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Compare Virgin Islands (2004) - Germany (2002)

Compare Virgin Islands (2004) z Germany (2002)

 Virgin Islands (2004)Germany (2002)
 Virgin IslandsGermany
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 16 states (Laender, singular - Land); Baden-Wuerttemberg, Bayern, Berlin, Brandenburg, Bremen, Hamburg, Hessen, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Niedersachsen, Nordrhein-Westfalen, Rheinland-Pfalz, Saarland, Sachsen, Sachsen-Anhalt, Schleswig-Holstein, Thueringen
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 6,568,699; female 6,227,148)


15-64 years: 67.6% (male 28,606,964; female 27,695,539)


65 years and over: 17% (male 5,546,140; female 8,607,361) (2002 est.)
Agriculture - products fruit, vegetables, sorghum; Senepol cattle potatoes, wheat, barley, sugar beets, fruit, cabbages; cattle, pigs, poultry
Airports 2 (2003 est.) 625 (2001)
Airports - with paved runways total: 2


1,524 to 2,437 m: 2 (2004 est.)
total: 328


over 3,047 m: 11


2,438 to 3,047 m: 54


1,524 to 2,437 m: 63


914 to 1,523 m: 69


under 914 m: 131 (2002)
Airports - with unpaved runways - total: 223


over 3,047 m: 2


2,438 to 3,047 m: 1


1,524 to 2,437 m: 2


914 to 1,523 m: 31


under 914 m: 189 (2002)
Area total: 352 sq km


land: 349 sq km


water: 3 sq km
total: 357,021 sq km


land: 349,223 sq km


water: 7,798 sq km
Area - comparative twice the size of Washington, DC slightly smaller than Montana
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. As Europe's largest economy and most populous nation, Germany remains a key member of the continent's economic, political, and defense organizations. European power struggles immersed the country in two devastating World Wars in the first half of the 20th century and left the country occupied by the victorious Allied powers of the US, UK, France, and the Soviet Union in 1945. With the advent of the Cold War, two German states were formed in 1949: the western Federal Republic of Germany (FRG) and the eastern German Democratic Republic (GDR). The democratic FRG embedded itself in key Western economic and security organizations, the EC, which became the EU, and NATO, while the communist GDR was on the front line of the Soviet-led Warsaw Pact. The decline of the USSR and the end of the Cold War allowed for German unification in 1990. Since then Germany has expended considerable funds to bring eastern productivity and wages up to western standards. In January 2002, Germany and 11 other EU countries introduced a common European currency, the euro.
Birth rate 14.49 births/1,000 population (2004 est.) 8.99 births/1,000 population (2002 est.)
Budget revenues: $560


expenditures: NA (2003)
revenues: $802 billion


expenditures: $825 billion, including capital expenditures of $NA (2001 est.)
Capital Charlotte Amalie Berlin
Climate subtropical, tempered by easterly trade winds, relatively low humidity, little seasonal temperature variation; rainy season May to November temperate and marine; cool, cloudy, wet winters and summers; occasional warm foehn wind
Coastline 188 km 2,389 km
Constitution Revised Organic Act of 22 July 1954 23 May 1949, known as Basic Law; became constitution of the united German people 3 October 1990
Country name conventional long form: United States Virgin Islands


conventional short form: Virgin Islands


former: Danish West Indies
conventional long form: Federal Republic of Germany


conventional short form: Germany


local long form: Bundesrepublik Deutschland


local short form: Deutschland


former: German Empire, German Republic, German Reich
Currency US dollar (USD) euro (EUR); deutsche mark (DEM)


note: on 1 January 1999, the European Monetary Union introduced the euro as a common currency to be used by financial institutions of member countries; on 1 January 2002, the euro became the sole currency for everyday transactions within the member countries
Death rate 6.1 deaths/1,000 population (2004 est.) 10.36 deaths/1,000 population (2002 est.)
Debt - external NA $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 -
Diplomatic representation from the US none (territory of the US) chief of mission: Ambassador Daniel R. COATS


embassy: Neustaedtische Kirchstrasse 4-5, 10117 Berlin; note - a new embassy will be built near the Brandenburg Gate in Berlin


mailing address: PSC 120, Box 1000, APO AE 09265


telephone: [49] (030) 8305-0


FAX: [49] (030) 238-6290


consulate(s) general: Duesseldorf, Frankfurt am Main, Hamburg, Leipzig, Munich
Diplomatic representation in the US none (territory of the US) chief of mission: Ambassador Wolfgang Friedrich ISCHINGER


chancery: 4645 Reservoir Road NW, Washington, DC 20007


telephone: [1] (202) 298-8140


FAX: [1] (202) 298-4249


consulate(s) general: Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Detroit, Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, New York, San Francisco
Disputes - international none none
Economic aid - donor - ODA, $5.6 billion (1998)
Economic aid - recipient NA -
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. Germany's affluent and technologically powerful economy turned in a relatively weak performance throughout much of the 1990s. The modernization and integration of the eastern German economy continues to be a costly long-term problem, with annual transfers from west to east amounting to roughly $70 billion. Germany's ageing population, combined with high unemployment, has pushed social security outlays to a level exceeding contributions from workers. Structural rigidities in the labor market - including strict regulations on laying off workers and the setting of wages on a national basis - have made unemployment a chronic problem. Business and income tax cuts introduced in 2001 did not spare Germany from the impact of the downturn in international trade, and domestic demand faltered as unemployment began to rise. Growth in 2002 again fell short of 1%. Corporate restructuring and growing capital markets are setting the foundations that could allow Germany to meet the long-term challenges of European economic integration and globalization, particularly if labor market rigidities are addressed. In the short run, however, the fall in government revenues and the rise in expenditures has brought the deficit close to the EU's 3% debt limit.
Electricity - consumption 957.9 million kWh (2001) 501.72 billion kWh (2000)
Electricity - exports 0 kWh (2001) 42.5 billion kWh (2000)
Electricity - imports 0 kWh (2001) 44.5 billion kWh (2000)
Electricity - production 1.03 billion kWh (2001) 537.33 billion kWh (2000)
Electricity - production by source - fossil fuel: 63%


hydro: 4%


nuclear: 30%


other: 3% (2000)
Elevation extremes lowest point: Caribbean Sea 0 m


highest point: Crown Mountain 474 m
lowest point: Neuendorf bei Wilster -3.54 m


highest point: Zugspitze 2,963 m
Environment - current issues lack of natural freshwater resources emissions from coal-burning utilities and industries contribute to air pollution; acid rain, resulting from sulfur dioxide emissions, is damaging forests; pollution in the Baltic Sea from raw sewage and industrial effluents from rivers in eastern Germany; hazardous waste disposal; government established a mechanism for ending the use of nuclear power over the next 15 years; government working to meet EU commitment to identify nature preservation areas in line with the EU's Flora, Fauna, and Habitat directive
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-Environmental Protocol, Antarctic-Marine Living Resources, Antarctic Seals, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands, Whaling


signed, but not ratified: Air Pollution-Persistent Organic Pollutants, Climate Change-Kyoto 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%
German 91.5%, Turkish 2.4%, other 6.1% (made up largely of Serbo-Croatian, Italian, Russian, Greek, Polish, Spanish)
Exchange rates the US dollar is used euros per US dollar - 1.1324 (January 2002), 1.1175 (2001), 1.0854 (2000), 0.9386 (1999); deutsche marks per US dollar - 1.69 (January 1999), 1.7597 (1998), 1.7341 (1997)
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 Johannes RAU (since 1 July 1999)


head of government: Chancellor Gerhard SCHROEDER (since 27 October 1998)


cabinet: Cabinet or Bundesminister (Federal Ministers) appointed by the president on the recommendation of the chancellor


elections: president elected for a five-year term by a Federal Convention including all members of the Federal Assembly and an equal number of delegates elected by the state parliaments; election last held 23 May 1999 (next to be held 23 May 2004); chancellor elected by an absolute majority of the Federal Assembly for a four-year term; election last held 22 September 2002 (next to be held NA September 2006)


election results: Johannes RAU elected president; percent of Federal Convention vote - 57.6%; Gerhard SCHROEDER elected chancellor; percent of Federal Assembly vote NA%
Exports NA (2001) $608 billion f.o.b. (2002 est.)
Exports - commodities refined petroleum products machinery, vehicles, chemicals, metals and manufactures, foodstuffs, textiles
Exports - partners US, Puerto Rico France 11.1%, US 10.6%, UK 8.4%, Netherlands 6.2%, Austria 5.1%; Belgium 4.9%, Spain 4.5%, Switzerland 4.3% (2001) (2001)
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 three equal horizontal bands of black (top), red, and gold
GDP purchasing power parity - $2.5 billion (2002 est.) purchasing power parity - $2.184 trillion (2002 est.)
GDP - composition by sector agriculture: 1%


industry: 19%


services: 80% (2003 est.)
agriculture: 1%


industry: 31%


services: 68% (2002 est.)
GDP - per capita purchasing power parity - $17,200 (2002 est.) purchasing power parity - $26,600 (2002 est.); (2002 est.)
GDP - real growth rate 2% (2002 est.) 0.4% (2002 est.)
Geographic coordinates 18 20 N, 64 50 W 51 00 N, 9 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 strategic location on North European Plain and along the entrance to the Baltic Sea
Heliports - 40 (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: 656,140 km


paved: 650,891 km (including 11,400 km of expressways)


unpaved: 5,249 km (all-weather) (1998 est.)
Household income or consumption by percentage share lowest 10%: NA


highest 10%: NA
lowest 10%: 4%


highest 10%: 25% (1997)
Illicit drugs - source of precursor chemicals for South American cocaine processors; transshipment point for and consumer of Southwest Asian heroin, Latin American cocaine, and European-produced synthetic drugs
Imports NA (2001) $487.3 billion f.o.b. (2002 est.)
Imports - commodities crude oil, foodstuffs, consumer goods, building materials machinery, vehicles, chemicals, foodstuffs, textiles, metals
Imports - partners US, Puerto Rico France 9.4%, Netherlands 8.4%, US 8.3%, UK 6.9%, Italy 6.5%, Belgium 5.2%, Japan 4.1%, Austria 3.8% (2001)
Independence - 18 January 1871 (German Empire unification); divided into four zones of occupation (UK, US, USSR, and later, France) in 1945 following World War II; Federal Republic of Germany (FRG or West Germany) proclaimed 23 May 1949 and included the former UK, US, and French zones; German Democratic Republic (GDR or East Germany) proclaimed 7 October 1949 and included the former USSR zone; unification of West Germany and East Germany took place 3 October 1990; all four powers formally relinquished rights 15 March 1991
Industrial production growth rate NA -2.1% (2002 est.)
Industries tourism, petroleum refining, watch assembly, rum distilling, construction, pharmaceuticals, textiles, electronics among the world's largest and most technologically advanced producers of iron, steel, coal, cement, chemicals, machinery, vehicles, machine tools, electronics, food and beverages; shipbuilding; textiles
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.)
4.65 deaths/1,000 live births (2002 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices) 2.2% (2003) 1.3% (2002 est.)
International organization participation Interpol (subbureau), IOC, UPU AfDB, AsDB, Australia Group, BDEAC, BIS, CBSS, CCC, CDB, CE, CERN, EAPC, EBRD, ECE, EIB, EMU, ESA, EU, FAO, G- 5, G- 7, G- 8, G-10, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IEA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO, ITU, MONUC, NAM (guest), NATO, NEA, NSG, OAS (observer), OECD, OPCW, OSCE, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNIKOM, UNMIBH, UNMIK, UNMOVIC, UNOMIG, UPU, WADB (nonregional), WEU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO, ZC
Internet Service Providers (ISPs) - 200 (2001)
Irrigated land NA sq km 4,850 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) Federal Constitutional Court or Bundesverfassungsgericht (half the judges are elected by the Bundestag and half by the Bundesrat)
Labor force 48,900 (2003 est.) 41.9 million (2001)
Labor force - by occupation agriculture 1%, industry 19%, services 80% (2003 est.) industry 33%, agriculture 3%, services 64% (1999)
Land boundaries 0 km total: 3,621 km


border countries: Austria 784 km, Belgium 167 km, Czech Republic 646 km, Denmark 68 km, France 451 km, Luxembourg 138 km, Netherlands 577 km, Poland 456 km, Switzerland 334 km
Land use arable land: 11.76%


permanent crops: 2.94%


other: 85.29% (2001)
arable land: 33.88%


permanent crops: 0.65%


other: 65.47% (1998 est.)
Languages English (official), Spanish, Creole German
Legal system based on US laws civil law system with indigenous concepts; judicial review of legislative acts in the Federal Constitutional Court; 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 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 Federal Assembly or Bundestag (603 seats; elected by popular vote under a system combining direct and proportional representation; a party must win 5% of the national vote or three direct mandates to gain representation; members serve four-year terms) and the Federal Council or Bundesrat (69 votes; state governments are directly represented by votes; each has 3 to 6 votes depending on population and are required to vote as a block)


elections: Federal Assembly - last held 22 September 2002 (next to be held NA September 2006); note - there are no elections for the Bundesrat; composition is determined by the composition of the state-level governments; the composition of the Bundesrat has the potential to change any time one of the 16 states holds an election


election results: Federal Assembly - percent of vote by party - SPD 38.5%, CDU/CSU 38.5%, Greens 8.6%, FDP 7.4%, PDS 4%; seats by party - SPD 251, CDU/CSU 248, Greens 55, FDP 47, PDS 2; Federal Council - current composition - NA
Life expectancy at birth total population: 78.75 years


male: 74.91 years


female: 82.82 years (2004 est.)
total population: 77.78 years


male: 74.64 years


female: 81.09 years (2002 est.)
Literacy definition: NA


total population: NA


male: NA


female: NA
definition: age 15 and over can read and write


total population: 99% (1977 est.)


male: NA%


female: NA%
Location Caribbean, islands between the Caribbean Sea and the North Atlantic Ocean, east of Puerto Rico Central Europe, bordering the Baltic Sea and the North Sea, between the Netherlands and Poland, south of Denmark
Map references Central America and the Caribbean Europe
Maritime claims territorial sea: 12 nm


exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
continental shelf: 200-m depth or to the depth of exploitation


exclusive economic zone: 200 NM


territorial sea: 12 NM
Merchant marine none total: 388 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 5,758,942 GRT/7,132,525 DWT


ships by type: cargo 132, chemical tanker 10, container 219, liquefied gas 3, passenger 3, petroleum tanker 7, railcar carrier 2, refrigerated cargo 1, roll on/roll off 4, short-sea passenger 7


note: includes some foreign-owned ships registered here as a flag of convenience: Chile 1, Finland 5, Iceland 1, Netherlands 3, Switzerland 1 (2002 est.)
Military - note defense is the responsibility of the US -
Military branches - Army, Navy (including naval air arm), Air Force, Medical Corps, Joint Support Service
Military expenditures - dollar figure - $38.8 billion (2002)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP - 1.38% (2002)
Military manpower - availability - males age 15-49: 20,854,329 (2002 est.)
Military manpower - fit for military service - males age 15-49: 17,734,977 (2002 est.)
Military manpower - military age - 18 years of age (2002 est.)
Military manpower - reaching military age annually - males: 482,318 (2002 est.)
National holiday Transfer Day (from Denmark to the US), 27 March (1917) Unity Day, 3 October (1990)
Nationality noun: Virgin Islander(s)


adjective: Virgin Islander
noun: German(s)


adjective: German
Natural hazards several hurricanes in recent years; frequent and severe droughts and floods; occasional earthquakes flooding
Natural resources sun, sand, sea, surf iron ore, coal, potash, timber, lignite, uranium, copper, natural gas, salt, nickel, arable land
Net migration rate -8.94 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2004 est.) 3.99 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2002 est.)
Pipelines - crude oil 2,240 km (2001)
Political parties and leaders Democratic Party [Arturo WATLINGTON]; Independent Citizens' Movement or ICM [Usie RICHARDS]; Republican Party [Gary SPRAUVE] Alliance '90/Greens [Angelika BEER and Reinhard BUETIKOFER]; Christian Democratic Union or CDU [Angela MERKEL]; Christian Social Union or CSU [Edmund STOIBER, chairman]; Free Democratic Party or FDP [Guido WESTERWELLE, chairman]; the Greens [leader NA]; Party of Democratic Socialism or PDS [Gabriele ZIMMER]; Social Democratic Party or SPD [Gerhard SCHROEDER, chairman]
Political pressure groups and leaders NA employers' organizations; expellee, refugee, trade unions, and veterans groups
Population 108,775 (July 2004 est.) 83,251,851 (July 2002 est.)
Population below poverty line NA NA%
Population growth rate -0.05% (2004 est.) 0.26% (2002 est.)
Ports and harbors Charlotte Amalie, Christiansted, Cruz Bay, Port Alucroix Berlin, Bonn, Brake, Bremen, Bremerhaven, Cologne, Dresden, Duisburg, Emden, Hamburg, Karlsruhe, Kiel, Luebeck, Magdeburg, Mannheim, Rostock, Stuttgart
Radio broadcast stations AM 5, FM 11, shortwave 0 (2002) AM 51, FM 787, shortwave 4 (1998)
Radios - 77.8 million (1997)
Railways - total: 44,000 km (including at least 20,300 km electrified); most routes are double- or multiple-track


note: since privatization in 1994, Deutsche Bahn AG (DBAG) no longer publishes details of the track it owns; in addition to the DBAG system there are 102 privately owned railway companies which own approximately 3,000 to 4,000 km of track (2001 est.)
Religions Baptist 42%, Roman Catholic 34%, Episcopalian 17%, other 7% Protestant 34%, Roman Catholic 34%, Muslim 3.7%, unaffiliated or other 28.3%
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: 1.03 male(s)/female


65 years and over: 0.64 male(s)/female


total population: 0.96 male(s)/female (2002 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: Germany has one of the world's most technologically advanced telecommunications systems; as a result of intensive capital expenditures since reunification, the formerly backward system of the eastern part of the country, dating back to World War II, has been modernized and integrated with that of the western part


domestic: Germany is served by an extensive system of automatic telephone exchanges connected by modern networks of fiber-optic cable, coaxial cable, microwave radio relay, and a domestic satellite system; cellular telephone service is widely available, expanding rapidly, and includes roaming service to many foreign countries


international: Germany's international service is excellent worldwide, consisting of extensive land and undersea cable facilities as well as earth stations in the INMARSAT, INTELSAT, EUTELSAT, and INTERSPUTNIK satellite systems (2001)
Telephones - main lines in use 69,400 (2002) 50.9 million (March 2001)
Telephones - mobile cellular 41,000 (2002) 55.3 million (June 2001)
Television broadcast stations 2 (2002) 373 (plus 8,042 repeaters) (1995)
Terrain mostly hilly to rugged and mountainous with little level land lowlands in north, uplands in center, Bavarian Alps in south
Total fertility rate 2.21 children born/woman (2004 est.) 1.39 children born/woman (2002 est.)
Unemployment rate 9.3% (2003 est.) 9.8% (2002 est.)
Waterways - 7,500 km


note: major rivers include the Rhine and Elbe; Kiel Canal is an important connection between the Baltic Sea and North Sea (1999)
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