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St Croix USVI
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Saint Croix is one of the United States
Virgin Islands, a United States territory, in
the Caribbean. It is the largest of the U.S.
Virgin Islands being 28 by 7 miles (45 by 11
km).
History
It was inhabited by Arawaks and Caribs prior to
European colonization of the Americas.
Christopher Columbus visited there on November
14, 1493 giving it the name Santa Cruz. His
initial visit led to a battle in which one
Spaniard and one Carib were killed. This
heralded warfare between the Spaniards and
Caribs which lasted for over one hundred years
until the Spanish abandoned their colony. In the
seventeenth century the island was colonised by
Dutch and English settlers, who were soon in
conflict with one another. Eventually the Dutch
abandoned their settlement, and then the English
settlement was destroyed by the Spanish who
retook the island in 1650. However they on their
turn were immediately ousted by the French.
The island was owned by the Knights of St John
after being bequeathed by De Poincy, Governor of
the French colony of St Kitts in 1660. However
they sold it to the French West India Company in
1665. Under Governor Dubois the colony became
profitable with over 90 plantations growing such
crops as tobacco, cotton, sugar cane, and
indigo. After Dubois' death the colony declined
and the island was abandoned by Europeans until
1733 when it was sold to the Danish West India
and Guinea Company. This company placed no
national restrictions on colonists and soon
attracted Spanish Sephardic Jews, Huguenots, and
English settlers, the last of which came to
dominate the Island. Sugar became the major
crop. However the development of sugar beet in
Europe undermined the economy of the colony.
Slavery was abolished in 1848, but in 1862, St.
Croix received a shipload of East Indians that
were indentured on the island for five years.
There was a revolt by former slaves in 1878 when
much of Frederiksted, the major town was burnt.
In 1917, the Virgin Islands were sold by Denmark
to the United States of America for $25 million.
In return, the United States backed Denmark's
claim to Greenland.
The island suffered major damage in September
1989 when it was struck by Hurricane Hugo.
Although the U.S. Virgin Islands remain under
the U.S. flag, the islands are an unincorporated
territory with a non-voting delegate to the
United States House of Representatives. Although
taxpaying citizens, residents of the islands
have no vote in national elections.
Geography
A 1754 Danish map of the islandThere are two
towns on the island; Christiansted with a 2004
population of 3,000 and Frederiksted with a 2004
population of 830. The total population of the
island is about 50,000. Inhabitants are called "Crucians"
and English is the most common language with
some Creole and Spanish also spoken.
Fort Christiansvaern built in 1749 and other
buildings are maintained by the National Park
Service as the Christiansted National Historic
Site.
Buck Island Reef National Monument preserves a
176 acre (71 ha) island just north of Saint
Croix and the surrounding reefs. This is a
popular destination for snorkelers, and it is
the only underwater national park in the United
States.
There are several scuba diving companies
operating from Christiansted. Off the north
coast of the island, there are many good
destinations for diving, featuring scenic coral
reefs, clear water, and abundant tropical fish.
Point Udall on the island is proclaimed as the
easternmost point in the United States.
(However, that distinction actually belongs to
Saipan, the largest of the Northern Mariana
Islands in the Pacific Ocean)
St. Croix lies at 17°45′N 64°45′W. The island
has an area of a little over eighty square miles
(207 km²). The terrain is rugged, though not
extremely so. The highest point on the island,
Mount Eagle, is 1,165 feet (355 m) high. Most of
the east end is quite hilly and steep, as is the
north side from Christiansted west. From the
north side hills a fairly even plain slopes down
to the south coast: this was the prime sugar
land on the island. The trade wind blows more or
less along the length of the island, and the
hills of the western part of the island receive
a good deal more rain than the east end: annual
rainfall is on the whole extremely variable,
averaging perhaps forty inches (1000 mm) a year.
Fairly severe and extended drought has always
been a problem, particularly considering the
lack of fresh ground water. Desalination is an
option, however most residential homes have a
built-in cistern used to collect rain water.
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The United States Virgin Islands are a
group of islands in the Caribbean that is a
dependency of the United States. These islands
are geographically part of the Virgin Islands.
The U.S. Virgin Islands are made up of the four
main islands of St. Thomas, St. John, St. Croix
and Water Island and many smaller islands. They
are the only U.S. territory where traffic drives
on the left.
In Denmark, they are also referred to as The
Former Danish West Indian Islands
History
The Virgin Islands were originally settled by
the Ciboney, Carib, and Arawaks. The islands
were named by Christopher Columbus on his second
voyage in 1493 for Saint Ursula and her virgin
followers. Over the next three hundred years,
the islands were held by many European powers,
including Spain, England, Netherlands, France,
the Knights of Malta, and Denmark.
The Danish West India Company settled on Saint
Thomas in 1672, on Saint John in 1694, and
purchased Saint Croix from the French in 1733.
The islands became royal Danish colonies in
1754, their name in Danish translating as
Jomfruøerne. Sugarcane, produced by slave labor,
drove the islands' economy during the 18th and
early 19th centuries, until the abolition of
slavery by Governor Peter von Scholten on July
3, 1848.
During the submarine warfare phases of the First
World War, the USA, fearing that the islands
might be seized by Germany as a submarine base,
approached Denmark to sell the islands to the
USA. On January 17, 1917, the United States
bought the Danish West Indies for $25 million
and took possession of the islands on March 31.
The Danish Crown may have felt pressure to
accept the sale, thinking that the USA would
seize the islands, if Denmark was invaded by
Germany. U.S. citizenship was later granted to
the inhabitants of the islands in 1927.
Geography
Main article: Geography of the U.S. Virgin
Islands
The U.S. Virgin Islands are located in the
Caribbean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean, about 50
miles east of Puerto Rico. The territory
consists of four main islands: Saint Thomas,
Saint John, Saint Croix, and Water Island, as
well as several dozen smaller islands. The
combined land area of the islands is roughly
twice the size of Washington, D.C..
The U.S. Virgin Islands are known for their
white sand beaches, including Magens Bay and
Trunk Bay, and strategic harbors, including
Charlotte Amalie and Christiansted. Most of the
islands, including Saint Thomas, are volcanic in
origin and hilly. The highest point is Crown
Mountain, Saint Thomas (474m). Saint Croix, the
largest of the U.S. Virgin Islands, lies to the
south and has a flatter terrain. The National
Park Service owns more than half of Saint John,
nearly all of Hassel Island, and many acres of
coral reef. (See also Virgin Islands National
Park, Virgin Islands Coral Reef National
Monument, Buck Island Reef National Monument,
Christiansted National Historic Site, and Salt
River Bay National Historic Park and Ecological
Preserve.)
The Virgin Islands lie on the boundary of the
North American plate and the Caribbean Plate.
Natural hazards include earthquakes, tropical
cyclones and tsunamis.
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Background:
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During the 17th century, the archipelago was divided
into two territorial units, one English and the
other Danish. Sugarcane, produced by slave labor,
drove the islands' economy during the 18th and early
19th centuries. In 1917, the US purchased the Danish
portion, which had been in economic decline since
the abolition of slavery in 1848. |
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Location:
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Caribbean, islands between the Caribbean Sea and the
North Atlantic Ocean, east of Puerto Rico
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Geographic coordinates:
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18 20 N, 64 50 W
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Map references:
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Central America and the Caribbean |
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Area:
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total: 352 sq km
water: 3 sq km
land: 349 sq km |
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Area - comparative:
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twice the size of Washington, DC |
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Climate:
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subtropical, tempered by easterly trade winds,
relatively low humidity, little seasonal temperature
variation; rainy season May to November |
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Terrain:
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mostly hilly to rugged and mountainous with little
level land |
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Nationality:
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noun: Virgin Islander(s)
adjective: Virgin Islander |
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Ethnic groups:
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black 80%, white 15%, other 5%
note: West Indian (45% born in the Virgin
Islands and 29% born elsewhere in the West Indies)
74%, US mainland 13%, Puerto Rican 5%, other 8%
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Religions:
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Baptist 42%, Roman Catholic 34%, Episcopalian 17%,
other 7% |
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Languages:
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English (official), Spanish, Creole |
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Currency:
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US dollar (USD)
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Currency code:
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USD |
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Exchange rates:
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the US dollar is used
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