British Virgin Islands

Introduction - British Virgin Islands

Background:

First settled by the Dutch in 1648, the islands were annexed in 1672 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.

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 note: comprised of 16 inhabited and more than 20 uninhabited islands; includes the island of Anegada water: 0 sq km land: 153 sq km
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% (2001)
Irrigated land:	NA sq km
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:	22,187 (July 2004 est.)
Age structure:	0-14 years: 21.5% (male 2,402; female 2,361) 15-64 years: 73.5% (male 8,395; female 7,911) 65 years and over: 5% (male 594; female 524) (2004 est.)
Median age:	total: 30.9 years male: 31.1 years female: 30.7 years (2004 est.)
Population growth rate:	2.06% (2004 est.)
Birth rate:	14.96 births/1,000 population (2004 est.)
Death rate:	4.42 deaths/1,000 population (2004 est.)
Net migration rate:	10.01 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2004 est.)
Sex ratio:	at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.02 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.06 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 1.13 male(s)/female total population: 1.06 male(s)/female (2004 est.)
Infant mortality rate:	total: 18.05 deaths/1,000 live births female: 14.95 deaths/1,000 live births (2004 est.) male: 21.02 deaths/1,000 live births
Life expectancy at birth:	total population: 76.27 years male: 75.24 years female: 77.36 years (2004 est.)
Total fertility rate:	1.72 children born/woman (2004 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%, 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 - 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:	Road Town
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 Tom MACAN (since 14 October 2002) 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 head of government: Chief Minister Orlando D. SMITH (since 17 June 2003) cabinet: Executive Council appointed by the governor from 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 four-year terms) elections: last held 16 May 2003 (next to be held NA 2007) election results: percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - NDP 8, VIP 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, 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 - 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 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, 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 - $320 million (2002 est.)
GDP - real growth rate:	1% (2002 est.)
GDP - per capita:	purchasing power parity - $16,000 (2002 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):	2.5% (2002)
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)
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:	38.1 million kWh (2001)
Electricity - production by source:	fossil fuel: 100% hydro: 0% other: 0% (2001) nuclear: 0%
Electricity - consumption:	35.43 million kWh (2001)
Electricity - exports:	0 kWh (2001)
Electricity - imports:	0 kWh (2001)
Oil - production:	0 bbl/day (2001 est.)
Oil - consumption:	420 bbl/day (2001 est.)
Oil - exports:	NA (2001)
Oil - imports:	NA (2001)
Exports:	$25.3 million (2002)
Exports - commodities:	rum, fresh fish, fruits, animals; gravel, sand
Exports - partners:	Virgin Islands (US), Puerto Rico, US
Imports:	$187 million (2002 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:	NA
Currency:	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; submarine cable to Bermuda
Radio broadcast stations:	AM 1, FM 4, shortwave 0 (1998)
Radios:	9,000 (1997)
Television broadcast stations:	1 (plus one cable company) (1997)
Televisions:	4,000 (1997)
Internet country code:	.vg
Internet Service Providers (ISPs):	16 (2000)
Internet users:	NA

Transportation - British Virgin Islands

Highways:	total: 177 km paved: 177 km unpaved: 0 km (2000)
Ports and harbors:	Road Town
Merchant marine:	total: 3 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 83,825 GRT/155,909 DWT registered in other countries: 32 (2003 est.) by type: cargo 1, liquefied gas 1, petroleum tanker 1 foreign-owned: Norway 1
Airports:	3 (2003 est.)
Airports - with paved runways:	total: 2 914 to 1,523 m: 1 under 914 m: 1 (2003 est.)
Airports - with unpaved runways:	total: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 1 (2003 est.)

Military - British Virgin Islands

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 5 October, 2004