General Overview
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.
Demographics
The 50-plus islands, rocks and cays of the British Virgin Islands, only 16 of which are inhabited, make up the larger part of an archipelago forming the northern extremity of the Leeward Islands in the eastern Caribbean. They are situated approximately 100km (62 miles) east of Puerto Rico, adjoining the US Virgin Islands. The islands are volcanic in origin, with the exception of Anegada, which is formed of coral and limestone and is the lowest lying. The topography is otherwise mountainous, the highest point being Tortola's Sage Mountain, which rises to 550m (1,800ft). There are remnants of a primeval rainforest on Tortola.
• Country name: British Virgin Islands
• Capital Name: Road Town
• Population: 24,004 (July 2008 est.)
• Nationality: British Virgin Islander(s)
• Languages: English (official)
• Ethnic Groups: Black 83.4%, white 7%, mixed 5.4%, Indian 3.4%, other 0.8% (1991 census)
Economy
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 820,000 tourists, mainly from the US, visited the islands in 2005. 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.)
• GDP - real growth rate: 1% (2002 est.)
• GDP - per capita (PPP): $38,500 (2004 est.)
• Inflation rate (consumer prices): 2% (2005)
• Exports: $25.3 million (2002)
• Imports: $187 million (2002 est.)
Government
The Government of the British Virgin Islands is legally a constitutional democracy with the Executive Authority vested in Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth because of our colonial relationship with the United Kingdom. This democracy operates through parliamentary and ministerial systems. The Parliament or Legislative Council has thirteen representatives elected for a maximum of four year via a mixed system of nine (9) districts and 4 country-wide.
• Administrative divisions: None (overseas territory of the UK)
• Legal system: English law
• Constitution: 13 June 2007
• Independence: None (overseas territory of the UK)
References
Government of the Virgin Islands (U.K.) - Official Website
Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) - The World Factbook
Nation Master - World Data Center
Wikipedia - The Free Encyclopedia
Lonely Planet - Travel Guidebook
