$193.8 billion (31 December 2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 7
$180.3 billion (31 December 2007 est.)
Debt - external:
$262.9 billion (31 December 2008)
country comparison to the world: 27
$240.5 billion (31 December 2007)
Stock of direct foreign investment - at home:
$294 billion (31 December 2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 15
$248.9 billion (31 December 2007 est.)
Stock of direct foreign investment - abroad:
$127.5 billion (31 December 2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 23
$107.1 billion (31 December 2007 est.)
Exchange rates:
reals (BRL) per US dollar - 1.8644 (2008 est.), 1.85 (2007 est.),
2.1761 (2006), 2.4344 (2005), 2.9251 (2004)
Communications ::Brazil
Telephones - main lines in use:
41.141 million (2008)
country comparison to the world: 6
Telephones - mobile cellular:
150.641 million (2008)
country comparison to the world: 5
Telephone system:
general assessment: good working system; fixed-line connections have
remained relatively stable in recent years and stand at about 20 per
100 persons; less expensive mobile cellular technology is a major
driver in expanding telephone service to the low-income segment of
the population with mobile-cellular telephone density reaching 80
per 100 persons
domestic: extensive microwave radio relay system and a domestic
satellite system with 64 earth stations; mobile-cellular usage has
more than tripled in the past 5 years
international: country code - 55; landing point for a number of
submarine cables, including Atlantis 2, that provide direct links to
South and Central America, the Caribbean, the US, Africa, and
Europe; satellite earth stations - 3 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean), 1
Inmarsat (Atlantic Ocean region east), connected by microwave relay
system to Mercosur Brazilsat B3 satellite earth station (2008)
Radio broadcast stations:
AM 1,365, FM 296, shortwave 161 (of which 91 are collocated with AM
stations) (1999)
Television broadcast stations:
138 (1997)
Internet country code:
.br
Internet hosts:
15.929 million (2009)
country comparison to the world: 5
Internet users:
64.948 million (2008)
country comparison to the world: 5
Transportation ::Brazil
Airports:
4,000 (2009)
country comparison to the world: 2
Airports - with paved runways:
total: 721
over 3,047 m: 7
2,438 to 3,047 m: 27
1,524 to 2,437 m: 171
914 to 1,523 m: 460
under 914 m: 56 (2009)
Airports - with unpaved runways:
total: 3,279
1,524 to 2,437 m: 87
914 to 1,523 m: 1,547
under 914 m: 1,645 (2009)
Heliports:
13 (2009)
Pipelines:
condensate/gas 62 km; gas 9,892 km; liquid petroleum gas 353 km; oil
4,517 km; refined products 4,465 km (2008)
Railways:
total: 28,857 km
country comparison to the world: 10
broad gauge: 5,709 km 1.600-m gauge (459 km electrified)
standard gauge: 194 km 1.440-m gauge
narrow gauge: 22,954 km 1.000-m gauge (2008)
Roadways:
total: 1,751,868 km
country comparison to the world: 4
paved: 96,353 km
unpaved: 1,655,515 km (2004)
Waterways:
50,000 km (most in areas remote from industry and population) (2008)
country comparison to the world: 3
Merchant marine:
total: 136
country comparison to the world: 45
by type: bulk carrier 19, cargo 22, carrier 1, chemical tanker 7,
container 11, liquefied gas 12, passenger/cargo 12, petroleum tanker
45, roll on/roll off 7
foreign-owned: 25 (Chile 1, Denmark 2, Germany 6, Greece 1, Mexico
1, Norway 5, Spain 9)
registered in other countries: 8 (Argentina 1, Bahamas 2, Ghana 1,
Liberia 3, Marshall Islands 1) (2008)
Ports and terminals:
Guaiba, Ilha Grande, Paranagua, Rio Grande, Santos, Sao Sebastiao,
Tubarao
Transportation - note:
the International Maritime Bureau reports the territorial and
offshore waters in the Atlantic Ocean as a significant risk for
piracy and armed robbery against ships; numerous commercial vessels
have been attacked and hijacked both at anchor and while underway;
crews have been robbed and stores or cargoes stolen
Military ::Brazil
Military branches:
Brazilian Army (Exercito Brasileiro, EB), Brazilian Navy (Marinha do
Brasil (MB), includes Naval Air and Marine Corps (Corpo de
Fuzileiros Navais)), Brazilian Air Force (Forca Aerea Brasileira,
FAB) (2009)
Military service age and obligation:
21-45 years of age for compulsory military service; conscript
service obligation - 9 to 12 months; 17-45 years of age for
voluntary service; an increasing percentage of the ranks are
"long-service" volunteer professionals; women were allowed to serve
in the armed forces beginning in early 1980s when the Brazilian Army
became the first army in South America to accept women into career
ranks; women serve in Navy and Air Force only in Women's Reserve
Corps (2001)
Manpower available for military service:
males age 16-49: 52,449,957
females age 16-49: 52,375,921 (2008 est.)
Manpower fit for military service:
males age 16-49: 38,043,555
females age 16-49: 44,267,520 (2009 est.)
Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually:
male: 1,690,031
female: 1,630,851 (2009 est.)
Military expenditures:
2.6% of GDP (2006 est.)
country comparison to the world: 62
Transnational Issues ::Brazil
Disputes - international:
unruly region at convergence of Argentina-Brazil-Paraguay borders is
locus of money laundering, smuggling, arms and illegal narcotics
trafficking, and fundraising for extremist organizations;
uncontested boundary dispute with Uruguay over Isla Brasilera at the
confluence of the Quarai/Cuareim and Invernada rivers, that form a
tripoint with Argentina; the Itaipu Dam reservoir covers over a once
contested section of Brazil-Paraguay boundary west of Guaira Falls
on the Rio Parana; an accord placed the long-disputed Isla
Suarez/Ilha de Guajara-Mirim, a fluvial island on the Rio Mamore,
under Bolivian administration in 1958, but sovereignty remains in
dispute
Illicit drugs:
second-largest consumer of cocaine in the world; illicit producer of
cannabis; trace amounts of coca cultivation in the Amazon region,
used for domestic consumption; government has a large-scale
eradication program to control cannabis; important transshipment
country for Bolivian, Colombian, and Peruvian cocaine headed for
Europe; also used by traffickers as a way station for narcotics air
transshipments between Peru and Colombia; upsurge in drug-related
violence and weapons smuggling; important market for Colombian,
Bolivian, and Peruvian cocaine; illicit narcotics proceeds are often
laundered through the financial system; significant illicit
financial activity in the Tri-Border Area (2008)
page last updated on November 11, 2009
======================================================================
@British Indian Ocean Territory (South Asia)
Introduction ::British Indian Ocean Territory
Background:
Formerly administered as part of the British Crown Colony of
Mauritius, the British Indian Ocean Territory (BIOT) was established
as an overseas territory of the UK in 1965. A number of the islands
of the territory were later transferred to the Seychelles when it
attained independence in 1976. Subsequently, BIOT has consisted only
of the six main island groups comprising the Chagos Archipelago. The
largest and most southerly of the islands, Diego Garcia, contains a
joint UK-US naval support facility. All of the remaining islands are
uninhabited. Between 1967 and 1973, former agricultural workers,
earlier residents in the islands, were relocated primarily to
Mauritius, but also to the Seychelles. Negotiations between 1971 and
1982 resulted in the establishment of a trust fund by the British
Government as compensation for the displaced islanders, known as
Chagossians. Beginning in 1998, the islanders pursued a series of
lawsuits against the British Government seeking further compensation
and the right to return to the territory. In 2006 and 2007, British
court rulings invalidated the immigration policies contained in the
2004 BIOT Constitution Order that had excluded the islanders from
the archipelago, but upheld the special military status of Diego
Garcia. In 2008, the House of Lords, as the final court of appeal in
the UK, ruled in favor of the British Government by overturning the
lower court rulings and finding no right of return on the part of
the Chagossians.
Geography ::British Indian Ocean Territory
Location:
archipelago in the Indian Ocean, south of India, about halfway
between Africa and Indonesia
Geographic coordinates:
6 00 S, 71 30 E; note - Diego Garcia 7 20 S, 72 25 E
Map references:
Political Map of the World
Area:
total: 54,400 sq km
country comparison to the world: 127
land: 60 sq km; Diego Garcia 44 sq km
water: 54,340 sq km
note: includes the entire Chagos Archipelago of 55 islands
Area - comparative:
land area is about 0.3 times the size of Washington, DC
Land boundaries:
0 km
Coastline:
698 km
Maritime claims:
territorial sea: 3 nm
exclusive fishing zone: 200 nm
Climate:
tropical marine; hot, humid, moderated by trade winds
Terrain:
flat and low (most areas do not exceed two meters in elevation)
Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Indian Ocean 0 m
highest point: unnamed location on Diego Garcia 15 m
Natural resources:
coconuts, fish, sugarcane
Land use:
arable land: 0%
permanent crops: 0%
other: 100% (2005)
Irrigated land:
0 sq km
Natural hazards:
NA
Environment - current issues:
NA
Geography - note:
archipelago of 55 islands; Diego Garcia, largest and southernmost
island, occupies strategic location in central Indian Ocean; island
is site of joint US-UK military facility
People ::British Indian Ocean Territory
Population:
no indigenous inhabitants
note: approximately 1,200 former agricultural workers resident in
the Chagos Archipelago, often referred to as Chagossians or Ilois,
were relocated to Mauritius and the Seychelles in the 1960s and
1970s; in November 2004, approximately 4,000 UK and US military
personnel and civilian contractors were living on the island of
Diego Garcia
Government ::British Indian Ocean Territory
Country name:
conventional long form: British Indian Ocean Territory
conventional short form: none
abbreviation: BIOT
Dependency status:
overseas territory of the UK; administered by a commissioner,
resident in the Foreign and Commonwealth Office in London
Legal system:
the laws of the UK, where applicable, apply
Executive branch:
chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952)
head of government: Commissioner Colin ROBERTS (since July 2008);
Administrator Joanne YEADON (since December 2007); note - both
reside in the UK and are represented by the officer commanding
British Forces on Diego Garcia
cabinet: NA
elections: none; the monarch is hereditary; commissioner and
administrator appointed by the monarch
Diplomatic representation in the US:
none (overseas territory of the UK)
Diplomatic representation from the US:
none (overseas territory of the UK)
Flag description:
white with six blue wavy horizontal stripes; the flag of the UK is
in the upper hoist-side quadrant; the striped section bears a palm
tree and yellow crown centered on the outer half of the flag
Economy ::British Indian Ocean Territory
Economy - overview:
All economic activity is concentrated on the largest island of Diego
Garcia, where a joint UK-US military facility is located.
Construction projects and various services needed to support the
military installation are performed by military and contract
employees from the UK, Mauritius, the Philippines, and the US. There
are no industrial or agricultural activities on the islands. The
territory earns foreign exchange by selling fishing licenses and
postage stamps.
Electricity - production:
NA kWh; note - electricity supplied by the US military
Electricity - consumption:
NA kWh
Exchange rates:
the US dollar is used
Communications ::British Indian Ocean Territory
Telephones - main lines in use:
NA
Telephone system:
general assessment: separate facilities for military and public
needs are available
domestic: all commercial telephone services are available, including
connection to the Internet
international: country code (Diego Garcia) - 246; international
telephone service is carried by satellite (2000)
Radio broadcast stations:
AM 1, FM 2, shortwave 0 (1998)
Television broadcast stations:
1 (1997)
Internet country code:
.io
Internet hosts:
160 (2009)
country comparison to the world: 194
Transportation ::British Indian Ocean Territory
Airports:
1 (2009)
country comparison to the world: 225
Airports - with paved runways:
total: 1
over 3,047 m: 1 (2009)
Roadways:
note: short section of paved road between port and airfield on Diego
Garcia
Ports and terminals:
Diego Garcia
Military ::British Indian Ocean Territory
Military branches:
no regular military forces; Royal Overseas Police Officers (ROPOs)
(2008)
Military - note:
defense is the responsibility of the UK; the US lease on Diego
Garcia expires in 2016
Transnational Issues ::British Indian Ocean Territory
Disputes - international:
Mauritius claims the Chagos Archipelago including Diego Garcia; in
2001, the former inhabitants of the Chagos Archipelago, evicted in
1967 and 1973 and now residing chiefly in Mauritius, were granted UK
citizenship and the right to repatriation; in May 2007, the UK Court
of Appeals upheld the May 2006 High Court of London judgment
reversing the UK government's 2004 Orders of Council that banned
habitation on the islands; a small group of Chagossians visited
Diego Garcia in April 2006; repatriation is complicated by the
exclusive US military lease of Diego Garcia that restricts access to
the largest viable island in the chain
page last updated on October 28, 2009
======================================================================
@British Virgin Islands (Central America and Caribbean)
Introduction ::British Virgin Islands
Background:
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.
Geography ::British Virgin Islands
Location:
Caribbean, between the Caribbean Sea and the North Atlantic Ocean,
east of Puerto Rico
Geographic coordinates:
18 30 N, 64 30 W
Map references:
Central America and the Caribbean
Area:
total: 151 sq km
country comparison to the world: 219
land: 151 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 0.9 times the size of Washington, DC
Land boundaries:
0 km
Coastline:
80 km
Maritime claims:
territorial sea: 3 nm
exclusive fishing zone: 200 nm
Climate:
subtropical; humid; temperatures moderated by trade winds
Terrain:
coral islands relatively flat; volcanic islands steep, hilly
Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Caribbean Sea 0 m
highest point: Mount Sage 521 m
Natural resources:
NEGL
Land use:
arable land: 20%
permanent crops: 6.67%
other: 73.33% (2005)
Irrigated land:
NA
Natural hazards:
hurricanes and tropical storms (July to October)
Environment - current issues:
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)
Geography - note:
strong ties to nearby US Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico
People ::British Virgin Islands
Population:
24,491 (July 2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 215
Age structure:
0-14 years: 19.8% (male 2,454/female 2,387)
15-64 years: 74.4% (male 9,346/female 8,881)
65 years and over: 5.8% (male 734/female 689) (2009 est.)
Median age:
total: 32.3 years
male: 32.4 years
female: 32.2 years (2009 est.)
Population growth rate:
1.837% (2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 71
Birth rate:
14.62 births/1,000 population (2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 144
Death rate:
4.37 deaths/1,000 population (July 2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 203
Net migration rate:
8.13 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 11
Urbanization:
urban population: 40% of total population (2008)
rate of urbanization: 1.7% annual rate of change (2005-10 est.)
Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.03 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1.05 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 1.06 male(s)/female
total population: 1.05 male(s)/female (2009 est.)
Infant mortality rate:
total: 14.65 deaths/1,000 live births
country comparison to the world: 129
male: 16.61 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 12.58 deaths/1,000 live births (2009 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 77.26 years
country comparison to the world: 58
male: 76.03 years
female: 78.55 years (2009 est.)
Total fertility rate:
1.71 children born/woman (2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 170
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
NA
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
NA
HIV/AIDS - deaths:
NA
Nationality:
noun: British Virgin Islander(s)
adjective: British Virgin Islander
Ethnic groups:
black 83.4%, white 7%, other 9.6% (includes Indian and mixed) (2004
Census)
Religions:
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)
Languages:
English (official)
Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 97.8% (1991 est.)
male: NA
female: NA
School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education):
total: 17 years
male: 15 years
female: 19 years (2005)
Education expenditures:
3.7% of GDP (2006)
country comparison to the world: 123
Government ::British Virgin Islands
Country name:
conventional long form: none
conventional short form: British Virgin Islands
abbreviation: BVI
Dependency status:
overseas territory of the UK; internal self-governing
Government type:
NA
Capital:
name: Road Town
geographic coordinates: 18 27 N, 64 37 W
time difference: UTC-4 (1 hour ahead of Washington, DC during
Standard Time)
Administrative divisions:
none (overseas territory of the UK)
Independence:
none (overseas territory of the UK)
National holiday:
Territory Day, 1 July (1956)
Constitution:
13 June 2007
Legal system:
English law
Suffrage:
18 years of age; universal
Executive branch:
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: 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
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; members 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
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
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:
The Family Support Network; The Women's Desk
other: environmentalists
International organization participation:
Caricom (associate), CDB, Interpol (subbureau), IOC, OECS, UNESCO
(associate), UPU, WFTU
Diplomatic representation in the US:
none (overseas territory of the UK)
Diplomatic representation from the US:
none (overseas territory of the UK)
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)
Economy ::British Virgin Islands
Economy - overview:
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.
GDP (purchasing power parity):
$853.4 million (2004 est.)
country comparison to the world: 206
GDP (official exchange rate):
$839.7 million (2003)
GDP - real growth rate:
1% (2002 est.)
country comparison to the world: 176
GDP - per capita (PPP):
$38,500 (2004 est.)
country comparison to the world: 23
GDP - composition by sector:
agriculture: 1.8%
industry: 6.2%
services: 92% (1996 est.)
Labor force:
12,770 (2004)
country comparison to the world: 206
Labor force - by occupation:
agriculture: 0.6%
industry: 40%
services: 59.4% (2005)
Unemployment rate:
3.6% (1997)
country comparison to the world: 43
Population below poverty line:
NA%
Household income or consumption by percentage share:
lowest 10%: NA%
highest 10%: NA%
Budget:
revenues: $204.7 million
expenditures: $180.4 million (2004)
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
2% (2005)
country comparison to the world: 17
Agriculture - products:
fruits, vegetables; livestock, poultry; fish
Industries:
tourism, light industry, construction, rum, concrete block, offshore
financial center
Industrial production growth rate:
NA%
Electricity - production:
45 million kWh (2007 est.)
country comparison to the world: 198
Electricity - consumption:
41.85 million kWh (2007 est.)
country comparison to the world: 198
Electricity - exports:
0 kWh (2008 est.)
Electricity - imports:
0 kWh (2008 est.)
Oil - production:
0 bbl/day (2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 124
Oil - consumption:
1,000 bbl/day (2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 189
Oil - exports:
0 bbl/day (2007 est.)
country comparison to the world: 157
Oil - imports:
691.4 bbl/day (2007 est.)
country comparison to the world: 194
Oil - proved reserves:
0 bbl (1 January 2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 118
Natural gas - production:
0 cu m (2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 116
Natural gas - consumption:
0 cu m (2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 124
Natural gas - exports:
0 cu m (2008)
country comparison to the world: 92
Natural gas - imports: