British Virgin Islands (overseas territory of the UK)

§1. British Virgin Islands Introduction

Background:
  First settled by the Dutch in 1648, the islands were soon after (1672)
  annexed 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.

§2. British Virgin Islands Geography

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

Geographic coordinates:
  18 30 N, 64 30 W

Map references:
  Central America and the Caribbean

Area:
  total: 150 kmē
  land: 150 kmē
  water: 0 kmē
  note: 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:
  exclusive fishing zone: 200 NM territorial sea: 3 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: 7%
  permanent pastures: 33%
  forests and woodland: 7%
  other: 33% (1993 est.)

Irrigated land:
  NA kmē

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 catchment)

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

§3. British Virgin Islands People

Population:
  20,812 (July 2001 est.)

Age structure:
  0-14 years: 22.77% (male 2,399; female 2,339)
  15-64 years: 72.31% (male 7,741; female 7,309)
  65 years and over: 4.92% (male 555; female 469) (2001 est.)

Population growth rate:
  2.22% (2001 est.)

Birth rate:
  15.18 births/1,000 population (2001 est.)

Death rate:
  4.42 deaths/1,000 population (2001 est.)

Net migration rate:
  11.39 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2001 est.)

Sex ratio:
  at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
  under 15 years: 1.03 male(s)/female
  15-64 years: 1.06 male(s)/female
  65 years and over: 1.18 male(s)/female
  total population: 1.06 male(s)/female (2001 est.)

Infant mortality rate:
  20.3 deaths/1,000 live births (2001 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:
  total population: 75.64 years male: 74.74 years
  female: 76.59 years (2001 est.)

Total fertility rate:
  1.72 children born/woman (2001 est.)

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
  NA%

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
  NA

HIV/AIDS - deaths:
  NA

Nationality:
  noun: British Virgin Islander(s)
  adjective: British Virgin Islander

Ethnic groups:
  black 90%, white, Asian

Religions:
  Protestant 86% (Methodist 45%, Anglican 21%, Church of God 7%, Seventh-Day
  Adventist 5%, Baptist 4%, Jehovah's Witnesses 2%, other 2%), Roman Catholic
  6%, none 2%, other 6% (1981)

Languages:
  English (official)

Literacy:
  definition: age 15 and over can read and write
  total population: 97.8% (1991 est.)
  male: NA%
  female: NA%

§4. British Virgin Islands Government

Country name:
  conventional long form: none
  conventional short form: British Virgin Islands
  abbreviation: BVI

Dependency status:
  overseas territory of the UK

Government type:
  NA

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 Francis J. SAVAGE (since NA)
  head of government: Chief Minister Ralph T. O'NEAL (since 15 May 1995)
  cabinet: Executive Council appointed by the governor from members of the
    Legislative Council
  elections: none; the monarch is hereditary; governor appointed by the
    monarch; chief minister appointed by the governor from among the members
    of the Legislative Council

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 five-year terms)
  elections: last held 17 May 1999 (next to be held NA 2004)
  election results: percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - VIP 7,
    CCM 1, NDP 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]

Political pressure groups and leaders:
  NA

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

Diplomatic representation in the US:
  none (overseas territory of the UK)

Diplomatic representation 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)

§5. British Virgin Islands Economy

Economy - overview:
  The economy, one of the most stable and prosperous in the Caribbean, is
  highly dependent on tourism, which generates an estimated 45% of the
  national income. An estimated 350,000 tourists, mainly from the US, visited
  the islands in 1997. 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. An estimated
  250,000 companies were on the offshore registry by yearend 1997. 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 - $311 million (2000 est.)

GDP - real growth rate:
  6% (2000 est.)

GDP - per capita:
  purchasing power parity - $16,000 (2000 est.)

GDP - composition by sector:
  agriculture: 1.8% industry: 6.2%
  services: 92% (1996 est.)

Population below poverty line:
  NA%

Household income or consumption by percentage share:
  lowest 10%: NA% highest 10%: NA%

Inflation rate (consumer prices):
  2% (2000)

Labor force:
  4,911 (1980)

Labor force - by 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)

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

Industrial production growth rate:
  4% (1985)

Electricity - production:
  42 million kWh (1999)

Electricity - production by source:
  fossil fuel: 100% hydro: 0%
  nuclear: 0%
  other: 0% (1999)

Electricity - consumption:
  39.1 million kWh (1999)

Electricity - exports:
  0 kWh (1999)

Electricity - imports:
  0 kWh (1999)

Agriculture - products:
  fruits, vegetables; livestock, poultry; fish

Exports:
  $6.2 million (2000 est.)

Exports - commodities:
  rum, fresh fish, fruits, animals; gravel, sand

Exports - partners:
  Virgin Islands (US), Puerto Rico, US

Imports:
  $220 million (2000 est.)

Imports - commodities:
  building materials, automobiles, foodstuffs, machinery

Imports - partners:
  Virgin Islands (US), Puerto Rico, US

Debt - external:
  $36.1 million (1997)

Economic aid - recipient:
  $2.6 million (1995)

Currency:
  US dollar (USD)

Currency code:
  USD

Exchange rates:
  the US dollar is used

Fiscal year:
  1 April - 31 March

§6. British Virgin Islands Communications

Telephones - main lines in use:
  10,000 (1996)

Telephones - mobile cellular:
  NA

Telephone system:
  general assessment: worldwide telephone service domestic: NA
  international: submarine cable to Bermuda

Radio broadcast stations:
  AM 1, FM 4, shortwave 0 (1998)

Radios:
  9,000 (1997)

Television broadcast stations:
  1 (plus one cable company) (1997)

Televisions:
  4,000 (1997)

Internet country code:
  .vg

Internet Service Providers (ISPs):
  16 (2000)

Internet users:
  NA

§7. British Virgin Islands Transportation

Railways:
  0 km

Highways:
  total: 132 km
  paved: 132 km
  unpaved: 0 km (1997)

Waterways:
  none

Ports and harbors:
  Road Town

Merchant marine:
  total: 1 ship (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 70,285 GRT/6,946 DWT
  ships by type: passenger 1 (2000 est.)

Airports:
  3 (2000 est.)

Airports - with paved runways:
  total: 2 914 to 1,523 m: 1
  under 914 m: 1 (2000 est.)

Airports - with unpaved runways:
  total: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 1 (2000 est.)

§8. British Virgin Islands Military

Military - note:
  defense is the responsibility of the UK

§9. British Virgin Islands Transnational Issues

Disputes - international:
  none

Illicit drugs:
  transshipment point for South American narcotics destined for the US and
  Europe
