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Central America and Caribbean :: British Virgin Islands

(overseas territory of the UK)

page last updated on October 4, 2012

(CONTAINS DESCRIPTION)

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Introduction ::British Virgin Islands

Geography ::British Virgin Islands

Location:

Field info displayed for all countries in alpha order.

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: 151 sq km

country comparison to the world: 220

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

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% (2005)

Irrigated land:

Natural hazards:

hurricanes and tropical storms (July to October)

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

Geography - note:

strong ties to nearby US Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico

People ::British Virgin Islands

Nationality:

noun: British Virgin Islander(s)

adjective: British Virgin Islander

Ethnic groups:

black 82%, white 6.8%, other 11.2% (includes Indian and mixed) (2008)

Languages:

English (official)

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)

Population:

31,148 (July 2012 est.)

country comparison to the world: 215

Age structure:

0-14 years: 17.7% (male 2,711/ female 2,808)

15-64 years: 75% (male 11,187/ female 12,177)

65 years and over: 7.3% (male 1,102/ female 1,163) (2012 est.)

Median age:

total: 35 years

male: 35 years

female: 35.1 years (2012 est.)

Population growth rate:

2.443% (2012 est.)

country comparison to the world: 30

Birth rate:

10.69 births/1,000 population (2012 est.)

country comparison to the world: 180

Death rate:

4.82 deaths/1,000 population (July 2012 est.)

country comparison to the world: 190

Net migration rate:

18.56 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2012 est.)

country comparison to the world: 3

Urbanization:

urban population: 41% of total population (2010)

rate of urbanization: 1.7% annual rate of change (2010-15 est.)

Major cities - population:

ROAD TOWN (capital) 9,000 (2009)

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 (2011 est.)

Infant mortality rate:

total: 14.43 deaths/1,000 live births

country comparison to the world: 121

male: 16.41 deaths/1,000 live births

female: 12.36 deaths/1,000 live births (2012 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:

total population: 77.95 years

country comparison to the world: 58

male: 76.73 years

female: 79.24 years (2012 est.)

Total fertility rate:

1.22 children born/woman (2012 est.)

country comparison to the world: 219

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:

HIV/AIDS - deaths:

Education expenditures:

3.2% of GDP (2007)

country comparison to the world: 124

Literacy:

definition: age 15 and over can read and write

total population: 97.8%

male: NA

female: NA (1991 est.)

School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education):

total: 15 years

male: 15 years

female: 16 years (2009)

Government ::British Virgin Islands

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:

Capital:

name: Road Town

geographic coordinates: 18 25 N, 64 37 W

time difference: UTC-4 (1 hour ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)

Administrative divisions:

none (overseas territory of the UK)

Independence:

none (overseas territory of the UK)

National holiday:

Territory Day, 1 July (1956)

Constitution:

13 June 2007

Legal system:

English common law

Suffrage:

18 years of age; universal

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

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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

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%, other 8.6%; seats by party - NDP 9, VIP 4

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:

The Family Support Network; The Women's Desk

other: environmentalists

International organization participation:

Caricom (associate), CDB, Interpol (subbureau), IOC, OECS, UNESCO (associate), UPU

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); 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

National anthem:

note: as a territory of the United Kingdom, "God Save the Queen" is official (see United Kingdom)

Economy ::British Virgin Islands

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.

GDP (purchasing power parity):

$853.4 million (2004 est.)

country comparison to the world: 207

GDP (official exchange rate):

$1.095 billion (2008)

GDP - real growth rate:

-0.6% (2008 est.)

country comparison to the world: 203

GDP - per capita (PPP):

$38,500 (2004 est.)

country comparison to the world: 24

GDP - composition by sector:

agriculture: 1%

industry: 11.9%

services: 87.2% (2011 est.)

Labor force:

12,770 (2004)

country comparison to the world: 214

Labor force - by occupation:

agriculture: 0.6%

industry: 40%

services: 59.4% (2005)

Unemployment rate:

3.6% (1997)

country comparison to the world: 33

Population below poverty line:

NA%

Household income or consumption by percentage share:

lowest 10%: NA%

highest 10%: NA%

Budget:

revenues: $300 million

expenditures: $300 million (2011 est.)

Taxes and other revenues:

27.4% of GDP (2011 est.)

country comparison to the world: 107

Budget surplus (+) or deficit (-):

0% of GDP (2011 est.)

country comparison to the world: 46

Inflation rate (consumer prices):

4.1% (2011 est.)

country comparison to the world: 104

3.8% (2010 est.)

Agriculture - products:

fruits, vegetables; livestock, poultry; fish

Industries:

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

Industrial production growth rate:

NA%

Current account balance:

$362.6 million (2010 est.)

country comparison to the world: 48

$279.8 million (2010 est.)

Exports:

$20.1 million (2010 est.)

country comparison to the world: 205

$33.6 million (2009 est.)

Exports - commodities:

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

Imports:

$296.1 million (2010 est.)

country comparison to the world: 199

$217.6 million (2009 est.) (2002 est.)

Imports - commodities:

building materials, automobiles, foodstuffs, machinery

Debt - external:

$36.1 million (1997)

country comparison to the world: 194

Exchange rates:

the US dollar is used

Fiscal year:

1 April - 31 March

Energy ::British Virgin Islands

Communications ::British Virgin Islands

Telephones - main lines in use:

26,800 (2010)

country comparison to the world: 184

Telephones - mobile cellular:

46,800 (2010)

country comparison to the world: 201

Telephone system:

general assessment: good overall telephone service

domestic: fixed line connections exceed 80 per 100 persons and mobile cellular subscribership is roughly 150 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 (2011)

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)

Internet country code:

.vg

Internet hosts:

505 (2010)

country comparison to the world: 181

Internet users:

4,000 (2002)

country comparison to the world: 207

Transportation ::British Virgin Islands

Military ::British Virgin Islands

Transnational Issues ::British Virgin Islands

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