Compare Virgin Islands (2003) - South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands (2007)

Compare Virgin Islands (2003) z South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands (2007)

	Virgin Islands (2003)	South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands (2007)

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: 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.)	-
Agriculture - products	fruit, vegetables, sorghum; Senepol cattle	-
Airports	2 (2002)	-
Airports - with paved runways	total: 2 1,524 to 2,437 m: 2 (2002)	-
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 11 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, which have large bird and seal populations, 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. 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	15.8 births/1,000 population (2003 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 abbreviation: SGSSI
Currency	US dollar (USD)	-
Death rate	5.68 deaths/1,000 population (2003 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
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 them 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, reduce crime, 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	957.9 million kWh (2001)	-
Electricity - exports	0 kWh (2001)	-
Electricity - imports	0 kWh (2001)	-
Electricity - production	1.03 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: Mount Paget (South Georgia) 2,934 m
Environment - current issues	lack of natural freshwater resources	NA
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%	-
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 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%	-
Exports	NA (2001)	-
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 - $2.4 billion (2001 est.)	-
GDP - composition by sector	agriculture: NA% industry: NA% services: NA%	-
GDP - per capita	purchasing power parity - $19,000 (2001 est.)	-
GDP - real growth rate	2% (2001 est.)	-
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 note: the only US possession where driving on the left side of the road is practiced (2000)	-
Household income or consumption by percentage share	lowest 10%: NA% highest 10%: NA%	-
Imports	NA (2001)	-
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	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.)	-
Inflation rate (consumer prices)	2% (1992)	-
International organization participation	ECLAC (associate), Interpol (subbureau), IOC	-
Internet Service Providers (ISPs)	50 (2000)	-
Irrigated land	NA sq km	0 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)	-
Labor force	49,000 (2002 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% other: 79% (1998 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) (2005)
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 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	-
Life expectancy at birth	total population: 78.59 years male: 74.73 years female: 82.68 years (2003 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 (2002 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 (2003 est.)	-
Political parties and leaders	Democratic Party [Arturo WATLINGTON]; Independent Citizens' Movement or ICM [Usie RICHARDS]; Republican Party [Gary SPRAUVE]	-
Political pressure groups and leaders	NA	-
Population	124,778 (July 2003 est.)	no indigenous inhabitants note: the small military garrison on South Georgia withdrew in March 2001 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
Population below poverty line	NA%	-
Population growth rate	1.02% (2003 est.)	-
Ports and harbors	Charlotte Amalie, Christiansted, Cruz Bay, Port Alucroix	-
Radio broadcast stations	AM 5, FM 11, shortwave 0 (2002)	0 (2003)
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: 0.82 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.74 male(s)/female total population: 0.87 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	-
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	65,000 (1997)	-
Telephones - mobile cellular	2,000 (1992)	-
Television broadcast stations	2 (2002)	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	2.22 children born/woman (2003 est.)	-
Unemployment rate	4.9% (March 1999)	-
Waterways	none	-

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