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British Virgin Islands Facts
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General

Country name: British Virgin Islands (BVI). The British Virgin Islands is an overseas territory of the United Kingdom. 

Nationality: British Virgin Islander(s).

Language: English.

Capital: Road Town (Tortola).

Population: 23,552 (July 2007).

Climate: subtropical; humid; temperatures moderated by trade winds.
 

Geography

Coastline: 80 km.

Credit cards: major credit cards are widely accepted. 

Currency: US dollar (USD).

Geographic coordinates: 18 30 N, 64 30 W.

Highest point: Mount Sage 521 m.

Location: Caribbean, between the Caribbean Sea and the North Atlantic Ocean, east of Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. The BVI consists of over 50 islands and cays. 

Size: 153 sq km (59 sq miles).

Terrain: coral islands relatively flat; volcanic islands steep, hilly.   

Tourist Information

Accommodations: from 100 US$ to 7000 US$ per night (2007).

Average tourist arrivals: 308,793 (2009).

Electricity: 110 volts AC, 60 cycles. American-style two-pin plugs. 

Entry Requirements: Citizens of the US and Canada do not require a visa or passport, but should carry a birth certificate or naturalisation certificate with a picture ID to prove citizenship. British citizens need a passport but not a visa. Citizens of all other countries need a passport and, in some cases, a visa. Visitors are permitted to stay up to six months but must have an onward ticket.

Sleep: quiet.

Telephone: 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).

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

Money

Cost of living: accommodation costs are very high, food costs are high. 
 

Air Transport

Airport: Terrance B. Lettsome International Airport (EIS). The airport is situated on Beef island 15 km (9 miles) from Road Town, Tortola. There is no public transport in the BVI.

Departure Tax: US$ 15 tax and US$ 5 security charge payable on leaving the BVI by air.
 

Water Transport

Ports and harbors: Road Town.
 

Politics

Ethnic groups: black 83%, other 17% (includes white, Indian, Asian and mixed).

Legal system: English law.

Literacy: 97.8%.

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).
 

Economy

Agriculture-products: fruits, vegetables; livestock, poultry; fish.

GDP per capita: $38,500 (2004 est.).

Industries: tourism, light industry, construction, rum, concrete block, offshore financial center. 

Natural resources: NEGL.

Unemployment rate: 3.6% (1997).