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international: country code - 55; landing point for a number of submarine cables 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 (2007)

Radio broadcast stations:

AM 1,365, FM 296, shortwave 161 (of which 91 are collocated with AM stations) (1999)

Radios:

71 million (1997)

Television broadcast stations:

138 (1997)

Televisions:

36.5 million (1997)

Internet country code:

.br

Internet hosts:

8.265 million (2007)

Internet Service Providers (ISPs):

50 (2000)

Internet users:

42.6 million (2006)

Transportation Brazil

Airports:

4,263 (2007)

Airports - with paved runways:

total: 718

over 3,047 m: 7

2,438 to 3,047 m: 25

1,524 to 2,437 m: 167

914 to 1,523 m: 467

under 914 m: 52 (2007)

Airports - with unpaved runways:

total: 3,545

1,524 to 2,437 m: 83

914 to 1,523 m: 1,555

under 914 m: 1,907 (2007)

Heliports:

16 (2007)

Pipelines:

condensate/gas 244 km; gas 12,070 km; liquid petroleum gas 351 km; oil 5,214 km; refined products 4,410 km (2007)

Railways:

total: 29,295 km

broad gauge: 4,932 km 1.600-m gauge (939 km electrified)

standard gauge: 194 km 1.440-m gauge

narrow gauge: 23,773 km 1.000-m gauge (581 km electrified)

dual gauge: 396 km 1.000 m and 1.600-m gauges (three rails) (78 km electrified) (2006)

Roadways:

total: 1,751,868 km

paved: 96,353 km

unpaved: 1,655,515 km (2004)

Waterways:

50,000 km (most in areas remote from industry and population) (2007)

Merchant marine:

total: 135 ships (1000 GRT or over) 2,020,182 GRT/3,039,015 DWT

by type: bulk carrier 20, cargo 21, carrier 1, chemical tanker 6, container 9, liquefied gas 12, passenger/cargo 12, petroleum tanker 47, roll on/roll off 7

foreign-owned: 16 (Chile 1, Denmark 2, Germany 7, Mexico 1, Norway 1, Spain 4)

registered in other countries: 5 (Bahamas 1, Ghana 1, Liberia 3) (2007)

Ports and terminals:

Guaiba, Ilha Grande, Paranagua, Rio Grande, Santos, Sao Sebastiao, Tubarao

Military Brazil

Military branches:

Brazilian Army, Brazilian Navy (Marinha do Brasil (MB), includes Naval Air and Marine Corps (Corpo de Fuzileiros Navais)), Brazilian Air Force (Forca Aerea Brasileira, FAB) (2008)

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: 39,263,710

females age 16-49: 44,109,056 (2008 est.)

Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually:

males age 16-49: 1,668,722

females age 16-49: 1,609,437 (2008 est.)

Military expenditures - percent of GDP:

2.6% (2006 est.)

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 Itaipú 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 Suárez/Ilha de Guajará-Mirim, a fluvial island on the Río Mamoré, under Bolivian administration in 1958, but sovereignty remains in dispute

Illicit drugs:

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 earned in Brazil are often laundered through the financial system; significant illicit financial activity in the Tri-Border Area

This page was last updated on 15 July, 2008

The World Factbook

British Indian Ocean Territory

Introduction British Indian Ocean Territory

Background:

Established as a territory of the UK in 1965, a number of the British Indian Ocean Territory (BIOT) islands were 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. Former agricultural workers, earlier residents in the islands, were relocated primarily to Mauritius but also to the Seychelles, between 1967 and 1973. In 2000, a British High Court ruling invalidated the local immigration order that had excluded them from the archipelago, but upheld the special military status of Diego Garcia.

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

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 2000 they were granted the right of return by a British High Court ruling, though no timetable has been set; 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 Leigh TURNER (since July 2006); Administrator Tony HUMPHRIES (since February 2005); 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. When the native Ilois return, they plan to reestablish sugarcane production and fishing. 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

Currency (code):

both the British Pound (GBP) and the US Dollar (USD) are accepted

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)

Radios:

NA

Television broadcast stations:

1 (1997)

Televisions:

NA

Internet country code:

.io

Internet hosts:

61 (2007)

Internet Service Providers (ISPs):

1 (2000)

Transportation British Indian Ocean Territory

Airports:

1 (2007)

Airports - with paved runways:

total: 1

over 3,047 m: 1 (2007)

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 - 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

This page was last updated on 15 July, 2008

The World Factbook

British Virgin Islands

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: 153 sq km

land: 153 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:

24,004 (July 2008 est.)

Age structure:

0-14 years: 19.9% (male 2,431/female 2,356)

15-64 years: 74.5% (male 9,176/female 8,708)

65 years and over: 5.6% (male 700/female 633) (2008 est.)

Median age:

total: 32 years

male: 32.1 years

female: 31.8 years (2008 est.)

Population growth rate:

1.875% (2008 est.)

Birth rate:

14.75 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Death rate:

4.46 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Net migration rate:

8.46 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2008 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: 1.11 male(s)/female

total population: 1.05 male(s)/female (2008 est.)

Infant mortality rate:

total: 15.54 deaths/1,000 live births

male: 18.15 deaths/1,000 live births

female: 12.8 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:

total population: 77.06 years

male: 75.87 years

female: 78.3 years (2008 est.)

Total fertility rate: