Jah-Jah.pl / Index countries / Western Sahara (2001) - British Virgin Islands (2007) / Compare countries
##ciekawa_strona##
Compare Western Sahara (2001) - British Virgin Islands (2007)
Compare Western Sahara (2001) z British Virgin Islands (2007)
| Western Sahara (2001) | British Virgin Islands (2007) | |
 |  | |
| Administrative divisions | none (under de facto control of Morocco) | none (overseas territory of the UK) |
| Age structure | 0-14 years:
NA% 15-64 years: NA% 65 years and over: NA% |
0-14 years: 20.2% (male 2,410/female 2,337)
15-64 years: 74.5% (male 9,004/female 8,534) 65 years and over: 5.4% (male 665/female 602) (2007 est.) |
| Agriculture - products | fruits and vegetables (grown in the few oases); camels, sheep, goats (kept by nomads) | fruits, vegetables; livestock, poultry; fish |
| Airports | 11 (2000 est.) | 3 (2007) |
| Airports - with paved runways | total:
3 2,438 to 3,047 m: 3 (2000 est.) |
total: 2
914 to 1,523 m: 1 under 914 m: 1 (2007) |
| Airports - with unpaved runways | total:
8 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 4 under 914 m: 3 (2000 est.) |
total: 1
914 to 1,523 m: 1 (2007) |
| Area | total:
266,000 sq km land: 266,000 sq km water: 0 sq km |
total: 153 sq km
land: 153 sq km water: 0 sq km note: comprised of 16 inhabited and more than 20 uninhabited islands; includes the islands of Tortola, Anegada, Virgin Gorda, Jost van Dyke |
| Area - comparative | about the size of Colorado | about 0.9 times the size of Washington, DC |
| Background | Morocco virtually annexed the northern two-thirds of Western Sahara (formerly Spanish Sahara) in 1976, and the rest of the territory in 1979, following Mauritania's withdrawal. A guerrilla war with the Polisario Front contesting Rabat's sovereignty ended in a 1991 cease-fire; a referendum on final status has been repeatedly postponed and is not expected to occur until at least 2002. | First inhabited by Arawak and later by Carib Indians, the Virgin Islands were settled by the Dutch in 1648 and then annexed by the English in 1672. The islands were part of the British colony of the Leeward Islands from 1872-1960; they were granted autonomy in 1967. The economy is closely tied to the larger and more populous US Virgin Islands to the west; the US dollar is the legal currency. |
| Birth rate | - | 14.82 births/1,000 population (2007 est.) |
| Budget | revenues:
$NA expenditures: $NA, including capital expenditures of $NA |
revenues: $204.7 million
expenditures: $180.4 million (2004) |
| Capital | none | name: Road Town
geographic coordinates: 18 27 N, 64 37 W time difference: UTC-4 (1 hour ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) |
| Climate | hot, dry desert; rain is rare; cold offshore air currents produce fog and heavy dew | subtropical; humid; temperatures moderated by trade winds |
| Coastline | 1,110 km | 80 km |
| Constitution | - | 13 June 2007 |
| Country name | conventional long form:
none conventional short form: Western Sahara former: Spanish Sahara |
conventional long form: none
conventional short form: British Virgin Islands abbreviation: BVI |
| Currency | Moroccan dirham (MAD) | - |
| Death rate | - | 4.42 deaths/1,000 population (2007 est.) |
| Debt - external | $NA | $36.1 million (1997) |
| Dependency status | - | overseas territory of the UK; internal self-governing |
| Diplomatic representation from the US | none | none (overseas territory of the UK) |
| Diplomatic representation in the US | none | none (overseas territory of the UK) |
| Disputes - international | claimed and administered by Morocco, but sovereignty is unresolved and the UN is attempting to hold a referendum on the issue; the UN-administered cease-fire has been in effect since September 1991 | none |
| Economic aid - recipient | $NA | $NA |
| Economy - overview | Western Sahara, a territory poor in natural resources and lacking sufficient rainfall, depends on pastoral nomadism, fishing, and phosphate mining as the principal sources of income for the population. Most of the food for the urban population must be imported. All trade and other economic activities are controlled by the Moroccan Government. Incomes and standards of living are substantially below the Moroccan level. | The economy, one of the most stable and prosperous in the Caribbean, is highly dependent on tourism, generating an estimated 45% of the national income. An estimated 820,000 tourists, mainly from the US, visited the islands in 2005. In the mid-1980s, the government began offering offshore registration to companies wishing to incorporate in the islands, and incorporation fees now generate substantial revenues. Roughly 400,000 companies were on the offshore registry by yearend 2000. The adoption of a comprehensive insurance law in late 1994, which provides a blanket of confidentiality with regulated statutory gateways for investigation of criminal offenses, made the British Virgin Islands even more attractive to international business. Livestock raising is the most important agricultural activity; poor soils limit the islands' ability to meet domestic food requirements. Because of traditionally close links with the US Virgin Islands, the British Virgin Islands has used the US dollar as its currency since 1959. |
| Electricity - consumption | 83.7 million kWh (1999) | 41.85 million kWh (2005) |
| Electricity - exports | 0 kWh (1999) | 0 kWh (2005) |
| Electricity - imports | 0 kWh (1999) | 0 kWh (2005) |
| Electricity - production | 90 million kWh (1999) | 45 million kWh (2005) |
| Electricity - production by source | fossil fuel:
100% hydro: 0% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (1999) |
- |
| Elevation extremes | lowest point:
Sebjet Tah -55 m highest point: unnamed location 463 m |
lowest point: Caribbean Sea 0 m
highest point: Mount Sage 521 m |
| Environment - current issues | sparse water and lack of arable land | limited natural fresh water resources (except for a few seasonal streams and springs on Tortola, most of the islands' water supply comes from wells and rainwater catchments) |
| Environment - international agreements | party to:
none of the selected agreements signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements |
- |
| Ethnic groups | Arab, Berber | black 83%, other 17% (includes white, Indian, Asian and mixed) |
| Exchange rates | Moroccan dirhams per US dollar - 10.590 (January 2001), 10.626 (2000), 9.804 (1999), 9.604 (1998), 9.527 (1997), 8.716 (1996) | the US dollar is used |
| Executive branch | none | chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952); represented by Governor David PEAREY (since 18 April 2006)
head of government: Premier Ralph T. O'NEAL (since 23 August 2007) cabinet: Executive Council appointed by the governor from members of the House of Assembly elections: none; the monarch is hereditary; governor appointed by the monarch; following legislative elections, the leader of the majority party or the leader of the majority coalition is usually appointed premier by the governor |
| Exports | $NA | NA bbl/day |
| Exports - commodities | phosphates 62% | rum, fresh fish, fruits, animals; gravel, sand |
| Exports - partners | Morocco claims and administers Western Sahara, so trade partners are included in overall Moroccan accounts | Virgin Islands (US), Puerto Rico, US (2006) |
| Fiscal year | calendar year | 1 April - 31 March |
| Flag description | - | blue, with the flag of the UK in the upper hoist-side quadrant and the Virgin Islander coat of arms centered in the outer half of the flag; the coat of arms depicts a woman flanked on either side by a vertical column of six oil lamps above a scroll bearing the Latin word VIGILATE (Be Watchful) |
| GDP | purchasing power parity - $NA | - |
| GDP - composition by sector | agriculture:
NA% industry: NA% services: 40%-45% (1996 est.) |
agriculture: 1.8%
industry: 6.2% services: 92% (1996 est.) |
| GDP - per capita | purchasing power parity - $NA | - |
| GDP - real growth rate | NA% | 1% (2002 est.) |
| Geographic coordinates | 24 30 N, 13 00 W | 18 30 N, 64 30 W |
| Geography - note | - | strong ties to nearby US Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico |
| Heliports | 1 (2000 est.) | - |
| Highways | total:
6,200 km paved: 1,350 km unpaved: 4,850 km (1991 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 South American narcotics destined for the US and Europe; large offshore financial center makes it vulnerable to money laundering |
| Imports | $NA | NA bbl/day |
| Imports - commodities | fuel for fishing fleet, foodstuffs | building materials, automobiles, foodstuffs, machinery |
| Imports - partners | Morocco claims and administers Western Sahara, so trade partners are included in overall Moroccan accounts | Virgin Islands (US), Puerto Rico, US (2006) |
| Independence | - | none (overseas territory of the UK) |
| Industrial production growth rate | NA% | NA% |
| Industries | phosphate mining, handicrafts | tourism, light industry, construction, rum, concrete block, offshore financial center |
| Infant mortality rate | - | total: 16.13 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 18.82 deaths/1,000 live births female: 13.29 deaths/1,000 live births (2007 est.) |
| Inflation rate (consumer prices) | NA% | 2% (2005) |
| International organization participation | none | Caricom (associate), CDB, Interpol (subbureau), IOC, OECS (associate), UNESCO (associate), UPU |
| Internet Service Providers (ISPs) | 1 (2000) | - |
| Irrigated land | NA sq km | NA |
| Judicial branch | - | Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court, consisting of the High Court of Justice and the Court of Appeal (one judge of the Supreme Court is a resident of the islands and presides over the High Court); Magistrate's Court; Juvenile Court; Court of Summary Jurisdiction |
| Labor force | 12,000 | 12,770 (2004) |
| Labor force - by occupation | animal husbandry and subsistence farming 50% | agriculture: 0.6%
industry: 40% services: 59.4% (2005) |
| Land boundaries | total:
2,046 km border countries: Algeria 42 km, Mauritania 1,561 km, Morocco 443 km |
0 km |
| Land use | arable land:
0% permanent crops: 0% permanent pastures: 19% forests and woodland: 0% other: 81% |
arable land: 20%
permanent crops: 6.67% other: 73.33% (2005) |
| Languages | Hassaniya Arabic, Moroccan Arabic | English (official) |
| Legal system | - | English law |
| Legislative branch | - | unicameral House of Assembly (13 elected seats and 1 non-voting ex officio member in the attorney general; members are elected by direct popular vote, 1 member from each of nine electoral districts, 4 at-large members; to serve four-year terms)
elections: last held 20 August 2007 (next to be held in 2011) election results: percent of vote by party - VIP 45.2%, NDP 39.6%, independent 15.2%; seats by party - VIP 10, NDP 2, independent 1 |
| Life expectancy at birth | - | total population: 76.86 years
male: 75.71 years female: 78.07 years (2007 est.) |
| Literacy | definition:
NA total population: NA% male: NA% female: NA% |
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 97.8% (1991 est.) male: NA% female: NA% |
| Location | Northern Africa, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean, between Mauritania and Morocco | Caribbean, between the Caribbean Sea and the North Atlantic Ocean, east of Puerto Rico |
| Map references | Africa | Central America and the Caribbean |
| Maritime claims | contingent upon resolution of sovereignty issue | territorial sea: 3 nm
exclusive fishing zone: 200 nm |
| Military - note | - | defense is the responsibility of the UK |
| Military branches | NA | - |
| Military expenditures - dollar figure | $NA | - |
| Military expenditures - percent of GDP | NA% | - |
| National holiday | - | Territory Day, 1 July (1956) |
| Nationality | noun:
Sahrawi(s), Sahraoui(s) adjective: Sahrawian, Sahraouian |
noun: British Virgin Islander(s)
adjective: British Virgin Islander |
| Natural hazards | hot, dry, dust/sand-laden sirocco wind can occur during winter and spring; widespread harmattan haze exists 60% of time, often severely restricting visibility | hurricanes and tropical storms (July to October) |
| Natural resources | phosphates, iron ore | NEGL |
| Net migration rate | - | 8.83 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2007 est.) |
| Political parties and leaders | - | Concerned Citizens Movement or CCM [Ethlyn SMITH]; National Democratic Party or NDP [Orlando SMITH]; United Party or UP [Gregory MADURO]; Virgin Islands Party or VIP [Ralph T. O'NEAL] |
| Political pressure groups and leaders | none | NA |
| Population | 250,559 (July 2001 est.) | 23,552 (July 2007 est.) |
| Population below poverty line | NA% | NA% |
| Population growth rate | - | 1.923% (2007 est.) |
| Ports and harbors | Ad Dakhla, Cabo Bojador, Laayoune (El Aaiun) | - |
| Radio broadcast stations | AM 2, FM 0, shortwave 0 (1998) | AM 1, FM 5, shortwave 0 (2004) |
| Radios | 56,000 (1997) | - |
| Railways | 0 km | - |
| Religions | Muslim | Protestant 86% (Methodist 33%, Anglican 17%, Church of God 9%, Seventh-Day Adventist 6%, Baptist 4%, Jehovah's Witnesses 2%, other 15%), Roman Catholic 10%, other 2%, none 2% (1991) |
| Sex ratio | - | at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.031 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.055 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 1.105 male(s)/female total population: 1.053 male(s)/female (2007 est.) |
| Suffrage | none; a UN-sponsored voter identification campaign has yet to be completed | 18 years of age; universal |
| Telephone system | general assessment:
sparse and limited system domestic: NA international: tied into Morocco's system by microwave radio relay, tropospheric scatter, and satellite; satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean) linked to Rabat, Morocco |
general assessment: worldwide telephone service
domestic: NA international: country code - 1-284; connected via submarine cable to Bermuda; the East Caribbean Fiber System (ECFS) optic submarine cable provides connectivity to 13 other islands in the eastern Caribbean (2007) |
| Telephones - main lines in use | about 2,000 (1999 est.) | 11,700 (2002) |
| Telephones - mobile cellular | 0 (1999) | 8,000 (2002) |
| Television broadcast stations | NA | 1 (plus 1 cable company) (1997) |
| Terrain | mostly low, flat desert with large areas of rocky or sandy surfaces rising to small mountains in south and northeast | coral islands relatively flat; volcanic islands steep, hilly |
| Total fertility rate | - | 1.72 children born/woman (2007 est.) |
| Unemployment rate | NA% | 3.6% (1997) |
| Waterways | none | - |
Sitemap:
Compare countries listing (map site) |
Country listing (map site)
Links: Add to favorites | Information about this website | Stats | Polityka prywatnosci
This page was generated in ##czas## s. Size this page: ##rozmiar_strony## kB.
Links: Add to favorites | Information about this website | Stats | Polityka prywatnosci
This page was generated in ##czas## s. Size this page: ##rozmiar_strony## kB.