| Country name | conventional long form: none conventional short form: British Virgin Islands abbreviation: BVI etymology: the myriad islets, cays, and rocks surrounding the major islands reminded explorer Christopher COLUMBUS in 1493 of Saint Ursula and her 11,000 virgin followers (Santa Ursula y las Once Mil Virgenes), which over time shortened to the Virgins (las Virgenes) |
| Dependency status | Overseas Territory of the UK; internal self-governing |
| Government type | Overseas Territory of the UK with limited self-government; parliamentary democracy |
| Capital | name: Road Town geographic coordinates: 18 25 N, 64 37 W time difference: UTC-4 (1 hour ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time) etymology: name refers to the nautical term "roadstead" or "roads," a body of water less sheltered than a harbor but where where ships can lie reasonably safely at anchor sheltered from rip currents, spring tides, or ocean swells |
| Administrative divisions | none (overseas territory of the UK) |
| Independence | none (Overseas Territory of the UK) |
| National holiday | Territory Day, 1 July (1956) |
| Constitution | history: several previous; latest effective 15 June 2007 (The Virgin Islands Constitution Order 2007) amendments: initiated by any elected member of the House of Assembly; passage requires simple majority vote by the elected members of the Assembly and assent by the governor on behalf of the monarch; amended 2015 |
| Legal system | English common law |
| Citizenship | see United Kingdom |
| Suffrage | 18 years of age; universal |
| Executive branch | chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952); represented by Governor John J. RANKIN (since 29 January 2021) head of government: Premier Andrew FAHIE (since 26 February 2019) cabinet: Executive Council appointed by the governor from members of the House of Assembly elections/appointments: the monarchy is hereditary; governor appointed by the monarch; following legislative elections, the leader of the majority party or majority coalition usually appointed premier by the governor |
| Legislative branch | description: unicameral House of Assembly (15 seats; 13 members - 9 in single-seat constituencies and 4 at-large seats directly elected by simple majority vote and 2 ex-officio members - the attorney general and the speaker - chosen from outside the House; members serve 4-year terms) elections: last held on 25 February 2019 (next to be held in 2023) election results: percent of vote by party - VIP 46.5%, NDP 28.2%, PVIM 17.4%, PU 8%; seats by party - VIP 8, NDP 3, PVIM 1, PU 1; composition - men 12, women 3, percent of women 20% |
| Judicial branch | highest courts: the Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court (ECSC) is the superior court of the Organization of Eastern Caribbean States; the ECSC - headquartered on St. Lucia - consists of the Court of Appeal - headed by the chief justice and 4 judges - and the High Court with 18 judges; the Court of Appeal is itinerant, traveling to member states on a schedule to hear appeals from the High Court and subordinate courts; High Court judges reside in the member states, with 3 in the British Virgin Islands judge selection and term of office: Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court chief justice appointed by Her Majesty, Queen ELIZABETH II; other justices and judges appointed by the Judicial and Legal Services Commission; Court of Appeal justices appointed for life with mandatory retirement at age 65; High Court judges appointed for life with mandatory retirement at age 62 subordinate courts: Magistrates' Courts |
| Political parties and leaders | National Democratic Party or NDP [Myron WALWYN] People's Empowerment Party or PEP [Alvin CHRISTOPHER] Progressive Virgin Islands Movement or PVIM [Ronnie SKELTON] Progressives United or PU [Julian FRASER] Virgin Islands Party or VIP [Andrew FAHIE] |
| International organization participation | Caricom (associate), CDB, Interpol (subbureau), IOC, OECS, UNESCO (associate), UPU |
| Diplomatic representation in the US | none (overseas territory of the UK) |
| Diplomatic representation from the US | embassy: none (overseas territory of the UK) |
| Flag description | blue with the flag of the UK in the upper hoist-side quadrant and the Virgin Islander coat of arms centered in the outer half of the flag; the coat of arms depicts a woman flanked on either side by a vertical column of six oil lamps above a scroll bearing the Latin word VIGILATE (Be Watchful); the islands were named by COLUMBUS in 1493 in honor of Saint Ursula and her 11 virgin followers (some sources say 11,000) who reputedly were martyred by the Huns in the 4th or 5th century; the figure on the banner holding a lamp represents the saint; the other lamps symbolize her followers |
| National symbol(s) | zenaida dove, white cedar flower; national colors: yellow, green, red, white, blue |
| National anthem | note: as a territory of the United Kingdom, "God Save the Queen" is official (see United Kingdom) |
Source: CIA World Factbook
This page was last updated on September 18, 2021
