The 2004 CIA World Factbook. United States. Central Intelligence Agency
and various services needed to support the
military installations are done by military and contract employees
from the UK, Mauritius, the Philippines, and the US. There are no
industrial or agricultural activities on the islands. When the Ilois
return, they plan to reestablish sugarcane production and fishing.
Electricity - production:
NA kWh; note - electricity supplied by the US military
Electricity - consumption:
NA kWh
Communications British Indian Ocean Territory
Telephones - main lines in use:
NA
Telephone system:
general assessment: separate facilities for military and public
needs are available
domestic: all commercial telephone services are available, including
connection to the Internet
international: international telephone service is carried by
satellite (2000)
Radio broadcast stations:
AM 1, FM 2, shortwave 0 (1998)
Radios:
NA
Television broadcast stations:
1 (1997)
Televisions:
NA
Internet country code:
.io
Internet Service Providers (ISPs):
1 (2000)
Transportation British Indian Ocean Territory
Highways:
total: NA km
paved: short section of paved road between port and airfield on
Diego Garcia
unpaved: NA km
Ports and harbors:
Diego Garcia
Airports:
1 (2003 est.)
Airports - with paved runways: total: 1 over 3,047 m: 1 (2004 est.)
Military British Indian Ocean Territory
Military - note:
defense is the responsibility of the UK; the US lease on Diego
Garcia expires in 2016
Transnational Issues British Indian Ocean Territory
Disputes - international:
Mauritius and Seychelles claim the Chagos Archipelago and its
former inhabitants, who reside chiefly in Mauritius, but in 2001
were granted UK citizenship and the right to repatriation since
eviction in 1965; the UK resists the Chagossians' demand for an
immediate return to the islands; repatriation is complicated by the
exclusive US military lease of Diego Garcia that restricted access
to the largest island in the chain
This page was last updated on 10 February, 2005
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@British Virgin Islands
Introduction British Virgin Islands
Background:
First settled by the Dutch in 1648, the islands were annexed in
1672 by the English. The economy is closely tied to the larger and
more populous US Virgin Islands to the west; the US dollar is the
legal currency.
Geography British Virgin Islands
Location:
Caribbean, between the Caribbean Sea and the North Atlantic Ocean,
east of Puerto Rico
Geographic coordinates:
18 30 N, 64 30 W
Map references:
Central America and the Caribbean
Area:
total: 153 sq km
note: comprised of 16 inhabited and more than 20 uninhabited
islands; includes the island of Anegada
water: 0 sq km
land: 153 sq km
Area - comparative:
about 0.9 times the size of Washington, DC
Land boundaries:
0 km
Coastline:
80 km
Maritime claims: territorial sea: 3 nm exclusive fishing zone: 200 nm
Climate:
subtropical; humid; temperatures moderated by trade winds
Terrain:
coral islands relatively flat; volcanic islands steep, hilly
Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Caribbean Sea 0 m
highest point: Mount Sage 521 m
Natural resources:
NEGL
Land use: arable land: 20% permanent crops: 6.67% other: 73.33% (2001)
Irrigated land:
NA sq km
Natural hazards:
hurricanes and tropical storms (July to October)
Environment - current issues: limited natural fresh water 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
People British Virgin Islands
Population:
22,187 (July 2004 est.)
Age structure:
0–14 years: 21.5% (male 2,402; female 2,361)
15–64 years: 73.5% (male 8,395; female 7,911)
65 years and over: 5% (male 594; female 524) (2004 est.)
Median age:
total: 30.9 years
male: 31.1 years
female: 30.7 years (2004 est.)
Population growth rate:
2.06% (2004 est.)
Birth rate:
14.96 births/1,000 population (2004 est.)
Death rate:
4.42 deaths/1,000 population (2004 est.)
Net migration rate:
10.01 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2004 est.)
Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.02 male(s)/female
15–64 years: 1.06 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 1.13 male(s)/female
total population: 1.06 male(s)/female (2004 est.)
Infant mortality rate:
total: 18.05 deaths/1,000