216 lines
17 KiB
Plaintext
216 lines
17 KiB
Plaintext
|
VIRGIN ISLANDS
|
|||
|
|
(territory of the US)
|
|||
|
|
GEOGRAPHY
|
|||
|
|
Total area: 352 km2; land area: 349 km2
|
|||
|
|
|
|||
|
|
Comparative area: slightly less than twice the size of Washington,
|
|||
|
|
DC
|
|||
|
|
|
|||
|
|
Land boundaries: none
|
|||
|
|
|
|||
|
|
Coastline: 188 km
|
|||
|
|
|
|||
|
|
Maritime claims:
|
|||
|
|
|
|||
|
|
Contiguous zone: 12 nm;
|
|||
|
|
|
|||
|
|
Continental shelf: 200 m (depth);
|
|||
|
|
|
|||
|
|
Exclusive economic zone: 200 nm;
|
|||
|
|
|
|||
|
|
Territorial sea: 12 nm
|
|||
|
|
|
|||
|
|
Climate: subtropical, tempered by easterly tradewinds, relatively
|
|||
|
|
low humidity, little seasonal temperature variation; rainy season May to
|
|||
|
|
November
|
|||
|
|
|
|||
|
|
Terrain: mostly hilly to rugged and mountainous with little level
|
|||
|
|
land
|
|||
|
|
|
|||
|
|
Natural resources: sun, sand, sea, surf
|
|||
|
|
|
|||
|
|
Land use: arable land 15%; permanent crops 6%; meadows and pastures
|
|||
|
|
26%; forest and woodland 6%; other 47%
|
|||
|
|
|
|||
|
|
Environment: rarely affected by hurricanes; subject to frequent
|
|||
|
|
severe droughts, floods, earthquakes; lack of natural freshwater
|
|||
|
|
resources
|
|||
|
|
|
|||
|
|
Note: important location 1,770 km southeast of Miami and 65 km east
|
|||
|
|
of Puerto Rico, 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
|
|||
|
|
|
|||
|
|
PEOPLE
|
|||
|
|
Population: 99,404 (July 1991), growth rate 0.7% (1991)
|
|||
|
|
|
|||
|
|
Birth rate: 22 births/1,000 population (1991)
|
|||
|
|
|
|||
|
|
Death rate: 5 deaths/1,000 population (1991)
|
|||
|
|
|
|||
|
|
Net migration rate: - 10 migrants/1,000 population (1991)
|
|||
|
|
|
|||
|
|
Infant mortality rate: 19 deaths/1,000 live births (1991)
|
|||
|
|
|
|||
|
|
Life expectancy at birth: 70 years male, 76 years female (1991)
|
|||
|
|
|
|||
|
|
Total fertility rate: 2.7 children born/woman (1991)
|
|||
|
|
|
|||
|
|
Nationality: noun--Virgin Islander(s); adjective--Virgin Islander
|
|||
|
|
|
|||
|
|
Ethnic divisions: West Indian (45% born in the Virgin Islands and
|
|||
|
|
29% born elsewhere in the West Indies) 74%, US mainland 13%, Puerto
|
|||
|
|
Rican 5%, other 8%; black 80%, white 15%, other 5%; Hispanic origin 14%
|
|||
|
|
|
|||
|
|
Religion: Baptist 42%, Roman Catholic 34%, Episcopalian 17%,
|
|||
|
|
other 7%
|
|||
|
|
|
|||
|
|
Language: English (official), but Spanish and Creole are widely
|
|||
|
|
spoken
|
|||
|
|
|
|||
|
|
Literacy: NA% (male NA%, female NA%)
|
|||
|
|
|
|||
|
|
Labor force: 45,500 (1988)
|
|||
|
|
|
|||
|
|
Organized labor: 90% of the government labor force
|
|||
|
|
|
|||
|
|
GOVERNMENT
|
|||
|
|
Long-form name: Virgin Islands of the United States
|
|||
|
|
|
|||
|
|
Type: organized, unincorporated territory of the US administered by
|
|||
|
|
the Office of Territorial and International Affairs, US Department of the
|
|||
|
|
Interior
|
|||
|
|
|
|||
|
|
Capital: Charlotte Amalie
|
|||
|
|
|
|||
|
|
Administrative divisions: none (territory of the US)
|
|||
|
|
|
|||
|
|
Independence: none (territory of the US)
|
|||
|
|
|
|||
|
|
Constitution: Revised Organic Act of 22 July 1954 serves as the
|
|||
|
|
constitution
|
|||
|
|
|
|||
|
|
Legal system: based on US
|
|||
|
|
|
|||
|
|
National holiday: Transfer Day (from Denmark to US), 31 March
|
|||
|
|
(1917)
|
|||
|
|
|
|||
|
|
Executive branch: US president, governor, lieutenant governor
|
|||
|
|
|
|||
|
|
Legislative branch: unicameral Senate
|
|||
|
|
|
|||
|
|
Judicial branch: US District Court handles civil matters over
|
|||
|
|
$50,000, felonies (persons 15 years of age and over), and federal cases;
|
|||
|
|
Territorial Court handles civil matters up to $50,000 small claims,
|
|||
|
|
juvenile, domestic, misdemeanors, and traffic cases
|
|||
|
|
|
|||
|
|
Leaders:
|
|||
|
|
|
|||
|
|
Chief of State and Head of Government--President George
|
|||
|
|
BUSH (since 20 January 1989), represented by Governor Alexander A.
|
|||
|
|
FARRELLY (since 5 January 1987); Lieutenant Governor Derek HODGE (since
|
|||
|
|
5 January 1987)
|
|||
|
|
|
|||
|
|
Political parties and leaders:
|
|||
|
|
Democratic Party, Marilyn STAPLETON;
|
|||
|
|
Independent Citizens' Movement (ICM), Virdin BROWN;
|
|||
|
|
Republican Party, Charlotte-Poole DAVIS
|
|||
|
|
|
|||
|
|
Suffrage: universal at age 18; indigenous inhabitants are US
|
|||
|
|
citizens, but do not vote in US presidential elections
|
|||
|
|
|
|||
|
|
Elections:
|
|||
|
|
|
|||
|
|
Governor--last held NA 1986 (next to be held NA 1990);
|
|||
|
|
results--Alexander FARRELLY (Democratic Party) defeated
|
|||
|
|
Adelbert BRYAN (ICM);
|
|||
|
|
|
|||
|
|
Senate--last held 6 November 1990 (next to be held 3 November
|
|||
|
|
1992);
|
|||
|
|
results--percent of vote by party NA;
|
|||
|
|
seats--(15 total) number of seats by party NA;
|
|||
|
|
|
|||
|
|
US House of Representatives--last held 6 November 1990
|
|||
|
|
(next to be held 3 November 1992);
|
|||
|
|
results--the Virgin Islands elects one nonvoting representative
|
|||
|
|
|
|||
|
|
Member of: ECLAC (associate), IOC
|
|||
|
|
|
|||
|
|
Diplomatic representation: none (territory of the US)
|
|||
|
|
|
|||
|
|
Flag: white with a modified US coat of arms in the center between
|
|||
|
|
the large blue initials V and I; the coat of arms shows an
|
|||
|
|
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
|
|||
|
|
|
|||
|
|
ECONOMY
|
|||
|
|
Overview: Tourism is the primary economic activity, accounting for
|
|||
|
|
more than 70% of GDP and 70% of employment. The manufacturing sector
|
|||
|
|
consists of textile, electronics, pharmaceutical, and watch assembly
|
|||
|
|
plants. The agricultural sector is small, most food being imported.
|
|||
|
|
International business and financial services are a small but growing
|
|||
|
|
component of the economy. The world's largest petroleum refinery is at
|
|||
|
|
Saint Croix.
|
|||
|
|
|
|||
|
|
GDP: $1.0 billion, per capita $9,000; real growth rate NA% (1985)
|
|||
|
|
|
|||
|
|
Inflation rate (consumer prices): NA%
|
|||
|
|
|
|||
|
|
Unemployment rate: 2.0% (1990)
|
|||
|
|
|
|||
|
|
Budget: revenues $470 million; expenditures $322 million,
|
|||
|
|
including capital expenditures of $NA (FY90)
|
|||
|
|
|
|||
|
|
Exports: $2.2 billion (f.o.b., 1988);
|
|||
|
|
|
|||
|
|
commodities--refined petroleum products;
|
|||
|
|
|
|||
|
|
partners--US, Puerto Rico
|
|||
|
|
|
|||
|
|
Imports: $3.7 billion (c.i.f., 1988);
|
|||
|
|
|
|||
|
|
commodities--crude oil, foodstuffs, consumer goods, building
|
|||
|
|
materials;
|
|||
|
|
|
|||
|
|
partners--US, Puerto Rico
|
|||
|
|
|
|||
|
|
External debt: $NA
|
|||
|
|
|
|||
|
|
Industrial production: growth rate 12%
|
|||
|
|
|
|||
|
|
Electricity: 358,000 kW capacity; 532 million kWh produced,
|
|||
|
|
5,360 kWh per capita (1990)
|
|||
|
|
|
|||
|
|
Industries: tourism, petroleum refining, watch assembly, rum
|
|||
|
|
distilling, construction, pharmaceuticals, textiles, electronics
|
|||
|
|
|
|||
|
|
Agriculture: truck gardens, food crops (small scale), fruit,
|
|||
|
|
sorghum, Senepol cattle
|
|||
|
|
|
|||
|
|
Economic aid: Western (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral
|
|||
|
|
commitments (1970-88), $34.5 million
|
|||
|
|
|
|||
|
|
Currency: US currency is used
|
|||
|
|
|
|||
|
|
Exchange rates: US currency is used
|
|||
|
|
|
|||
|
|
Fiscal year: 1 October-30 September
|
|||
|
|
|
|||
|
|
COMMUNICATIONS
|
|||
|
|
Highways: 856 km total
|
|||
|
|
|
|||
|
|
Ports: Saint Croix--Christiansted, Frederiksted;
|
|||
|
|
Saint Thomas--Long Bay, Crown Bay, Red Hook; Saint John--Cruz Bay
|
|||
|
|
|
|||
|
|
Airports: 2 total, 2 usable; 2 with permanent-surface runways
|
|||
|
|
1,220-2,439 m; international airports on Saint Thomas and Saint Croix
|
|||
|
|
|
|||
|
|
Telecommunications: 44,280 telephones; stations--4 AM, 6 FM, 3 TV;
|
|||
|
|
modern system using fiber-optic cable, submarine cable, microwave radio,
|
|||
|
|
and satellite facilities; 90,000 radios; 56,000 TVs
|
|||
|
|
|
|||
|
|
DEFENSE FORCES
|
|||
|
|
Note: defense is the responsibility of the US
|
|||
|
|
|
|||
|
|
|