British Virgin Islands
The British Virgin Islands ( BVI ), also called the Virgin Islands 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. Technically the official 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. 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 capital, Road Town, is situated on Tortola, the largest island which is approximately 20 km (12 mi) long and 5 km (3 mi) wide. The islands have a total population of about 22,000, of whom approximately 18,000 live on Tortola.
Main article: Outline of the British Virgin Islands- List of British Virgin Islands-related topics
References
- ^ 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 .'
- ^ Wilson, Samuel M. ed. The Indigenous People of the Caribbean . Gainesville: University Press of Florida, 1997. ISBN 0813016924
- ^ In the United Kingdom, a major market for sugar from the Territory, the Sugar Duties Act 1846 also created a considerable downward effect on the price of Caribbean sugar cane.
- ^ Virgin Islands Constitution Order 2007
- ^ http://www.timesherald.com/articles/2009/05/09/business/doc4a04ef4f516e1869586320.txt
- ^ 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
- ^ British Virgin Islands Schools, BVI Government website
- ^ Penn, Dexter J.A. Music of the British Virgin Islands: Fungi. Retrieved 13 January 2008.
External links
- British Virgin Islands from UCB Libraries GovPubs
- British Virgin Islands at the Open Directory Project
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- "Non-Self-Governing Territories listed by General Assembly in 2002". United Nations Special Committee of 24 on Decolonization . http://www.un.org/Depts/dpi/decolonization/trust3.htm . Retrieved 10 March 2005 .
- 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 entry at The World Factbook
- Wikimedia Atlas of British Virgin Islands
- British Virgin Islands travel guide from Wikitravel