The following outline is provided as an overview of and topical guide to the British Virgin Islands:
British Virgin Islands (BVI) – British overseas territory located in the eastern portion of the Virgin Islands Archipelago in the Caribbean Sea.[1] The Virgin Islands are part of the Leeward Islands of the Lesser Antilles. The United States Virgin Islands comprises the western portion of the archipelago. Technically the name of the Territory is simply the "Virgin Islands", but in practice since 1917 they have been almost universally referred to as the "British Virgin Islands" to distinguish the islands from the American Territory.[2] To add to the regional confusion, the Puerto Rican islands of Culebra, Vieques and surrounding islands began referring to themselves as the "Spanish Virgin Islands" as part of a tourism drive in the early 2000s.
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. Approximately fifteen of the islands are inhabited. The largest island, Tortola, is approximately 20 km (approx. 12 mi) long and 5 km (approx. 3 mi) wide. The islands have a total population of about 22,000, of whom approximately 18,000 live on Tortola. Road Town, the capital, is situated on Tortola.
General reference
edit
- Pronunciation:
- Common English country name: The British Virgin Islands
- Official English country name: Virgin Islands[3]
- Common endonym(s):
- Official endonym(s):
- Adjectival(s): Virgin Island
- Demonym(s):
- ISO country codes: VG, VGB, 092
- ISO region codes: See ISO 3166-2:VG
- Internet country code top-level domain: .vg
Geography of the British Virgin Islands
editGeography of the British Virgin Islands
- The British Virgin Islands are: a British overseas territory
- Location:
- Northern Hemisphere and Western Hemisphere
- North America (though not on the mainland)
- Atlantic Ocean
- Time zone: Eastern Caribbean Time (UTC-04)
- Extreme points of the British Virgin Islands
- High: Mount Sage 521 m (1,709 ft)
- Low: Caribbean Sea 0 m
- Land boundaries: none
- Coastline: 80 km
- Northern Hemisphere and Western Hemisphere
- Population of the British Virgin Islands: 2005 census: 22,016
- Area of the British Virgin Islands: 153 km²
- Atlas of the British Virgin Islands
Environment of the British Virgin Islands
edit- Climate of the British Virgin Islands
- Renewable energy in the British Virgin Islands
- Geology of the British Virgin Islands
- Protected areas of the British Virgin Islands
- Wildlife of the British Virgin Islands
Natural geographic features of the British Virgin Islands
edit- Fjords of the British Virgin Islands
- Glaciers of the British Virgin Islands
- Islands of the British Virgin Islands
- Lakes of the British Virgin Islands
- Mountains of the British Virgin Islands
- Rivers of the British Virgin Islands
- Valleys of the British Virgin Islands
- World Heritage Sites in the British Virgin Islands: None
Regions of the British Virgin Islands
editRegions of the British Virgin Islands
Ecoregions of the British Virgin Islands
editList of ecoregions in the British Virgin Islands
Administrative divisions of the British Virgin Islands
editAdministrative divisions of the British Virgin Islands
Provinces of the British Virgin Islands
editProvinces of the British Virgin Islands
Districts of the British Virgin Islands
editDistricts of the British Virgin Islands
Municipalities of the British Virgin Islands
editMunicipalities of the British Virgin Islands
- Capital of the British Virgin Islands: Road Town
- Cities of the British Virgin Islands
Demography of the British Virgin Islands
editGovernment and politics of the British Virgin Islands
editPolitics of the British Virgin Islands
- Form of government: parliamentary representative democratic dependency
- Capital of the British Virgin Islands: Road Town
- Elections in the British Virgin Islands
- Political parties in the British Virgin Islands
- Taxation in the British Virgin Islands
Branches of the government of the British Virgin Islands
editGovernment of the British Virgin Islands
Executive branch of the government of the British Virgin Islands
edit- Head of state: Monarch of the United Kingdom, King Charles III
- Monarch's representative: Governor of the British Virgin Islands, John Rankin
- Head of government: Premier of the British Virgin Islands, Natalio Wheatley
- Cabinet: Cabinet of the British Virgin Islands
Legislative branch of the government of the British Virgin Islands
editJudicial branch of the government of the British Virgin Islands
editCourt system of the British Virgin Islands
- Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court
- Magistrate's Court of the British Virgin Islands
- Juvenile Court of the British Virgin Islands
- Court of Summary Jurisdiction of the British Virgin Islands
Foreign relations of the British Virgin Islands
editForeign relations of the British Virgin Islands
International organization membership
editThe government of the British Virgin Islands is a member of:[1]
- Caribbean Community and Common Market (Caricom) (associate)
- Caribbean Development Bank (CDB)
- International Criminal Police Organization (Interpol) (subbureau)
- International Olympic Committee (IOC)
- Organization of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS)
- United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) (associate)
- Universal Postal Union (UPU)
- World Federation of Trade Unions (WFTU)
Law and order in the British Virgin Islands
editLaw of the British Virgin Islands
- Constitution of the British Virgin Islands
- Crime in the British Virgin Islands
- Human rights in the British Virgin Islands
- Law enforcement in the British Virgin Islands
Military of the British Virgin Islands
editMilitary of the British Virgin Islands
- Command
- Forces
- Military history of the British Virgin Islands
- Military ranks of the British Virgin Islands
Local government in the British Virgin Islands
editHistory of the British Virgin Islands
editCulture of the British Virgin Islands
editCulture of the British Virgin Islands
- Architecture of the British Virgin Islands
- Cuisine of the British Virgin Islands
- Festivals in the British Virgin Islands
- Languages of the British Virgin Islands
- Media in the British Virgin Islands
- National symbols of the British Virgin Islands
- People of the British Virgin Islands
- Public holidays in the British Virgin Islands
- Records of the British Virgin Islands
- Religion in the British Virgin Islands
- World Heritage Sites in the British Virgin Islands: None
Art in the British Virgin Islands
edit- Art in the British Virgin Islands
- Cinema of the British Virgin Islands
- Literature of the British Virgin Islands
Literature
editAmong the noted names in Virgin Islands literature are Alphaeus Osario Norman (1885-1942), Verna Penn Moll, Jennie Wheatley, and Patricia G. Turnbull. Their poetry and that of 22 other writers, including the fastly emerging poet and literary critic Richard Georges, can be found in Where I See the Sun – Contemporary Poetry in The Virgin Islands (Tortola, Virgin Gorda, Anegada, Jost Van Dyke), an anthology edited by Lasana M. Sekou in 2016.[4]
- Music of the British Virgin Islands
- Television in the British Virgin Islands
- Theatre in the British Virgin Islands
Sports in the British Virgin Islands
editEconomy and infrastructure of the British Virgin Islands
editEconomy of the British Virgin Islands
- Economic rank, by nominal GDP (2007): 170th (one hundred and seventieth)
- Agriculture in the British Virgin Islands
- Banking in the British Virgin Islands
- Communications in the British Virgin Islands
- Companies of the British Virgin Islands
- Currency of the British Virgin Islands: Dollar
- Energy in the British Virgin Islands
- Mining in the British Virgin Islands
- British Virgin Islands Stock Exchange
- Tourism in the British Virgin Islands
- Transport in the British Virgin Islands
Education in the British Virgin Islands
editSee also
edit
References
edit- ^ a b "British Virgin Islands". The World Factbook. United States Central Intelligence Agency. 3 July 2009. Retrieved 23 July 2009.
- ^ British Virgin Islands government publications had traditionally continued to commence with "The Territory of the Virgin Islands", but recently, more and more legislation now simply refers to the Territory as the British Virgin Islands. The Interpretation Act (Cap 136) (1985) defines the "Territory" as simply the "Virgin Islands"; but the Insolvency Act, 2003 defines a "foreign company" as 'a body corporate that is incorporated, registered or formed outside the British Virgin Islands.'
- ^ The Virgin Islands (Constitution) Order 1976
- ^ "Virgin Islands Platinum News ... BVI Daily News You Can Count on".
External links
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Wikimedia Atlas of the British Virgin Islands
- Official sites and overviews
- 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 Ports Authority – Official site
- National Parks Trust of the British Virgin Islands – Official site
- British Virgin Islands Financial Services Commission – Official site
- British Virgin Islands. The World Factbook. Central Intelligence Agency.
- Directories
