The British Overseas Territories are fourteen territories that are under the sovereignty of the United Kingdom, but are not part of the United Kingdom itself. Consisting of the main islands of Tortola, Virgin Gorda, Anegada and Jost Van Dyke, along with over fifty other smaller islands -approximately fifteen of the islands are inhabited and cays- the British Virgin Islands is one of the British territories located in the Caribbean to the east of Puerto Rico.The capitlal, Road Town is situated in Tortola.
The Arawaks inhabited the islands until the fifteenth century when they were displaced by the more aggressive Caribs, a tribe from the Lesser Antilles islands, after whom the Caribbean Sea is named.
Columbus came upon the entire string of Virgin Islands on his second voyage to the New World, in 1493 and named them after the 11,000 virgins of 4th century martyr St. Ursula. Tortola is the largest and most populated of the British Virgin Islands. The local belief is that the name was originally given to the island by Christopher Columbus, meaning “land of the Turtle Dove“.
Air travel is the only way to access the British Virgins Islands, however, long-distance direct flights are unavailable. Connections are readily available through Puerto Rico and Antigua. Some travelers opt to fly directly into St. Thomas and then travel to Tortola by ferry.
Tortola history took on a distinct European flavor in the 17th century when the British established a permanent plantation colony on Tortola and the surrounding islands. The sugar industry dominated Tortola history over the next 150 years, faltering only in the mid 1800s with the abolition of slavery.
Tortola is governed by a British-appointed leader, but many of the island’s affairs remain controlled from London. Financial services are the main source of income to the island. The hugely popular International Business Companies Act, passed in the early 1980s, led to huge growth in government revenue. Even though the British Virgin Islands are under the British flag, the U.S. dollar is the official currency. The island is home to many offshore companies that do business worldwide.
Dolphin Discovery | Tortola, BVI