BRITISHVIRGINISLANDS
MARCH 25, 2009 BY RANG WHAM
| Introduction | Britishvirginislands | Top of Page |
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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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| Geography | Britishvirginislands | Top of Page |
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Location:
Caribbean, between the Caribbean Sea and the North Atlantic Ocean, east of Puerto Rico
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Geographic coordinates:
18 30 N, 64 30 W
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Map references:
Central America and the Caribbean
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Area:
total: 151 sq km
land: 151 sq km water: 0 sq km note: comprised of 16 inhabited and more than 20 uninhabited islands; includes the islands of Tortola, Anegada, Virgin Gorda, Jost van Dyke |
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Area - comparative:
about 0.9 times the size of Washington, DC
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Land boundaries:
0 km
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Coastline:
80 km
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Maritime claims:
territorial sea: 3 nm
exclusive fishing zone: 200 nm |
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Climate:
subtropical; humid; temperatures moderated by trade winds
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Terrain:
coral islands relatively flat; volcanic islands steep, hilly
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Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Caribbean Sea 0 m
highest point: Mount Sage 521 m |
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Natural resources:
NEGL
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Land use:
arable land: 20%
permanent crops: 6.67% other: 73.33% (2005) |
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Irrigated land:
NA
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Natural hazards:
hurricanes and tropical storms (July to October)
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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)
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Geography - note:
strong ties to nearby US Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico
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| People | Britishvirginislands | Top of Page |
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Population:
31,148 (July 2012 est.)
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Age structure:
0-14 years: 19.6% (male 2,526/female 2,457)
15-64 years: 74.1% (male 9,631/female 9,174) 65 years and over: 6.3% (male 827/female 768) (2011 est.) |
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Median age:
total: 32.9 years
male: 32.9 years female: 32.8 years (2011 est.) |
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Population growth rate:
2.443% (2012 est.)
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Birth rate:
10.69 births/1,000 population (2012 est.)
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Death rate:
4.82 deaths/1,000 population (July 2012 est.)
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Net migration rate:
18.56 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2012 est.)
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Urbanization:
urban population: 41% of total population (2010)
rate of urbanization: 1.7% annual rate of change (2010-15 est.) |
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Major cities - population:
ROAD TOWN (capital) 9,000 (2009)
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Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.06 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 0.96 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.92 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.95 male(s)/female total population: 0.93 male(s)/female (2012 est.) |
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Infant mortality rate:
total: 14.43 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 16.41 deaths/1,000 live births female: 12.36 deaths/1,000 live births (2012 est.) |
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Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 77.95 years
male: 76.73 years female: 79.24 years (2012 est.) |
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Total fertility rate:
1.22 children born/woman (2012 est.)
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Drinking water source:
improved: urban: 98% of population rural: 98% of population total: 98% of population unimproved: urban: 2% of population rural: 2% of population total: 2% of population (2008) |
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Sanitation facility access:
improved: urban: 100% of population rural: 100% of population total: 100% of population (2008) |
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HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
NA
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HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
NA
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HIV/AIDS - deaths:
NA
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Nationality:
noun: British Virgin Islander(s)
adjective: British Virgin Islander |
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Ethnic groups:
black 82%, white 6.8%, other 11.2% (includes Indian and mixed) (2008)
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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)
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Languages:
English (official)
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Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 97.8% male: NA female: NA (1991 est.) |
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School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education):
total: 15 years
male: 15 years female: 16 years (2009) |
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Education expenditures:
3.2% of GDP (2007)
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| Government | Britishvirginislands | Top of Page |
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Country name:
conventional long form: none
conventional short form: British Virgin Islands abbreviation: BVI |
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Dependency status:
overseas territory of the UK; internal self-governing
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Government type:
NA
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Capital:
name: Road Town
geographic coordinates: 18 27 N, 64 37 W time difference: UTC-4 (1 hour ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) |
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Administrative divisions:
none (overseas territory of the UK)
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Independence:
none (overseas territory of the UK)
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National holiday:
Territory Day, 1 July (1956)
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Constitution:
13 June 2007
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Legal system:
English common law
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Suffrage:
18 years of age; universal
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Executive branch:
chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952); represented by Governor Boyd MCCLEARY (since 20 August 2010)
head of government: Premier Orlando SMITH (since 9 November 2011) cabinet: Executive Council appointed by the governor from members of the House of Assembly (For more information visit the World Leaders website ) elections: the monarchy is hereditary; governor appointed by the monarch; following legislative elections, the leader of the majority party or the leader of the majority coalition usually appointed premier by the governor |
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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)
elections: last held on 7 November 2011 (next to be held in 2015) election results: percent of vote by party - NDP 49.4%, VIP 42%; seats by party - NDP 9, VIP 4 |
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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
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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]
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Political pressure groups and leaders:
The Family Support Network; The Women's Desk
other: environmentalists |
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International organization participation:
Caricom (associate), CDB, Interpol (subbureau), IOC, OECS, UNESCO (associate), UPU
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Diplomatic representation in the US:
none (overseas territory of the UK)
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Diplomatic representation from the US:
none (overseas territory of the UK)
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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
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National anthem:
note: as a territory of the United Kingdom, "God Save the Queen" is official (see United Kingdom) |
| Economy | Britishvirginislands | Top of Page |
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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.
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GDP (purchasing power parity):
$853.4 million (2004 est.) |
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GDP (official exchange rate):
$1.095 billion (2008) |
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GDP - real growth rate:
-0.6% (2008 est.) |
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GDP - per capita (PPP):
$38,500 (2004 est.) |
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GDP - composition by sector:
agriculture: 0.9%
industry: 10.3% services: 88.7% (2011 est.) |
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Labor force:
12,770 (2004)
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Labor force - by occupation:
agriculture: 0.6%
industry: 40% services: 59.4% (2005) |
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Unemployment rate:
3.6% (1997)
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Population below poverty line:
NA%
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Household income or consumption by percentage share:
lowest 10%: NA%
highest 10%: NA% |
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Investment (gross fixed):
23.4% of GDP (2011 est.)
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Budget:
revenues: $300 million
expenditures: $300 million (2011 est.) |
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Taxes and other revenues:
27.4% of GDP (2011 est.)
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Budget surplus (+) or deficit (-):
0% of GDP (2011 est.)
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Inflation rate (consumer prices):
4.1% (2011 est.)
3.8% (2010 est.)
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Agriculture - products:
fruits, vegetables; livestock, poultry; fish
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Industries:
tourism, light industry, construction, rum, concrete block, offshore financial center
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Industrial production growth rate:
NA%
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Electricity - production:
45 million kWh (2008 est.)
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Electricity - consumption:
41.85 million kWh (2008 est.)
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Electricity - exports:
0 kWh (2009 est.)
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Electricity - imports:
0 kWh (2009 est.)
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Oil - production:
0 bbl/day (2010 est.)
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Oil - consumption:
1,000 bbl/day (2010 est.)
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Oil - exports:
0 bbl/day (2009 est.)
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Oil - imports:
751.9 bbl/day (2009 est.)
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Oil - proved reserves:
0 bbl (1 January 2011 est.)
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Natural gas - production:
0 cu m (2009 est.)
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Natural gas - consumption:
0 cu m (2009 est.)
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Natural gas - exports:
0 cu m (2009 est.)
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Natural gas - imports:
0 cu m (2009 est.)
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Natural gas - proved reserves:
0 cu m (1 January 2011 est.)
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Current account balance:
$362.6 million (2010 est.)
$328.6 million (2009 est.)
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Exports:
$35.2 million (2010 est.)
$33.6 million (2009 est.)
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Exports - commodities:
rum, fresh fish, fruits, animals; gravel, sand
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Imports:
$228.4 million (2010 est.)
$217.6 million (2009 est.)
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Imports - commodities:
building materials, automobiles, foodstuffs, machinery
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Debt - external:
$36.1 million (1997)
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Exchange rates:
the US dollar is used
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| Communications | Britishvirginislands | Top of Page |
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Telephones - main lines in use:
20,100 (2010)
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Telephones - mobile cellular:
24,500 (2010)
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Telephone system:
general assessment: good overall telephone service
domestic: fixed line connections exceed 80 per 100 persons and mobile cellular subscribership is roughly 100 per 100 persons international: country code - 1-284; connected via submarine cable to Bermuda; the East Caribbean Fiber System (ECFS) submarine cable provides connectivity to 13 other islands in the eastern Caribbean (2010) |
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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)
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Radio broadcast stations:
AM 1, FM 4, shortwave 0 (1998)
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Television broadcast stations:
1 (plus one cable company) (1997)
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Internet country code:
.vg
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Internet hosts:
505 (2011)
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Internet users:
4,000 (2002)
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| Transportation | Britishvirginislands | Top of Page |
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Airports:
4 (2010)
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Airports - with paved runways:
total: 2
914 to 1,523 m: 1 under 914 m: 1 (2010) |
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Airports - with unpaved runways:
total: 2
914 to 1,523 m: 2 (2010) |
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Roadways:
total: 200 km
paved: 200 km (2007) |
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Merchant marine:
registered in other countries: 1 (Panama 1)(2008) |
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Ports and terminals:
Road Harbor
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| Military | Britishvirginislands | Top of Page |
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Manpower available for military service:
males age 16-49: 7,266 (2010 est.) |
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Manpower fit for military service:
males age 16-49: 6,057
females age 16-49: 5,805 (2010 est.) |
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Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually:
male: 168
female: 162 (2010 est.) |
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Military-note:
defense is the responsibility of the UK
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| Transnational Issues | Britishvirginislands | Top of Page |
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Disputes-international:
none
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Illicit drugs:
transshipment point for South American narcotics destined for the US and Europe; large offshore financial center makes it vulnerable to money laundering
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This page was last updated on 14 May 2009