You are here: Travel Guides >

British Virgin Islands travel guides

British Virgin Islands - General Country Information

Introduction
Geography
People
Government
Economy
Communications
Transportation
Transnational Issues

Introduction

General Information: British Virgin Islands

The capital of British Virgin Islands is Road Town.

Major cities of British Virgin Islands are:
Tortola, Virgin Gorda.

Geography

Location:	Caribbean, between the Caribbean Sea and the North Atlantic Ocean, east of Puerto Rico
Coordinates:	18 30 N, 64 30 W
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 island of Anegada
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)
Note:	strong ties to nearby US Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico

People

Population:	22,187 (July 2004 est.)
Age Structure:	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.)
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 male: 21.02 deaths/1,000 live births female: 14.95 deaths/1,000 live births (2004 est.)
Expectancy Birth:	total population: 76.27 years male: 75.24 years female: 77.36 years (2004 est.)
Fertility Rate:	1.72 children born/woman (2004 est.)
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

Gouvernment

Country Name:	conventional long form: none conventional short form: British Virgin Islands abbreviation: BVI
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) 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:	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 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 in US:	none (overseas territory of the UK)
Diplomatic from 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

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 Growth Rate:	1% (2002 est.)
GDP Capital:	purchasing power parity - $16,000 (2002 est.)
GDP Composition:	agriculture: 1.8% industry: 6.2% services: 92% (1996 est.)
Household Income:	lowest 10%: NA highest 10%: NA
Inflation Rate:	2.5% (2002)
Labor Force:	4,911 (1980)
Labor Force 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
Electricity Production:	38.1 million kWh (2001)
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)
Currency:	US dollar (USD)
Currency Code:	USD
Exchange Rates:	the US dollar is used
Fiscal Year:	1 April - 31 March

Communications

Telephones Lines 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
Radio Stations:	AM 1, FM 4, shortwave 0 (1998)
Television Stations:	1 (plus one cable company) (1997)
Internet Code:	.vg

Transportation

Highways:	total: 177 km paved: 177 km unpaved: 0 km (2000)
Waterways:	general assessment: worldwide telephone service domestic: NA international: country code - 1-284; submarine cable to Bermuda
Ports Harbors:	Road Town
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.)
Airports:	3 (2003 est.)
Airports Paved Runways:	total: 2 914 to 1,523 m: 1 under 914 m: 1 (2004 est.)
Airports Unpaved Runways:	total: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 1 (2004 est.)

Transnational Issues

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