ointed by the governor from among the members of the
Legislative Council head of government: Chief Minister Ralph T. O'NEAL
(since 15 May 1995) cabinet: Executive Council appointed by the governor
from members of the Legislative Council

Legislative branch: unicameral Legislative Council (13 seats; members
are elected by direct popular vote, one member from each of 9 electoral
districts, four at-large members; members serve four-year terms)
elections: last held 17 May 1999 (next to be held NA 2003) election
results: percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - VIP 7, CCM 1,
NDP 5

Judicial branch: Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court, consisting of the
High Court of Justice and the Court of Appeal (one judge of the Supreme
Court is a resident of the islands and presides over the High Court);
Magistrate's Court; Juvenile Court; Court of Summary Jurisdiction

Political parties and leaders: Concerned Citizens Movement or CCM [Ethlyn
SMITH]; National Democratic Party or NDP [Orlando SMITH]; United Party
or UP [Gregory MADURO]; Virgin Islands Party or VIP [Ralph T. O'NEAL]

Political pressure groups and leaders: NA

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

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

Diplomatic representation from the US: none (overseas 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)

Economy British Virgin Islands

Economy - overview: The economy, one of the most stable and prosperous in
the Caribbean, is highly dependent on tourism, generating an estimated 45%
of the national income. An estimated 350,000 tourists, mainly from the
US, visited the islands in 1998. In the mid-1980s, the government began
offering offshore registration to companies wishing to incorporate in the
islands, and incorporation fees now generate substantial revenues. Roughly
400,000 companies were on the offshore registry by yearend 2000. The
adoption of a comprehensive insurance law in late 1994, which provides
a blanket of confidentiality with regulated statutory gateways for
investigation of c