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The U.S. Virgin Islands
The Virgin Islands are located in the middle of
the chain of Caribbean islands and separates the larger islands
of Cuba, Jamaica, Hispaniola, and Puerto Rico to the west (the
Greater Antilles) from the many smaller islands to the east (the
Lesser Antilles). That puts the islands about 1,100 miles southeast
of Miami, Florida.
The
location of the Virgin Islands
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The islands were originally settled, around 1500 BC, by the Ciboney
indians, who were followed some 2,000 years later by the peaceful
Arawaks and later the cannibalistic Caribs, after whom the Caribbean
Sea and the entire region are named. Christopher Columbus was
the first European to visit the Virgin Islands, landing on the
island he called "Santa Cruz" (Holy Cross) in November 1493. Today
the island goes by the French "St. Croix." Leaving St. Croix,
Columbus sailed north and, on encountering a chain of many small,
beautiful islands, named then in honor of St. Ursula and her 11,000
martyred Virgins.
During the next two centuries, the European powers
-- Spain, England, Holland, and France -- and many pirates and
privateers waged fierce sea battles in the region. St. Croix changed
ownership often during this period, being under the control of
the Spanish, English, Dutch, French and the Knights of Malta.
In 1671, the King of Denmark chartered the Danish West India Company
to occupy St. Thomas, which was still unclaimed by any European
power. By 1724, the town of Charlotte Amalie (named for the Danish
queen), was a triving seaport. The Danish West India Company bought
St. Croix in 1733. During the following years, sugar plantations
sprang up on the three main islands, worked by African slaves.
Bloody revolts on both St. John and St. Croix resulted in a proclamation
of emancipation by the Danish Governor General Peter von Scholten
on July 3, 1848.
Worried that the islands would fall into German
hands during World War I, the United States purchased the islands
from Denmark for $25 million and, on March 31, 1917, the Danish
West Indies became the United States Virgin Islands. The islands
were administered by the U.S. Navy until 1931, when the U.S. Department
of the Interior assumed jurisdiction. Since that time, Congressional
laws have given the islands increasing levels of self-government,
culminating in the first popularly elected Governor assuming office
in 1970. More recently, there have been public referendums to
determine the ultimate political status for the Virgin Islands,
with a range of choices -- from statehood, to continued territorial
status, to commonwealth, to freely associated state, to complete
independence -- vying for the voters' attention. So far, the status
quo -- continued territorial status -- has won out.
The
U.S. and British Virgin Islands
(Click on thumbnail for 640x480 version)
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The Islands Today
The U.S. Virgin Islands is composed of three main
islands -- St. Thomas, St. John, and St. Croix -- and about 50
smaller islands, most of which are uninhabited. I live on St.
Thomas, where the capital city of Charlotte Amalie
is located. St. Thomas is about 32 square miles in area. It is
also the commercial center of the Virgin Islands, attracting over
a million tourists each year, primarily because of its excellent
harbor, beautiful beaches, and exotic gift shops. It's not unusual
to see four or five huge cruise ships in port on any day.
The
harbor of Charlotte Amalie, St. Thomas
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A short, 15-minute ferry boat ride to the east of St. Thomas is
St. John, the most unspoiled of the Virgin Islands. St. John has
an area of about 20 square miles, about 3/4 of which is a part
of the U.S. National Park system. Because of this, with the exception
of its two small towns of Cruz Bay and Coral Bay,
St. John has maintained its natural beauty. Arguably, St. John
has the most beautiful of the Virgin Islands' many beaches.
Trunk
Bay, St. John
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St. Croix lies about 50 miles to the south of St. Thomas and St.
John. The largest of the Virgin Islands, with an area of about
82 square miles, St. Croix is primarily an agricultural and industrial
center. Although the island doesn't produce sufficient crops to
feed the Virgin Islands' 100,000+ population, its flatter land
is ideally suited for farming, and some small farms and livestock
producers are active on St. Croix. The Amerada Hess oil company
has an oil refinery on the southern coast of St. Croix, and the
island is also home to other small manufracturing companies, including
a number of watch assembly plants. St. Croix also has a rich historical
tradition, which is preserved in the many historical buildings
in its two main towns of Christiansted and Frederiksted.
Danish
fort at Christiansted, St. Croix
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