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Virgin Islands
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St.Thomas |
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St Croix
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The Virgin Islands are an archipelago in
the Caribbean Sea. The islands are divided into
two parts, one of which, the British Virgin
Islands, is an overseas territory of the United
Kingdom. The other, the U.S. Virgin Islands, is
an unincorporated and organized territory of the
United States.
Christopher Columbus named the islands Santa
Ursula y las Once Mil Vírgenes (shortened to Las
Vírgenes), after St Ursula and her 11,000
Virgins. They were inhabited by Carib Indians,
whom Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor wiped out
when he took over the islands in 1555 for the
Holy Roman Empire.
The islands were later peopled by Africans who
were enslaved on sugar plantations, and on at
least one indigo plantation. The sugar
plantations are now gone, but the descendents of
the slaves are still there, sharing a common
West Indian culture with the other
English-speaking islands of the Caribbean.
Tourism is now the main industry.
On both the British and the US Virgin Islands,
cars are driven on the left-hand side of the
road and the currency is the US dollar.
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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