Virgin Islands, British, are a dependency of the United Kingdom in the West Indies. They lie near the western end of the Lesser Antilles. A channel called the Narrows separates them from the Virgin Islands of the United States (see VIRGIN ISLANDS [map]). The dependency has a land area of 59 square miles (153 square kilometers) and a population of about 20,000. It consists of more than 60 islands and isles. The largest of these are Anegada, Jost van Dyke, Tortola, and Virgin Gorda islands. Road Town (pop. 6,500), on Tortola, is the capital and only urban area. Tortola attracts many tourists. Major products of the islands include beef cattle, fish, fruits and vegetables, and rum.
Contributor: Gustavo A. Antonini, Ph.D., Prof. of Latin American Studies and Geography, Univ. of Florida. |