Illicit drugs: transshipment point for South American narcotics destined for the US and Europe; large offshore financial center makes it vulnerable to money laundering
Manpower available for military service:
males age 16-49: 7,266
Manpower fit for military service:
males age 16-49: 6,057
females age 16-49: 5,805
Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually:
male: 168
female: 162
Military - note: defense is the responsibility of the UK
Airports: 4
country comparison to the world: 185
Roadways: total: 200 km
country comparison to the world: 207
Ports and terminals: Road Harbor
Telephones - main lines in use: 26,800
country comparison to the world: 184
Telephones - mobile cellular: 46,800
country comparison to the world: 198
Telephone system: general assessment: good overall telephone service
domestic: fixed line connections exceed 80 per 100 persons and mobile cellular subscribership is roughly 150 per 100 persons
Broadcast media: 1 private TV station; multi-channel TV is available from cable and satellite subscription services; about a half dozen private radio stations
Internet country code: .vg
Internet hosts: 505
country comparison to the world: 181
Internet users: 4,000
country comparison to the world: 206
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. More than 934,000 tourists, mainly from the US, visited the islands in 2008. 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.
Dependency status: overseas territory of the UK; internal self-governing
Administrative divisions: none (overseas territory of the UK)
Legal system: English common law
Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal
Ethnic groups: black 82%, white 6.8%, other 11.2% (includes Indian and mixed)
Languages: English (official)
Religions: Protestant 84% (Methodist 33%, Anglican 17%, Church of God 9%, Seventh-Day Adventist 6%, Baptist 4%, other 15%), Roman Catholic 10%, Jehovah's Witnesses 2%, other 2%, none 2%
Population: 31,148
country comparison to the world: 214
Median age: total: 35 years
male: 35 years
female: 35.1 years
Population growth rate: 2.443%
country comparison to the world: 30
Net migration rate: 18.56 migrant(s)/1,000 population
country comparison to the world: 3
Urbanization: urban population: 41% of total population
rate of urbanization: 1.7% annual rate of change
Major cities - population: ROAD TOWN (capital) 9,000
Life expectancy at birth: total population: 77.95 years
country comparison to the world: 57
male: 76.73 years
female: 79.24 years
Total fertility rate: 1.22 children born/woman
country comparison to the world: 218
Education expenditures: 3.2% of GDP
country comparison to the world: 124
Literacy: definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 97.8%
Location: Caribbean, between the Caribbean Sea and the North Atlantic Ocean, east of Puerto Rico
Land use: arable land: 20%, permanent crops: 6.67%, other: 73.33%
Natural hazards: hurricanes and tropical storms (July to October)
Environment - current issues: limited natural freshwater resources except for a few seasonal streams and springs on Tortola; most of the islands' water supply comes from wells and rainwater catchments
Geography - note: strong ties to nearby US Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico
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.
