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Compare Western Sahara (2005) - Christmas Island (2008)
Compare Western Sahara (2005) z Christmas Island (2008)
| Western Sahara (2005) | Christmas Island (2008) | |
 |  | |
| Administrative divisions | none (under de facto control of Morocco) | none (territory of Australia) |
| Age structure | 0-14 years: NA
15-64 years: NA 65 years and over: NA |
0-14 years: NA
15-64 years: NA 65 years and over: NA |
| Agriculture - products | fruits and vegetables (grown in the few oases); camels, sheep, goats (kept by nomads) | NA |
| Airports | 11 (2004 est.) | 1 (2007) |
| Airports - with paved runways | total: 3
2,438 to 3,047 m: 3 (2004 est.) |
total: 1
1,524 to 2,437 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 (2004 est.) |
- |
| Area | total: 266,000 sq km
land: 266,000 sq km water: 0 sq km |
total: 135 sq km
land: 135 sq km water: 0 sq km |
| Area - comparative | about the size of Colorado | about three-quarters 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. | Named in 1643 for the day of its discovery, the island was annexed and settlement began by the UK in 1888. Phosphate mining began in the 1890s. The UK transferred sovereignty to Australia in 1958. Almost two-thirds of the island has been declared a national park. |
| Birth rate | NA births/1,000 population | NA |
| Budget | revenues: NA
expenditures: NA, including capital expenditures of NA |
revenues: $NA
expenditures: $NA |
| Capital | none | name: The Settlement
geographic coordinates: 10 25 S, 105 43 E time difference: UTC+7 (12 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) |
| Climate | hot, dry desert; rain is rare; cold offshore air currents produce fog and heavy dew | tropical with a wet season (December to April) and dry season; heat and humidity moderated by trade winds |
| Coastline | 1,110 km | 138.9 km |
| Constitution | - | Christmas Island Act of 1958-59 (1 October 1958) as amended by the Territories Law Reform Act of 1992 |
| Country name | conventional long form: none
conventional short form: Western Sahara former: Spanish Sahara |
conventional long form: Territory of Christmas Island
conventional short form: Christmas Island |
| Death rate | NA deaths/1,000 population | NA |
| Debt - external | NA | - |
| Dependency status | - | non-self governing territory of Australia; administered from Canberra by the Australian Attorney-General's Department |
| Diplomatic representation from the US | none | none (territory of Australia) |
| Diplomatic representation in the US | none | none (territory of Australia) |
| 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 | $NA |
| 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. | Phosphate mining had been the only significant economic activity, but in December 1987 the Australian Government closed the mine. In 1991, the mine was reopened. With the support of the government, a $34 million casino opened in 1993, but closed in 1998. The Australian Government in 2001 agreed to support the creation of a commercial space-launching site on the island, expected to begin operations in the near future. |
| Electricity - consumption | 83.7 million kWh (2002) | - |
| Electricity - exports | 0 kWh (2002) | - |
| Electricity - imports | 0 kWh (2002) | - |
| Electricity - production | 90 million kWh (2002) | - |
| Elevation extremes | lowest point: Sebjet Tah -55 m
highest point: unnamed location 463 m |
lowest point: Indian Ocean 0 m
highest point: Murray Hill 361 m |
| Environment - current issues | sparse water and lack of arable land | loss of rainforest; impact of phosphate mining |
| Environment - international agreements | party to: none of the selected agreements
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements |
- |
| Ethnic groups | Arab, Berber | Chinese 70%, European 20%, Malay 10%
note: no indigenous population (2001) |
| Exchange rates | Moroccan dirhams per US dollar - 8.868 (2004), 9.5744 (2003), 11.0206 (2002), 11.303 (2001), 10.6256 (2000) | Australian dollars per US dollar - 1.2137 (2007), 1.3285 (2006), 1.3095 (2005), 1.3598 (2004), 1.5419 (2003) |
| Executive branch | none | chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952), represented by the Australian governor general
head of government: Administrator Neil LUCAS (since 30 January 2006) elections: none; the monarch is hereditary; administrator appointed by the governor general of Australia and represents the monarch and Australia |
| Exports | NA | $NA |
| Exports - commodities | phosphates 62% | phosphate |
| Exports - partners | Morocco claims and administers Western Sahara, so trade partners are included in overall Moroccan accounts | Australia, NZ (2006) |
| Fiscal year | calendar year | 1 July - 30 June |
| Flag description | - | territorial flag; divided diagonally from upper hoist to lower fly; the upper triangle is green with a yellow image of the Golden Bosun Bird superimposed, while the lower triangle is blue with the Southern Cross constellation, representing Australia, superimposed; a centered yellow disk displays a green map of the island
note: the flag of Australia is used for official purposes |
| GDP - composition by sector | agriculture: NA
industry: NA services: 40% (1996 est.) |
- |
| GDP - per capita | purchasing power parity - NA | - |
| GDP - real growth rate | NA | - |
| Geographic coordinates | 24 30 N, 13 00 W | 10 30 S, 105 40 E |
| Geography - note | the waters off the coast are particularly rich fishing areas | located along major sea lanes of Indian Ocean |
| 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 |
- |
| Imports | NA | $NA |
| Imports - commodities | fuel for fishing fleet, foodstuffs | consumer goods |
| Imports - partners | Morocco claims and administers Western Sahara, so trade partners are included in overall Moroccan accounts | principally Australia (2006) |
| Independence | - | none (territory of Australia) |
| Industrial production growth rate | NA | - |
| Industries | phosphate mining, handicrafts | tourism, phosphate extraction (near depletion) |
| Infant mortality rate | total: NA
male: NA female: NA |
total: NA
male: NA female: NA |
| Inflation rate (consumer prices) | NA | - |
| International organization participation | none | none |
| Irrigated land | NA sq km | NA |
| Judicial branch | - | Supreme Court; District Court; Magistrate's Court |
| Labor force | 12,000 | NA |
| Labor force - by occupation | animal husbandry and subsistence farming 50% | - |
| 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: 0%
permanent crops: 0% other: 100% (mainly tropical rainforest; 63% of the island is a national park) (2005) |
| Languages | Hassaniya Arabic, Moroccan Arabic | English (official), Chinese, Malay |
| Legal system | - | under the authority of the governor general of Australia and Australian law |
| Legislative branch | - | unicameral Christmas Island Shire Council (9 seats; members elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms)
elections: held every two years with half the members standing for election; last held 20 October 2007 (next to be held in 2009) election results: percent of vote - NA; seats - independents 9 |
| Life expectancy at birth | total population: NA years
male: NA years female: NA years |
total population: NA
male: NA female: NA |
| Literacy | definition: NA
total population: NA% male: NA% female: NA% |
NA |
| Location | Northern Africa, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean, between Mauritania and Morocco | Southeastern Asia, island in the Indian Ocean, south of Indonesia |
| Map references | Africa | Southeast Asia |
| Maritime claims | contingent upon resolution of sovereignty issue | territorial sea: 12 nm
contiguous zone: 12 nm exclusive fishing zone: 200 nm |
| Military - note | - | defense is the responsibility of Australia |
| National holiday | - | Australia Day, 26 January (1788) |
| Nationality | noun: Sahrawi(s), Sahraoui(s)
adjective: Sahrawi, Sahrawian, Sahraouian |
noun: Christmas Islander(s)
adjective: Christmas Island |
| 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 | the narrow fringing reef surrounding the island can be a maritime hazard |
| Natural resources | phosphates, iron ore | phosphate, beaches |
| Net migration rate | - | NA |
| Political parties and leaders | - | none |
| Political pressure groups and leaders | none | none |
| Population | 273,008 (July 2005 est.) | 1,402 (July 2006 est.) (July 2007 est.) |
| Population below poverty line | NA | - |
| Population growth rate | NA | 0% (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 2, shortwave 0 (2006) |
| Religions | Muslim | Buddhist 36%, Muslim 25%, Christian 18%, other 21% (1997) |
| Sex ratio | NA | NA |
| Suffrage | none; a UN-sponsored voter identification campaign not yet completed | - |
| 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: service provided by the Australian network
domestic: GSM mobile telephone service replaced older analog system in February 2005 international: country code - 61-8; satellite earth stations - 1 INTELSAT earth station provides telephone and telex service (2005) |
| Telephones - main lines in use | about 2,000 (1999 est.) | NA |
| Telephones - mobile cellular | 0 (1999) | - |
| Television broadcast stations | NA | 0 (TV broadcasts received via satellite from mainland Australia) (2006) |
| Terrain | mostly low, flat desert with large areas of rocky or sandy surfaces rising to small mountains in south and northeast | steep cliffs along coast rise abruptly to central plateau |
| Total fertility rate | NA children born/woman | NA |
| Unemployment rate | NA | - |
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