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Compare Virgin Islands (2004) - Czech Republic (2003)

Compare Virgin Islands (2004) z Czech Republic (2003)

 Virgin Islands (2004)Czech Republic (2003)
 Virgin IslandsCzech Republic
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 13 regions (kraje, singular - kraj) and 1 capital city* (hlavni mesto); Jihocesky Kraj, Jihomoravsky Kraj, Karlovarsky Kraj, Kralovehradecky Kraj, Liberecky Kraj, Moravskoslezsky Kraj, Olomoucky Kraj, Pardubicky Kraj, Plzensky Kraj, Praha*, Stredocesky Kraj, Ustecky Kraj, Vysocina, Zlinsky Kraj
Age structure 0-14 years: 23.8% (male 13,116; female 12,770)


15-64 years: 66% (male 33,944; female 37,870)


65 years and over: 10.2% (male 4,855; female 6,220) (2004 est.)
0-14 years: 15.4% (male 809,697; female 768,747)


15-64 years: 70.6% (male 3,617,214; female 3,614,060)


65 years and over: 14% (male 554,922; female 884,576) (2003 est.)
Agriculture - products fruit, vegetables, sorghum; Senepol cattle wheat, potatoes, sugar beets, hops, fruit; pigs, poultry
Airports 2 (2003 est.) 144 (2002)
Airports - with paved runways total: 2


1,524 to 2,437 m: 2 (2004 est.)
total: 44


2,438 to 3,047 m: 7


1,524 to 2,437 m: 16


914 to 1,523 m: 2


under 914 m: 19 (2002)
Airports - with unpaved runways - total: 100


1,524 to 2,437 m: 2


914 to 1,523 m: 36


under 914 m: 62 (2002)
Area total: 352 sq km


land: 349 sq km


water: 3 sq km
total: 78,866 sq km


land: 77,276 sq km


water: 1,590 sq km
Area - comparative twice the size of Washington, DC slightly smaller than South Carolina
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. Following the First World War, the closely related Czechs and Slovaks of the former Austro-Hungarian Empire merged to form Czechoslovakia. During the interwar years, the new country's leaders were frequently preoccupied with meeting the demands of other ethnic minorities within the republic, most notably the Sudeten Germans and the Ruthenians (Ukrainians). After World War II, a truncated Czechoslovakia fell within the Soviet sphere of influence. In 1968, an invasion by Warsaw Pact troops ended the efforts of the country's leaders to liberalize Communist party rule and create "socialism with a human face." Anti-Soviet demonstrations the following year ushered in a period of harsh repression. With the collapse of Soviet authority in 1989, Czechoslovakia regained its freedom through a peaceful "Velvet Revolution." On 1 January 1993, the country underwent a "velvet divorce" into its two national components, the Czech Republic and Slovakia. Now a member of NATO, the Czech Republic has moved toward integration in world markets, a development that poses both opportunities and risks. In December 2002, the Czech Republic was invited to join the European Union (EU). It is expected that the Czech Republic will accede to the EU in 2004.
Birth rate 14.49 births/1,000 population (2004 est.) 9.01 births/1,000 population (2003 est.)
Budget revenues: $560


expenditures: NA (2003)
revenues: $16.7 billion


expenditures: $18 billion, including capital expenditures of $NA (2001 est.)
Capital Charlotte Amalie Prague
Climate subtropical, tempered by easterly trade winds, relatively low humidity, little seasonal temperature variation; rainy season May to November temperate; cool summers; cold, cloudy, humid winters
Coastline 188 km 0 km (landlocked)
Constitution Revised Organic Act of 22 July 1954 ratified 16 December 1992; effective 1 January 1993
Country name conventional long form: United States Virgin Islands


conventional short form: Virgin Islands


former: Danish West Indies
conventional long form: Czech Republic


conventional short form: Czech Republic


local long form: Ceska Republika


local short form: Ceska Republika
Currency US dollar (USD) Czech koruna (CZK)
Death rate 6.1 deaths/1,000 population (2004 est.) 10.74 deaths/1,000 population (2003 est.)
Debt - external NA $23.8 billion (2002)
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 Craig R. STAPLETON


embassy: Trziste 15, 11801 Prague 1


mailing address: use embassy street address


telephone: [420] (2) 5753-0663


FAX: [420] (2) 5753-0583
Diplomatic representation in the US none (territory of the US) chief of mission: Ambassador Martin PALOUS


chancery: 3900 Spring of Freedom Street NW, Washington, DC 20008


telephone: [1] (202) 274-9100


FAX: [1] (202) 966-8540


consulate(s) general: Los Angeles and New York
Disputes - international none Liechtenstein's royal family claims restitution for 1,600 sq km of land in the Czech Republic confiscated in 1918; individual Sudeten German claims for restitution of property confiscated in connection with their expulsion after World War II; Austria has minor dispute with Czech Republic over the Temelin nuclear power plant and post-World War II treatment of German-speaking minorities
Economic aid - recipient NA $108 million; EU structural adjustment funds (2002)
Economy - overview Tourism is the primary economic activity, accounting for 80% of GDP and 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, to support construction projects in the private sector, to expand tourist facilities, to reduce crime, and to protect the environment. One of the most stable and prosperous of the post-Communist states, the Czech Republic has been recovering from recession since mid-1999. Growth in 2000-03 was supported by exports to the EU, primarily to Germany, and a near doubling of foreign direct investment. Domestic demand is playing an ever more important role in underpinning growth as interest rates drop and the availability of credit cards and mortgages increases. High current account deficits - averaging around 5% of GDP in the last several years - could be a persistent problem. Inflation is under control. The EU put the Czech Republic just behind Poland and Hungary in preparations for accession, which will give further impetus and direction to structural reform. Moves to complete banking, telecommunications, and energy privatization will encourage additional foreign investment, while intensified restructuring among large enterprises and banks and improvements in the financial sector should strengthen output growth. But revival in the European economies remains essential to stepped-up growth.
Electricity - consumption 957.9 million kWh (2001) 55.6 billion kWh (2001)
Electricity - exports 0 kWh (2001) 18.92 billion kWh (2001)
Electricity - imports 0 kWh (2001) 9.38 billion kWh (2001)
Electricity - production 1.03 billion kWh (2001) 70.04 billion kWh (2001)
Electricity - production by source - fossil fuel: 76.1%


hydro: 2.9%


nuclear: 20%


other: 1% (2001)
Elevation extremes lowest point: Caribbean Sea 0 m


highest point: Crown Mountain 474 m
lowest point: Elbe River 115 m


highest point: Snezka 1,602 m
Environment - current issues lack of natural freshwater resources air and water pollution in areas of northwest Bohemia and in northern Moravia around Ostrava present health risks; acid rain damaging forests; efforts to bring industry up to EU code should improve domestic pollution
Environment - international agreements - party to: Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, Air Pollution-Sulphur 85, Air Pollution-Sulphur 94, Air Pollution-Volatile Organic Compounds, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands


signed, but not ratified: Air Pollution-Persistent Organic Pollutants, Antarctic-Environmental Protocol
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%
Czech 81.2%, Moravian 13.2%, Slovak 3.1%, Polish 0.6%, German 0.5%, Silesian 0.4%, Roma 0.3%, Hungarian 0.2%, other 0.5% (1991)
Exchange rates the US dollar is used koruny per US dollar - 32.74 (2002), 38.04 (2001), 38.6 (2000), 34.57 (1999), 32.28 (1998)
Executive branch chief of state: President George W. BUSH of the US (since 20 January 2001)


head of government: Governor Dr. Charles Wesley TURNBULL (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 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 Vaclav KLAUS (since 7 March 2003)


note: the Czech Republic's first president Vaclav HAVEL stepped down from office on 2 February 2003 having served exactly 10 years; parliament finally elected a successor on 28 February 2003 after two inconclusive elections in January 2003


head of government: Prime Minister Vladimir SPIDLA (since 12 July 2002), Deputy Prime Ministers Bohuslav SOBOTKA (since 20 August 2003), Cyril SVOBODA (since July 2002), Stanislav GROSS (since July 2002), Petr MARES (since July 2002)


cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the president on the recommendation of the prime minister


elections: president elected by Parliament for a five-year term; last successful election held 28 February 2003 (after earlier elections held 15 and 24 January 2003 were inconclusive); prime minister appointed by the president


election results: Vaclav KLAUS elected president on 28 February 2003; Vaclav KLAUS 142 votes, Jan SOKOL 124 votes (third round; combined votes of both chambers of parliament)
Exports NA (2001) 26,670 bbl/day (2001)
Exports - commodities refined petroleum products machinery and transport equipment 44%, intermediate manufactures 25%, chemicals 7%, raw materials and fuel 7% (2000)
Exports - partners US, Puerto Rico Germany 40.2%, Slovakia 7.1%, Austria 5.8%, UK 5.1%, Poland 5%, France 4% (2002)
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 two equal horizontal bands of white (top) and red with a blue isosceles triangle based on the hoist side (identical to the flag of the former Czechoslovakia)
GDP purchasing power parity - $2.5 billion (2002 est.) purchasing power parity - $157.1 billion (2002 est.)
GDP - composition by sector agriculture: 1%


industry: 19%


services: 80% (2003 est.)
agriculture: 3.8%


industry: 41%


services: 55.2% (2001)
GDP - per capita purchasing power parity - $17,200 (2002 est.) purchasing power parity - $15,300 (2002 est.)
GDP - real growth rate 2% (2002 est.) 2% (2002 est.)
Geographic coordinates 18 20 N, 64 50 W 49 45 N, 15 30 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 landlocked; strategically located astride some of oldest and most significant land routes in Europe; Moravian Gate is a traditional military corridor between the North European Plain and the Danube in central Europe
Heliports - 2 (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: 55,408 km


paved: 55,408 km (including 499 km of expressways)


unpaved: 0 km (2000)
Household income or consumption by percentage share lowest 10%: NA


highest 10%: NA
lowest 10%: 4.3%


highest 10%: 22.4% (1996)
Illicit drugs - transshipment point for Southwest Asian heroin and minor transit point for Latin American cocaine to Western Europe; producer of synthetic drugs for local and regional markets; susceptible to money laundering related to drug trafficking, organized crime
Imports NA (2001) 192,300 bbl/day (2001)
Imports - commodities crude oil, foodstuffs, consumer goods, building materials machinery and transport equipment 40%, intermediate manufactures 21%, raw materials and fuels 13%, chemicals 11% (2000)
Imports - partners US, Puerto Rico Germany 39.1%, Slovakia 6%, Austria 5.6%, Italy 5.4%, France 5.3%, Poland 4.1%, UK 4.1%, Russia 4% (2002)
Independence - 1 January 1993 (Czechoslovakia split into the Czech Republic and Slovakia)
Industrial production growth rate NA 3.5% (2002)
Industries tourism, petroleum refining, watch assembly, rum distilling, construction, pharmaceuticals, textiles, electronics metallurgy, machinery and equipment, motor vehicles, glass, armaments
Infant mortality rate total: 8.21 deaths/1,000 live births


male: 9.31 deaths/1,000 live births


female: 7.04 deaths/1,000 live births (2004 est.)
total: 5.37 deaths/1,000 live births


male: 5.85 deaths/1,000 live births


female: 4.87 deaths/1,000 live births (2003 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices) 2.2% (2003) 0.6% (2002 est.)
International organization participation Interpol (subbureau), IOC, UPU ACCT (observer), Australia Group, BIS, CE, CEI, CERN, EAPC, EBRD, ECE, EU (applicant), FAO, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt (signatory), ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IEA, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO, ITU, MONUC, NATO, NEA, NSG, OAS (observer), OECD, OPCW, OSCE, PCA, PFP, UN, UNAMSIL, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNITAR, UNMEE, UNMIBH, UNMIK, UNMOP, UNMOT, UNOMIG, UPU, WCL, WCO, WEU (associate), WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO, ZC
Internet Service Providers (ISPs) - more than 300 (2000)
Irrigated land NA sq km 240 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; Constitutional Court; chairman and deputy chairmen are appointed by the president for a 10-year term
Labor force 48,900 (2003 est.) 5.203 million (1999 est.)
Labor force - by occupation agriculture 1%, industry 19%, services 80% (2003 est.) agriculture 5%, industry 35%, services 60% (2001 est.)
Land boundaries 0 km total: 1,881 km


border countries: Austria 362 km, Germany 646 km, Poland 658 km, Slovakia 215 km
Land use arable land: 11.76%


permanent crops: 2.94%


other: 85.29% (2001)
arable land: 40%


permanent crops: 3.04%


other: 56.96% (1998 est.)
Languages English (official), Spanish, Creole Czech
Legal system based on US laws civil law system based on Austro-Hungarian codes; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction; legal code modified to bring it in line with Organization on Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) obligations and to expunge Marxist-Leninist legal theory
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 2 November 2004)


election results: percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - Democratic Party 10, ICM 2, independent 3


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 2 November 2004); results - Donna M. CHRISTIAN-CHRISTENSON (Democrat) reelected
bicameral Parliament or Parlament consists of the Senate or Senat (81 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve six-year terms; one-third elected every two years) and the Chamber of Deputies or Poslanecka Snemovna (200 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms)


elections: Senate - last held in two rounds 25-26 October and 1-2 November 2002 (next to be held NA November 2004); Chamber of Deputies - last held 14-15 June 2002 (next to be held by NA June 2006)


election results: Senate - percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - ODS 26, KDU-CSL 14, CSSD 11, US 9, KSCM 3, independents 18; Chamber of Deputies - percent of vote by party - CSSD 30.2%, ODS 24.5%, KSCM 18.5%, KDU-CSL & US-DEU coalition 14.3%, other minor 12.5%; seats by party - CSSD 70, ODS 58, KSCM 41, KDU-CSL 21, US-DEU 10
Life expectancy at birth total population: 78.75 years


male: 74.91 years


female: 82.82 years (2004 est.)
total population: 75.18 years


male: 71.69 years


female: 78.87 years (2003 est.)
Literacy definition: NA


total population: NA


male: NA


female: NA
definition: NA


total population: 99.9% (1999 est.)


male: NA%


female: NA%
Location Caribbean, islands between the Caribbean Sea and the North Atlantic Ocean, east of Puerto Rico Central Europe, southeast of Germany
Map references Central America and the Caribbean Europe
Maritime claims territorial sea: 12 nm


exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
none (landlocked)
Merchant marine none -
Military - note defense is the responsibility of the US -
Military branches - Army, Air and Air Defense Forces, Territorial Defense Force
Military expenditures - dollar figure - $1,190.2 million (FY01)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP - 2.1% (FY01)
Military manpower - availability - males age 15-49: 2,622,192 (2003 est.)
Military manpower - fit for military service - males age 15-49: 2,002,202 (2003 est.)
Military manpower - military age - 18 years of age (2003 est.)
Military manpower - reaching military age annually - males: 67,777 (2003 est.)
National holiday Transfer Day (from Denmark to the US), 27 March (1917) Czech Founding Day, 28 October (1918)
Nationality noun: Virgin Islander(s)


adjective: Virgin Islander
noun: Czech(s)


adjective: Czech
Natural hazards several hurricanes in recent years; frequent and severe droughts and floods; occasional earthquakes flooding
Natural resources sun, sand, sea, surf hard coal, soft coal, kaolin, clay, graphite, timber
Net migration rate -8.94 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2004 est.) 0.97 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2003 est.)
Pipelines - gas 7,020 km; oil 547 km; refined products 94 km (2003)
Political parties and leaders Democratic Party [Arturo WATLINGTON]; Independent Citizens' Movement or ICM [Usie RICHARDS]; Republican Party [Gary SPRAUVE] Christian and Democratic Union-Czechoslovak People's Party or KDU-CSL [Miroslav KALOUSEK, chairman]; Civic Democratic Alliance or ODA [Michael ZANTOVSKY, chairman]; Civic Democratic Party or ODS [Mirek TOPOLANEK, chairman]; Communist Party of Bohemia and Moravia or KSCM [Miroslav GREBENICEK, chairman]; Communist Party of Czechoslovakia or KSC [Miroslav STEPAN, chairman]; Czech National Social Party of CSNS [Jan SULA, chairman]; Czech Social Democratic Party or CSSD [Vladimir SPIDLA, chairman]; Freedom Union-Democratic Union or US-DEU [Petr MARES, chairman]; Quad Coalition [Karel KUHNL, chairman] (includes KDU-CSL, US, ODA, DEU)
Political pressure groups and leaders NA Czech-Moravian Confederation of Trade Unions [Richard FALBR]
Population 108,775 (July 2004 est.) 10,249,216 (July 2003 est.)
Population below poverty line NA NA%
Population growth rate -0.05% (2004 est.) -0.08% (2003 est.)
Ports and harbors Charlotte Amalie, Christiansted, Cruz Bay, Port Alucroix Decin, Prague, Usti nad Labem
Radio broadcast stations AM 5, FM 11, shortwave 0 (2002) AM 31, FM 304, shortwave 17 (2000)
Railways - total: 9,462 km


standard gauge: 9,363 km 1.435-m gauge (1,745 km electrified)


narrow gauge: 99 km 0.760-m gauge (2002)
Religions Baptist 42%, Roman Catholic 34%, Episcopalian 17%, other 7% Roman Catholic 39.2%, Protestant 4.6%, Orthodox 3%, other 13.4%, atheist 39.8%
Sex ratio at birth: 1.06 male(s)/female


under 15 years: 1.03 male(s)/female


15-64 years: 0.9 male(s)/female


65 years and over: 0.78 male(s)/female


total population: 0.91 male(s)/female (2004 est.)
at birth: 1.06 male(s)/female


under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female


15-64 years: 1 male(s)/female


65 years and over: 0.63 male(s)/female


total population: 0.95 male(s)/female (2003 est.)
Suffrage 18 years of age; universal; note - island residents are US citizens but do not vote in US presidential elections 18 years of age; universal
Telephone system general assessment: NA


domestic: modern system with total digital switching, uses fiber-optic cable and microwave radio relay


international: country code - 1-340; submarine cable and satellite communications; satellite earth stations - NA
general assessment: privatization and modernization of the Czech telecommunication system got a late start but is advancing steadily; growth in the use of mobile cellular telephones is particularly vigorous


domestic: 86% of exchanges now digital; existing copper subscriber systems now being enhanced with Asymmetric Digital Subscriber Line (ADSL) equipment to accommodate Internet and other digital signals; trunk systems include fiber-optic cable and microwave radio relay


international: satellite earth stations - 2 Intersputnik (Atlantic and Indian Ocean regions), 1 Intelsat, 1 Eutelsat, 1 Inmarsat, 1 Globalstar
Telephones - main lines in use 69,400 (2002) 3.869 million (2000)
Telephones - mobile cellular 41,000 (2002) 4.346 million (2000)
Television broadcast stations 2 (2002) 150 (plus 1,434 repeaters) (2000)
Terrain mostly hilly to rugged and mountainous with little level land Bohemia in the west consists of rolling plains, hills, and plateaus surrounded by low mountains; Moravia in the east consists of very hilly country
Total fertility rate 2.21 children born/woman (2004 est.) 1.18 children born/woman (2003 est.)
Unemployment rate 9.3% (2003 est.) 9.8% (2002)
Waterways - 303 km


note: the Labe (Elbe) is the principal river (2000)
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