Everything about the United States Virgin Islands totally explained
The
United States Virgin Islands are a group of
islands in the
Caribbean that are an
insular area of the
United States. The islands are geographically part of the
Virgin Islands archipelago and are located in the
Leeward Islands of the
Lesser Antilles.
The U.S. Virgin Islands consist of the main islands of
Saint Croix,
Saint John and
Saint Thomas, along with the much smaller but historically distinct
Water Island, and many other surrounding
minor islands. The total land area of the territory is 346.36 km² (133.73 sq mi). As of the
2000 census the population was 108,612.
Three of the main islands have nicknames often used by locals: "Rock City" (St. Thomas), "Love City" (St. John), and "Twin City" (St. Croix).
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,
Britain, the
Netherlands,
France, and
Denmark-Norway.
The
Danish West India Company settled on
Saint Thomas in 1672, on
Saint John in 1694, and purchased
Saint Croix from
France in 1733. The islands became royal Danish colonies in 1754, their name translating to
Jomfruøerne in Danish.
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.
For the remainder of the period of Danish rule, the islands were not economically viable and significant transfers were made from the Danish state budgets to the authorities in the islands. In 1867 a treaty to sell Saint Thomas and Saint John to the United States was agreed, but the sale was never effected. A number of reforms aimed at reviving the islands' economy were attempted, but none had great success. A second draft treaty to sell the islands to the United States was negotiated in 1902 but was narrowly defeated in the Danish parliament. It was initially administered by the U.S. Federal government and didn't become a part of the U.S. Virgin Islands territory until 1996, when 50 acres of land was transferred to the territorial government. The remaining of the island were purchased from the US Department of the Interior in May 2005 for $10, a transaction which marked the official change in jurisdiction.
Geography
The U.S. Virgin Islands are located in the
Caribbean Sea and the
Atlantic Ocean, about 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 Historical 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
hurricanes.
Politics
organized, unincorporated United States territory. Even though they're
U.S. citizens, Virgin Island residents can't vote in
presidential elections. Virgin Island residents, however, are able to vote in presidential primary elections.
The main political parties in the U.S. Virgin Islands are the
Democratic Party of the Virgin Islands, the
Independent Citizens Movement, and the
Republican Party of the Virgin Islands. Additional candidates run as independents.
At the national level, the U.S. Virgin Islands elects a
delegate to Congress from its
at-large . However, the elected delegate, while able to vote in committee, can't participate in floor votes. The current House of Representatives delegate is
Donna Christensen (D).
At the territorial level, 15
senators—seven from the district of Saint Croix, seven from the district of Saint Thomas and Saint John, and one senator at-large who must be a resident of Saint John—are elected for two-year terms to the
unicameral Virgin Islands Legislature.
The U.S. Virgin Islands has elected a
territorial governor every four years since 1970. Previous governors were appointed by the President of the United States.
The U.S. Virgin Islands has a
District Court,
Supreme Court and
Superior Court. The District Court is responsible for federal law, while the Superior Court is responsible for Virgin Islands law at the trial level and the Supreme Court is responsible for appeals from the Superior Court for all appeals filed on or after January 29, 2007. Appeals filed prior to that date are heard by the Appellate Division of the District Court. Judges are appointed by the President and the governor respectively.
The United States Congress has never organized local referendums to aid in the self-determination. As with
Puerto Rico, the residents have been given the choice of independence, status quo, or statehood via local plebiscites not validated or approved by the U.S. Congress. However, these measures have failed to attract sufficient civic interest or voter turn-out to produce even a noteworthy plurality, much less a majority, and thus the islands will retain their current territorial status for the foreseeable future.
The U.S. Virgin Islands are part of the
United Nations list of Non-Self-Governing Territories.
Economy
Tourism is the primary economic activity. The islands normally host 2 million visitors a year, many of whom visit on
cruise ships.
The manufacturing sector consists of
petroleum refining,
textiles,
electronics,
rum distilling,
pharmaceuticals, and
watch assembly. The agricultural sector is small, with most food being imported. International business and
financial services are a small but growing component of the economy.
Hovensa, one of the world's largest
petroleum refineries, is located on Saint Croix.
The U.S. Virgin Islands are permanently on Atlantic Standard Time and don't participate in
daylight saving time. When the U.S. is on Standard Time, the U.S. Virgin Islands are one hour ahead of Eastern Standard Time. When the U.S. is on daylight saving time, Eastern Daylight Time is the same as Atlantic Standard Time.
The islands are subject to
tropical storms and hurricanes. In recent history, substantial damage was caused by
Hurricane Hugo in 1989 and
Hurricane Marilyn in 1995. The islands were also struck by
Hurricane Bertha in 1996,
Hurricane Georges in 1998 and
Hurricane Lenny in 1999, but damage wasn't as severe in those hurricanes.
The U.S. Virgin Islands is the only part of the United States where traffic
drives on the left, though almost all vehicles are left hand drive (as they're imported from the United States).
Demographics
As of the
census of 2000, there were 108,612 people, 40,648 households, and 26,636 families residing in the territory. The racial makeup of the territory was 76.19%
Black or African Descent, 13.09%
White, 7.23% from
other races, and 3.49% from two or more races.
Hispanic or
Latino of any race were 13.99% of the population.
There were 40,648 households out of which 34.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 33.2% were
married couples living together, 24.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 34.5% were non-families. 30.2% of all households were made up of individuals and 6.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.64 and the average family size was 3.34.
In the territory the population was spread out with 31.6% under the age of 18, 8.0% from 18 to 24, 27.1% from 25 to 44, 24.9% from 45 to 64, and 8.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 33 years. For every 100 females there were 91.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 87.7 males. The annual population growth is -0.12%.
The median income for a household in the territory was $24,704, and the median income for a family was $28,553. Males had a median income of $28,309 versus $22,601 for females. The
per capita income for the territory was $13,139. About 28.7% of families and 32.5% of the population were below the
poverty line, including 41.7% of those under age 18 and 29.8% of those age 65 or over.
Districts and sub-districts
The U.S.
Virgin Islands are administratively divided into two
districts and subdivided into 20
sub-districts.
The
districts are:
Transportation
The
Cyril E. King International Airport serves St. Thomas and St. John and the
Henry E. Rohlsen International Airport serves St. Croix.
The U.S. Virgin Islands are the only area of the United States which drives on the left. It isn't known the exact reason for this, but theories range from British influence in the 1800s to the donkey's preference to walk on the left side of the road when donkey carts were used instead of cars. There are problems with this, though, as most cars on the road are left hand drive, and therefore the driver sits to the outside of the road. This is because many of the cars are imported from the mainland United States.
Education
Virgin Islands Department of Education (External Link
) serves as the territory's education agency.
Two school districts operate schools:
St. Thomas-St. John School District (External Link) of St. Thomas and St. John and
St. Croix School District of St. Croix.
(External Link)Further Information
Get more info on 'United States Virgin Islands'.
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