| Background: |
First settled by
the Dutch in 1648, the islands were soon after (1672)
annexed by the English. The economy is closely tied to the
larger and more populous US Virgin Islands to the west; the
US dollar is the legal currency. |
| 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:
150 sq km
land: 150 sq km
water: 0 sq km
note: includes the island of Anegada |
| Area
- comparative: |
about 0.9 times
the size of Washington, DC |
| Maritime
claims: |
exclusive
fishing zone: 200 NM
territorial sea: 3 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 |
| Land
use: |
arable land:
20%
permanent crops: 7%
permanent pastures: 33%
forests and woodland: 7%
other: 33% (1993 est.) |
| 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 catchment) |
| Geography
- note: |
strong ties to
nearby US Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico |
| Population: |
20,812 (July 2001
est.) |
| Age
structure: |
0-14 years:
22.77% (male 2,399; female 2,339)
15-64 years: 72.31% (male 7,741; female 7,309)
65 years and over: 4.92% (male 555; female 469)
(2001 est.) |
| Population
growth rate: |
2.22% (2001 est.) |
| Birth
rate: |
15.18
births/1,000 population (2001 est.) |
| Death
rate: |
4.42 deaths/1,000
population (2001 est.) |
| Net
migration rate: |
11.39 migrant(s)/1,000
population (2001 est.) |
| 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: 1.18 male(s)/female
total population: 1.06 male(s)/female (2001
est.) |
| Infant
mortality rate: |
20.3 deaths/1,000
live births (2001 est.) |
| Life
expectancy at birth: |
total
population: 75.64 years
male: 74.74 years
female: 76.59 years (2001 est.) |
| Total
fertility rate: |
1.72 children
born/woman (2001 est.) |
| HIV/AIDS
- adult prevalence rate: |
NA% |
| HIV/AIDS
- people living with HIV/AIDS: |
NA |
| Nationality: |
noun:
British Virgin Islander(s)
adjective: British Virgin Islander |
| Ethnic
groups: |
black 90%, white,
Asian |
| Religions: |
Protestant 86%
(Methodist 45%, Anglican 21%, Church of God 7%, Seventh-Day
Adventist 5%, Baptist 4%, Jehovah's Witnesses 2%, other 2%),
Roman Catholic 6%, none 2%, other 6% (1981) |
| Languages: |
English
(official) |
| Literacy: |
definition:
age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 97.8% (1991 est.)
male: NA%
female: NA% |
| Country
name: |
conventional
long form: none
conventional short form: British Virgin Islands
abbreviation: BVI |
| Dependency
status: |
overseas
territory of the UK |
| Administrative
divisions: |
none (overseas
territory of the UK) |
| Independence: |
none (overseas
territory of the UK) |
| National
holiday: |
Territory Day, 1
July |
| Constitution: |
1 June 1977 |
| 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 Francis J. SAVAGE (since NA)
head of government: Chief Minister Ralph T.
O'NEAL (since 15 May 1995)
cabinet: Executive Council appointed by the
governor from members of the Legislative Council
elections: none; the monarch is hereditary;
governor appointed by the monarch; chief minister appointed
by the governor from among the members of the Legislative
Council |
| Legislative
branch: |
unicameral
Legislative Council (13 seats; members are elected by direct
popular vote, one member from each of 9 electoral districts,
four at-large members; members serve five-year terms)
elections: last held 17 May 1999 (next to be
held NA 2004)
election results: percent of vote by party -
NA%; seats by party - VIP 7, CCM 1, NDP 5 |
| 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, ECLAC (associate), Interpol (subbureau),
IOC, OECS (associate), UNESCO (associate) |
| 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
- overview: |
The economy, one
of the most stable and prosperous in the Caribbean, is
highly dependent on tourism, which generates an estimated
45% of the national income. An estimated 350,000 tourists,
mainly from the US, visited the islands in 1997. 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. An estimated 250,000 companies were on the
offshore registry by yearend 1997. 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, is expected to make
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 dollar as its currency
since 1959. |
| GDP: |
purchasing power
parity - $311 million (2000 est.) |
| GDP
- real growth rate: |
6% (2000 est.) |
| GDP
- per capita: |
purchasing power
parity - $16,000 (2000 est.) |
| GDP
- composition by sector: |
agriculture:
1.8%
industry: 6.2%
services: 92% (1996 est.) |
| Population
below poverty line: |
NA% |
| Household
income or consumption by percentage share: |
lowest 10%:
NA%
highest 10%: NA% |
| Inflation
rate (consumer prices): |
2% (2000) |
| Labor
force: |
4,911 (1980) |
| Labor
force - by occupation: |
agriculture NA%,
industry NA%, services NA% |
| Unemployment
rate: |
3% (1995) |
| Budget: |
revenues:
$121.5 million
expenditures: $115.5 million, including capital
expenditures of $NA (1997) |
| Industries: |
tourism, light
industry, construction, rum, concrete block, offshore
financial center |
| Industrial
production growth rate: |
4% (1985) |
| Electricity
- production: |
42 million kWh
(1999) |
| Electricity
- production by source: |
fossil fuel:
100%
hydro: 0%
nuclear: 0%
other: 0% (1999) |
| Electricity
- consumption: |
39.1 million kWh
(1999) |
| Electricity
- exports: |
0 kWh (1999) |
| Electricity
- imports: |
0 kWh (1999) |
| Agriculture
- products: |
fruits,
vegetables; livestock, poultry; fish |
| Exports: |
$6.2 million
(2000 est.) |
| Exports
- commodities: |
rum, fresh fish,
fruits, animals; gravel, sand |
| Exports
- partners: |
Virgin Islands
(US), Puerto Rico, US |
| Imports: |
$220 million
(2000 est.) |
| Imports
- commodities: |
building
materials, automobiles, foodstuffs, machinery |
| Imports
- partners: |
Virgin Islands
(US), Puerto Rico, US |
| Debt
- external: |
$36.1 million
(1997) |
| Economic
aid - recipient: |
$2.6 million
(1995) |
| Currency: |
US dollar (USD) |
| Exchange
rates: |
the US dollar is
used |
| Fiscal
year: |
1 April - 31
March |
| Telephones
- main lines in use: |
10,000 (1996) |
| Telephones
- mobile cellular: |
NA |
| Telephone
system: |
general
assessment: worldwide telephone service
domestic: NA
international: submarine cable to Bermuda |
| Radio
broadcast stations: |
AM 1, FM 4,
shortwave 0 (1998) |
| Television
broadcast stations: |
1 (plus one cable
company) (1997) |
| Televisions: |
4,000 (1997) |
| Internet
country code: |
.vg |
| Internet
Service Providers (ISPs): |
16 (2000) |
| Highways: |
total:
132 km
paved: 132 km
unpaved: 0 km (1997) |
| Ports
and harbors: |
Road Town |
| Merchant
marine: |
total:
1 ship (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 70,285 GRT/6,946 DWT
ships by type: passenger 1 (2000 est.) |
| Airports
- with paved runways: |
total:
2
914 to 1,523 m: 1
under 914 m: 1 (2000 est.) |
| Airports
- with unpaved runways: |
total:
1
914 to 1,523 m: 1 (2000 est.) |
| Military
- note: |
defense is the
responsibility of the UK |
| Disputes
- international: |
none |
| Illicit
drugs: |
transshipment
point for South American narcotics destined for the US and
Europe |
|
