CIA World Fact Book, 2004/Virgin Islands


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!| 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.
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!| Location: !| Geographic coordinates: !| Map references: !| Area: water: 3 sq km land: 349 sq km !| Area - comparative: !| Land boundaries: !| Coastline: !| Maritime claims: exclusive economic zone: 200 nm !| Climate: !| Terrain: !| Elevation extremes: highest point: Crown Mountain 474 m !| Natural resources: !| Land use: permanent crops: 2.94% other: 85.29% (2001) !| Irrigated land: !| Natural hazards: !| Environment - current issues: !| Geography - note:
 * Caribbean, islands between the Caribbean Sea and the North Atlantic Ocean, east of Puerto Rico
 * 18 20 N, 64 50 W
 * Central America and the Caribbean
 * total: 352 sq km
 * twice the size of Washington, DC
 * 0 km
 * 188 km
 * territorial sea: 12 nm
 * subtropical, tempered by easterly trade winds, relatively low humidity, little seasonal temperature variation; rainy season May to November
 * mostly hilly to rugged and mountainous with little level land
 * lowest point: Caribbean Sea 0 m
 * sun, sand, sea, surf
 * arable land: 11.76%
 * NA sq km
 * several hurricanes in recent years; frequent and severe droughts and floods; occasional earthquakes
 * lack of natural freshwater resources
 * 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
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!| Population: !| Age structure: 15-64 years: 66% (male 33,944; female 37,870) 65 years and over: 10.2% (male 4,855; female 6,220) (2004 est.) !| Median age: male: 35.1 years female: 36.7 years (2004 est.) !| Population growth rate: !| Birth rate: !| Death rate: !| Net migration rate: !| Sex ratio: 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.) !| Infant mortality rate: female: 7.04 deaths/1,000 live births (2004 est.) male: 9.31 deaths/1,000 live births !| Life expectancy at birth: male: 74.91 years female: 82.82 years (2004 est.) !| Total fertility rate: !| HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: !| HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: !| HIV/AIDS - deaths: !| Nationality: adjective: Virgin Islander !| Ethnic groups: 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% !| Religions: !| Languages: !| Literacy: total population: NA male: NA female: NA
 * 108,775 (July 2004 est.)
 * 0-14 years: 23.8% (male 13,116; female 12,770)
 * total: 35.9 years
 * -0.05% (2004 est.)
 * 14.49 births/1,000 population (2004 est.)
 * 6.1 deaths/1,000 population (2004 est.)
 * -8.94 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2004 est.)
 * at birth: 1.06 male(s)/female
 * total: 8.21 deaths/1,000 live births
 * total population: 78.75 years
 * 2.21 children born/woman (2004 est.)
 * NA
 * NA
 * NA
 * noun: Virgin Islander(s)
 * black 78%, white 10%, other 12%
 * Baptist 42%, Roman Catholic 34%, Episcopalian 17%, other 7%
 * English (official), Spanish, Creole
 * definition: NA
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!| Country name: conventional short form: Virgin Islands former: Danish West Indies !| Dependency status: !| Government type: !| Capital: !| Administrative divisions: !| National holiday: !| Constitution: !| Legal system: !| Suffrage: !| Executive branch: election results: Dr. Charles Wesley TURNBULL reelected governor; percent of vote - Dr. Charles Wesley TURNBULL (Democrat) 50.5%, John de JONGH 24.4% 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) head of government: Governor Dr. Charles Wesley TURNBULL (since 5 January 1999) cabinet: NA !| Legislative branch: 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 !| Judicial branch: !| Political parties and leaders: !| Political pressure groups and leaders: !| International organization participation: !| Diplomatic representation in the US: !| Diplomatic representation from the US: !| Flag description:
 * conventional long form: United States Virgin Islands
 * 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
 * NA
 * Charlotte Amalie
 * 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
 * Transfer Day (from Denmark to the US), 27 March (1917)
 * Revised Organic Act of 22 July 1954
 * based on US laws
 * 18 years of age; universal; note - island residents are US citizens but do not vote in US presidential elections
 * chief of state: President George W. BUSH of the US (since 20 January 2001)
 * unicameral Senate (15 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve two-year terms)
 * US District Court of the Virgin Islands (under Third Circuit jurisdiction); Territorial Court (judges appointed by the governor for 10-year terms)
 * Democratic Party [Arturo WATLINGTON]; Independent Citizens' Movement or ICM [Usie RICHARDS]; Republican Party [Gary SPRAUVE]
 * NA
 * Interpol (subbureau), IOC, UPU
 * none (territory of the US)
 * none (territory of the US)
 * 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
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!| Economy - overview: !| GDP: !| GDP - real growth rate: !| GDP - per capita: !| GDP - composition by sector: industry: 19% services: 80% (2003 est.) !| Population below poverty line: !| Household income or consumption by percentage share: highest 10%: NA !| Inflation rate (consumer prices): !| Labor force: !| Labor force - by occupation: !| Unemployment rate: !| Budget: expenditures: NA (2003) !| Agriculture - products: !| Industries: !| Industrial production growth rate: !| Electricity - production: !| Electricity - consumption: !| Electricity - exports: !| Electricity - imports: !| Oil - production: !| Oil - consumption: !| Oil - exports: !| Oil - imports: !| Exports: !| Exports - commodities: !| Exports - partners: !| Imports: !| Imports - commodities: !| Imports - partners: !| Debt - external: !| Economic aid - recipient: !| Currency: !| Currency code: !| Exchange rates: !| Fiscal year:
 * 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.
 * purchasing power parity - $2.5 billion (2002 est.)
 * 2% (2002 est.)
 * purchasing power parity - $17,200 (2002 est.)
 * agriculture: 1%
 * NA
 * lowest 10%: NA
 * 2.2% (2003)
 * 48,900 (2003 est.)
 * agriculture 1%, industry 19%, services 80% (2003 est.)
 * 9.3% (2003 est.)
 * revenues: $560
 * fruit, vegetables, sorghum; Senepol cattle
 * tourism, petroleum refining, watch assembly, rum distilling, construction, pharmaceuticals, textiles, electronics
 * NA
 * 1.03 billion kWh (2001)
 * 957.9 million kWh (2001)
 * 0 kWh (2001)
 * 0 kWh (2001)
 * 0 bbl/day (2001 est.)
 * 66,000 bbl/day (2001 est.)
 * NA (2001)
 * NA (2001)
 * NA
 * refined petroleum products
 * US, Puerto Rico
 * NA
 * crude oil, foodstuffs, consumer goods, building materials
 * US, Puerto Rico
 * NA
 * NA
 * US dollar (USD)
 * USD
 * the US dollar is used
 * 1 October - 30 September
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!| Telephones - main lines in use: !| Telephones - mobile cellular: !| Telephone system: 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 !| Radio broadcast stations: !| Radios: !| Television broadcast stations: !| Televisions: !| Internet country code: !| Internet Service Providers (ISPs): !| Internet users:
 * 69,400 (2002)
 * 41,000 (2002)
 * general assessment: NA
 * AM 5, FM 11, shortwave 0 (2002)
 * 107,000 (1997)
 * 2 (2002)
 * 68,000 (1997)
 * .vi
 * 50 (2000)
 * 30,000 (2002)
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!| Highways: paved: NA km note: the only US possession where driving on the left side of the road is practiced (2000) unpaved: NA km !| Ports and harbors: !| Merchant marine: !| Airports: !| Airports - with paved runways: 1,524 to 2,437 m: 2 (2004 est.)
 * total: 856 km
 * Charlotte Amalie, Christiansted, Cruz Bay, Port Alucroix
 * none
 * 2 (2003 est.)
 * total: 2
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!| Military - note:
 * defense is the responsibility of the US
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