Tortola is the Caribbean island home to Road Town, the capital of the British Virgin Islands.
Tortola is the largest and most populated island in the British Virgin Islands, a British Overseas Territory in the northeastern Caribbean. Road Town sits on the island’s southern coast beside Road Harbour and serves as the territory’s administrative and commercial center.
The island’s name comes from the Spanish word tortola, meaning turtle dove. Tortola is mountainous, with steep hills rising behind the coastal settlements, and tourism and sailing are important parts of its economy.
Tortola is often confused with the nearby U.S. Virgin Islands. Road Town is on Tortola, while Charlotte Amalie, the capital of the U.S. Virgin Islands, is on Saint Thomas.