The British Virgin Islands (BVI), sometimes known as the Virgin Islands, is a British Overseas Territory located in the Caribbean, northeast of Anguilla and to the east of Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands. Geographically, the islands are a part of the Virgin Islands archipelago and are situated in the Lesser Antilles’ Leeward Islands. They are also a part of the West Indies.
Along with more than 50 other smaller islands and cays, the British Virgin Islands are made up of the four main islands of Tortola, Virgin Gorda, Anegada, and Jost Van Dyke.Of the islands, about 16 are populated.The largest island, Tortola, is about 20 km (12 mi) long and 5 km (3 mi) wide. Road Town, the capital, is located there. At the time of the 2010 Census, there were 35,802 people living on the islands, with 23,491 of them residing in Tortola (July 2018).
Etymology
In honour of Saint Ursula and the 11,000 virgins, Christopher Columbus gave the islands the name “Santa Ursula and the Once Mil Virgins” in 1493. Later, the term was abbreviated to “the Virgin Islands”. The area is still referred to officially as the “Virgin Islands,” however the prefix “British” is frequently used.
It is generally accepted that this is done to set it apart from the nearby American territory, whose name was changed from “Danish West Indies” to “Virgin Islands of the United States” in 1917. Local historians dispute this, citing a number of publications and official documents that mention the territory as the British Virgin Islands and date from between 21 February 1857 to 12 September 1919.
All laws and publications from the British Virgin Islands’ administration still start with the phrase “The territory of the Virgin Islands,” while the territory’s passports simply say “Virgin Islands.” Additionally, the Constitutional Commission of the territory has stated that “every effort should be made” to promote the usage of the term “Virgin Islands.” [7] However, a number of official and quasi-public organizations, including BVI Finance, BVI Electricity Corporation, BVI Tourist Board, BVI Athletic Association, BVI Bar Association, and others, continue to refer to the territory as the “British Virgin Islands” or “BVI.”
The British Government mandated in 1968 that the postage stamps in the territory should read “British Virgin Islands” instead of just “Virgin Islands,” and this practice is still in place today. [6] Due to the acceptance of US currency in the territory in 1959 and allusions to US currency on the territory’s stamps, this was probably done to avoid confusion.
History
Although there is some evidence of Amerindian presence on the islands as early as 1500 BC, it is generally accepted that the Arawak from South America first settled the Virgin Islands around 100 BC to AD 200.[8][5][9] The Arawaks inhabited the islands until the 15th century when they were driven out by the more aggressive Caribs, a tribe from the Lesser Antilles islands.
During his second voyage to the Americas in 1493, Christopher Columbus’ Spanish expedition made the first European sighting of the Virgin Islands, giving the islands their current name.
Early in the 16th century, the Spanish Empire claimed the islands by discovery but never colonized them. In the years that followed, the English, Dutch, French, Spanish, and Danish all fought for control of the area, which developed into a notorious haven for pirates. No native Amerindian population is known to have been in the British Virgin Islands during this time; it is assumed that they either left for other islands or perished.
By 1648, the Dutch had established a permanent presence on the island of Tortola, with the Spanish, who were stationed in neighboring Puerto Rico, regularly at odds with them. The English took Tortola from the Dutch in 1672, and in 1680 they also annexed Anegada and Virgin Gorda.
Geography
The British Virgin Islands are made up of over 60 tropical Caribbean islands, ranging in size from the largest, Tortola, which is 20 km (12 km) long and 5 km (3 mi) wide, to tiny uninhabited islets, which collectively cover an area of roughly 150 km (58 mi). They are situated inside the archipelago of the Virgin Islands, a little distance east of the US Virgin Islands, and 95 kilometers (59 miles) away from the Puerto Rican mainland.
Anguilla may be found 93 miles (150 km) to the east-southeast. The Caribbean Sea is to the west and the North Atlantic Ocean is to the east of the islands. The majority of the islands have a steep, rough landscape and are volcanic in origin. Mount Sage in Tortola has the greatest elevation at 521m. Anegada, a flat island made of limestone and coral, differs geologically from the rest of the group. The Leeward Islands' moist forests and the Leeward Islands' xeric scrub terrestrial ecoregions are found in the British Virgin Islands.
