BackgroundFirst 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.
GeographyStrong ties to nrby US Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico.Loion:Caribbn, between the Caribbn S and the North Atlantic Ocn, st of Puerto RicoGeographic coordinates:18 30 N, 64 30 WAr: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 islands of Tortola, Anegada, Virgin Gorda, Jost van DykeSize comparison: about 0.9 times the size of Washington, DC
Land Boundaries:0 kmCoastline:80 kmMaritime claims:territorial s: 3 nm
exclusive fishing zone: 200 nmClimate:subtropical; humid; temperatures moderated by trade windsTerrain:coral islands relatively flat; volcanic islands steep, hillyElevation extremes:lowest point: Caribbn S 0 m
highest point: Mount Sage 521 mNatural resources:NEGLLand use:arable land: 20%
permanent crops: 6.67%
other: 73.33% (2005)Irrigated land:NANatural hazards:hurricanes and tropical storms (July to October)Current Environment Issues:limited natural fresh water resources (except for a few ssonal strms and springs on Tortola, most of the islands' water supply comes from wells and rainwater chments)
PeoplePopulation:24,041 (July 2008 est.)Age structure:0-14 yrs: 20% (male 2,432/female 2,366)
15-64 yrs: 74.4% (male 9,178/female 8,715)
65 yrs and over: 5.6% (male 697/female 653) (2008 est.)Median age:total: 32 yrs
male: 32.1 yrs
female: 31.9 yrs (2008 est.)Population growth rate:1.88% (2008 est.)Birth rate:14.72 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)Dth rate:4.37 dths/1,000 population (2008 est.)Net migration rate:8.44 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2008 est.)Sex ratio:at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 yrs: 1.03 male(s)/female
15-64 yrs: 1.05 male(s)/female
65 yrs and over: 1.07 male(s)/female
total population: 1.05 male(s)/female (2008 est.)Infant mortality rate:total: 15.2 dths/1,000 live births
male: 17.23 dths/1,000 live births
female: 13.06 dths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)Life expectancy at birth:total population: 77.07 yrs
male: 75.88 yrs
female: 78.32 yrs (2008 est.)Total fertility rate:1.71 children born/woman (2008 est.)HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:NAHIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:NAHIV/AIDS - dths:NANationality:noun: British Virgin Islander(s)
adjective: British Virgin IslanderEthnic groups:black 83.4%, white 7%, mixed 5.4%, Indian 3.4%, other 0.8% (1991 census)Religions:Protestant 86% (Methodist 33%, Anglican 17%, Church of God 9%, Seventh-Day Adventist 6%, Baptist 4%, Jehovah's Witnesses 2%, other 15%), Roman holic 10%, other 2%, none 2% (1991)Languages:English (official)Literacy:definition: age 15 and over can rd and write
total population: 97.8% (1991 est.)
male: NA%
female: NA%
GovernmentCountry name:conventional long form: none
conventional short form: British Virgin Islands
abbreviation: BVIGovernment type:NACapital:name: Road Town
geographic coordinates: 18 27 N, 64 37 W
time difference: UTC-4 (1 hour ahd of Washington, DC during Standard Time)Administrative divisions:none (overss territory of the UK)Independence:none (overss territory of the UK)National holiday:Territory Day, 1 July (1956)Constitution:13 June 2007Legal system:English lawSuffrage:18 yrs of age; universalExecutive branch:chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952); represented by Governor David PREY (since 18 April 2006)
hd of government: Premier Ralph T. O'NL (since 23 August 2007)
cabinet: Executive Council appointed by the governor from members of the House of Assembly
elections: the monarch is hereditary; governor appointed by the monarch; following legislative elections, the lder of the majority party or the lder of the majority coalition is usually appointed premier by the governorLegislative branch:unicameral House of Assembly (13 elected sts and 1 non-voting ex officio member in the attorney eral; members are elected by direct popular vote, 1 member from ch of nine electoral districts, 4 at-large members; members serve four-yr terms)
elections: last held 20 August 2007 (next to be held in 2011)
election results: percent of vote by party - VIP 45.2%, NDP 39.6%, independent 15.2%; sts by party - VIP 10, NDP 2, independent 1Judicial branch:stern Caribbn Supreme Court, consisting of the High Court of Justice and the Court of Appl (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 JurisdictionPolitical parties and lders: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'NL]Political pressure groups and lders:The Family Support Network; The Women's Desk
other: environmentalistsInternational organization participation:Caricom (associate), B, Interpol (subburu), IOC, OECS, UNESCO (associate), UPU, WFTUDiplomatic representation in the US:none (overss territory of the UK)Diplomatic representation from the US:none (overss territory of the UK)
EconomyThe economy, one of the most stable and prosperous in the Caribbn, is highly dependent on tourism, erating an estimated 45% of the national income. An estimated 820,000 tourists, mainly from the US, visited the islands in 2005. In the mid-1980s, the government began offering offshore to companies wishing to incorporate in the islands, and incorporation fees now erate substantial revenues. Roughly 400,000 companies were on the offshore registry by yrend 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.GDP (purchasing power parity):$853.4 million (2004 est.)GDP (official exchange rate):$839.7 million (2003)GDP - rl growth rate:1% (2002 est.)GDP - per capita (PPP):$38,500 (2004 est.)GDP - composition by sector:agriculture: 1.8%
industry: 6.2%
services: 92% (1996 est.)Labor force:12,770 (2004)Labor force - by occupation:agriculture: 0.6%
industry: 40%
services: 59.4% (2005)Unemployment rate:3.6% (1997)Population below poverty line:NA%Household income or consumption by percentage share:lowest 10%: NA%
highest 10%: NA%Inflation rate (consumer prices):2% (2005)Budget:revenues: $204.7 million
expenditures: $180.4 million (2004)Agriculture - products:
Industries:tourism, light industry, construction, rum, concrete block, offshore financial centerIndustrial production growth rate:
Electricity - production:45 million kWh (2006 est.)Electricity - consumption:41.85 million kWh (2006 est.)Electricity - exports:0 kWh (2007 est.)Electricity - imports:0 kWh (2007 est.)Oil - production:0 bbl/day (2007 est.)Oil - consumption:650 bbl/day (2006 est.)Oil - exports:0 bbl/day (2005)Oil - imports:649.8 bbl/day (2005)Oil - proved reserves:0 bbl (1 January 2006 est.)Natural gas - production:0 cu m (2007 est.)Natural gas - consumption:0 cu m (2007 est.)Natural gas - exports:0 cu m (2007 est.)Natural gas - imports:0 cu m (2007 est.)Natural gas - proved reserves:0 cu m (1 January 2006 est.)Current account balance:$134.3 million (1999)Exports:$25.3 million (2002)Exports - commodities:rum, fresh fish, fruits, animals; gravel, sandImports:$187 million (2002 est.)Imports - commodities:building materials, automobiles, foodstuffs, machineryDebt - external:$36.1 million (1997)Currency ():US dollar (USD)Exchange rates:the US dollar is usedFiscal yr:1 April - 31 March
CommuniionsTele in use:11,700 (2002)Cellular in use:8,000 (2002)Telephone system:eral assessment: worldwide telephone service
domestic: NA
international: country - 1-284; connected via submarine cable to Bermuda; the st Caribbn Fiber System (ECFS) submarine cable provides connectivity to 13 other islands in the stern Caribbn (2007)Radio broadcast stations:AM 1, FM 5, shortwave 0 (2004)Television broadcast stations:1 (plus 1 cable company) (1997)Internet country :.vgInternet hosts:465 (2008)Internet users:4,000 (2002)
Airports:3 (2007)Airports (paved runways):total: 2
914 to 1,523 m: 1
under 914 m: 1 (2007)Airports (unpaved runways):total: 1
914 to 1,523 m: 1 (2007)Roadways:total: 200 km
paved: 200 km (2007)Merchant marine:registered in other countries: 1 (Panama 1) (2008)Ports and terminals:Road Town
MilitaryDefense is the responsibility of the UKManpower available for military service:males age 16-49: 7,101 (2008 est.)Manpower fit for military service:males age 16-49: 5,921 (2008 est.)
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