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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:
Current Weather
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:
24,939 (July 2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 215
Age structure:
0-14 years: 19.7% (male 2,489/female 2,422)
15-64 years: 74.3% (male 9,494/female 9,031)
65 years and over: 6% (male 777/female 726) (2010 est.)
Median age:
total: 32.6 years
male: 32.7 years
female: 32.5 years (2010 est.)
Population growth rate:
1.784% (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 69
Birth rate:
14.52 births/1,000 population (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 142
Death rate:
4.41 deaths/1,000 population (July 2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 200
Net migration rate:
7.74 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 10
Urbanization:
urban population: 40% of total population (2008)
rate of urbanization: 1.7% annual rate of change (2005-10 est.)
Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.045 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 (2010 est.)
Infant mortality rate:
total: 14.11 deaths/1,000 live births
country comparison to the world: 128
male: 16.01 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 12.12 deaths/1,000 live births (2010 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 77.45 years
country comparison to the world: 59
male: 76.18 years
female: 78.78 years (2010 est.)
Total fertility rate:
1.71 children born/woman (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 166
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 82%, white 6.8%, other 11.2% (includes Indian and mixed) (2008)
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: 122
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
(For more information visit the World Leaders website )
elections: the monarchy is hereditary; governor appointed by the monarch;
following legislative elections, the leader of the majority party or the leader
of the majority coalition 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 on 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); the islands were
named by COLUMBUS in 1493 in honor of Saint Ursula and her 11 virgin followers
(some sources say 11,000) who reputedly were martyred by the Huns in the 4th or
5th century; the figure on the banner holding a lamp represents the saint, the
other lamps symbolize her followers
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. More
than 934,000 tourists, mainly from the US, visited the islands in 2008. 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: 204
GDP (official exchange rate):
$1.095 billion (2008)
GDP - real growth rate:
-0.6% (2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 119
GDP - per capita (PPP):
$38,500 (2004 est.)
country comparison to the world: 24
GDP - composition by sector:
agriculture: 0.9%
industry: 10.7%
services: 88.3% (1996 est.)
Labor force:
12,770 (2004)
country comparison to the world: 212
Labor force - by occupation:
agriculture: 0.6%
industry: 40%
services: 59.4% (2005)
Unemployment rate:
3.6% (1997)
country comparison to the world: 30
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):
7.1% (2008)
country comparison to the world: 169
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 (2007 est.)
country comparison to the world: 198
Electricity - consumption:
41.85 million kWh (2007 est.)
country comparison to the world: 199
Electricity - exports:
0 kWh (2008 est.)
Electricity - imports:
0 kWh (2008 est.)
Oil - production:
0 bbl/day (2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 203
Oil - consumption:
1,000 bbl/day (2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 204
Oil - exports:
0 bbl/day (2007 est.)
country comparison to the world: 143
Oil - imports:
691 bbl/day (2007 est.)
country comparison to the world: 193
Oil - proved reserves:
0 bbl (1 January 2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 103
Natural gas - production:
0 cu m (2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 99
Natural gas - consumption:
0 cu m (2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 204
Natural gas - exports:
0 cu m (2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 50
Natural gas - imports:
0 cu m (2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 77
Natural gas - proved reserves:
0 cu m (1 January 2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 107
Current account balance:
$134.3 million (1999)
country comparison to the world: 54
Exports:
$25.3 million (2002)
country comparison to the world: 203
Exports - commodities:
rum, fresh fish, fruits, animals; gravel, sand
Imports:
$187 million f.o.b.
Imports - commodities:
building materials, automobiles, foodstuffs, machinery
Debt - external:
$36.1 million (1997)
country comparison to the world: 188
Exchange rates:
the US dollar is used
Communications - British Virgin Islands
Telephones - main lines in use:
18,900 (2008)
country comparison to the world: 196
Telephones - mobile cellular:
23,000 (2008)
country comparison to the world: 205
Telephone system:
general assessment: worldwide telephone service
domestic: fixed line connections exceed 75 per 100 persons and mobile cellular
subscribership is approaching 100 per 100 persons
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 (2008)
Radio broadcast stations:
AM 1, FM 5, shortwave 0 (2004)
Television broadcast stations:
1 (plus 1 cable company) (1997)
Internet country code:
.vg
Internet hosts:
581 (2009)
country comparison to the world: 169
Internet users:
4,000 (2002)
country comparison to the world: 206
Transportation - British Virgin Islands
Airports:
4 (2009)
country comparison to the world: 184
Airports - with paved runways:
total: 2
914 to 1,523 m: 1
under 914 m: 1 (2009)
Airports - with unpaved runways:
total: 2
914 to 1,523 m: 2 (2009)
Roadways:
total: 200 km
country comparison to the world: 207
paved: 200 km (2007)
Merchant marine:
registered in other countries: 1 (Panama 1) (2008)
country comparison to the world: 148
Ports and terminals:
Road Town
Military - British Virgin Islands
Manpower available for military service:
males age 16-49: 7,230 (2010 est.)
Manpower fit for military service:
males age 16-49: 6,028
females age 16-49: 5,778 (2010 est.)
Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually:
male: 174
female: 167 (2010 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
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