Virgin Islands
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- This article is about the Virgin Islands archipelago. For the British Virgin Islands, see British Virgin Islands. For the U.S. Virgin Islands, see U.S. Virgin Islands.
The Virgin Islands are an archipelago in the Leeward Islands in the Caribbean Sea. The islands are divided into two parts, one of which, the British Virgin Islands to the east and north, is an overseas territory of the United Kingdom. The other, the U.S. Virgin Islands to the west and south, is an unincorporated and organized United States territory.
Christopher Columbus named the islands Santa Ursula y las Once Mil Vírgenes (shortened to Las Vírgenes), after Saint Ursula and her 11,000 virgins. They were inhabited by Arawak, Carib and Cermic Indians, all of whom died out during the colonial period due to disease, harsh labor conditions, and murder.
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 descendants of the slaves are still there, sharing a common West Indian culture with the other English-speaking islands of the Caribbean.
On both the British and the U.S. Virgin Islands, vehicles are driven on the left-hand side of the road, yet most cars on the islands have their steering wheels on the left side (usually common for drive-on-the-right localities). Also on both the British and the U.S. Virgin Islands the United States dollar is the official currency. From the CIA World Factbook 2000.
The islands just to the east of the main island of Puerto Rico (and territorially part of it) are locally called the Spanish Virgin Islands. Although often not included on maps of the Virgin Islands archipelago, they are actually closer to St. Thomas than St. Croix is (both part of the U.S. Virgin Islands).
[edit] See also
ca:Illes Verges cs:Panenské ostrovy de:Jungferninseln et:Neitsisaared es:Islas Vírgenes eo:Virgulininsuloj fr:Îles Vierges hr:Djevičanski otoci is:Jómfrúreyjar it:Isole Vergini lt:Mergelių salos nl:Maagdeneilanden ja:ヴァージン諸島 no:Jomfruøyene nn:Jomfruøyane pl:Wyspy Dziewicze pt:Ilhas Virgens ru:Виргинские острова sl:Deviški otoki sr:Девичанска острва fi:Neitsytsaaret sv:Jungfruöarna tr:Virgin Adaları uk:Вірґінські острови zh:美屬维尔京群島
