Background: First settled by the Dutch in 1648, the islands were soon after (1672) annexed by the English. The economy is closely tied to the larger and more populous US Virgin Islands to the west; the US dollar is the legal currency.

NOTE: The information regarding British Virgin Islands on this page is re-published from the 2001 World Fact Book of the United States Central Intelligence Agency. No claims are made regarding the accuracy of British Virgin Islands Introduction 2001 information contained here. All suggestions for corrections of any errors about British Virgin Islands Introduction 2001 should be addressed to the CIA.