Compare Paracel Islands (2002) - British Virgin Islands (2008)

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 islands of Tortola, Anegada, Virgin Gorda, Jost van Dyke

Area - comparative

NA

about 0.9 times the size of Washington, DC

Background

This archipelago is surrounded by productive fishing grounds and by potential oil and gas reserves. In 1932, French Indochina annexed the islands and set up a weather station on Pattle Island; maintenance was continued by its successor, Vietnam. China has occupied the Paracel Islands since 1974, when its troops seized a South Vietnamese garrison occupying the western islands. The islands are claimed by Vietnam and Taiwan.

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.

Birth rate

-

14.82 births/1,000 population (2007 est.)

Budget

-

revenues: $204.7 million

expenditures: $180.4 million (2004)

Capital

-

name: Road Town

geographic coordinates: 18 27 N, 64 37 W

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

Climate

tropical

subtropical; humid; temperatures moderated by trade winds

Coastline

518 km

80 km

Constitution

-

13 June 2007

Country name

conventional long form: none

conventional short form: Paracel Islands

conventional long form: none

conventional short form: British Virgin Islands

abbreviation: BVI

Death rate

-

4.42 deaths/1,000 population (2007 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

occupied by China, but claimed by Taiwan and Vietnam

none

Economic aid - recipient

-

$NA

Economy - overview

China announced plans in 1997 to open the islands for tourism.

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.

Electricity - consumption

-

41.85 million kWh (2005)

Electricity - exports

-

0 kWh (2005)

Electricity - imports

-

0 kWh (2005)

Electricity - production

-

45 million kWh (2005)

Elevation extremes

lowest point: South China Sea 0 m

highest point: unnamed location on Rocky Island 14 m

lowest point: Caribbean Sea 0 m

highest point: Mount Sage 521 m

Environment - current issues

NA

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%, other 17% (includes 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 David PEAREY (since 18 April 2006)

head of government: Premier Ralph T. O'NEAL (since 23 August 2007)

cabinet: Executive Council appointed by the governor from members of the House of Assembly

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 premier by the governor

Exports

-

0 bbl/day (2004)

Exports - commodities

-

rum, fresh fish, fruits, animals; gravel, sand

Exports - partners

-

Virgin Islands (US), Puerto Rico, US (2006)

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 - composition by sector

-

agriculture: 1.8%

industry: 6.2%

services: 92% (1996 est.)

GDP - real growth rate

-

1% (2002 est.)

Geographic coordinates

16 30 N, 112 00 E

18 30 N, 64 30 W

Geography - note

composed of 130 small coral islands and reefs divided into the northeast Amphitrite Group and the western Crescent Group

strong ties to nearby US Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico

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

-

604.3 bbl/day (2004)

Imports - commodities

-

building materials, automobiles, foodstuffs, machinery

Imports - partners

-

Virgin Islands (US), Puerto Rico, US (2006)

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: 16.13 deaths/1,000 live births

male: 18.82 deaths/1,000 live births

female: 13.29 deaths/1,000 live births (2007 est.)

Inflation rate (consumer prices)

-

2% (2005)

International organization participation

-

Caricom (associate), CDB, Interpol (subbureau), IOC, OECS, UNESCO (associate), UPU

Irrigated land

0 sq km (1998 est.)

NA

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

-

12,770 (2004)

Labor force - by occupation

-

agriculture: 0.6%

industry: 40%

services: 59.4% (2005)

Land boundaries

0 km

Land use

arable land: 0%

permanent crops: 0%

other: 100% (1998 est.)

arable land: 20%

permanent crops: 6.67%

other: 73.33% (2005)

Languages

-

English (official)

Legal system

-

English law

Legislative branch

-

unicameral House of Assembly (13 elected seats and 1 non-voting ex officio member in the attorney general; members are elected by direct popular vote, 1 member from each of nine electoral districts, 4 at-large members; to serve four-year terms)

elections: last held 20 August 2007 (next to be held in 2011)

election results: percent of vote by party - VIP 45.2%, NDP 39.6%, independent 15.2%; seats by party - VIP 10, NDP 2, independent 1

Life expectancy at birth

-

total population: 76.86 years

male: 75.71 years

female: 78.07 years (2007 est.)

Literacy

-

definition: age 15 and over can read and write

total population: 97.8% (1991 est.)

male: NA%

female: NA%

Location

Southeastern Asia, group of small islands and reefs in the South China Sea, about one-third of the way from central Vietnam to the northern Philippines

Caribbean, between the Caribbean Sea and the North Atlantic Ocean, east of Puerto Rico

Map references

Southeast Asia

Central America and the Caribbean

Maritime claims

NA

territorial sea: 3 nm

exclusive fishing zone: 200 nm

Military - note

occupied by China

defense is the responsibility of the UK

National holiday

-

Territory Day, 1 July (1956)

Nationality

-

noun: British Virgin Islander(s)

adjective: British Virgin Islander

Natural hazards

typhoons

hurricanes and tropical storms (July to October)

Natural resources

none

NEGL

Net migration rate

-

8.83 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2007 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

no indigenous inhabitants

note: there are scattered Chinese garrisons (July 2002 est.)

23,552 (July 2007 est.)

Population below poverty line

-

NA%

Population growth rate

-

1.923% (2007 est.)

Ports and harbors

small Chinese port facilities on Woody Island and Duncan Island being expanded

-

Radio broadcast stations

-

AM 1, FM 5, shortwave 0 (2004)

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%, other 2%, none 2% (1991)

Sex ratio

-

at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female

under 15 years: 1.031 male(s)/female

15-64 years: 1.055 male(s)/female

65 years and over: 1.105 male(s)/female

total population: 1.053 male(s)/female (2007 est.)

Suffrage

-

18 years of age; universal

Telephone system

-

general assessment: worldwide telephone service

domestic: NA

international: country code - 1-284; connected via submarine cable to Bermuda; the East Caribbean Fiber System (ECFS) optic submarine cable provides connectivity to 13 other islands in the eastern Caribbean (2007)

Telephones - main lines in use

-

11,700 (2002)

Telephones - mobile cellular

-

8,000 (2002)

Television broadcast stations

-

1 (plus 1 cable company) (1997)

Terrain

mostly low and flat

coral islands relatively flat; volcanic islands steep, hilly