British Virgin Islands 1-DOLLAR (KM6)¶
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Reverse MAGNIFICENT FRIGATEBIRD
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Obverse Queen Elizabeth II
- Composition
- Copper-Nickel
- Country
- British Virgin Islands
- Approx. Size
- 39mm
- Area
- Caribbean
- Animal Class
- Birds
- Species
- Magnificent Frigatebird
- KM#
- 6
The Magnificent Frigatebird was once known as the "Man o' War" due to its great speed and aerial piracy of other birds' meals. This bird has been clocked doing a 400 km/h dive! The Magnificent Frigate is a bird of the air. It cannot walk or swim, but can stay in the air for more than a week at a time. When it lands, it must do so on cliffs or high trees, since it cannot take off from the ground. With a wingspan up to 2.5 m, they have the highest wingspan to weight ratio of any bird. Their favourite meal in the British Virgin Islands is flying fish.
British Virgin Islands¶
- Area
- Caribbean
Approximately 50 small islands make up the British Virgin Islands, with people living on about one-third of them. Christopher Columbus saw and named the islands in 1493, and some Dutch settlers took up residence in the middle of the 17th century. England took over in 1672. The islands were called the "Virgin Islands" until after World War II. That was when the U.S. made a real estate deal for the Danish West Indies, and renamed them the "U.S. Virgin Islands." I guess they wanted a piece of the action. Meanwhile, Britain was forced to change the name of their paradise slightly to avoid confusion. The government issued the first ever coinage in 1973, all with animals.
