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). |