ibbean Supreme Court, one judge of the
Supreme Court is a resident of the islands and presides over the High
Court

Political parties and leaders: United Party or UP [Conrad MADURO];
Virgin Islands Party or VIP [Ralph T. O'NEAL]; Concerned Citizens
Movement or CCM [E. Walwyn BREWLEY]; Independent People's Movement or
IPM [Omar HODGE and Allen O'NEAL]

International organization participation: Caricom (associate), CDB,
ECLAC (associate), Interpol (subbureau), IOC, OECS (associate), UNESCO
(associate)

Diplomatic representation in the US: none (dependent territory of the
UK)

Diplomatic representation from the US: none (dependent territory of
the UK)

Flag description: blue with the flag of the UK in the upper hoist-side
quadrant and the Virgin Islander coat of arms centered in the outer
half of the flag; the coat of arms depicts a woman flanked on either
side by a vertical column of six oil lamps above a scroll bearing the
Latin word VIGILATE (Be Watchful)

@British Virgin Islands:Economy

Economy-overview: The economy, one of the most prosperous in the
Caribbean, is highly dependent on tourism, which generates an
estimated 45% of the national income. In 1985, the government began
offering offshore registration to companies wishing to incorporate in
the islands, and incorporation fees now generate substantial revenues.
An estimated 210,000 companies were on the offshore registry by
yearend 1996. The adoption of a comprehensive insurance law in late
1994, which provides a blanket of confidentiality with regulated
statutory gateways for investigation of criminal offenses, is expected
to make the British Virgin Islands even more attractive to
international business. Livestock raising is the most important
agricultural activity; poor soils limit the islands' ability to meet
domestic food requirements. Because of traditional close links with
the US Virgin Islands, the British Virgin Islands has used the dollar
as their currency since 1959.

GDP: purchasing power parity-$144 million (1996 est.)

GDP-real growth rate: 4.5% (1996 est.)

GDP-per capita: purchasing power parity-$11,000 (1996 est.)

GDP-composition by sector:
agriculture: 3%
industry: 14%
services: 83% (1989)

Inflation rate-consumer price index: 2.5% (1990 est.)

Labor force:
total: 4,911 (1980)
by occupation: tourism NA%

Unemployment rate: 3% (1995)

Budget:
revenues: $77.1 million
expenditures: $76.4 million, including capital expendi