Virgin Islands

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SECTIONS:

Forest Cover | Forest types | Breakdown of forest types | Change in Forest Cover | Primary forest | Forest designation | Disturbances affecting forest land | Protected areas | Biodiversity - Wildlife | Biodiversity - Plants | Value of forests | Production, trade and consumption of forest products | Environment | Land use / Resources | Economy | Population / Demographics | Infrastructure | Health | References | Books

Books

[an error occurred while processing this directive] [an error occurred while processing this directive] [an error occurred while processing this directive] [an error occurred while processing this directive] [an error occurred while processing this directive] [an error occurred while processing this directive] [an error occurred while processing this directive] Virgin Islands: Protected areas Protected areas Biosphere reserves, 2005 Wetlands of international importance (Ramsar sites), 2005 World Heritage sites, 2004 Protected Areas: IUCN categories I-V, percent of total land 0.0% Protected Areas: IUCN categories Ia, Ib, and II, extent, percent of total land 0.00% Protected Areas: IUCN categories III, IV, and V, percent of total land, 2004 0.00% Protected Areas: IUCN categories VI and other, percent of total land, 2004 0.00% Virgin Islands: Biodiversity - Wildlife Amphibians total species 5 endemic species 1 threatened species Birds total species 223 endemic species 5 threatened species Mammals total species 11 endemic species 0 threatened species Reptiles total species 23 endemic species 4 threatened species Wildlife diversity total species 262 endemic species 10 threatened species 0 [an error occurred while processing this directive] [an error occurred while processing this directive] [an error occurred while processing this directive] Virgin Islands: Environment Environment - current issues lack of natural freshwater resources Environment - international agreements several hurricanes in recent years; frequent and severe droughts and floods; occasional earthquakes Virgin Islands: Land use / Resources Land use (%) arable land: 11.76% permanent crops: 2.94% other: 85.3% (2001) Natural resources sun, sand, sea, surf Virgin Islands: Economy Economy - overview: Tourism is the primary economic activity, accounting for 80% of GDP and employment. The islands normally host 2 million visitors a year. The manufacturing sector consists of petroleum refining, textiles, electronics, pharmaceuticals, and watch assembly. The agricultural sector is small, with most food being imported. International business and financial services are a small but growing component of the economy. One of the world's largest petroleum refineries is at Saint Croix. The islands are subject to substantial damage from storms. The government is working to improve fiscal discipline, to support construction projects in the private sector, to expand tourist facilities, to reduce crime, and to protect the environment. GDP - per capita $17,200 (2002 est.) GDP - real growth rate (%) 2% (2002 est.) Agriculture - products fruit, vegetables, sorghum; Senepol cattle GDP - composition by sector (%) agriculture: 1%, industry: 19%, services: 80% (2003 est.) Industries tourism, petroleum refining, watch assembly, rum distilling, construction, pharmaceuticals, textiles, electronics Economic aid - recipient NA Debt - external NA Population below poverty line (%) NA Labor force - by occupation (%) agriculture 1%, industry 19%, services 80% (2003 est.) Virgin Islands: Population / Demographics Population (July 2005) 108,708 Population growth rate (%) (2005) -0.07% Population density (people/sq km) (2005) 311.5 Median age (years) total: 36.52 years Total fertility rate (children born/woman) 2.19 (2005 est.) Ethnic groups (%) black 76.2%, white 13.1%, Asian 1.1%, other 6.1%, mixed 3.5% (2000 census) [an error occurred while processing this directive] Virgin Islands: Infrastructure Telephones - main lines in use 69,400 (2002) Telephones - mobile cellular 41,000 (2002) Roadways (km) total: 1,257 km paved: 1,192 km unpaved: 65 km note: the only US possession where driving on the left side of the road is practiced (2003) Virgin Islands: Health Life expectancy at birth (years) total population: 78.91 years male: 75.08 years female: 82.96 years (2005 est.) Infant mortality rate 8.03 deaths/1,000 live births HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate (%) NA Virgin Islands : References & Data Sources  Environment, Land use / Resources, Economy, Population / Demographics, Infrastructure, Health -- CIA World Factbook, 2005  Forest Cover, Forest types, Breakdown of forest types, Change in Forest Cover, Primary forests, Forest designation, Disturbances affecting forest land, Value of forests, Production, trade and consumption of forest products -- The FOOD AND AGRICULTURE ORGANIZATION OF THE UNITED NATIONS's Global Forest Resources Assessment (2005) and the State of the World�s Forests (2005, 2003, 2001)  Protected Areas, Plant and animal biodiversity -- United Nations Environment Programme - World Conservation Monitoring Centre (UNEP-WCMC). 2004. World Database on Protected Areas.  Biosphere reservers -- United Nations Education, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) - Man and Biosphere Program. 2004. UNESCO - MAB Biosphere Reserves Directory.  RAMSAR sites -- The Bureau of the Convention on Wetlands . 2005. The Ramsar List of Wetlands of International Importance.  World Resources Institute's EarthTrends web site  The 2004 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species  Population Data -- United Nations Population Fund  With additional analysis by Rhett Butler of mongabay.com