Map of British Virgin Islands | Geography | People | Government | Economy | Energy | Communication
Military | Transportation | Transnational Issues | Year: Guide1989199019911992199319941995199619971998199920002001200220032004200520062007200820092010201120122013201420152016201720182019202020212022202320242025 | More stats

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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.


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Location: Caribbean between the Caribbean Sea and the North Atlantic Ocean east of Puerto Rico

Geographic coordinates: 18 30 N 64 30 W

Map reference: Central America and the Caribbean

Area
Total: 153 km²
Land: 153 km²
Water: 0 km²
Note: comprised of 16 inhabited and more than 20 uninhabited islands; includes the island of Anegada
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
Extremes 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 km²

Major rivers

Major watersheds area km²

Total water withdrawal

Total renewable water resources

Natural hazards: hurricanes and tropical storms (July to October)

Geography
Note: strong ties to nearby US Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico


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Population: 22,187 (July 2004 est.)
Growth rate: 2.06% (2004 est.)
Below poverty line: NA

Nationality
Noun: British Virgin Islander
Adjective: British Virgin Islander

Ethnic groups: black 83% white Indian Asian and mixed

Languages: English (official)

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)

Demographic profile

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.)

Dependency ratios

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/1000 population (2004 est.)

Death rate: 4.42 deaths/1000 population (2004 est.)

Net migration rate: 10.01 migrant(s)/1000 population (2004 est.)

Population distribution

Urbanization

Major urban areas

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)

Air pollutants

Sex ratio
At birth: 1.05 male/female
Under 15 years: 1.02 male/female
15-64 years: 1.06 male/female
65 years and over: 1.13 male/female
Total population: 1.06 male/female (2004 est.)

Mothers mean age at first birth

Maternal mortality ratio

Infant mortality rate
Total: 18.05 deaths/1000 live births
Male: 21.02 deaths/1000 live births
Female: 14.95 deaths/1000 live births (2004 est.)

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.)

Contraceptive prevalence rate

Drinking water source

Current health expenditure

Physicians density

Hospital bed density

Sanitation facility access

Hiv/Aids
Adult prevalence rate: NA
People living with hivaids: NA
Deaths: NA

Major infectious diseases

Obesity adult prevalence rate

Alcohol consumption

Tobacco use

Children under the age of 5 years underweight

Education expenditures

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

Youth unemployment


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Country name
Conventional long form: none
Conventional short form: British Virgin Islands
Abbreviation: BVI

Government type: NA

Capital: Road Town

Administrative divisions: none (overseas territory of the UK)

Dependent areas

Independence: none (overseas territory of the UK)

National holiday: Territory Day 1 July

Constitution: 1 June 1977

Legal system: English law

International law organization participation

Citizenship

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)
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
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 branch
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]

International organization participation: Caricom (associate) CDB Interpol (subbureau) IOC OECS (associate) UNESCO (associate) UPU

Diplomatic representation
In the us: none (overseas territory of the UK)
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)

National symbols

National anthem

National heritage


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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.

Real gdp purchasing power parity

Real gdp growth rate: 1% (2002 est.)

Real gdp per capita: purchasing power parity - $16,000 (2002 est.)

Gross national saving

Gdp composition by end use

Gdp composition by sector of origin
Agriculture: 1.8%
Industry: 6.2%
Services: 92% (1996 est.)

Agriculture products: fruits vegetables; livestock poultry; fish

Industries: tourism light industry construction rum concrete block offshore financial center

Industrial production growth rate: NA

Labor force: 4,911 (1980)
By occupation: agriculture NA industry NA services NA

Unemployment rate: 3% (1995)

Youth unemployment

Population below poverty line: NA

Gini index

Household income or consumption by percentage share
Lowest 10: NA
Highest 10: NA

Distribution of family income gini index

Budget
Revenues: $121.5 million
Expenditures: $115.5 million, including capital expenditures of NA (1997)

Taxes and other revenues

Public debt

Revenue

Fiscal year: 1 April - 31 March

Inflation rate consumer prices: 2.5% (2002)

Central bank discount rate

Commercial bank prime lending rate

Stock of narrow money

Stock of broad money

Stock of domestic credit

Market value of publicly traded shares

Current account balance

Exports: $25.3 million (2002)
Commodities: rum fresh fish fruits animals; gravel sand
Partners: Virgin Islands (US) Puerto Rico US

Imports: $187 million (2002 est.)
Commodities: building materials automobiles foodstuffs machinery
Partners: Virgin Islands (US) Puerto Rico US

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold

Debt external: $36.1 million (1997)

Stock of direct foreign investment at home

Stock of direct foreign investment abroad

Exchange rates: the US dollar is used


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Electricity
Production: 38.1 million kWh (2001)
Consumption: 35.43 million kWh (2001)
Exports: 0 kWh (2001)
Imports: 0 kWh (2001)

Coal

Petroleum

Crude oil

Refined petroleum

Natural gas

Carbon dioxide emissions

Energy consumption per capita


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Telephones
Main lines in use: 11,700 (2002)
Mobile cellular: 8,000 (2002)

Telephone system
General assessment: worldwide telephone service
Domestic: NA
International: country code - 1-284; submarine cable to Bermuda

Broadcast media

Internet
Country code: .vg
Users: NA

Broadband fixed subscriptions


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Military expenditures

Military and security forces

Military service age and obligation

Space program

Terrorist groups


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National air transport system

Civil aircraft registration country code prefix

Airports: 3 (2003 est.)
With paved runways total: 2
With paved runways 914 to 1523 m: 1
With paved runways under 914 m: 1 (2004 est.)
With unpaved runways total: 1
With unpaved runways 914 to 1523 m: 1 (2004 est.)

Heliports

Pipelines

Railways

Roadways

Waterways

Merchant marine
Total: 3 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 83,825 GRT/155,909 DWT
By type: cargo 1, liquefied gas 1, petroleum tanker 1
Foreign owned: Norway 1
Registered in other countries: 32 (2004 est.)

Ports and terminals


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Disputes international: none

Refugees and internally displaced persons

Illicit drugs: transshipment point for South American narcotics destined for the US and Europe; large offshore financial center makes it vulnerable to money laundering