British Virgin Islands

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.

• subtropical;
• humid;
• temperatures moderated by trade winds

agricultural land:

46.7%;

• arable land 6.7%;
• permanent crops 6.7%;
• permanent pasture 33.3%

forest:

24.3%

other:

29% (2011 est.)

noun:

British Virgin Islander(s)

adjective:

British Virgin Islander

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:

14 years

male:

NA

female:

NA (2009)

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)

name:

Road Town

geographic coordinates:

18 25 N, 64 37 W

time difference:

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

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

• 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

• fruits, vegetables;
• livestock, poultry;
• fish

agriculture:

0.6%

industry:

40%

services:

59.4% (2005)

lowest 10%:

NA%

highest 10%:

NA%

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)

total:

200 km

paved:

200 km (2007)

country comparison to the world: 209