What is the capital of British Virgin Islands?
Country Name | British Virgin Islands |
Full Country Name | None |
Abbreviation | BVI |
Etymology- history of name | The myriad islets, cays, and rocks surrounding the major islands reminded explorer Christopher COLUMBUS in 1493 of Saint Ursula and her 11,000 virgin followers (Santa Ursula y las Once Mil Virgenes), which over time shortened to the Virgins (las Virgenes) |
Government Type | Parliamentary democracy (House of Assembly); self-governing overseas territory of the UK |
Capital Name | Road Town |
Capital - geographic coordinate | 18 25 N, 64 37 W |
Capital Time Difference | UTC-4 (1 hour ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) |
Independence | None (overseas territory of the UK) |
National Holiday | Territory Day, 1 July (1956) |
Constitution | Several previous; latest effective 15 June 2007 |
Dependency Status | Overseas territory of the UK; internal self-governing |
Who is the president of British Virgin Islands?
Executive Branch: |
Chief of State: King CHARLES Philip Arthur George III (Since 8 September 2022) previous Queen ELIZABETH II (6 February 1952 - 8 September 2022); represented by Governor Gus JASPERT (since 22 August 2017) Head of Government: Premier Andrew FAHIE (since 26 February 2019) Cabinet: Executive Council appointed by the governor from members of the House of Assembly Elections/Appointments: the monarchy is hereditary; the governor is appointed by the monarch; following legislative elections, the leader of the majority party or majority coalition usually appointed premier by the governor |
Citizenship Criteria: | See United Kingdom |
Legal System: | English common law |
Suffrage: | 18 years of age; universal |
Legislative Branch: |
Description: unicameral House of Assembly (15 seats; 13 members - 9 in single-seat constituencies and 4 at-large seats directly elected by simple majority vote and 2 ex-officio members - the attorney general and the speaker - chosen from outside the House; members serve 4-year terms) Elections: last held on 25 February 2019 (next to be held in 2023) Election Results: percent of vote by party - VIP 46.5%, NDP 28.2%, PVIM 17.4%, PU 8%; seats by party - VIP 8, NDP 3, PVIM 1, PU 1; composition - men 12, women 3, percent of women 20% |
Judicial Branch: |
Highest Court(s): the Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court (ECSC) is the superior court of the Organization of Eastern Caribbean States; the ECSC - headquartered on St. Lucia - consists of the Court of Appeal - headed by the chief justice and 4 judges - and the High Court with 18 judges; the Court of Appeal is itinerant, traveling to member states on a schedule to hear appeals from the High Court and subordinate courts; High Court judges reside at the member states with 3 on the British Virgin Islands Judge Selection and Term of Office: Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court chief justice appointed by Her Majesty, Queen ELIZABETH II; other justices and judges appointed by the Judicial and Legal Services Commission; Court of Appeal justices appointed for life with mandatory retirement at age 65; High Court judges appointed for life with mandatory retirement at age 62 Subordinate Courts: Magistrates' Courts |
Regions or States: | None (overseas territory of the UK) |
Political Parties and Leaders: |
National Democratic Party or NDP [Orlando SMITH] Virgin Islands Party or VIP [Julian FRASER] |
International Organization Participation: | Caricom (associate), CDB, Interpol (subbureau), IOC, OECS, UNESCO (associate), UPU |
Diplomatic Representation in the US: | None (overseas territory of the UK) |
Diplomatic Representation from US: | None (overseas territory of the UK) |