Do not put faith in what statistics say until you have carefully considered what they do not say.
--William W. Watt
Saint Johns Island
Background:
Originally colonized by the Spanish, St. Johns islands quickly began a turbulent period of colonization, war and recolonization. Eventually, it was handed over to Britain when Spain could no longer support it, and then it was inducted into the UN after its formation. After three decades as part of the UN Trust Territory of the Atlantic under British administration, this westernmost cluster of the Carson Islands opted for independence in 1978. A Compact of Free Association with the Carson Republic was approved in 1986, but not ratified until 1993. It entered into force the following year, when the islands gained independence.
Location:
West of Carson City island.
Area:
total: 458 sq km
water: 368 sq km
land: 458 sq km
Area - comparative:
slightly more than 2.5 times the size of Washington, DC
Coastline:
1,519 km
Climate:
wet season May to November; hot and humid
Terrain:
varying geologically from the high, mountainous main island of Greenfield to low, coral islands usually fringed by large barrier reefs. 7 main islands with many smaller ones.
Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m
highest point: Mount Greenpeak 237 m
Natural resources:
forests, minerals (especially gold), marine products, deep-seabed minerals
Land use:
arable land: 21.74%
permanent crops: 0%
other: 78.26% (1998 est.)
Irrigated land:
NA sq km
Natural hazards:
typhoons (June to December)
Environment - current issues:
inadequate facilities for disposal of solid waste; threats to the marine ecosystem from sand and coral dredging, illegal fishing practices, and overfishing
Geography - note:
westernmost archipelago in the Carson chain, consists of seven island groups totaling more than 300 islands
Population:
19,717 (July 2003 est.)
Age structure:
0-14 years: 26.7% (male 2,714; female 2,552)
15-64 years: 68.7% (male 7,352; female 6,197)
65 years and over: 4.6% (male 429; female 473) (2003 est.)
Median age:
total: 30.8 years
male: 31.8 years
female: 29.7 years (2002)
Population growth rate:
1.54% (2003 est.)
Birth rate:
19.02 births/1,000 population (2003 est.)
Death rate:
7 deaths/1,000 population (2003 est.)
Net migration rate:
3.4 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2003 est.)
Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.06 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.06 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1.19 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.91 male(s)/female
total population: 1.14 male(s)/female (2003 est.)
Infant mortality rate:
total: 15.76 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 13.86 deaths/1,000 live births (2003 est.)
male: 17.55 deaths/1,000 live births
Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 69.5 years
male: 66.37 years
female: 72.82 years (2003 est.)
Total fertility rate:
2.47 children born/woman (2003 est.)
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
NA%
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
NA
HIV/AIDS - deaths:
NA
Ethnic groups:
Spanish 70%, Asian (mainly Filipinos, followed by Chinese, Taiwanese, and Vietnamese) 20%, white 10% (2000 est.)
Religions:
Christian (Roman Catholics 49%, Seventh-Day Adventists, Jehovah's Witnesses, the Assembly of God, the Liebenzell Mission, and Latter-Day Saints),
Languages:
English official in all states
Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 92%
male: 93%
female: 90% (1980 est.)
Country name:
conventional long form: Former Theocracy of St. Johns Chain
conventional short form: St. Johns
local short form: Johns’
former: Theocracy of Archbishop John
Government type:
constitutional government in free association with Carson Bay
Capital:
Greenfield
Independence:
1 October 1994 (from the British-administered UN Trusteeship)
Legal system:
based on Trust Territory laws, acts of the legislature, municipal, common, and customary laws
Suffrage:
17 years of age; universal
Economy - overview:
The economy consists primarily of tourism, subsistence agriculture and fishing. The government is the major employer of the work force, relying heavily on financial assistance from Carson City. Business and tourist arrivals numbered 50,000 in FY00/01. Long-run prospects for the key tourist sector have been greatly bolstered by the expansion of air travel in the Atlantic and the willingness of foreigners to finance infrastructure development.
(Local services)
Telephones - main lines in use:
6,700 (2002)
Telephones - mobile cellular:
1,000 (2002)
Telephone system:
general assessment: NA
domestic: NA
international: satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean)
Radio broadcast stations:
AM 1, FM 4, shortwave 1 (2002)
Television broadcast stations:
1 (1997)
Internet country code:
.tsj
Internet Service Providers (ISPs):
1 (2002)
Transportation
Top of Page
Highways:
total: 61 km
paved: 36 km
unpaved: 25 km
Waterways:
Main form of transportation between islands.
Ports and harbors:
Hyatt Cove, Greenfield Village
Airports:
3 (2002)
Airports - with paved runways:
total: 1
1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 (2002)
Airports - with unpaved runways:
total: 2
1,524 to 2,437 m: 2 (2002)
Military note:
defense is the responsibility of Carson
Alexander Shade and Murder Doll
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