2010 Edition

Background

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.

Area

land

151 sq km

total

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

Climate

subtropical; humid; temperatures moderated by trade winds

Coastline

80 km

Elevation extremes

highest point

Mount Sage 521 m

lowest point

Caribbean Sea 0 m

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)

Geographic coordinates

18 30 N, 64 30 W

Geography - note

strong ties to nearby US Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico

Irrigated land

NA

Land boundaries

0 km

Land use

arable land

20%

other

73.33% (2005)

permanent crops

6.67%

Location

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

Map references

Central America and the Caribbean

Maritime claims

exclusive fishing zone

200 nm

territorial sea

3 nm

Natural hazards

hurricanes and tropical storms (July to October)

Natural resources

NEGL

Terrain

coral islands relatively flat; volcanic islands steep, hilly

Age structure

0-14 years: 19.8% (male 2,454/female 2,387) 15-64 years: 74.4% (male 9,346/female 8,881) 65 years and over: 5.8% (male 734/female 689) (2010 est.)

Birth rate

14.52 births/1,000 population (2010 est.)

Death rate

4.41 deaths/1,000 population (July 2010 est.)

Education expenditures

3.2% of GDP (2007)

Ethnic groups

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

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate

NA

HIV/AIDS - deaths

NA

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS

NA

Infant mortality rate

female

12.12 deaths/1,000 live births (2010 est.)

male

16.01 deaths/1,000 live births

total

14.11 deaths/1,000 live births

Languages

English (official)

Life expectancy at birth

female

78.78 years (2010 est.)

male

76.18 years

total population

77.45 years

Literacy

definition: age 15 and over can read and write

female

NA

male

NA

total population

97.8% (1991 est.)

Median age

female

32.5 years (2010 est.)

male

32.7 years

total

32.6 years

Nationality

adjective

British Virgin Islander

noun

British Virgin Islander(s)

Net migration rate

7.74 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2010 est.)

Population

24,939 (July 2010 est.)

Population growth rate

1.784% (2010 est.)

Religions

Protestant 86% (Methodist 33%, Anglican 17%, Church of God 9%, Seventh-Day Adventist 6%, Baptist 4%, Jehovah's Witnesses 2%, other 15%), Roman Catholic 10%, other 2%, none 2% (1991)

School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education)

female

19 years (2005)

male

16 years

total

17 years

Sex ratio

at birth

1.045 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.03 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.05 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 1.07 male(s)/female

total population

1.05 male(s)/female (2010 est.)

Total fertility rate

1.71 children born/woman (2010 est.)

Urbanization

rate of urbanization

1.7% annual rate of change (2005-10 est.)

urban population

40% of total population (2008)

Administrative divisions

none (overseas territory of the UK)

Capital

geographic coordinates

18 27 N, 64 37 W

name

Road Town

time difference

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

Constitution

13 June 2007

Country name

abbreviation

BVI

conventional long form

none

conventional short form

British Virgin Islands

Dependency status

overseas territory of the UK; internal self-governing

Diplomatic representation from the US

none (overseas territory of the UK)

Diplomatic representation in the US

none (overseas territory of the UK)

Executive branch

cabinet

Executive Council appointed by the governor from members of the House of Assembly (For more information visit the World Leaders website )

chief of state

Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952); represented by Governor Boyd MCCLEARY (since 20 August 2010)

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

head of government

Premier Ralph T. O'NEAL (since 23 August 2007)

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

Government type

NA

Independence

none (overseas territory of the UK)

International organization participation

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

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

Legal system

English law

Legislative branch

unicameral House of Assembly (13 elected seats 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)

election results

percent of vote by party - VIP 45.2%, NDP 39.6%, independent 15.2%; seats by party - VIP 10, NDP 2, independent 1

elections

last held on 20 August 2007 (next to be held in 2011)

National anthem

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

National holiday

Territory Day, 1 July (1956)

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

Suffrage

18 years of age; universal

Agriculture - products

fruits, vegetables; livestock, poultry; fish

Current account balance

$134.3 million (1999)

Debt - external

$36.1 million (1997)

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.

Electricity - consumption

41.85 million kWh (2007 est.)

Electricity - exports

0 kWh (2008 est.)

Electricity - imports

0 kWh (2008 est.)

Electricity - production

45 million kWh (2007 est.)

Exchange rates

the US dollar is used

Exports

$25.3 million (2002)

Exports - commodities

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

GDP - composition by sector

agriculture

0.9%

industry

10.7%

services

88.3% (1996 est.)

GDP - per capita (PPP)

$38,500 (2004 est.)

GDP - real growth rate

-0.6% (2008 est.)

GDP (official exchange rate)

$1.095 billion (2008)

GDP (purchasing power parity)

$853.4 million (2004 est.)

Household income or consumption by percentage share

lowest 10%: NA% highest 10%: NA%

Imports

$187 million f.o.b.

Imports - commodities

building materials, automobiles, foodstuffs, machinery

Industrial production growth rate

NA%

Industries

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

Inflation rate (consumer prices)

7.1% (2008) 2% (2005)

Labor force

12,770 (2004)

Labor force - by occupation

agriculture

0.6%

industry

40%

services

59.4% (2005)

Natural gas - consumption

0 cu m (2008 est.)

Natural gas - exports

0 cu m (2008 est.)

Natural gas - imports

0 cu m (2008 est.)

Natural gas - production

0 cu m (2008 est.)

Natural gas - proved reserves

0 cu m (1 January 2010 est.)

Oil - consumption

1,000 bbl/day (2009 est.)

Oil - exports

0 bbl/day (2007 est.)

Oil - imports

691 bbl/day (2007 est.)

Oil - production

0 bbl/day (2009 est.)

Oil - proved reserves

0 bbl (1 January 2010 est.)

Population below poverty line

NA%

Unemployment rate

3.6% (1997)

Broadcast media

1 private TV station; multi-channel TV is available from cable and satellite subscription services; about a half dozen private radio stations operating (2007)

Internet country code

.vg

Internet hosts

497 (2010)

Internet users

4,000 (2002)

Telephone system

domestic

fixed line connections exceed 80 per 100 persons and mobile cellular subscribership is approaching 100 per 100 persons

general assessment

worldwide telephone service

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 (2008)

Telephones - main lines in use

20,100 (2009)

Telephones - mobile cellular

24,000 (2009)

Airports

4 (2010)

Airports - with paved runways

total

2 914 to 1,523 m: 1 under 914 m: 1 (2010)

Airports - with unpaved runways

total

2 914 to 1,523 m: 2 (2010)

Merchant marine

registered in other countries

1 (Panama 1) (2008)

Ports and terminals

Road Harbor

Roadways

paved

200 km (2007)

total

200 km

Manpower available for military service

males age 16-49: 7,230 (2010 est.)

Manpower fit for military service

males age 16-49: 6,028 females age 16-49: 5,778 (2010 est.)

Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually

female

167 (2010 est.)

male

174

Military - note

defense is the responsibility of the UK

Disputes - international

none

Illicit drugs

transshipment point for South American narcotics destined for the US and Europe; large offshore financial center makes it vulnerable to money laundering page last updated on January 11, 2011 ======================================================================