19 Blissful Facts about British Virgin Islands

1. How many islands are there?

The British Virgin Islands (not to be confused with the US Virgin Islands) is a small archipelago of 4 main islands and many smaller islands in the Caribbean Sea.

There are around a total of 60 islands here, but just 16 are inhabited! They include Anegada, Cooper Island, Guana, Jost Van Dyke, Mosquito Island, Necker, Peter Island, Salt Island, Scrub Island, Tortola and Virgin Gorda.

2. There’s no bordering neighbors.

Being an archipelago, it has no bordering countries. Its nearest neighbors, however, are Bermuda to the north, Anguilla to the east, US Virgin Islands to the south and south-west and Puerto Rico to the west.

3. The BVIs are seriously small.

This small group of islands has a combined area of 59 square miles (153 square kilometers). BVI’s population was estimated at 30,237 in 2020.

Flag of the British Virgin Islands

4. An inventive name…

Residents here are referred to as ‘British Virgin Islanders’, just in case you were wondering!

5. What’s the capital of the British Virgin Islands?

The capital city is called Road Town and has a population of 12,603 (2012).

6. It’s up and down here!

The terrain here is relatively flat on the coral islands, with the volcanic islands showcasing beautiful rolling hills – perfect for gentle expeditions.

7. The islands were named by Christopher Columbus.

In 1493 Christopher Columbus visited the islands and named them ‘Las Virgines’.

8. How to find the British Virgin Islands on a map:

To follow in the footsteps of the famous explorer and visit this famous sailing destination, the coordinates are 18.4285° N, 62.6243°

9. Britain stepped in back in the 17th century.

BVI became a British territory in 1672.

Tortola, British Virgin Islands

10. The weather’s lovely!

BVI enjoys a sub-tropical climate with temperatures moderated by trade winds. Bliss!

11. Sounds gross, probably isn’t!

The national dish of BVI is called ‘fish and fungi’ and is usually served with mayonnaise or butter sauce – doesn’t sound great, but we’re sure it’s yummy!

12. You’ll live long and happy here.

The average life expectancy here is 79.8 sun kissed years (2015).

Tortola, BVI

13. Leave the British pennies at home.

The currency of BVI is the United States Dollar, surprisingly!

14. Another great reason to move here!

The locals pay a very low 8% income tax!

15. Dual citizenship was once in play.

British Virgin Islanders were once legally citizens of the EU because of their British citizenship.

16. What do they speak in the British Virgin Islands?

As you may expect, English is the official language of BVI.

17. It’s a massive tourist region.

BVI has one of the most prosperous economies in the Caribbean thanks to its thriving tourism sector.

18. The BVIs grow and export all kinds of things.

They grow fruits and vegetables, rear livestock and poultry and catch fish.

The country’s industry consists mostly of tourism, but also of light industry, construction, rum and offshore banking.

BVI exports fresh fish, rum, fruits, animals, gravel and sand.

Virgin Gorda – Devils Bay, BVI

19. Want to call the British Virgin Islands?

To call your friends or family who are enjoying the sun in BVI, you’ll need the international dialling code which is +1248.

FAQs about The British Virgin Islands