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| 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: | 24,041 (July 2008 est.)
Age structure: | 0-14 years: 20% (male 2,432/female 2,366) 15-64 years: 74.4% (male 9,178/female 8,715) 65 years and over: 5.6% (male 697/female 653) (2008 est.)
Median age: | total: 32 years male: 32.1 years female: 31.9 years (2008 est.)
Population growth rate: | 1.88% (2008 est.)
Birth rate: | 14.72 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)
Death rate: | 4.37 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)
Net migration rate: | 8.44 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: 1.07 male(s)/female total population: 1.05 male(s)/female (2008 est.)
Infant mortality rate: | total: 15.2 deaths/1,000 live births male: 17.23 deaths/1,000 live births female: 13.06 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)
Life expectancy at birth: | total population: 77.07 years male: 75.88 years female: 78.32 years (2008 est.)
Total fertility rate: | 1.71 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 83.4%, white 7%, mixed 5.4%, Indian 3.4%, other 0.8% (1991 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)

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.)
GDP (official exchange rate): | $839.7 million (2003)
GDP - real growth rate: | 1% (2002 est.)
GDP - per capita (PPP): | $38,500 (2004 est.)
GDP - composition by sector: | agriculture: 1.8% industry: 6.2% services: 92% (1996 est.)
Labor force: | 12,770 (2004)
Labor force - by occupation: | agriculture: 0.6% industry: 40% services: 59.4% (2005)
Unemployment rate: | 3.6% (1997)
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)
Fiscal year: | 1 April - 31 March
Inflation rate (consumer prices): | 2% (2005)
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 (2006 est.)
Electricity - consumption: | 41.85 million kWh (2006 est.)
Electricity - exports: | 0 kWh (2007 est.)
Electricity - imports: | 0 kWh (2007 est.)
Electricity - production by source: | fossil fuel: 100% hydro: 0% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (2001)
Oil - production: | 0 bbl/day (2007 est.)
Oil - consumption: | 650 bbl/day (2006 est.)
Oil - exports: | 0 bbl/day (2005)
Oil - imports: | 649.8 bbl/day (2005)
Oil - proved reserves: | 0 bbl (1 January 2006 est.)
Natural gas - production: | 0 cu m (2007 est.)
Natural gas - consumption: | 0 cu m (2007 est.)
Natural gas - exports: | 0 cu m (2007 est.)
Natural gas - imports: | 0 cu m (2007 est.)
Natural gas - proved reserves: | 0 cu m (1 January 2006 est.)
Current account balance: | $134.3 million (1999)
Exports: | $25.3 million (2002)
Exports - commodities: | rum, fresh fish, fruits, animals; gravel, sand
Exports - partners: | Virgin Islands (US), Puerto Rico, US (2006)
Imports: | $187 million (2002 est.)
Imports - commodities: | building materials, automobiles, foodstuffs, machinery
Imports - partners: | Virgin Islands (US), Puerto Rico, US (2006)
Economic aid - recipient: | $NA
Debt - external: | $36.1 million (1997)
Currency (code): | US dollar (USD)
Currency code: | USD
Exchange rates: | the US dollar is used

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) 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: | 465 (2008)
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: 200 km paved: 200 km (2007)
Merchant marine: | registered in other countries: 1 (Panama 1) (2008)
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 militarily significant age annually: | male: 184 female: 179 (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

This page was last updated on 18 December, 2008