) 43467
Diplomatic representation in the US	none (territory of the US)	chief of mission: Ambassador Faida MITIFU chancery: 1800 New Hampshire Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20009 telephone: [1] (202) 234-7690, 7691 FAX: [1] (202) 234-2609
Disputes - international	none	Democratic Republic of the Congo is in the grip of a civil war, tribal conflict, and rebel gang fighting that has drawn in neighboring states of Burundi, Rwanda and Uganda; in the Great Lakes region and Sudan, heads of the Great Lakes states and UN pledge to end conflict, but unchecked localized violence continues unabated; the location of the boundary in the broad Congo River with the Republic of the Congo is indefinite except in the Pool Malebo/Stanley Pool area
Economic aid - recipient	$NA	$195.3 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 economy of the Democratic Republic of the Congo - a nation endowed with vast potential wealth - has declined drastically since the mid-1980s. The war, which began in August 1998, has dramatically reduced national output and government revenue, has increased external debt, and has resulted in the deaths from war, famine, and disease of perhaps 3.5 million people. Foreign businesses have curtailed operations due to uncertainty about the outcome of the conflict, lack of infrastructure, and the difficult operating environment. The war has intensified the impact of such basic problems as an uncertain legal framework, corruption, inflation, and lack of openness in government economic policy and financial operations. Conditions improved in late 2002 with the withdrawal of a large portion of the invading foreign troops. Several IMF and World Bank missions have met with the government to help it develop a coherent economic plan, and President KABILA has begun implementing reforms. Much economic activity lies outside the GDP data. Economic stability, aided by international donors, improved in 2003. New mining contracts have been approved, which - combined with high mineral and metal prices - could improve Kinshasa's fiscal position and GDP growth.
Electricity - consumption	957.9 million kWh (2001)	3.839 billion kWh (2001)
Electricity - exports	0 kWh (2001)	1.097 billion kWh (2001)
Electricity - imports	0 kWh (2001)	60 million kWh (2001)
Electricity - production	1.03 billion kWh (2001)	5.243 billion kWh (2001)
Electricity - production by source	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: Pic Marguerite on Mont Ngaliema (Mount Stanley) 5,110 m
Environment - current issues	lack of natural freshwater resources	poaching threatens wildlife populations; water pollution; deforestation; refugees responsible for significant deforestation, soil erosion, and wildlife poaching; mining of minerals (coltan - a mineral used in creating capacitors, diamonds, and gold) causing environmental damage
Environment - international agreements	-	party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands signed, but not ratified: Environmental Modification
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%	over 200 African ethnic groups of which the majority are Bantu; the four largest tribes - Mongo, Luba, Kongo (all Bantu), and the Mangbetu-Azande (Hamitic) make up about 45% of the population
Exchange rates	the US dollar is used	Congolese francs per US dollar - NA (2003), 346.485 (2002), 206.617 (2001), 21.82 (2000), 4.02 (1999)
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: President Joseph KABILA (since 26 January 2001); note - following the assassination of his father, Laurent Desire KABILA, on 16 January 2001, Joseph KABILA succeeded to the presidency; the president is both the chief of state and head of government head of government: President Joseph KABILA (since 26 January 2001); note - following the assassination of his father, Laurent Desire KABILA, on 16 January 2001, Joseph KABILA succeeded to the presidency; the president is both the chief of state and head of government cabinet: National Executive Council, appointed by the president elections: prior to the overthrow of MOBUTU Sese Seko, the president was elected by popular vote for a seven-year term; election last held 29 July 1984 (next was scheduled to be held in May 1997); formerly, there was also a prime minister who was elected by the High Council of the Republic; note - a Transitional Government is drafting a new constitution with free elections scheduled to be held in NA 2005 election results: results of the last election were: MOBUTU Sese Seko Kuku Ngbendu wa Za Banga reelected president in 1984 without opposition note: Joseph KABILA succeeded his father, Laurent Desire KABILA, following the latter's assassination in January 2001, negotiations with rebel leaders led to the establishment of a transitional government in July 2003 with free elections scheduled to be held in NA 2005
Exports	NA (2001)	NA (2001)
Exports - commodities	refined petroleum products	diamonds, copper, crude oil, coffee, cobalt
Exports - partners	US, Puerto Rico	Belgium 54.9%, US 15.4%, Zimbabwe 11.1%, Finland 4.8% (2003)
Fiscal year	1 October - 30 September	calendar year
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	light blue with a large yellow five-pointed star in the center and a columnar arrangement of six small yellow five-pointed stars along the hoist side
GDP	purchasing power parity - $2.4 billion (2001 est.)	purchasing power parity - $40.05 billion (2003 est.)
GDP - composition by sector	agriculture: NA% industry: NA% services: NA%	agriculture: 55% industry: 11% services: 34% (2000 est.)
GDP - per capita	purchasing power parity - $19,000 (2001 est.)	purchasing power parity - $700 (2003 est.)
GDP - real growth rate	2% (2001 est.)	6.5% (2003 est.)
Geographic coordinates	18 20 N, 64 50 W	0 00 N, 25 00 E
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	straddles equator; has very narrow strip of land that controls the lower Congo River and is only outlet to South Atlantic Ocean; dense tropical rain forest in central river basin and eastern highlands
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: 157,000 km (including 30 km of expressways) paved: NA km unpaved: NA km (1999 est.)
Household income or consumption by percentage share	lowest 10%: NA% highest 10%: NA%	lowest 10%: NA highest 10%: NA
Illicit drugs	-	illicit producer of cannabis, mostly for domestic consumption; while rampant corruption and inadequate supervision leaves the banking system vulnerable to money laundering, the lack of a well-developed financial system limits the country's utility as a money-laundering center
Imports	NA (2001)	NA (2001)
Imports - commodities	crude oil, foodstuffs, consumer goods, building materials	foodstuffs, mining and other machinery, transport equipment, fuels
Imports - partners	US, Puerto Rico	South Africa 17%, Belgium 14.9%, France 12.6%, Germany 6.8%, Kenya 5.4%, Netherlands 4% (2003)
Independence	-	30 June 1960 (from Belgium)
Industrial production growth rate	NA%	NA
Industries	tourism, petroleum refining, watch assembly, rum distilling, construction, pharmaceuticals, textiles, electronics	mining (diamonds, copper, zinc), mineral processing, consumer products (including textiles, footwear, cigarettes, processed foods and beverages), cement
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: 94.69 deaths/1,000 live births male: 103.18 deaths/1,000 live births female: 85.95 deaths/1,000 live births (2004 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices)	2% (1992)	14% (2003 est.)
International organization participation	ECLAC (associate), Interpol (subbureau), IOC	ACCT, ACP, AfDB, AU, CEPGL, FAO, G-24, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO (correspondent), ITU, MIGA, NAM, OPCW (signatory), PCA, SADC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO
Internet Service Providers (ISPs)	50 (2000)	-
Irrigated land	NA sq km	110 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)	Supreme Court or Cour Supreme
Labor force	49,000 (2002 est.)	14.51 million (1993 est.)
Labor force - by occupation	agriculture 1%, industry 20%, services 79% (1990 est.)	NA
Land boundaries	0 km	total: 10,730 km border countries: Angola 2,511 km (of which 225 km is the boundary of Angola's discontiguous Cabinda Province), Burundi 233 km, Central African Republic 1,577 km, Republic of the Congo 2,410 km, Rwanda 217 km, Sudan 628 km, Tanzania 459 km, Uganda 765 km, Zambia 1,930 km
Land use	arable land: 15% permanent crops: 6% other: 79% (1998 est.)	arable land: 2.96% permanent crops: 0.52% other: 96.52% (2001)
Languages	English (official), Spanish, Creole	French (official), Lingala (a lingua franca trade language), Kingwana (a dialect of Kiswahili or Swahili), Kikongo, Tshiluba
Legal system	based on US laws	based on Belgian civil law system and tribal law; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
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	a 300-member Transitional Constituent Assembly established in August 2000 elections: NA; members of the Transitional Constituent Assembly were appointed by former President Laurent Desire KABILA
Life expectancy at birth	total population: 78.59 years male: 74.73 years female: 82.68 years (2003 est.)	total population: 49.14 years male: 47.06 years female: 51.28 years (2004 est.)
Literacy	definition: NA total population: NA% male: NA% female: NA%	definition: age 15 and over can read and write French, Lingala, Kingwana, or Tshiluba total population: 65.5% male: 76.2% female: 55.1% (2003 est.)
Location	Caribbean, islands between the Caribbean Sea and the North Atlantic Ocean, east of Puerto Rico	Central Africa, northeast of Angola
Map references	Central America and the Caribbean	Africa
Maritime claims	exclusive economic zone: 200 NM territorial sea: 12 NM	territorial sea: 12 nm exclusive economic zone: boundaries with neighbors
Merchant marine	none (2002 est.)	none
Military - note	defense is the responsibility of the US	-
Military branches	-	Army, Navy, Air Force
Military expenditures - dollar figure	-	$115.5 million (2003)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP	-	1.4% (2003)
Military manpower - availability	-	males age 15-49: 12,706,971 (2004 est.)
Military manpower - fit for military service	-	males age 15-49: 6,480,645 (2004 est.)
National holiday	Transfer Day (from Denmark to the US), 27 March (1917)	Independence Day, 30 June (1960)
Nationality	noun: Virgin Islander(s) adjective: Virgin Islander	noun: Congolese (singular and plural) adjective: Congolese or Congo
Natural hazards	several hurricanes in recent years; frequent and severe droughts and floods; occasional earthquakes	periodic droughts in south; Congo River floods (seasonal); in the east, in the Great Rift Valley, there are active volcanoes
Natural resources	sun, sand, sea, surf	cobalt, copper, cadmium, petroleum, industrial and gem diamonds, gold, silver, zinc, manganese, tin, germanium, uranium, radium, bauxite, iron ore, coal, hydropower, timber
Net migration rate	0.12 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2003 est.)	-0.17 migrant(s)/1,000 population note: fighting between the Congolese Government and Uganda- and Rwanda-backed Congolese rebels spawned a regional war in DROC in August 1998, which left 1.8 million Congolese internally displaced and caused 300,000 Congolese refugees to flee to surrounding countries (2004 est.)
Pipelines	-	gas 54 km; oil 71 km (2004)
Political parties and leaders	Democratic Party [Arturo WATLINGTON]; Independent Citizens' Movement or ICM [Usie RICHARDS]; Republican Party [Gary SPRAUVE]	Democratic Social Christian Party or PDSC [Andre BO-BOLIKO]; Forces for Renovation for Union and Solidarity or FONUS [Joseph OLENGHANKOY]; National Congolese Lumumbist Movement or MNC [Francois LUMUMBA]; Popular Movement of the Revolution or MPR (three factions: MPR-Fait Prive [Catherine NZUZI wa Mbombo]; MPR/Vunduawe [Felix VUNDUAWE]; MPR/Mananga [MANANGA Dintoka Mpholo]); Unified Lumumbast Party or PALU [Antoine GIZENGA]; Union for Democracy and Social Progress or UDPS [Etienne TSHISEKEDI wa Mulumba]; Union of Federalists and Independent Republicans or UFERI (two factions: UFERI [Lokambo OMOKOKO]; UFERI/OR [Adolph Kishwe MAYA])
Political pressure groups and leaders	NA	NA
Population	124,778 (July 2003 est.)	58,317,930 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 2004 est.)
Population below poverty line	NA%	NA
Population growth rate	1.02% (2003 est.)	2.99% (2004 est.)
Ports and harbors	Charlotte Amalie, Christiansted, Cruz Bay, Port Alucroix	Banana, Boma, Bukavu, Bumba, Goma, Kalemie, Kindu, Kinshasa, Kisangani, Matadi, Mbandaka
Radio broadcast stations	AM 5, FM 11, shortwave 0 (2002)	AM 3, FM 11, shortwave 2 (2001)
Railways	0 km	total: 5,138 km narrow gauge: 3,987 km 1.067-m gauge (858 km electrified); 125 km 1.000-m gauge; 1,026 km 0.600-m gauge (2003)
Religions	Baptist 42%, Roman Catholic 34%, Episcopalian 17%, other 7%	Roman Catholic 50%, Protestant 20%, Kimbanguist 10%, Muslim 10%, other syncretic sects and indigenous beliefs 10%
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: 1.03 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.01 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.96 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.69 male(s)/female total population: 0.98 male(s)/female (2004 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 and compulsory
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: poor domestic: barely adequate wire and microwave radio relay service in and between urban areas; domestic satellite system with 14 earth stations international: country code - 243; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean)
Telephones - main lines in use	65,000 (1997)	10,000 (2002)
Telephones - mobile cellular	2,000 (1992)	1 million (2003)
Television broadcast stations	2 (2002)	4 (2001)
Terrain	mostly hilly to rugged and mountainous with little level land	vast central basin is a low-lying plateau; mountains in east
Total fertility rate	2.22 children born/woman (2003 est.)	6.62 children born/woman (2004 est.)
Unemployment rate	4.9% (March 1999)	NA (2003 est.)
Waterways	none	15,000 km (navigation on the Congo curtailed by fighting) (2004)

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