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| British Virgin Islands |
 Click to enlarge |
Home Reference Maps Appendixes
| Background: |
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. |
| 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 |
| Population: |
21,730 (July 2003 est.) |
| Age
structure: |
0-14 years: 21.9% (male 2,401; female 2,358) 15-64 years: 73.1% (male 8,181; female 7,709) 65 years and over: 5% (male 578; female 503) (2003 est.) |
| Median
age: |
total: 30.7 years male: 31 years female: 30.4 years (2002) |
| Population
growth rate: |
2.1% (2003 est.) |
| Birth
rate: |
15 births/1,000 population (2003 est.) |
| Death
rate: |
4.46 deaths/1,000 population (2003 est.) |
| Net
migration rate: |
10.45 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2003 est.) |
| Sex
ratio: |
at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.02 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.06 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 1.15 male(s)/female total population: 1.06 male(s)/female (2003 est.) |
| Infant
mortality rate: |
total: 18.8 deaths/1,000 live births female: 15.6 deaths/1,000 live births (2003 est.) male: 21.86 deaths/1,000 live births |
| Life
expectancy at birth: |
total population: 76.06 years male: 75.07 years female: 77.1 years (2003 est.) |
| Total
fertility rate: |
1.72 children born/woman (2003 est.) |
| 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 15%), 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% |
| 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. Tourism suffered in 2002 because of the lackluster US economy. 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 - $320 million (2002 est.) |
| GDP
- real growth rate: |
1% (2002 est.) |
| GDP
- per capita: |
purchasing power parity - $16,000 (2002 est.) |
| GDP
- composition by sector: |
agriculture: 1.8% industry: 6.2% 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): |
2.5% (2002) |
| 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: |
NA |
| Agriculture
- products: |
fruits, vegetables; livestock, poultry; fish |
| Exports: |
$25.3 million (2002) |
| Exports
- commodities: |
rum, fresh fish, fruits, animals; gravel, sand |
| Exports
- partners: |
Virgin Islands (US), Puerto Rico, US |
| Imports: |
$187 million (2002 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 |
 |
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