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
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
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:
1.72 children born/woman (2008
est.)
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%, other 17% (includes
white, Indian, Asian and mixed)
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%
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; to 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:
NA
International organization participation:
Caricom (associate), CDB,
Interpol (subbureau), IOC, OECS, UNESCO (associate), UPU
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.
building materials,
automobiles, foodstuffs, machinery
Imports - partners:
Virgin Islands (US), Puerto
Rico, US (2006)
Economic aid - recipient:
Debt - external:
$36.1 million (1997)
Currency (code):
US dollar (USD)
Currency code:
USD
Exchange rates:
the US dollar is used
Fiscal year:
1 April - 31 March
Communications
British Virgin Islands
Telephones - main lines in use:
11,700 (2002)
Telephones - mobile cellular:
8,000 (2002)
Telephone system:
general assessment:
worldwide telephone service domestic: NA
international: country code - 1-284; connected via submarine
cable to Bermuda; the East Caribbean Fiber System (ECFS) optic submarine
cable provides connectivity to 13 other islands in the eastern Caribbean
(2007)
Radio broadcast stations:
AM 1, FM 5, shortwave 0 (2004)
Radios:
9,000 (1997)
Television broadcast stations:
1 (plus 1 cable company) (1997)
Televisions:
4,000 (1997)
Internet country code:
.vg
Internet hosts:
490 (2007)
Internet Service Providers (ISPs):
16 (2000)
Internet users:
4,000 (2002)
Transportation
British Virgin Islands
Airports:
3 (2007)
Airports - with paved runways:
total: 2 914 to
1,523 m: 1 under 914 m: 1 (2007)
Airports - with unpaved runways:
total: 1 914 to
1,523 m: 1 (2007)
Roadways:
total: 177 km
paved: 177 km (2002)
Ports and terminals:
Road Town
Military
British Virgin Islands
Manpower available for military service:
males age 16-49: 7,101
(2008 est.)
Manpower fit for military service:
males age 16-49: 5,921
(2008 est.)
Manpower reaching military service age annually:
males age 16-49: 185
(2008 est.)
Military - note:
defense is the responsibility
of the UK
Transnational Issues
British Virgin Islands
Disputes - international:
none
Illicit drugs:
transshipment point for South
American narcotics destined for the US and Europe; large offshore
financial center makes it vulnerable to money laundering
