|
 The
British Virgin Islands (BVI), grouped around Sir
Francis Drake Channel, are less developed than the US
group, and number some 60 islands, islets, rocks, and
cays, of which only 16 or so are inhabited. They are all
of volcanic origin except one, Anegada, which is coral and
limestone. Most of the land was cleared years ago for its
timber or to grow crops, and it is now largely covered by
secondary forest and scrub. In the areas with greatest
rainfall there are mangoes and palm trees, but generally
the islands can look brown and parched, or green and lush
just after rain. Mangrove and sea grape can be found in
some areas along the shore.
While
there are some large resorts in the BVI, there are no
high-rise hotels, casinos and very few nightclubs, as
found in some of the other islands which depend heavily on
tourism. In fact, there is very little to do at all on
land and nearly everything happens in the beautiful water
which surrounds the islands. If you are keen on water
sports and sailing and have adequate finance (the Virgin
Islands are not cheap), you will enjoy island hopping.
The
two major islands, Tortola and Virgin Gorda, along with
the groups of Anegada and Jost Van Dyke, contain most of
the total population of about 20,000, which is mainly of
African descent. The resident population was only 10,985
in 1980 and most of the increase has come from inward
migration of workers for the construction and tourist
industries. About half the present population is of
foreign origin. There has recently been a return flow of
people from the Dominican Republic, whose parents and
grandparents were originally from Tortola, seeking a
higher standard of living. Everyone speaks English.
Click
here to go to British Virgin Islands web
site. |
