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.
Caribbean, between the Caribbean Sea and the North Atlantic Ocean, east of Puerto Rico
18 30 N, 64 30 W
Central America and the Caribbean
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
about 0.9 times the size of Washington, DC
0 km
80 km
territorial sea: 3 nm
exclusive fishing zone: 200 nm
subtropical; humid; temperatures moderated by trade winds
coral islands relatively flat; volcanic islands steep, hilly
mean elevation: NA
elevation extremes: lowest point: Caribbean Sea 0 m
highest point: Mount Sage 521 m
NEGL; pleasant climate, beaches foster tourism
agricultural land: 46.7%
arable land 6.7%; permanent crops 6.7%; permanent pasture 33.3%
forest: 24.3%
other: 29% (2011 est.)
NA
hurricanes and tropical storms (July to October)
limited natural freshwater resources except for a few seasonal streams and springs on Tortola; most of the islands' water supply comes from desalination plants
strong ties to nearby US Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico
2.28% (2016 est.)
34,232 (July 2016 est.)
noun: British Virgin Islander(s)
adjective: British Virgin Islander
African/black 76.3%, Latino 5.5%, white 5.4%, mixed 5.3%, Indian 2.1%, East Indian 1.6%, other 3%, unspecified 0.8% (2010 est.)
English (official)
Protestant 70.2% (Methodist 17.6%, Church of God 10.4%, Anglican 9.5%, Seventh Day Adventist 9.0%, Pentecostal 8.2%, Baptist 7.4%, New Testament Church of God 6.9%, other Protestant 1.2%), Roman Catholic 8.9%, Jehovah's Witness 2.5%, Hindu 1.9%, other 6.2%, none 7.9%, unspecified 2.4% (2010 est.)
0-14 years: 16.79% (male 2,826/female 2,920)
15-24 years: 13.77% (male 2,257/female 2,456)
25-54 years: 49.57% (male 7,987/female 8,983)
55-64 years: 11.27% (male 1,881/female 1,977)
65 years and over: 8.6% (male 1,431/female 1,514) (2016 est.)
total: 36.2 years
male: 36 years
female: 36.3 years (2016 est.)
11 births/1,000 population (2016 est.)
5.1 deaths/1,000 population (2016 est.)
16.9 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2016 est.)
a fairly even distribution throughout the inhabited islands, with the largest islands of Tortola, Anegada, Virgin Gorda, and Jost Van Dyke having the largest populations
urban population: 46.2% of total population (2015)
rate of urbanization: 1.8% annual rate of change (2010-15 est.)
ROAD TOWN (capital) 13,000 (2014)
at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
0-14 years: 0.97 male(s)/female
15-24 years: 0.92 male(s)/female
25-54 years: 0.89 male(s)/female
55-64 years: 0.95 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.95 male(s)/female
total population: 0.92 male(s)/female (2016 est.)
total: 12.6 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 14.3 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 10.7 deaths/1,000 live births (2016 est.)
total population: 78.6 years
male: 77.2 years
female: 80.1 years (2016 est.)
1.28 children born/woman (2016 est.)
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 (2010 est.)
improved:
urban: 97.5% of population
rural: 97.5% of population
total: 97.5% of population
unimproved:
urban: 2.5% of population
rural: 2.5% of population
total: 2.5% of population (2015 est.)
NA
NA
NA
4.4% of GDP (2010)
total: 14 years
male: NA
female: NA (2009)
overseas territory of the UK; internal self-governing
conventional long form: none
conventional short form: British Virgin Islands
abbreviation: BVI
etymology: the myriad islets, cays, and rocks surrounding the major islands reminded explorer Christopher COLUMBUS in 1493 of Saint Ursula and her 11,000 virgin followers (Santa Ursula y las Once Mil Virgenes), which over time shortened to the Virgins (las Virgenes)
parliamentary democracy (House of Assembly); self-governing overseas territory of the UK
name: Road Town
geographic coordinates: 18 25 N, 64 37 W
time difference: UTC-4 (1 hour ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)
none (overseas territory of the UK)
none (overseas territory of the UK)
Territory Day, 1 July (1956)
several previous; latest effective 15 June 2007 (2016)
English common law
see United Kingdom
18 years of age; universal
chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952); represented by Governor John DUNCAN (since 15 August 2014)
head of government: Premier Orlando SMITH (since 9 November 2011)
cabinet: Executive Council appointed by the governor from members of the House of Assembly
elections/appointments: the monarchy is hereditary; governor appointed by the monarch; following legislative elections, the leader of the majority party or majority coalition usually appointed premier by the governor
description: unicameral House of Assembly (13 seats; 9 members directly elected in single-seat constituencies and 4 at-large seats by simple majority vote to serve 4-year terms); note - the Assembly includes the attorney general, a non-voting ex officio member
elections: last held on 8 June 2015 (next to be held in 2019)
election results: percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - NDP 9, VIP 3, PEP 1
highest court(s): the Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court (ECSC) is the itinerant superior court of record for the 9-member Organization of Eastern Caribbean States to include the British Virgin Islands; the ECSC - with its headquarters on St. Lucia - is headed by the chief justice and is comprised of the Court of Appeal with 3 justices and the High Court with 16 judges; sittings of the Court of Appeal and High Court rotate among the 9 member states; 3 High Court judges reside in member states; 3 High Court judges reside on the British Virgin Islands
judge selection and term of office: Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court chief justice appointed by Her Majesty, Queen ELIZABETH II; other justices and judges appointed by the Judicial and Legal Services Commission; Court of Appeal justices appointed for life with mandatory retirement at age 65; High Court judges appointed for life with mandatory retirement at age 62
subordinate courts: Magistrates' Courts
zenaida dove, white cedar flower; national colors: yellow, green, red, white, blue
National Democratic Party or NDP [Orlando SMITH];; Virgin Islands Party or VIP [Julian FRASER]
Family Support Network
Woman's Desk
other: environmentalists
Caricom (associate), CDB, Interpol (subbureau), IOC, OECS, UNESCO (associate), UPU
none (overseas territory of the UK)
none (overseas territory of the UK)
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
note: as a territory of the United Kingdom, "God Save the Queen" is official (see United Kingdom)
2.2% (2016 est.)
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. Because of traditionally c
Livestock raising is the most important agricultural activity; poor soils limit the islands' ability to meet domestic food requirements.
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. Th
$500 million (2010 est.)
$1.095 billion (2008)
1.3% (2010 est.)
-0.6% (2008 est.)
$42,300 (2010 est.)
household consumption: 68.9%
government consumption: 8.9%
investment in fixed capital: 25%
investment in inventories: 0%
exports of goods and services: 91.8%
imports of goods and services: -94.6% (2016 est.)
agriculture: 1%
industry: 11.1%
services: 87.9% (2016 est.)
fruits, vegetables; livestock, poultry; fish
tourism, light industry, construction, rum, concrete block, offshore banking center
12,770 (2004)
agriculture: 0.6%
industry: 40%
services: 59.4% (2005)
8.7% (2010 est.)
NA%
lowest 10%: NA%
highest 10%: NA%
revenues: $300 million
expenditures: $300 million (2016 est.)
27.4% of GDP (2016 est.)
0% of GDP (2016 est.)
1 April - 31 March
1.1% (2016 est.)
0.9% (2015 est.)
$362.6 million (2011 est.)
$279.8 million (2010 est.)
$23 million (2015 est.)
$23 million (2015 est.)
rum, fresh fish, fruits, animals; gravel, sand
$200 million (2015 est.)
$200 million (2015 est.)
building materials, automobiles, foodstuffs, machinery
$36.1 million (1997)
the US dollar is used
100 million kWh (2014 est.)
100 million kWh (2014 est.)
0 kWh (2013 est.)
0 kWh (2013 est.)
44,000 kW (2014 est.)
100% of total installed capacity (2012 est.)
0% of total installed capacity (2012 est.)
0% of total installed capacity (2012 est.)
0% of total installed capacity (2012 est.)
0 bbl/day (2015 est.)
0 bbl/day (2013 est.)
0 bbl/day (2013 est.)
0 bbl (1 January 2016 es)
0 bbl/day (2013 est.)
1,200 bbl/day (2014 est.)
0 bbl/day (2013 est.)
1,209 bbl/day (2013 est.)
0 cu m (2013 est.)
0 cu m (2013 est.)
0 cu m (2013 est.)
0 cu m (2013 est.)
0 cu m (1 January 2014 es)
200,000 Mt (2013 est.)
total subscriptions: 12,000
subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 36 (July 2015 est.)
total: 42,000
subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 126 (July 2015 est.)
general assessment: good overall telephone service
domestic: fixed-line connections exceed 35 per 100 persons and mobile cellular subscribership is roughly 125 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 (2015)
1 private TV station; multi-channel TV is available from cable and satellite subscription services; about a half-dozen private radio stations (2007)
.vg
total: 14,600
percent of population: 43.6% (July 2015 est.)
number of registered air carriers: 1
inventory of registered aircraft operated by air carriers: 3 (2015)
VP-L (2016)
4 (2013)
total: 2
914 to 1,523 m: 1
under 914 m: 1 (2013)
total: 2
914 to 1,523 m: 2 (2013)
total: 200 km
paved: 200 km (2007)
major seaport(s): Road Harbor
defense is the responsibility of the UK
none
transshipment point for South American narcotics destined for the US and Europe; large offshore financial center makes it vulnerable to money laundering
