Although an archipelago of just under sixty islands, under a third are populated. They are not as commercialised as their US counterparts but that should not make the visitor think that they are less luxurious. They are generally considered an idyllic destination because of their understated elegance rather than the often brash, inescapable tourism found on other Caribbean islands. This is concurrent with being an almost outrageously wonderful sailing destination. The BVIs, as they are called, are a popular travel destination for sailors, fishermen (and women), sun worshippers, and other independent travellers, albeit not for the cost conscious. Boating among the dozens of tiny, mostly uninhabited, islands is a great stop on any tour of the Caribbean islands.
First settled by the Dutch in 1648, the islands were annexed in 1672 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. The British Virgin Islands are a self-governing British overseas territory, situated in the Caribbean just to the east of the US Virgin Islands.
