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This article is an import from the CIA World Factbook 2002. It's a starting point for creating a real Wikitravel country article according to our country article template. Please plunge forward and edit the British Virgin Islands article.

First settled by the Dutch in 1648, the islands were annexed in 1672 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.

[edit] 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: 153 sq km
note: comprised of 16 inhabited and more than 20 uninhabited islands; includes the island of Anegada
water: 0 sq km
land: 153 sq km

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: 6.67%
other: 73.33% (1998 est.)

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)

Geography - note 

strong ties to nearby US Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico

[edit] People

Population 

21,272 (July 2002 est.)

Age structure 

0-14 years: 22.4% (male 2,401; female 2,351)
15-64 years: 72.7% (male 7,962; female 7,509)
65 years and over: 4.9% (male 565; female 484) (2002 est.)

Population growth rate 

2.16% (2002 est.)

Birth rate 

15.09 births/1,000 population (2002 est.)

Death rate 

4.42 deaths/1,000 population (2002 est.)

Net migration rate 

10.91 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2002 est.)

Sex ratio 

at birth: 1.04 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.02 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1.06 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 1.17 male(s)/female
total population: 1.06 male(s)/female (2002 est.)

Infant mortality rate 

19.55 deaths/1,000 live births (2002 est.)

Life expectancy at birth 

total population: 75.85 years
female: 76.84 years (2002 est.)
male: 74.9 years

Total fertility rate 

1.72 children born/woman (2002 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 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 2%), 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%

[edit] Government

Country name 

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

Dependency status 

overseas territory of the UK; internal self-governing

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 Tom MACAN (since 14 October 2002)
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
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

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 17 May 1999 (next to be held NA 2003)
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)

[edit] 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. 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 - $311 million (2000 est.)

GDP - real growth rate 

4.4% (2000 est.)

GDP - per capita 

purchasing power parity - $16,000 (2000 est.)

GDP - composition by sector 

agriculture: 2%
industry: 6%
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) 

3.3% (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%
other: 0% (1999)
nuclear: 0%

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

Exports - commodities 

rum, fresh fish, fruits, animals; gravel, sand

Exports - partners 

Virgin Islands (US), Puerto Rico, US

Imports 

$230 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 

NA

Currency 

US dollar (USD)

Currency code 

USD

Exchange rates 

the US dollar is used

Fiscal year 

1 April - 31 March

[edit] 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

[edit] Transportation

Railways 

0 km

Highways 

total: 177 km
paved: 177 km
unpaved: 0 km (2000)

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 (2002 est.)

Airports 

3 (2001)

Airports - with paved runways 

total: 2
914 to 1,523 m: 1
under 914 m: 1 (2002)

Airports - with unpaved runways 

total: 1
914 to 1,523 m: 1 (2002)

[edit] Military

Military - note 

defense is the responsibility of the UK

[edit] Transnational Issues

Disputes - international 

none

Illicit drugs 

transshipment point for South American narcotics destined for the US and Europe; large offshore financial center