Part of island group of the Caribbean Lesser Antilles
The
British Virgin Islands
(BVI) are one of three political divisions of the
Virgin Islands
archipelago
located in the
Lesser Antilles
, between the
Caribbean Sea
and the
North Atlantic Ocean
. The BVI are the easternmost part of the island chain. The land area totals (151 km
2
(58 sq mi)) (about 0.9 times the size of
Washington, DC
) and comprises 16 inhabited and more than 20 uninhabited islands.
[1]
The islands of
Tortola
(54 km
2
(21 sq mi)),
Anegada
(36 km
2
(14 sq mi)),
Virgin Gorda
(21 km
2
(8 sq mi)) and
Jost van Dyke
(10 km
2
(4 sq mi)) are the largest.
[2]
Maritime claims include 12
nmi
(22.2 km; 13.8 mi) territorial sea and a 200 nmi (370.4 km; 230.2 mi)
exclusive fishing zone
.
[1]
In terms of land use, it is 20% arable land, 6.67% permanent crops and 73.33% other as of a 2005 figure.
It has strong ties to nearby
U.S. Virgin Islands
and
Puerto Rico
.
Terrain
[
edit
]
The majority of the islands are steep and hilly due to their volcanic origin.
[3]
The lowest point of the island chain is the
Caribbean Sea
while the highest point is
Mount Sage
at 521 metres (1,709 ft) above sea level and there are 80 kilometres (50 mi) of coastline.
[1]
Other than Anegada, the islands are composed of
pyroclastic rock
and mixed deposits of
diorite
and
tonalite
[4]
Anegada is geologically distinct, being composed of
carbonate
reef deposits.
[4]
The entire archipelago, together with Puerto Rico to the west, is the above-water high points on an underwater ridge that was once a continuous land mass during the
Pleistocene
epoch.
[5]
This
bank
formed from
tectonic
forces at the boundary where the
Caribbean Plate
collides with the
North American Plate
.
[5]
Settlements
[
edit
]
The capital of the territory and the main port of entry for yachts and cruise ships visiting the BVI is
Road Town
on Tortola.
[3]
In 2010, The United Nations found that 83% or the BVI population lived on Tortola, making Road Town the largest population center of the islands.
[6]
Spanish Town
on Virgin Gorda, also known as "The Valley", is the second largest settlement and the original capital of the territory.
[7]
Virgin Gorda was mined for copper in the 17th through 19th centuries but declined when the mine closed in 1867. The creation of a yacht harbour and resort by
Laurance Rockefeller
in the early 1960s turned Spanish Town into a wealthy tourist destination.
[2]
Residents on Jost van Dyke, Anegada, Cooper lsland, Great Camanoe Island and other locations collectively make up just over 2% of the population.
[6]
Climate
[
edit
]
The British Virgin Islands have a
tropical savanna climate
, moderated by the
trade winds
. Temperatures vary little throughout the year. In the capital,
Road Town
, typical daily maxima are around 32
°C
(89.6
°F
) in the summer and 29 °C (84.2 °F) in the winter. Typical daily minima are around 24
°C
(75.2
°F
) in the summer and 21 °C (69.8 °F) in the winter. Rainfall averages about 1,150 mm (45.3 in) per year, higher in the hills and lower on the coast. Rainfall can be quite variable, but the wettest months on average are September to November and the driest months on average are February and March. Hurricanes occasionally hit the islands, with the hurricane season running from June to November.
Climate data for Road Town, British Virgin Islands
|
Month
|
Jan
|
Feb
|
Mar
|
Apr
|
May
|
Jun
|
Jul
|
Aug
|
Sep
|
Oct
|
Nov
|
Dec
|
Year
|
Mean maximum °C (°F)
|
26
(78)
|
25.3
(77.5)
|
25.3
(77.6)
|
25.9
(78.6)
|
26.7
(80.1)
|
27.5
(81.5)
|
27.8
(82.1)
|
28.1
(82.6)
|
28.2
(82.8)
|
27.9
(82.2)
|
27.2
(80.9)
|
26.3
(79.3)
|
28.2
(82.8)
|
Daily mean °C (°F)
|
25
(77)
|
24.7
(76.5)
|
24.8
(76.6)
|
25.3
(77.6)
|
26
(79)
|
26.9
(80.5)
|
27.2
(80.9)
|
27.4
(81.4)
|
27.5
(81.5)
|
27
(81)
|
26.5
(79.7)
|
25.7
(78.3)
|
26.2
(79.2)
|
Mean minimum °C (°F)
|
24.4
(75.9)
|
24.1
(75.4)
|
24.2
(75.5)
|
24.7
(76.4)
|
25.4
(77.7)
|
26.2
(79.2)
|
26.3
(79.4)
|
26.6
(79.9)
|
26.6
(79.9)
|
26.3
(79.4)
|
25.7
(78.2)
|
25
(77)
|
24.1
(75.4)
|
Average
precipitation
mm (inches)
|
41
(1.6)
|
33
(1.3)
|
33
(1.3)
|
46
(1.8)
|
84
(3.3)
|
66
(2.6)
|
86
(3.4)
|
110
(4.2)
|
130
(5.2)
|
140
(5.6)
|
120
(4.9)
|
58
(2.3)
|
947
(37.5)
|
Average rainy days
|
10
|
8
|
7
|
8
|
12
|
11
|
13
|
15
|
15
|
15
|
14
|
12
|
140
|
Average
relative humidity
(%)
|
77
|
77
|
76
|
78
|
81
|
81
|
81
|
81
|
81
|
81
|
79
|
77
|
79
|
Mean daily
daylight hours
|
8.4
|
8.6
|
8.8
|
9.5
|
9.6
|
9.7
|
9.6
|
9.3
|
9.0
|
8.6
|
8.3
|
8.2
|
9.0
|
Source:
Climate-data.org
[8]
|
See also
[
edit
]
References
[
edit
]
|
---|
Sovereign states
| | |
---|
Dependencies and
other territories
| |
---|
|
---|
Sovereign states
| |
---|
Dependencies and
other territories
| |
---|