 .VG - British Virgin Islands
Registration · Transfer · Renewal
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Payable by
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Special Requirements:
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.VG anyone can register.
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1 Year at 39.95
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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. |
| Geography |
British Virgin Islands |
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Location: |
Caribbean, between the
Caribbean Sea and the North Atlantic Ocean, east of Puerto Rico |
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Geographic coordinates: |
18 30 N, 64 30 W |
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Map references: |
Central America and the
Caribbean |
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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 |
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Area - comparative: |
about 0.9 times the size of
Washington, DC |
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Land boundaries: |
0 km |
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Coastline: |
80 km |
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Maritime claims: |
territorial sea: 3 nm
exclusive fishing zone: 200 nm |
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Climate: |
subtropical; humid;
temperatures moderated by trade winds |
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Terrain: |
coral islands relatively flat;
volcanic islands steep, hilly |
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Elevation extremes: |
lowest point: Caribbean
Sea 0 m
highest point: Mount Sage 521 m |
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Natural resources: |
NEGL |
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Land use: |
arable land: 20%
permanent crops: 6.67%
other: 73.33% (2001) |
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Irrigated land: |
NA |
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Natural hazards: |
hurricanes and tropical storms
(July to October) |
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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)
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Geography - note: |
strong ties to nearby US Virgin
Islands and Puerto Rico |
| People |
British Virgin Islands |
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Population: |
22,643 (July 2005 est.) |
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Age structure: |
0-14 years: 21% (male
2,400/female 2,358)
15-64 years: 73.9% (male 8,607/female
8,115)
65 years and over: 5.1% (male 614/female 549) (2005
est.) |
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Median age: |
total: 30.9 years
male: 31.1 years
female: 30.7 years (2005 est.)
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Population growth rate: |
2.06% (2005 est.) |
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Birth rate: |
14.96 births/1,000 population
(2005 est.) |
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Death rate: |
4.42 deaths/1,000 population
(2005 est.) |
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Net migration rate: |
10.01 migrant(s)/1,000
population (2005 est.) |
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Sex ratio: |
at birth: 1.02
male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.02 male(s)/female
15-64
years: 1.06 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 1.12
male(s)/female
total population: 1.05 male(s)/female (2005
est.) |
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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 (2005 est.) |
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Life expectancy at birth: |
total population: 76.27
years
male: 75.24 years
female: 77.36 years (2005
est.) |
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Total fertility rate: |
1.72 children born/woman (2005
est.) |
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HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: |
NA |
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HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: |
NA |
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HIV/AIDS - deaths: |
NA |
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Nationality: |
noun: British Virgin
Islander(s)
adjective: British Virgin Islander |
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Ethnic groups: |
black 83%, white, Indian, Asian
and mixed |
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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) |
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Languages: |
English (official) |
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Literacy: |
definition: age 15 and
over can read and write
total population: 97.8% (1991 est.)
male: NA%
female: NA% |
| Government |
British Virgin Islands |
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Country name: |
conventional long form:
none
conventional short form: British Virgin Islands
abbreviation: BVI |
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Dependency status: |
overseas territory of the UK;
internal self-governing |
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Government type: |
NA |
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Capital: |
Road Town |
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Administrative divisions: |
none (overseas territory of the
UK) |
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Independence: |
none (overseas territory of the
UK) |
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National holiday: |
Territory Day, 1 July |
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Constitution: |
1 June 1977 |
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Legal system: |
English law |
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Suffrage: |
18 years of age; universal
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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 |
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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 |
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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 |
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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] |
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Political pressure groups and leaders: |
NA |
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International organization participation: |
Caricom (associate), CDB,
Interpol (subbureau), IOC, OECS (associate), UNESCO (associate), UPU
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Diplomatic representation in the US: |
none (overseas territory of the
UK) |
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Diplomatic representation from the US: |
none (overseas territory of the
UK) |
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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) |
| Economy |
British Virgin Islands |
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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.
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GDP: |
purchasing power parity -
$2.498 billion (2004 est.) |
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GDP - real growth rate: |
1% (2002 est.) |
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GDP - per capita: |
purchasing power parity -
$38,500 (2004 est.) |
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GDP - composition by sector: |
agriculture: 1.8%
industry: 6.2%
services: 92% (1996 est.) |
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Population below poverty line: |
NA |
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Household income or consumption by percentage
share: |
lowest 10%: NA
highest 10%: NA |
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Inflation rate (consumer prices): |
2.5% (2003) |
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Labor force: |
12,770 (2004) |
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Labor force - by occupation: |
agriculture NA%, industry NA%,
services NA% |
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Unemployment rate: |
3% (1995) |
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Budget: |
revenues: $121.5 million
expenditures: $115.5 million, including capital expenditures of
NA (1997) |
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Agriculture - products: |
fruits, vegetables; livestock,
poultry; fish |
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Industries: |
tourism, light industry,
construction, rum, concrete block, offshore financial center |
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Industrial production growth rate: |
NA% |
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Electricity - production: |
36.28 million kWh (2002) |
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Electricity - production by source: |
fossil fuel: 100%
hydro: 0%
nuclear: 0%
other: 0% (2001)
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Electricity - consumption: |
33.74 million kWh (2002) |
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Electricity - exports: |
0 kWh (2002) |
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Electricity - imports: |
0 kWh (2002) |
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Oil - production: |
0 bbl/day (2001 est.) |
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Oil - consumption: |
420 bbl/day (2001 est.) |
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Oil - exports: |
NA |
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Oil - imports: |
NA |
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Exports: |
$25.3 million (2002) |
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Exports - commodities: |
rum, fresh fish, fruits,
animals; gravel, sand |
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Exports - partners: |
Virgin Islands (US), Puerto
Rico, US |
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Imports: |
$187 million (2002 est.) |
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Imports - commodities: |
building materials,
automobiles, foodstuffs, machinery |
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Imports - partners: |
Virgin Islands (US), Puerto
Rico, US |
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Debt - external: |
$36.1 million (1997) |
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Economic aid - recipient: |
NA |
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Currency: |
US dollar (USD) |
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Currency code: |
USD |
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Exchange rates: |
the US dollar is used |
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Fiscal year: |
1 April - 31 March
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| Communications |
British Virgin Islands |
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Telephones - main lines in use: |
11,700 (2002) |
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Telephones - mobile cellular: |
8,000 (2002) |
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Telephone system: |
general assessment:
worldwide telephone service
domestic: NA
international: country code - 1-284; submarine cable to Bermuda
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Radio broadcast stations: |
AM 1, FM 5, shortwave 0 (2004)
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Radios: |
9,000 (1997) |
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Television broadcast stations: |
1 (plus one cable company)
(1997) |
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Televisions: |
4,000 (1997) |
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Internet country code: |
.vg |
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Internet Service Providers (ISPs): |
16 (2000) |
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Internet users: |
4,000 (2002) |
| Transportation |
British Virgin Islands |
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Highways: |
total: 177 km
paved: 177 km
unpaved: 0 km (2000) |
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Ports and harbors: |
Road Town |
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Merchant marine: |
total: 1 ships (1,000
GRT or over) 83,825 GRT/155,909 DWT
by type: cargo 1
registered in other countries: 7 (2005) |
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Airports: |
3 (2004 est.) |
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Airports - with paved runways: |
total: 2
914 to
1,523 m: 1
under 914 m: 1 (2004 est.) |
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Airports - with unpaved runways: |
total: 1
914 to
1,523 m: 1 (2004 est.) |
| Military |
British Virgin Islands |
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Military - note: |
defense is the responsibility
of the UK |
| Transnational Issues |
British Virgin Islands |
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Disputes - international: |
none |
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Illicit drugs: |
transshipment point for South
American narcotics destined for the US and Europe; large offshore
financial center makes it vulnerable to money laundering |
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