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 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.


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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

Area
Rank: 220
Comparative: about 0.9 times the size of Washington DC

Land boundaries: 0 km

Coastline: 80 km

Maritime claims

Climate: subtropical; humid; temperatures moderated by trade winds

Terrain: coral islands relatively flat; volcanic islands steep hilly

Elevation

Natural resources: NEGL

Land use

Irrigated land: NA

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: 31,148 (July 2012 est.)
Rank: 215
Growth rate: 2.443% (2012 est.)
Growth rate rank: 32
Below poverty line: NA%

Nationality

Ethnic groups: black 82% white 6.8% other 11.2% (includes Indian and mixed) (2008)

Languages: English (official)

Religions: Protestant 84% (Methodist 33% Anglican 17% Church of God 9% Seventh-Day Adventist 6% Baptist 4% other 15%) Roman Catholic 10% Jehovah's Witnesses 2% other 2% none 2% (1991)

Demographic profile

Age structure

Dependency ratios

Median age

Population growth rate: 2.443% (2012 est.)
Rank: 32

Birth rate: 10.69 births/1000 population (2012 est.)
Rank: 181

Death rate: 4.82 deaths/1000 population (July 2012 est.)
Rank: 191

Net migration rate: 18.56 migrant(s)/1000 population (2012 est.)
Rank: 3

Population distribution

Urbanization

Major urban areas

Environment
Current issues: limited natural freshwater 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

Mothers mean age at first birth

Maternal mortality ratio

Infant mortality rate
Rank: 120

Life expectancy at birth
Rank: 58

Total fertility rate: 1.22 children born/woman (2012 est.)
Rank: 220

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: 3.2% of GDP (2007)
Rank: 126

Literacy

School life expectancy primary to tertiary education

Youth unemployment


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Country name

Government type: NA

Capital

Administrative divisions: none (overseas territory of the UK)

Dependent areas

Independence: none (overseas territory of the UK)

National holiday: Territory Day 1 July (1956)

Constitution: 13 June 2007

Legal system: English common law

International law organization participation

Citizenship

Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal

Executive branch

Legislative branch: unicameral House of Assembly (13 elected seats a speaker elected by the 13 members of the House of Assembly 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)

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 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); 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

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. 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.

Real gdp purchasing power parity: $853.4 million (2004 est.)
Rank: 209

Real gdp growth rate: -0.6% (2008 est.)
Rank: 196

Real gdp per capita: $38,500 (2004 est.)
Rank: 28

Gross national saving

Gdp composition by end use

Gdp composition by sector of origin

Agriculture products: fruits vegetables; livestock poultry; fish

Industries

Industrial production growth rate: NA%

Labor force: 12,770 (2004)
Rank: 214

Unemployment rate: 3.6% (1997)
Rank: 30

Youth unemployment

Population below poverty line: NA%

Gini index

Household income or consumption by percentage share

Distribution of family income gini index

Budget
Surplus or deficit: 0% of GDP (2012 est.)
Surplus or deficit rank: 40

Taxes and other revenues: 27.4% of GDP (2012 est.)
Rank: 115

Public debt

Revenue

Fiscal year: 1 April - 31 March

Inflation rate consumer prices: 4.1% (2011 est.)
Rank: 118

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: $279.8 million (2010 est.)
Rank: 49

Exports: $20.1 million (2010 est.)
Rank: 201
Commodities: rum fresh fish fruits animals; gravel sand

Imports: $296.1 million (2010 est.) (2010 est.)
Rank: 201
Commodities: building materials automobiles foodstuffs machinery

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold

Debt external: $36.1 million (1997)
Rank: 195

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: 50 million kWh (2009 est.)
Production rank: 207
Consumption: 46.5 million kWh (2009 est.)
Consumption rank: 207
Exports: 0 kWh (2010 est.)
Exports rank: 145
Imports: 0 kWh (2010 est.)
Imports rank: 147
Installed generating capacity: 10,000 kW (2009 est.)
Installed generating capacity rank: 202
Generation sources fossil fuels: 100% of total installed capacity (2009 est.)
Generation sources fossil fuels rank: 43
Generation sources nuclear: 0% of total installed capacity (2009 est.)
Generation sources nuclear rank: 199
Generation sources hydroelectricity: 0% of total installed capacity (2009 est.)
Generation sources hydroelectricity rank: 205
Generation sources other renewable sources: 0% of total installed capacity (2009 est.)
Generation sources other renewable sources rank: 201

Coal

Petroleum
Petroleum total petroleum production: 0 bbl/day (2011 est.)
Petroleum total petroleum production rank: 202
Crude oil exports: 0 bbl/day (2009 est.)
Crude oil exports rank: 202
Crude oil imports: 0 bbl/day (2009 est.)
Crude oil imports rank: 138
Crude oil proven reserves: 0 bbl (1 January 2012 est.)
Crude oil proven reserves rank: 201

Crude oil

Refined petroleum
Products production: 0 bbl/day (2008 est.)
Products production rank: 206
Products consumption: 1000 bbl/day (2011 est.)
Products consumption rank: 202
Products exports: 0 bbl/day (2008 est.)
Products exports rank: 142
Products imports: 783 bbl/day (2008 est.)
Products imports rank: 198

Natural gas
Production: 0 m³ (2010 est.)
Production rank: 205
Consumption: 0 m³ (2010 est.)
Consumption rank: 205
Exports: 0 m³ (2010 est.)
Exports rank: 75
Imports: 0 m³ (2010 est.)
Imports rank: 146
Proven reserves: 0 m³ (1 January 2012 est.)
Proven reserves rank: 203

Carbon dioxide emissions
From consumption of energy: 147,800 Mt (2010 est.)
From consumption of energy rank: 201

Energy consumption per capita


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Telephones
Main lines in use: 26,800 (2010)
Main lines in use rank: 182
Mobile cellular: 46,800 (2010)
Mobile cellular rank: 201

Telephone system

Broadcast media: 1 private TV station; multi-channel TV is available from cable and satellite subscription services; about a half dozen private radio stations (2007)

Internet
Country code: .vg
Hosts: 505 (2012)
Hosts rank: 182
Users: 4,000 (2002)
Users rank: 207

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: 4 (2012)
Rank: 186

Heliports

Pipelines

Railways

Roadways
Rank: 208

Waterways

Merchant marine

Ports and terminals: Road Harbor


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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