from
CIA World Factbook 2006
British Virgin Islands
Introduction
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
Location: Caribbean, between the Caribbean Sea and the North
Atlantic Ocean, east of Puerto Rico
Geographic 18 30 N, 64 30 W
coordinates:
Map Central America and the Caribbean
references:
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 - about 0.9 times the size of Washington, DC
comparative:
Land 0 km
boundaries:
Coastline: 80 km
Maritime territorial sea: 3 nm
claims: exclusive fishing zone: 200 nm
Climate: subtropical; humid; temperatures moderated by trade
winds
Terrain: coral islands relatively flat; volcanic islands steep,
hilly
Elevation lowest point: Caribbean Sea 0 m
extremes: highest point: Mount Sage 521 m
Natural NEGL
resources:
Land use: arable land: 20%
permanent crops: 6.67%
other: 73.33% (2005)
Irrigated NA
land:
Natural hurricanes and tropical storms (July to October)
hazards:
Environment - limited natural fresh water resources (except for a few
current seasonal streams and springs on Tortola, most of the
issues: islands' water supply comes from wells and rainwater
catchments)
Geography - strong ties to nearby US Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico
note:
People
Population: 23,098 (July 2006 est.)
Age structure: 0-14 years: 20.5% (male 2,403/female 2,331)
15-64 years: 74.3% (male 8,811/female 8,340)
65 years and over: 5.3% (male 636/female 577) (2006
est.)
Median age: total: 31.4 years
male: 31.6 years
female: 31.2 years (2006 est.)
Population 1.97% (2006 est.)
growth rate:
Birth rate: 14.89 births/1,000 population (2006 est.)
Death rate: 4.42 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.)
Net migration 9.22 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.)
rate:
Sex ratio: at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.03 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1.06 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 1.1 male(s)/female
total population: 1.05 male(s)/female (2006 est.)
Infant total: 16.72 deaths/1,000 live births
mortality male: 19.5 deaths/1,000 live births
rate: female: 13.79 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.)
Life total population: 76.68 years
expectancy at male: 75.56 years
birth: female: 77.84 years (2006 est.)
Total 1.72 children born/woman (2006 est.)
fertility
rate:
HIV/AIDS - NA
adult
prevalence
rate:
HIV/AIDS - NA
people living
with HIV/AIDS:
HIV/AIDS - NA
deaths:
Nationality: noun: British Virgin Islander(s)
adjective: British Virgin Islander
Ethnic groups: black 83%, 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%, none 2%,
other 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
Country name: conventional long form: none
conventional short form: British Virgin Islands
abbreviation: BVI
Dependency overseas territory of the UK; internal self-governing
status:
Government NA
type:
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 none (overseas territory of the UK)
divisions:
Independence: none (overseas territory of the UK)
National Territory Day, 1 July
holiday:
Constitution: 1 June 1977, amended in 2000
Legal system: English law
Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal
Executive chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February
branch: 1952), represented by Governor David PEAREY (since 18
April 2006)
head of government: Chief Minister Dr. Orlando D. SMITH
(since 17 June 2003)
cabinet: Executive Council appointed by the governor
from members of the Legislative Council
elections: none; 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
chief minister by the governor
Legislative unicameral Legislative Council (13 seats; members are
branch: 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 16 May 2003 (next to be held in
2007)
election results: percent of vote by party - NA%; seats
by party - NDP 8, VIP 5
Judicial Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court, consisting of the High
branch: 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 Concerned Citizens Movement or CCM [Ethlyn SMITH];
parties and National Democratic Party or NDP [Orlando SMITH];
leaders: United Party or UP [Gregory MADURO]; Virgin Islands
Party or VIP [Ralph T. O'NEAL]
Political NA
pressure
groups and
leaders:
International Caricom (associate), CDB, Interpol (subbureau), IOC,
organization OECS (associate), UNESCO (associate), UPU
participation:
Diplomatic none (overseas territory of the UK)
representation
in the US:
Diplomatic none (overseas territory of the UK)
representation
from the US:
Flag blue, with the flag of the UK in the upper hoist-side
description: 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
Economy - The economy, one of the most stable and prosperous in
overview: the Caribbean, is highly dependent on tourism,
generating an estimated 45% of the national income. An
estimated 350,000 tourists, mainly from the US, visited
the islands in 1998. Tourism suffered in 2002 because
of the lackluster US economy. 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 $853.4 million (2004 est.)
(purchasing
power parity):
GDP (official $839.7 million
exchange
rate):
GDP - real 1% (2002 est.)
growth rate:
GDP - per $38,500 (2004 est.)
capita (PPP):
GDP - agriculture: 1.8%
composition by industry: 6.2%
sector: services: 92% (1996 est.)
Labor force: 12,770 (2004)
Labor force - agriculture: 0.6%
by occupation: industry: 40%
services: 59.4%
Unemployment 3.6% (1997)
rate:
Population NA%
below poverty
line:
Household lowest 10%: NA%
income or highest 10%: NA%
consumption by
percentage
share:
Inflation rate 2% (2005)
(consumer
prices):
Budget: revenues: $204.7 million
expenditures: $180.4 million; including capital
expenditures of $33.8 million (1997)
Agriculture - fruits, vegetables; livestock, poultry; fish
products:
Industries: tourism, light industry, construction, rum, concrete
block, offshore financial center
Industrial NA%
production
growth rate:
Electricity - 34.55 million kWh (2003)
production:
Electricity - fossil fuel: 100%
production by hydro: 0%
source: nuclear: 0%
other: 0% (2001)
Electricity - 32.13 million kWh (2003)
consumption:
Electricity - 0 kWh (2003)
exports:
Electricity - 0 kWh (2003)
imports:
Oil - 0 bbl/day (2003)
production:
Oil - 410 bbl/day (2003 est.)
consumption:
Oil - exports: NA bbl/day
Oil - imports: NA bbl/day
Natural gas - 0 cu m (2003 est.)
production:
Natural gas - 0 cu m (2003 est.)
consumption:
Current $134.3 million
account
balance:
Exports: $25.3 million (2002)
Exports - rum, fresh fish, fruits, animals; gravel, sand
commodities:
Exports - Virgin Islands (US), Puerto Rico, US (2004)
partners:
Imports: $187 million (2002 est.)
Imports - building materials, automobiles, foodstuffs, machinery
commodities:
Imports - Virgin Islands (US), Puerto Rico, US (2004)
partners:
Debt - $36.1 million (1997)
external:
Economic aid - $NA
recipient:
Currency US dollar (USD)
(code):
Currency code: USD
Exchange the US dollar is used
rates:
Fiscal year: 1 April - 31 March
Communications
Telephones - 11,700 (2002)
main lines in
use:
Telephones - 8,000 (2002)
mobile
cellular:
Telephone general assessment: worldwide telephone service
system: domestic: NA
international: country code - 1-284; submarine cable to
Bermuda
Radio AM 1, FM 5, shortwave 0 (2004)
broadcast
stations:
Radios: 9,000 (1997)
Television 1 (plus one cable company) (1997)
broadcast
stations:
Televisions: 4,000 (1997)
Internet .vg
country code:
Internet 525 (2006)
hosts:
Internet 16 (2000)
Service
Providers
(ISPs):
Internet 4,000 (2002)
users:
Transportation
Airports: 3 (2006)
Airports - total: 2
with paved 914 to 1,523 m: 1
runways: under 914 m: 1 (2006)
Airports - total: 1
with unpaved 914 to 1,523 m: 1 (2006)
runways:
Roadways: total: 177 km
paved: 177 km (2002)
Merchant registered in other countries: 1 (North Korea 1) (2006)
marine:
Ports and Road Town
terminals:
Military
Manpower males age 18-49: 6,410 (2005 est.)
available for
military
service:
Manpower fit males age 18-49: 5,295 (2005 est.)
for military
service:
Manpower males age 18-49: 201 (2005 est.)
reaching
military
service age
annually:
Military - defense is the responsibility of the UK
note:
Transnational
Issues
Disputes - none
international:
Illicit drugs: transshipment point for South American narcotics
destined for the US and Europe; large offshore
financial center makes it vulnerable to money
laundering