British Virgin Islands (2004)

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British Virgin Islands 2004 year


Administrative divisions	none (overseas territory of the UK)
Age structure	0-14 years: 21.5% (male 2,402; female 2,361) 15-64 years: 73.5% (male 8,395; female 7,911) 65 years and over: 5% (male 594; female 524) (2004 est.)
Agriculture - products	fruits, vegetables; livestock, poultry; fish
Airports	3 (2003 est.)
Airports - with paved runways	total: 2 914 to 1,523 m: 1 under 914 m: 1 (2004 est.)
Airports - with unpaved runways	total: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 1 (2004 est.)
Area	total: 153 sq km land: 153 sq km water: 0 sq km note: comprised of 16 inhabited and more than 20 uninhabited islands; includes the island of Anegada
Area - comparative	about 0.9 times the size of Washington, DC
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.
Birth rate	14.96 births/1,000 population (2004 est.)
Budget	revenues: $121.5 million expenditures: $115.5 million, including capital expenditures of NA (1997)
Capital	Road Town
Climate	subtropical; humid; temperatures moderated by trade winds
Coastline	80 km
Constitution	1 June 1977
Country name	conventional long form: none conventional short form: British Virgin Islands abbreviation: BVI
Currency	US dollar (USD)
Death rate	4.42 deaths/1,000 population (2004 est.)
Debt - external	$36.1 million (1997)
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)
Disputes - international	none
Economic aid - recipient	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.
Electricity - consumption	35.43 million kWh (2001)
Electricity - exports	0 kWh (2001)
Electricity - imports	0 kWh (2001)
Electricity - production	38.1 million kWh (2001)
Elevation extremes	lowest point: Caribbean Sea 0 m highest point: Mount Sage 521 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)
Ethnic groups	black 83%, white, Indian, Asian and mixed
Exchange rates	the US dollar is used
Executive branch	chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952), represented by Governor Tom MACAN (since 14 October 2002) head of government: Chief Minister Orlando D. SMITH (since 17 June 2003) cabinet: Executive Council appointed by the governor from members of the Legislative Council elections: none; the monarch is hereditary; governor appointed by the monarch; following legislative elections, the leader of the majority party or the leader of the majority coalition is usually appointed chief minister by the governor
Exports	0 kWh (2001)
Exports	$25.3 million (2002)
Exports	NA (2001)
Exports - commodities	rum, fresh fish, fruits, animals; gravel, sand
Exports - partners	Virgin Islands (US), Puerto Rico, US
Fiscal year	1 April - 31 March
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)
GDP	purchasing power parity - $320 million (2002 est.)
GDP - composition by sector	agriculture: 1.8% industry: 6.2% services: 92% (1996 est.)
GDP - per capita	purchasing power parity - $16,000 (2002 est.)
GDP - real growth rate	1% (2002 est.)
Geographic coordinates	18 30 N, 64 30 W
Geography - note	strong ties to nearby US Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico
Highways	total: 177 km paved: 177 km unpaved: 0 km (2000)
Household income or consumption by percentage share	lowest 10%: NA highest 10%: NA
Illicit drugs	transshipment point for South American narcotics destined for the US and Europe; large offshore financial center makes it vulnerable to money laundering
Imports	0 kWh (2001)
Imports	$187 million (2002 est.)
Imports	NA (2001)
Imports - commodities	building materials, automobiles, foodstuffs, machinery
Imports - partners	Virgin Islands (US), Puerto Rico, US
Independence	none (overseas territory of the UK)
Industrial production growth rate	NA
Industries	tourism, light industry, construction, rum, concrete block, offshore financial center
Infant mortality rate	total: 18.05 deaths/1,000 live births male: 21.02 deaths/1,000 live births female: 14.95 deaths/1,000 live births (2004 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices)	2.5% (2002)
International organization participation	Caricom (associate), CDB, Interpol (subbureau), IOC, OECS (associate), UNESCO (associate), UPU
Irrigated land	NA sq km
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
Labor force	4,911 (1980)
Labor force - by occupation	agriculture NA, industry NA, services NA
Land boundaries	0 km
Land use	arable land: 20% permanent crops: 6.67% other: 73.33% (2001)
Languages	English (official)
Legal system	English law
Legislative branch	unicameral Legislative Council (13 seats; members are elected by direct popular vote, one member from each of 9 electoral districts, four at-large members; members serve four-year terms) elections: last held 16 May 2003 (next to be held NA 2007) election results: percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - NDP 8, VIP 5
Life expectancy at birth	total population: 76.27 years male: 75.24 years female: 77.36 years (2004 est.)
Literacy	definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 97.8% (1991 est.) male: NA female: NA
Location	Caribbean, between the Caribbean Sea and the North Atlantic Ocean, east of Puerto Rico
Map references	Central America and the Caribbean
Maritime claims	territorial sea: 3 nm exclusive fishing zone: 200 nm
Merchant marine	total: 3 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 83,825 GRT/155,909 DWT by type: cargo 1, liquefied gas 1, petroleum tanker 1 foreign-owned: Norway 1 registered in other countries: 32 (2004 est.)
Military - note	defense is the responsibility of the UK
National holiday	Territory Day, 1 July
Nationality	noun: British Virgin Islander(s) adjective: British Virgin Islander
Natural hazards	hurricanes and tropical storms (July to October)
Natural resources	NEGL
Net migration rate	10.01 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2004 est.)
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	NA
Population	22,187 (July 2004 est.)
Population below poverty line	NA
Population growth rate	2.06% (2004 est.)
Ports and harbors	Road Town
Radio broadcast stations	AM 1, FM 4, shortwave 0 (1998)
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)
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: 1.13 male(s)/female total population: 1.06 male(s)/female (2004 est.)
Suffrage	18 years of age; universal
Telephone system	general assessment: worldwide telephone service domestic: NA international: country code - 1-284; submarine cable to Bermuda
Telephones - main lines in use	11,700 (2002)
Telephones - mobile cellular	8,000 (2002)
Television broadcast stations	1 (plus one cable company) (1997)
Terrain	coral islands relatively flat; volcanic islands steep, hilly
Total fertility rate	1.72 children born/woman (2004 est.)
Unemployment rate	3% (1995)

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