The British Virgin Islands is an overseas territory of the United Kingdom. It consists of over 50 islands and cays located in the Caribbean, to the east of Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Originally part of the Dutch Empire, the Islands were acquired by Britain in 1672.
» British Virgin Islands General Information
Area: 153 sq km (59 sq miles)
Capital: Roadtown
Currency: US Dollar
Head of state: Queen Elizabeth II, represented by Governor David Pearey.
Language: English
Main exports: Rum, fruit, livestock, sand and gravel
New Year's Day (1 Jan), Commonwealth Day (early March), Easter (late March or April), Queen's Birthday (30 April), Whit Monday (late May or early June), Sovereign's Birthday (June), Territory Day (early July), St Ursula's Day (21 Oct), Birthday of Heir to the Throne (14 Nov), Christmas Day (25 Dec), Boxing Day (26 Dec).
› Visas
Citizens of the US and Canada do not require a visa or passport, but should carry a birth certificate or naturalisation certificate with a picture ID to prove citizenship. British citizens need a passport but not a visa. Citizens of all other countries need a passport and, in some cases, a visa. Visitors are permitted to stay up to six months but must have an onward ticket.
» British Virgin Islands History
The Islands were first settled by Arawak Indians from South America in around 100 BC. They settled the Islands until the 15th century when they were removed by the more aggressive Caribs, a tribe from the Lesser Antilles islands, after whom the Caribbean Sea is named.
In 1493, The Islands were sighted and named by Christopher Columbus on his second voyage to the Americas. The Spanish Empire acquired the Islands in the early 16th century, mining copper on Virgin Gorda. The Dutch established a permanent settlement on Tortola in 1648. In 1672, the English arrived in the region, and annexed the Islands, removing the Dutch populations from Tortola in 1672, and from Anegada and Virgin Gorda in 1680. The English introduced sugar cane to the Islands, which was to become the main crop, and source of foreign trade. Slaves were brought from Africa to work on the sugar cane plantations. The Islands prospered economically until the growth in the sugar beet crop in Europe and the United States significantly reduced sugar cane production.
The English, Dutch, French, Spanish and Danish all jostled for control of the islands for the next two hundred years; the final act seeing the English oust the Dutch and gaining a permanent foothold in Virgin Gorda and Tortola.
By the 1600's England had ended up with Tortola, Virgin Gorda, Anegada and the other islands that make up the present day BVI and the Danish had the other Virgin Islands (St. John, St. Thomas, St. Croix). The BVIs were more strategic than anything else for the British, but were planted when economic conditions were particularly favourable.
In 1917, the United States purchased St. John, St. Thomas and St. Croix from the Danish for US$17 million, renaming them the United States Virgin Islands. Subsequently, the British renamed the islands they controlled as the British Virgin Islands.
The Islands were administered variously as part of the Leeward Islands Colony or with St. Kitts and Nevis, with an Administrator representing the British Government on the Islands. Separate colony status was gained for the Islands in 1960 and the Islands became autonomous in 1967. Since the 1960s, the Islands have diversified away from their traditionally agriculture based economy towards tourism and financial services, becoming one of the richest areas in the Caribbean.
Within acres of lush tropical parkland, looking out onto a secluded sandy beach, the Bitter End Yacht Club Hotel is an idyllic 4-star hotel in the British Virgin Islands.
The Long Bay Beach Resort & Villas Hotel is located in Tortola, the main island of the British Virgin Islands, twelve miles from the airport and six miles from the main town, Road Town.
The Long Bay Beach Resort & Villas Hotel is the right choice to honeymooners, couples and families seeking relaxation and soft adventure.
