British Virgin Islands
| British Virgin Islands | |||||
| |||||
| Motto: "Vigilate" (Latin) "Be Watchful" | |||||
| Anthem: God Save the Queen | |||||
 | |||||
| Capital | Road Town | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Official languages | English | ||||
| Government | Overseas territory | ||||
| - Head of State | Queen Elizabeth II | ||||
| - Governor | David Pearey | ||||
| - Chief Minister | Orlando Smith | ||||
| UK overseas territory | |||||
| - Separate colony | 1960 | ||||
| - Autonomous territory | 1967 | ||||
| Area | |||||
| - Total | 153 km² (216th) 59 sq mi | ||||
| - Water (%) | 1.6 | ||||
| Population | |||||
| - 2005 census | 22,016 | ||||
| - Density | 260/km² 673/sq mi | ||||
| Currency | U.S. dollar (USD)
| ||||
| Time zone | Q (UTC-4) | ||||
| - Summer (DST) | not observed (UTC-4) | ||||
| Internet TLD | .vg | ||||
| Calling code | +1 (284) | ||||
The British Virgin Islands (BVI) is a British overseas territory, located in the Caribbean to the east of Puerto Rico. The islands make up part of the Virgin Islands archipelago, the remaining islands constituting the U.S. Virgin Islands (see also Spanish Virgin Islands).
The British Virgin Islands consist of the main islands of Tortola, Virgin Gorda, Anegada and Jost Van Dyke, along with over fifty other smaller islands and cays. Around fifteen of the islands are inhabited. The largest island, Tortola, is approximately 20 km (~12 mi) long and 5 km (~3 mi) wide. The islands have a total population of about 22,000. Road Town, the capital, is situated on Tortola.
Geography
The British Virgin Islands comprise around sixty semi-tropical Caribbean islands, ranging in size from the largest, Tortola, approx. 12 miles by 3 miles, to tiny uninhabited islets. The four main islands are Tortola, Virgin Gorda, Anegada, and Jost Van Dyke. They are located in the Virgin Islands archipelago, a few miles east of the U.S. Virgin Islands. The North Atlantic Ocean lies to the north of the islands, and the Caribbean Sea lies to the south with the island of Puerto Rico lying to the east. Most of the islands are volcanic in origin and have a hilly, rugged terrain. Anegada is geologically distinct from the rest of the group and is a flat island composed of limestone and coral. The islands do have strong ties with the nearby US Virgin Islands and with Puerto Rico.
In addition to the four main islands other, smaller islands include: Beef Island, Cooper Island, Ginger Island, Great Camanoe, Great Thatch, Guana Island, Moskito Island, Necker Island, Norman Island, Peter Island and Salt Island just to name a few. Over 20 uninhabited islands and 16 inhabited islands make up this set of Virgin Islands which can be found at 18°30′N 64°30′W in terms of geographical coordinates.
With about it being about 0.9 times the size of Washington DC and a total land mass of 95 miles² with 49.7 miles of coastline and a maritime claim of 3 nautical miles, but 200 nautical miles of exclusive fishing zones, the archipelago makes for a secluded get-away. The lowest point in elevation is obviously at sea level, but its highest point is 1,709.3 ft at the top Mount Sage on the island or Tortola.
It is widely known that there are no natural resources to the islands. The land use, however, is a little farther progressed and is divided up between arable with 20% of use, permanent crops with 6.67% of use and 73.33% for miscellaneous uses. Believe it or not no land has been irrigated to any of the islands. A problem to hit the islands is that it is very limited in its natural fresh water, infact most fresh water comes from wells and rainwater catchments.
Climate
The British Virgin Islands enjoy a tropical climate, moderated by trade winds. Temperatures vary little throughout the year. In the capital, Road Town, typical daily maxima are around 90°F in the summer and 84°F in the winter. Typical daily minima are around 75°F in the summer and 70°F in the winter. Rainfall averages about 45 inches per year, higher in the hills and lower on the coast. Rainfall can be quite variable, but the wettest months on average are from September to November and the driest months on average are February and March. Hurricanes occasionally hit the islands, with the hurricane season running from June to October and are seen as the only natural hazard to the area.
History
The Virgin Islands were first settled by Arawak Indians from South America around 100 B.C.E. (though there is some evidence of Amerindian presence on the islands as far back as 1500 B.C.E.).[1] The Arawaks inhabited the islands until the fifteenth century when they were displaced by the more aggressive Caribs, a tribe from the Lesser Antilles islands, after whom the Caribbean Sea is named. (Some historians, however, believe that this popular account of warlike Caribs chasing peaceful Arawaks out of the Caribbean islands is rooted in simplistic European stereotypes, and that the true story is more complex.)
The first European sighting of the Virgin Islands was by Christopher Columbus in 1493 on his second voyage to the Americas. Columbus gave them the fanciful name Santa Ursula y las Once Mil Vírgenes (Saint Ursula and her 11,000 Virgins), shortened to Las Vírgenes (The Virgins), after the legend of Saint Ursula.
The Spanish Empire acquired the islands in the early sixteenth century, mining copper on Virgin Gorda, and subsequent years saw the English, Dutch, French, Spanish and Danish all jostling for control of the region, which became a notorious haunt for pirates. During the process of colonisation the native Amerindian population was decimated.
The Dutch established a permanent settlement on the island of Tortola in 1648. In 1672, the English captured Tortola from the Dutch, and the British annexation of Anegada and Virgin Gorda followed in 1680. Meanwhile, over the period 1672–1733, the Danish gained control of the nearby islands of St. Thomas, St. John and St. Croix.
The British islands were considered principally a strategic possession, but were planted when economic conditions were particularly favourable. The British introduced sugar cane which was to become the main crop and source of foreign trade, and slaves were brought from Africa to work on the sugar cane plantations. The islands prospered economically until the growth in the sugar beet crop in Europe and the United States significantly reduced sugar cane production.
In 1917, the United States purchased St. John, St. Thomas and St. Croix from Denmark for US$25 million, renaming them the United States Virgin Islands. Subsequently, the British renamed the islands they controlled as the British Virgin Islands.
The British Virgin Islands were administered variously as part of the Leeward Islands Colony or with St. Kitts and Nevis, with an Administrator representing the British Government on the Islands. Separate colony status was gained for the Islands in 1960 and the Islands became autonomous in 1967. Since the 1960s, the Islands have diversified away from their traditionally agriculture-based economy towards tourism and financial services, becoming one of the richest areas in the Caribbean.
Politics
Executive authority in the British Virgin Islands is invested in the royal monarch of Great Britain and is exercised on the anointed ones behalf by the Governor of the British Virgin Islands. The Governor is appointed by the Monarch on the advice of the British Government. The Defense and Foreign Affairs remain the responsibility of the United Kingdom.
The Constitution of the Islands was introduced in 1971 and made by an Order in Council under powers granted by the West Indies Act of 1962. It has been amended many times, first in 1979 then in 1982, 1991, 1994 and 2000. A new constitution was made in 2007 (the Virgin Islands Constitution Order 2007) and will come into force on the next date when the Legislative Council is dissolved for a general election. The Head of Government is the Chief Minister, who is elected in a general election along with the other members of the ruling government as well as the members of the opposition, much like the United States presidential elections. An Executive Council is nominated by the Chief Minister and appointed by the Governor. There is a unicameral Legislative Council made up of 13 seats.
Economy
The British Virgin Islands enjoys one of the more prosperous economies of the Caribbean region, with a per capita GDP of around $38,500 (2004 est.)[2]
In the British Virgin Islands it has long been fashionable to talk about the "twin pillars" of the Territory's economy – tourism and financial services. Politically, tourism is the more important of the two, as it employs a greater number of people within the Territory, and a larger proportion of the businesses in the tourist industry are locally owned, as are a number of the highly tourism-dependent sole traders (e.g. taxi drivers and street vendors). Economically, however, financial services is by far the more important. Nearly 50% of the Government's revenue comes directly from licence fees for offshore companies, and considerable further sums are raised directly or indirectly from payroll taxes relating to salaries paid within the trust industry sector (which tend to be higher on average than those paid in the tourism sector).
Tourism accounts for 45% of national income. The islands are a popular destination for U.S. citizens, with around 350,000 tourists visiting annually (1997 figures). Tourists frequent the numerous white sand beaches, visit The Baths on Virgin Gorda, snorkel the coral reefs near Anegada, experience the well-known bars of Jost Van Dyke, or charter yachts to explore the less accessible islands. A substantial number of the tourists who visit the BVI are cruise ship passengers, although they produce far lower revenue per head than charter boat tourists and hotel based tourists. They are nonetheless important to the substantial (and politically important) taxi driving community.
Substantial revenues are also generated by the registration of offshore companies. As of 2004, over 550,000 companies were so registered. In 2000 KPMG reported in its survey of offshore jurisdictions for the United Kingdom government that over 41% of the world's offshore companies were formed in the British Virgin Islands. Since 2001, financial services in the British Virgin Islands have been regulated by the independent Financial Services Commission.
Agriculture and industry account for only a small proportion of the islands' GDP. Agricultural produce includes fruit, vegetables, sugar cane, livestock and poultry, and industries include rum distillation, construction and boatbuilding.
Since 1959, the official currency of the British Virgin Islands has been the US dollar, also used by the United States Virgin Islands.
The British Virgin Islands are a major target for drugs traffickers, who use the area as a gateway to the United States. According to the Foreign & Commonwealth Office, drugs trafficking is "potentially the most serious threat to stability in the BVI".[3]
Transport
Being a small group of islands, transportation is limited. There are 70 miles of roads less than the 100 miles of park trails in New York City. The main airport, Terrance B. Lettsome International Airport also known as Beef Island Airport, is located on Beef Island, which lies off the eastern tip of Tortola. Virgin Gorda and Anegada have their own smaller airports. The main harbor is in Road Town.
Demographics
The population of the Islands was around 21,730 in 2003. The majority of the population of 83% are African-Caribbean, descended from the slaves brought to the islands by the British. Other large ethnic groups include those of British and other European origin. As of a 1999 census report 7.3% of the population was white from groups of Great Britain, Portugal and Syria/Lebanon. 5.4% were of mixed heritage, 3.14% were East Indian and 0.84% was in the others category.
The islands are predominantly Protestant Christian at 86%. The largest individual denominations are Methodist with 33%, Anglican at 17% and Catholic with 10%.
Culture
Virgin Islander culture is syncretic, based primarily on African and European cultural influences. Though the Danish controlled the present-day U.S. Virgin Islands for many years, the dominant language has been an English-based Creole since the 19th century, and the islands remain much more receptive to English language popular culture than any other. The Dutch, the French and the Danish also contributed elements to the island's culture, as have immigrants from the Arab world, India and other Caribbean islands. The single largest influence on modern Virgin Islander culture, however, comes from the Africans enslaved to work in canefields from the 17th to the mid-19th century. These African slaves brought with them traditions from across a wide swathe of Africa, including what is now Nigeria, Senegal, both Congos, Gambia and Ghana.[4]
Music
The music of the Virgin Islands reflects long-standing cultural ties to the island nations to the south as well as to various European colonialists. Though the U.S. Virgin Islands and British Virgin Islands are politically separate, they maintain close cultural ties. From its neighbors, the Virgin Islands has imported various pan-Caribbean genres of music, including calypso from Trinidad and reggae from Jamaica.
The traditional music of the British Virgin Islands is called fungi after the local cornmeal dish with the same name, often made with okra. The special sound of fungi is due to a unique local fusion between African and European music. It functions as a medium of local history and folklore and is therefore a cherished cultural form of expression that is part of the curriculum in British Virgin Island (BVI) schools. The fungi bands, also called "scratch bands", use instruments ranging from the calabash, washboard, bongos and the ukulele, to more traditional western instruments like the keyboard, banjo, guitar, bass, triangle and saxophone. Apart from being a form of festive dance music, fungi often contains humorous social commentaries, as well as BVI oral history.[5]
There are Virgin Islander institutions that support and promote the islands' folk heritage. Bradley Christian's St. Croix Heritage Dancers, for example, are folkloric group, one of several quadrille ensembles that offer a "compact, staged rendition" of folk traditions, along with educational narration.[4]
Music education in the Virgin Islands is primarily based around the Western classical tradition, particularly orchestral and concert band music. Local folk music is also a part of the music curriculum; quadrilles are taught in schools in St. Croix, and Charlotte Amalie High School on St. Thomas is home to a well-known student scratch band.[4]
See also
- List of British Virgin Islands-related topics
- Communications on the British Virgin Islands
- Demographics of the British Virgin Islands
- Military of the British Virgin Islands
- Music of the Virgin Islands
- Politics of the British Virgin Islands
- Virgin Islands Creole
ReferencesISBN links support NWE through referral fees
- Non-Self-Governing Territories listed by General Assembly in 2002. United Nations Special Committee of 24 on Decolonization. Retrieved 10 March, 2005.
- ↑ Wilson, Samuel M. ed. The Indigenous People of the Caribbean. Gainesville: University Press of Florida, 1997. ISBN 0813016924
- ↑ CIA. Economy: British Virgin Islands. The World Factbook, CIA publications, 19 December. 2006. Retrieved 25 December. 2006.
- ↑ British Virgin Islands Country Profile, Foreign & Commonwealth Office
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 Sheehy, pp 968-974
- ↑ Penn, Dexter J.A. Music of the British Virgin Islands: Fungi. Retrieved 25 December 2006.
External links
Official sites
- The Government of the British Virgin Islands (official government site)
- The Government of the BVI, London Office - Official government site
- British Virgin Islands: Nature's Little Secrets- Official site of the British Virgin Islands Tourist Board
- The British Virgin Islands Welcome - Official, bi-monthly BVI Tourist Board publication
- The British Virgin Islands Ports Authotity - Official site
- National Parks Trust of the British Virgin Islands - Official site
- British Virgin Islands Financial Services Commission - Official site
News and media
- BVI Platinum News - Daily News (Online) of the British Virgin Islands
- BVI News - Daily News (Online) of the British Virgin Islands
- The Island Sun - Weekly newspaper of the British Virgin Islands
- The BVI Beacon - Weekly newspaper of the British Virgin Islands
- BVI Standpoint - Weekly newspaper of the British Virgin Islands
- BVI Travel Guide
Directories
- Travel guide to British Virgin Islands from Wikitravel
- Open Directory Project - British Virgin Islands directory category
- The Paradise Islands guide to the British Virgin Islands includes information and over 150 unique photographs of 20 islands in the BVI chain
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