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British Virgin Islands

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Background :

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. 

Location :

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

Geographic Coordinates Center :

18 30 N, 64 30 W  (Latitude, Longtitude)

Geographic Coordinates Rectangle :

West -64.72
North 18.76
East -64.27
South 18.39

Area :

total 151 square km
land 151 square km
water 0 square km

Coastline :

80.00 km

Climate :

subtropical; humid; temperatures moderated by trade winds 

Terrain :

coral islands relatively flat; volcanic islands steep, hilly 

Elevation extremes :

lowest point 0 metres
highest point 521 metres

Land use :

arable land 20.00 %
permanent crops 6.67 %
other 73.33 %

Natural hazards :

hurricanes tropical storms

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) 

Population :

24 491 

Indicators :

Growth rate 1.84 %
Birth rate 14.62 births/1,000 population
Total fertility rate 1.71 children born/woman
Death rate 4.37 deaths/1,000 population
Net migration rate 8.13 migrant(s)/1,000 population

Age structure :

0-14 years 19.80 %
15-64 years 74.40 %
65 years and over 5.80 %

Median age :

total 32.30 years
male 32.40 years
female 32.20 years

Sex ratio :

at birth 1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years 1.03 male(s)/female
15-64 years 1.05 male(s)/female
65 years and over 1.06 male(s)/female
total population 1.05 male(s)/female

Health :

Infant mortality rate 14.65 deaths/1,000 live births
Life expectancy at birth - total population 77.26 years
Life expectancy at birth - male 76.03 years
Life expectancy at birth - female 78.55 years

Religions :

Protestant 86.00 %
Roman Catholic 10.00 %
other 2.00 %
none 2.00 %

Languages :

English  

Literacy :

total population 97.80 %

Country name :

conventional short form British Virgin Islands

Country Codes :

ISO 3166 VG
ISO Numeric 92
ISO3 VGB
FIPS VI
ccTLD vg
English British Virgin Islands

Capital :

name Road Town
geographic coordinates 18 27 N, 64 37 W
time difference -4.00

International organization participation :

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

National holiday :

Territory Day

1956-07-01

Executive branch :

Prime Minister Ralph T. O'NEAL Queen ELIZABETH II

Legislative branch :

VIP 45.20 %
NDP 39.60 %

GDP - Gross Domestic product :

PPP - Purchasing Power Parity 853 400 000 $
Official Exchange Rate 1 095 000 000
RGR - Real Growth rate -0.60 %
PPP - per capita 38 500 $

GDP Composition by sector :

agriculture 0.90 %
industry 10.70 %
services 88.30 %

Labor force - by occupation :

agriculture 0.60 %
industry 40.00 %
services 59.40 %

Other Indicators :

Unemployment rate 3.60 %
Inflation rate (consumer prices) 7.10 %
Current account balance 134 300 000 $
Debt external 36 100 000 $

Budget :

revenues 204 700 000 $
expenditures 180 400 000 $

Agriculture - products :

fish fruits
livestock poultry
vegetables

Industries :

concrete block construction
light industry offshore financial center
rum tourism

Energy :

Electricity Production 45 000 000 kWh
Electricity Consumption 41 850 000 kWh
Oil Consumption 1 000 bbl/day
Oil Imports 691 bbl/day

Value :

25 300 000 $

Commodities :

animals fresh fish
fruits gravel
rum sand

Value :

187 000 000 $

Commodities :

automobiles building materials
foodstuffs machinery

Currency-name :

US dollar 

Communications :

Telephons Main lines in use 18 900
Telephons Mobile, Cellular 23 000
FM Radio broadcast stations 5
Television broadcast stations 1
Internet Country code (ccTLD) vg
Internet Hosts 581
Internet Users 4 000

Transportation :

Airports with paved runways 2
Roadways - total 200 km
Roadways - paved 200 km

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