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United States Virgin Islands

Image:Flag of the United States Virgin Islands.svg (In detail) (In detail)
National motto: "United in Pride and Hope"
Image:LocationUSVirginIslands.png
Official language	English
Capital	Charlotte Amalie
Head of State	George W. Bush
Governor	Charles Wesley Turnbull
Area  - Land  - % water	Ranked 202nd 346.36 km² 1%
Population  - Total (2005)  - Density	Ranked 191st 112,000 (July 2005 est.) 354/km²
Independence	none (territory of the U.S.), Revised Organic Act of 22 July 1954
Currency	U.S. dollar (USD)
Time zone	UTC-4 (no DST)
National anthem	Virgin Islands March
Internet TLD	.vi
Calling Code	+1 (340)

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 and are located in the Leeward Islands of the Lesser Antilles. The U.S. Virgin Islands consist of the four main islands of St. Thomas, St. John, St. Croix, and Water Island, and many smaller islands. It is the only part of the United States where traffic drives on the left. 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 [1].

In Denmark, they are also referred to as The Former Danish West Indian Islands (De tidligere Dansk Vestindiske Øer).

Contents 1 History 2 Administrative divisions 3 Geography 4 Politics 5 Economy 6 Trivia 7 Miscellaneous 8 See also 9 References 10 External links

[edit] History

Main article: History of the United States Virgin Islands

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, 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 France 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.

For the remainder of the Danish time, the islands were not economically viable and significant transfers were made from the Danish state budgets to the authorities in the islands. An attempt to sell the islands to the United States was made early in the 20th century, but a deal proved elusive. A number of reforms in the hope of reviving the islands' economy were attempted, but none having great success. The onset of World War I brought the reforms to a close, and again left the islands isolated and exposed.

During the submarine warfare phases of the First World War, the United States, fearing that the islands might be seized by Germany as a submarine base, once again approached Denmark to sell the islands to the United States. After a few months of negotiations a selling sum of $25 million was agreed. The Danish Crown may have felt some pressure to accept the sale, thinking that the United States would seize the islands if Denmark was invaded by Germany. However, at the same time the economics of continued possession weighed heavily on the minds of Danish decision makers, and a bipartisan consensus in favor of selling emerged in the Danish parliament. A subsequent referendum held in late 1916 confirmed the decision to sell by a wide margin. The deal was thus ratified and finalized on January 17, 1917, when the United States and Denmark exchanged their respective treaty ratifications. The U.S. took possession of the islands on March 31, 1917, when the territory was renamed the U.S. Virgin Islands.

U.S. citizenship was granted to the inhabitants of the islands in 1927.

[edit] Administrative divisions

Main article: Districts and sub-districts of the United States Virgin Islands

The U.S. Virgin Islands is administratively divided into 2 districts and subdivided into 20 sub-districts.

The districts include: St. Croix, and St. Thomas - St. John.

The sub-districts include: Anna's Hope Village, Central, Charlotte Amalie, Christiansted, Coral Bay, Cruz Bay, East End (St. Croix), East End (St. John), East End (St. Thomas), Frederiksted, Northcentral, Northside, Northwest, Sion Farm, Southcentral, Southside, Southwest, Tutu, Water Island, and West End.

[edit] Geography

Image:StJohnTrunkBay.jpgMain article: Geography of the United States 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 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 tsunamis.

[edit] Politics

Main articles on politics and government of the United States Virgin Islands can be found at the Politics and government of the United States Virgin Islands series.

The U.S. Virgin Islands are an organized, unincorporated territory of the United States. Even though they are U.S. citizens, Virgin Islanders cannot vote in U.S. Presidential elections.

The main political parties in the U.S. Virgin Islands are the Democratic Party of the Virgin Islands, the Independent Citizens Movement (ICM), 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 congressional district. However, the elected delegate while able to vote in committee cannot participate in floor votes.

At the territorial level, fifteen 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 both a District Court and a Superior Court. Judges are appointed by the President and the governor respectively.

The United States Congress has organized several local referenda to aid in the islands' self-determination. As with Puerto Rico, the residents have been given the choice of independence, status quo, or statehood; 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. It is theorized that Puerto Rican requests for political self-determination might serve as a catalyst for political interest in the U.S. Virgin Islands, as well as in other American territories.

With much controversy, these efforts by the federal government to normalize the unincorporated territory's status are completely discounted by the United Nations Committee on Decolonization, and the U.S. Virgin Islands are currently in the United Nations list of Non-Self-Governing Territories.

[edit] Economy

Main article: Economy of the United States Virgin Islands

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, textile, electronics, rum distilling, pharmaceutical, and watch assembly plants. 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 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 was not as severe in those hurricanes.

[edit] Trivia

• Three of the four U.S. Virgin Islands have nicknames often used by locals. St. Thomas - "Rock City", St. John - "Love City", and St. Croix - "Twin City"

• Though traffic drives on the left side of the road in the U.S. Virgin Islands, almost all vehicles are left hand drive (as they are imported from the United States). See Right Hand Driving: Caribbean

• Public access to beaches is considered a civil right. Public access over land however, is not.

• The U.S. Virgin Islands are permanently on Atlantic Standard Time and do not participate in Daylight Saving Time. When the U.S. is on Standard Time, the U.S. Virgin Islands are one hour ahead of the U.S. Eastern Time Zone. When the U.S. is on Daylight Saving Time, the U.S. Virgin Islands follow the same clock as Eastern Time.

[edit] Miscellaneous

Defense is the responsibility of the U.S. military.

[edit] See also

• Communications in the United States Virgin Islands
• Demographics of the United States Virgin Islands
• Government of the United States Virgin Islands
• Transportation in the United States Virgin Islands
• Music of the Virgin Islands
• Virgin Islands Creole
• List of United States Virgin Islands Governors
• United States Congressional Delegations from U.S. Virgin Islands
• List of United States Virgin Islands highways
• Scouting in the United States Virgin Islands
• Danish colonization of the Americas
• Henry E. Rohlsen International Airport
• Cyril E. King Airport
• List of Reggae Bands from the Virgin Islands
• United States Virgin Islands Police Department

[edit] References

• Virgin Islands of the United States, United States Census Bureau

[edit] External links

• Convention between the United States and Denmark for cession of the Danish West Indies, Signed at New York, August 4, 1916
• Transfer Day, from Denmark's consulate in the U.S. Virgin Islands
• Virgin Island FactPage

Image:Flag of the United States Virgin Islands.svg	Territory of the U.S. Virgin Islands
Topics	Geography · Economy · Demographics · Communications · Transportation
Government	Politics · Governors · Congressional Delegates · Senators · Elections
Capital	Charlotte Amalie
Cities	Charlotte Amalie · Charlotte Amalie West · Christiansted · Frederiksted · Cruz Bay  · Anna's Retreat ·
Islands	Saint Croix · Saint John · Saint Thomas · Water Island · Other
Parks	Virgin Islands NP · Virgin Islands Coral Reef NM · Buck Island Reef NM · Christiansted NHS · Salt River Bay NHP and Ecological Preserve

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Image:Flag of the United States.svg	Political divisions of the United States
Capital	District of Columbia
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Insular areas	American Samoa | Guam | Northern Mariana Islands | Puerto Rico | Virgin Islands
Minor outlying islands	Baker Island | Howland Island | Jarvis Island | Johnston Atoll | Kingman Reef | Midway Atoll | Navassa Island | Palmyra Atoll | Wake Island

Coordinates: 18°20′N 64°50′War:الجزر العذراء الأمريكية zh-min-nan:Bí-kok Virgin Kûn-tó bg:Американски Вирджински острови ca:Illes Verges Nord-americanes cs:Americké Panenské ostrovy da:De dansk-vestindiske øer de:Amerikanische Jungferninseln el:Αμερικανικές Παρθένοι Νήσοι es:Islas Vírgenes de los Estados Unidos eo:Usonaj Virgulininsuloj fr:Îles Vierges américaines ko:미국령 버진아일랜드 hr:Američki Djevičanski otoci io:Virgin-Insuli Usana id:Kepulauan Virgin Amerika Serikat is:Bandarísku Jómfrúreyjar it:Isole Vergini Statunitensi he:איי הבתולה של ארצות הברית kw:Ynysow an Wyrghes a'n Statys Unys lv:ASV Virdžīnu salas lt:Mergelių salos (JAV) hu:Amerikai Virgin-szigetek nl:Amerikaanse Maagdeneilanden ja:アメリカ領ヴァージン諸島 no:De amerikanske jomfruøyene nn:Dei amerikanske Jomfruøyane oc:Illas de las Verges Americanas pl:Wyspy Dziewicze Stanów Zjednoczonych pt:Ilhas Virgens Americanas ro:Insulele Virgine Americane ru:Американские Виргинские острова sk:Americké Panenské ostrovy sl:Ameriški Deviški otoki sr:Америчка Девичанска острва fi:Yhdysvaltain Neitsytsaaret sv:Amerikanska Jungfruöarna tr:ABD Virgin Adaları zh:美屬維爾京群島