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Compare Western Sahara (2005) - British Virgin Islands (2001)

Compare Western Sahara (2005) z British Virgin Islands (2001)

 Western Sahara (2005)British Virgin Islands (2001)
 Western SaharaBritish Virgin Islands
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:
22.77% (male 2,399; female 2,339)

15-64 years:
72.31% (male 7,741; female 7,309)

65 years and over:
4.92% (male 555; female 469) (2001 est.)
Agriculture - products fruits and vegetables (grown in the few oases); camels, sheep, goats (kept by nomads) fruits, vegetables; livestock, poultry; fish
Airports 11 (2004 est.) 3 (2000 est.)
Airports - with paved runways total: 3


2,438 to 3,047 m: 3 (2004 est.)
total:
2

914 to 1,523 m:
1

under 914 m:
1 (2000 est.)
Airports - with unpaved runways total: 8


1,524 to 2,437 m: 1


914 to 1,523 m: 4


under 914 m: 3 (2004 est.)
total:
1

914 to 1,523 m:
1 (2000 est.)
Area total: 266,000 sq km


land: 266,000 sq km


water: 0 sq km
total:
150 sq km

land:
150 sq km

water:
0 sq km

note:
includes the island of Anegada
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 UN-brokered cease-fire; a UN-organized referendum on final status has been repeatedly postponed. First settled by the Dutch in 1648, the islands were soon after (1672) annexed by the English. 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 NA births/1,000 population 15.18 births/1,000 population (2001 est.)
Budget revenues: NA


expenditures: NA, including capital expenditures of NA
revenues:
$121.5 million

expenditures:
$115.5 million, including capital expenditures of $NA (1997)
Capital none Road Town
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 - 1 June 1977
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 - US dollar (USD)
Death rate NA deaths/1,000 population 4.42 deaths/1,000 population (2001 est.)
Debt - external NA $36.1 million (1997)
Dependency status - overseas territory of the UK
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 Morocco claims and administers Western Sahara, whose sovereignty remains unresolved - UN-administered cease-fire has remained in effect since September 1991, administered by the UN Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara (MINURSO), but attempts to hold a referendum have failed and parties thus far have rejected all brokered proposals none
Economic aid - recipient NA $2.6 million (1995)
Economy - overview Western Sahara depends on pastoral nomadism, fishing, and phosphate mining as the principal sources of income for the population. The territory lacks sufficient rainfall for sustainable agricultural production, and most of the food for the urban population must be imported. All trade and other economic activities are controlled by the Moroccan Government. Moroccan energy interests in 2001 signed contracts to explore for oil off the coast of Western Sahara, which has angered the Polisario. Incomes and standards of living in Western Sahara are substantially below the Moroccan level. The economy, one of the most stable and prosperous in the Caribbean, is highly dependent on tourism, which generates an estimated 45% of the national income. An estimated 350,000 tourists, mainly from the US, visited the islands in 1997. 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. An estimated 250,000 companies were on the offshore registry by yearend 1997. 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, is expected to make 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 dollar as its currency since 1959.
Electricity - consumption 83.7 million kWh (2002) 39.1 million kWh (1999)
Electricity - exports 0 kWh (2002) 0 kWh (1999)
Electricity - imports 0 kWh (2002) 0 kWh (1999)
Electricity - production 90 million kWh (2002) 42 million kWh (1999)
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 catchment)
Environment - international agreements party to: none of the selected agreements


signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements
-
Ethnic groups Arab, Berber black 90%, white, Asian
Exchange rates Moroccan dirhams per US dollar - 8.868 (2004), 9.5744 (2003), 11.0206 (2002), 11.303 (2001), 10.6256 (2000) the US dollar is used
Executive branch none chief of state:
Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952), represented by Governor Francis J. SAVAGE (since NA)

head of government:
Chief Minister Ralph T. O'NEAL (since 15 May 1995)

cabinet:
Executive Council appointed by the governor from members of the Legislative Council

elections:
none; the monarch is hereditary; governor appointed by the monarch; chief minister appointed by the governor from among the members of the Legislative Council
Exports NA $6.2 million (2000 est.)
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
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 - $311 million (2000 est.)
GDP - composition by sector agriculture: NA


industry: NA


services: 40% (1996 est.)
agriculture:
1.8%

industry:
6.2%

services:
92% (1996 est.)
GDP - per capita purchasing power parity - NA purchasing power parity - $16,000 (2000 est.)
GDP - real growth rate NA 6% (2000 est.)
Geographic coordinates 24 30 N, 13 00 W 18 30 N, 64 30 W
Geography - note the waters off the coast are particularly rich fishing areas strong ties to nearby US Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico
Highways total: 6,200 km


paved: 1,350 km


unpaved: 4,850 km (1991 est)
total:
132 km

paved:
132 km

unpaved:
0 km (1997)
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
Imports NA $220 million (2000 est.)
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
Independence - none (overseas territory of the UK)
Industrial production growth rate NA 4% (1985)
Industries phosphate mining, handicrafts tourism, light industry, construction, rum, concrete block, offshore financial center
Infant mortality rate total: NA


male: NA


female: NA
20.3 deaths/1,000 live births (2001 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices) NA 2% (2000)
International organization participation none Caricom (associate), CDB, ECLAC (associate), Interpol (subbureau), IOC, OECS (associate), UNESCO (associate)
Internet Service Providers (ISPs) - 16 (2000)
Irrigated land NA sq km NA sq km
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 4,911 (1980)
Labor force - by occupation animal husbandry and subsistence farming 50% agriculture NA%, industry NA%, services NA%
Land boundaries total: 2,046 km


border countries: Algeria 42 km, Mauritania 1,561 km, Morocco 443 km
0 km
Land use arable land: 0.02%


permanent crops: 0%


other: 99.98% (2001)
arable land:
20%

permanent crops:
7%

permanent pastures:
33%

forests and woodland:
7%

other:
33% (1993 est.)
Languages Hassaniya Arabic, Moroccan Arabic English (official)
Legal system - English law
Legislative branch - unicameral Legislative Council (13 seats; members are elected by direct popular vote, one member from each of 9 electoral districts, four at-large members; members serve five-year terms)

elections:
last held 17 May 1999 (next to be held NA 2004)

election results:
percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - VIP 7, CCM 1, NDP 5
Life expectancy at birth total population: NA years


male: NA years


female: NA years
total population:
75.64 years

male:
74.74 years

female:
76.59 years (2001 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 exclusive fishing zone:
200 NM

territorial sea:
3 NM
Merchant marine - total:
1 ship (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 70,285 GRT/6,946 DWT

ships by type:
passenger 1 (2000 est.)
Military - note - defense is the responsibility of the UK
National holiday - Territory Day, 1 July
Nationality noun: Sahrawi(s), Sahraoui(s)


adjective: Sahrawi, 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 - 11.39 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2001 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 273,008 (July 2005 est.) 20,812 (July 2001 est.)
Population below poverty line NA NA%
Population growth rate NA 2.22% (2001 est.)
Ports and harbors Ad Dakhla, Cabo Bojador, Laayoune (El Aaiun) Road Town
Radio broadcast stations AM 2, FM 0, shortwave 0 (1998) AM 1, FM 4, shortwave 0 (1998)
Radios - 9,000 (1997)
Railways - 0 km
Religions Muslim Protestant 86% (Methodist 45%, Anglican 21%, Church of God 7%, Seventh-Day Adventist 5%, Baptist 4%, Jehovah's Witnesses 2%, other 2%), Roman Catholic 6%, none 2%, other 6% (1981)
Sex ratio NA at birth:
1.05 male(s)/female

under 15 years:
1.03 male(s)/female

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

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

total population:
1.06 male(s)/female (2001 est.)
Suffrage none; a UN-sponsored voter identification campaign not yet completed 18 years of age; universal
Telephone system general assessment: sparse and limited system


domestic: NA


international: country code - 212; 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:
submarine cable to Bermuda
Telephones - main lines in use about 2,000 (1999 est.) 10,000 (1996)
Telephones - mobile cellular 0 (1999) NA
Television broadcast stations NA 1 (plus one 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 NA children born/woman 1.72 children born/woman (2001 est.)
Unemployment rate NA 3% (1995)
Waterways - none
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