Tortola

Tortola ranks 1st on the list of the most beautiful islands in British Virgin Islands. Tortola is the largest island of the British Virgin Islands and is a part of the Lesser Antilles group, which connects the Atlantic and Caribbean oceans. It gets its name from the Spanish word tórtola, which means "turtle dove." It is located approximately 60 miles (100 kilometers) east of Puerto Rico. Tortola is made up of a lengthy chain of rugged hills that are not broken up by any transverse valleys. The island is about 3 miles (5 kilometers) broad, with Mount Sage reaching 1,781 feet at its highest point (543 meters). There is a remnant of a rare xerophytic (drought-tolerant) forest, with flora similar to that of the Greater Antilles and species not seen anywhere on Tortola.

Because of its temperature and topography, the island is ideally suited to livestock farming. Although tourism and financial services are the main economic sectors of the US Virgin Islands, cattle exports are significant. The government runs a stock-breeding farm that produces a hybrid that combines the heat resilience of tropical cattle with the higher productivity of temperate climate breeds. Tortola is home to almost four-fifths of the British Virgin Islands' population, the majority of whom are of African descent. 21 square miles of land (54 square km). The population was 19,282 in 2000 and 23,419 in 2010.

Location: British Virgin Islands