The 2008 CIA World Factbook. United States. Central Intelligence Agency
kWh; note - electricity supplied by the US military
Electricity - consumption:
NA kWh
Currency (code):
US Dollar (USD)
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: country code (Diego Garcia) - 246; 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 hosts:
89 (2008)
Internet Service Providers (ISPs):
1 (2000)
Transportation
British Indian Ocean Territory
Airports:
1 (2007)
Airports - with paved runways:
total: 1 over 3,047 m: 1 (2007)
Roadways:
note: short section of paved road between port and airfield on Diego Garcia
Ports and terminals:
Diego Garcia
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 claims the Chagos Archipelago including Diego Garcia; in 2001, the former inhabitants of the Chagos Archipelago, evicted in 1967 and 1973 and now residing chiefly in Mauritius, were granted UK citizenship and the right to repatriation; in May 2007, the UK Court of Appeals upheld the May 2006 High Court of London judgment reversing the UK government's 2004 Orders of Council that banned habitation on the islands; a small group of Chagossians visited Diego Garcia in April 2006; repatriation is complicated by the exclusive US military lease of Diego Garcia that restricts access to the largest viable island in the chain
This page was last updated on 18 December, 2008
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@British Virgin Islands
Introduction
British Virgin Islands
Background:
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.
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 land: 153 sq km water: 0 sq km note: comprised of 16 inhabited and more than 20 uninhabited islands; includes the islands of Tortola, Anegada, Virgin Gorda, Jost van Dyke
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% (2005)
Irrigated land:
NA
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:
24,041 (July 2008 est.)
Age structure:
0–14 years: 20% (male 2,432/female 2,366) 15–64 years: 74.4% (male 9,178/female 8,715) 65 years and over: 5.6% (male 697/female 653) (2008 est.)
Median age:
total: 32 years male: 32.1 years female: 31.9 years (2008 est.)
Population growth rate:
1.88% (2008 est.)
Birth rate:
14.72 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)
Death rate:
4.37 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)
Net migration rate:
8.44 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2008 est.)
Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.03 male(s)/female 15–64 years: 1.05 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 1.07 male(s)/female total population: 1.05 male(s)/female (2008 est.)
Infant