This volcanic archipelago, just east of Puerto Rico, consists of over fifty islands, but only fifteen are settled. The four islands largest in size and population are Tortola, Virgin Gouda, Jost Van Dyke and Anegada. Tortola, spanning 55 square miles and housing 24,000 residents, hosts the capital of the British Virgin Islands, Road Town. Nearly half of Tortola’s inhabitants and several governmental institutions call the coastal capital home.
Though the official language is English, incomers from neighboring isles have brought French Creole and Spanish-speaking communities into the country. Food on the British Virgin Islands further reflects the country’s cultural relationship with nearby Caribbean islands. Residents are fond of roti, an Indian-Trinidadian dish, and pates, a variation of Jamaica’s classic patty. American pastimes like baseball and basketball are slowly gaining equal footing with traditional sports such as cricket and sailing.
- The Emancipation Festival or the August Festival is the islanders’ celebration of emancipation from slavery. There are food fairs, musical shows, pageants, horse races and parades.
- There is a long mural, known simply as the “Wall”, that proves as a very popular attraction on the island, because it shows many scenes of the islands’ history and heritage.
- Christopher Columbus, who discovered the islands, named them after St. Ursula, the princess who was sent to her betrothed with 11,000 virginal female companions.
- Citizens of the British Virgin Islands belong to the European Union, but the country uses the American dollar as its national currency.
- Tortola is the most populated of the four major inhabited islands that make up the British Virgin Isles.
- Mount Sage National Park is a conserved region in the British Virgin Isles. It was set aside for conservation in 1964 and said to have been undisturbed by men since the arrival of Christopher Columbus.
- Mt. Sage’s peak sits high at 1,716 feet, making it the highest point in the country.