British Virgin Islands
From Freepedia
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| National motto: The Land, The People, The Light | |||||
| Image:LocationBritishVirginIslands.png | |||||
| Official language | English | ||||
| Political status | Non-sovereign, Overseas territory of the UK | ||||
| Capital | Road Town | ||||
| Governor | Tom Macan | ||||
| Chief minister | Orlando Smith | ||||
| Area - Total - % water | Ranked 176th 153 km² 1.6% | ||||
| Population - Total (2002) - Density | Ranked 175th 21,730 260/km² | ||||
| Currency | US dollar | ||||
| Time zone | UTC -4 | ||||
| National anthem | |||||
| Internet TLD | .vg | ||||
| Calling Code | 1-284 | ||||
It is a group of over 50 islands and cays located in the Caribbean. They include Tortola, Virgin Gorda, Anegada, Jost Van Dyke, Great Camanoe, Guana Island, Peter Island, Salt Island, Beef Island, Cooper Island, Ginger Island, Norman Island, and many other small islands which are clustered around the Sir Francis Drake Channel.
A few of the islands are privately owned. Necker Island is owned by Sir Richard Branson and is now an exclusive holiday spot.
The United Nations Committee on Decolonization includes the British Virgin Islands on the United Nations list of Non-Self-Governing Territories.[1]
Contents |
History
- Main article: History of the British Virgin Islands
The British Virgin Islands were sighted and named by Christopher Columbus on his second voyage in 1493. They were first settled in 1648 by the Dutch and were annexed by England soon after in 1672. They were called the "Virgin Islands" until "British" was added at the end of World War I after the United States had purchased the nearby Danish West Indies and renamed them as the U.S. Virgin Islands.
Geography
- Main article: Geography of the British Virgin Islands
The British Virgin Islands are a collection of roughly 50 small islands in the Caribbean, of which around 16 are inhabited. They are located a few miles east of the U.S. Virgin Islands. The North Atlantic Ocean lies to the north of the islands, and the Caribbean Sea lies to the south.
The largest islands of the group are Tortola, Virgin Gorda, Anegada, and Jost Van Dyke. Road Town, the capital and largest town, is situated on Tortola.
Economy
- Main article: Economy of the British Virgin Islands
The economy of the British Virgin Islands is one of the more prosperous ones of any of the Caribbean states, with a GDP per capita of around $15,000.
The British Virgin Islands is highly dependent on tourism, which accounts for 45% of national income. The islands are a popular destination for U.S. citizens, with around 350,000 tourists visiting annually (1997 figures). Tourists frequently go to the numerous white sand beaches, visit The Baths on Virgin Gorda, snorkel the coral reefs near Anegada, experience the well-known bars on Jost Van Dyke, or charter yachts to explore the less accessible islands.
Substantial revenues are also generated by the registration of offshore companies. As of 1997, 250,000 companies were so registered.
The economy is closely linked with that of the larger U.S. Virgin Islands to the west, and the islands' currency, since 1959, is the US dollar.
Transport
- Main article: Transportation on the British Virgin Islands
Being a small group of islands, transportation is limited. There are 113km of roads. The main airport is located on Beef Island, near Tortola. Virgin Gorda and Anegada have their own smaller airports. The main harbour is in Road Town.
See also
From the CIA World Factbook.:
- Communications on the British Virgin Islands
- Demographics of the British Virgin Islands
- Military of the British Virgin Islands
- Politics of the British Virgin Islands
References
- ^ "Non-Self-Governing Territories listed by General Assembly in 2002". United Nations Special Committee of 24 on Decolonization. URL accessed on March 10, 2005.
External links
Maps of The British Virgin Islands from Caribbean-On-Line.com
- Map of The British Virgin Islands
- Map of Tortola
- Map of Road Town
- Map of Jost Van Dyke
- Map of Virgin Gorda
- Map of Anegada
| Countries in the Caribbean |
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Antigua and Barbuda | Bahamas | Barbados | Cuba | Dominica | Dominican Republic | Grenada | Haiti | Jamaica | Saint Kitts and Nevis | Saint Lucia | Saint Vincent and the Grenadines | Trinidad and Tobago |
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Dependencies: Anguilla | Aruba | British Virgin Islands | Cayman Islands | Guadeloupe | Martinique | Montserrat | Navassa Island | Netherlands Antilles | Puerto Rico | Turks and Caicos Islands | U.S. Virgin Islands |
| | Image:Caricom-Flag.png |
|---|---|
| Antigua and Barbuda | Bahamas¹ | Barbados | Belize | Dominica | Grenada | Guyana | Haiti | Jamaica | Montserrat | Saint Kitts and Nevis | Saint Lucia | Saint Vincent and the Grenadines | Suriname | Trinidad and Tobago | |
| Associate members: Anguilla | Bermuda | Cayman Islands | British Virgin Islands | Turks and Caicos Islands | |
| Observer status: Aruba | Colombia | Dominican Republic | Mexico | Netherlands Antilles | Puerto Rico | Venezuela | |
| ¹ member of the community but not the Caribbean (CARICOM) Single Market and Economy. | |
Categories: British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies | Caribbean islands | British Virgin Islands | Current British colonies | Special territories of the EU
