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Virgin Islands of the United States
I INTRODUCTION
Virgin Islands of the United States, group of 3 islands and about 50 islets, most of which are uninhabited, in the Lesser Antilles chain of the West Indies, east of Puerto Rico and lying between the Caribbean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean. The three islands, with their areas, are Saint Thomas (73 sq km/28 sq mi), Saint John (52 sq km/20 sq mi), and Saint Croix (207 sq km/80 sq mi). The capital is Charlotte Amalie (2000 population, 11,004), on Saint Thomas. Other communities in the group are Christiansted and Frederiksted, both on Saint Croix. The total area is 1,909 sq km (737 sq mi), and the total population (2005) is 108,708.
II LAND AND RESOURCES
The islands are generally hilly to mountainous. Crown Mountain (474 m/1,555 ft) on Saint Thomas is the highest point. The climate is tropical, moderated by prevailing trade winds. The average annual temperature is 26.7 C (80 F). Vegetation is luxuriant and diverse. Mineral resources are lacking, although sand and stone are mined for local construction.
III ECONOMY
Tourism is vital to the economy of the Virgin Islands. Some 32 percent of all paid employees are engaged in retail sales or in services provided by recreation, motels, hotels, and restaurants. The number of tourists visiting the islands rose from about 200,000 in 1960 and 1961 to some 1.5 million in 1986; in the same period, spending by tourists grew from $26 million to more than $500 million. Some 1.6 million tourists arrived by cruise ship alone in 2003. Products manufactured in the islands include rum, watches, textiles, and pharmaceuticals. The islands also have petroleum and alumina processing plants. The total value of goods and services produced in the Virgin Islands, or its Gross Domestic Product (GDP), totaled $2 billion in 1993.
The islands form the easternmost outpost of the United States. The United States Marine Corps maintains an air base on Saint Thomas and an airfield on Saint Croix.
IV EDUCATION AND GOVERNMENT
Education is compulsory for all children between the ages of 6 and 16. Free schooling is provided in elementary and secondary schools. In the 1992-1993 school year the islands' 62 public elementary schools had an annual enrollment of 14,500 pupils. The College of the Virgin Islands (1962), a public institution on Saint Thomas, had an annual enrollment of about 2,550 students.
From 1917, when the United States acquired the Virgin Islands, to 1931 the islands were governed by the Department of the Navy. In 1931 jurisdiction was transferred to the Department of the Interior, and a civil governor was appointed by the president. Since 1970 the governor has been popularly elected. The unicameral legislature is elected for two-year terms and is composed of 15 senators, 5 each from Saint Croix and Saint Thomas, 1 from Saint John, and 4 at large. Executive power is vested in an elected governor and lieutenant governor, an attorney general appointed by the governor, and other officials. The government comptroller is appointed by the secretary of the interior, and the judge of the district court is appointed by the president of the United States.
V HISTORY
Christopher Columbus discovered the Virgin Islands on his second voyage to the Americas in 1493. He named the islands for Saint Ursula and the other virgin martyrs associated with her. Columbus attempted to land at Saint Croix in November 1493 but was driven away by fierce Carib Native Americans who inhabited the island. The Carib Native Americans were annihilated, but no permanent settlements were made. The Virgin Islands remained a Spanish possession throughout the 16th century.
A First Settlements
Denmark colonized Saint Thomas in 1666. The Danish West Indies Company controlled the group until 1755, when Frederick V, king of Denmark, bought the islands. In 1800, during the Napoleonic Wars, Britain blockaded Saint Thomas and in 1801 occupied the island. In 1802 Saint Thomas was returned to Denmark. From 1807 to 1815 the British again occupied the Danish West Indies; in 1815 the islands were once more restored to Denmark.
B Danish Rule
During the 18th and 19th centuries, the Virgin Islands flourished as a center for the slave trade and as a producer of sugar. To harvest the sugar, the Danes began to depend on slavery and started importing slaves from Africa in 1673. The slave trade was prohibited by the Danish government in 1792. A slave revolt on Saint Croix in 1848 led to the slaves' immediate emancipation. The slaves had the tacit support of the Danish governor of the islands, Peter von Scholten, who was opposed to slavery. After the emancipation of the slaves, the economy of the Virgin Islands disintegrated. The population of the islands dwindled. It was not until the 1940s that the economy began to recover.
C American Colony
During the American Civil War (1861-1865), the Union began to negotiate with Denmark for the purchase of the Virgin Islands in order to establish naval bases in the Caribbean. Nothing came of the negotiations, however, until World War I (1914-1918). In 1917 the United States bought the Virgin Islands from Denmark for $25 million and built a naval base in order to protect the Panama Canal and to prevent Germany's seizure of the islands.
Virgin Islanders have been U.S. citizens since 1927. After World War II (1939-1945), the Virgin Islands began to prosper again. Federal aid, local industry, and the growth of tourism helped improve the islands' economy. In 1946 William Henry Hastie became the first appointed black governor of the islands. The Organic Act, which was passed in 1954, created a 15-member senate. Then in 1968 the Congress of the United States passed a law granting the people of the Virgin Islands the right to elect their own governor. Melvin Evans, appointed in 1969, was the first native-born black governor of the territory and in 1971 became its first elected governor; he served until 1975. In 1975 Cyril E. King became governor and served until his death in 1978. King was succeeded by his lieutenant governor, Juan Luis. Luis was elected governor in the 1978 and 1982 elections. Alexander Farrelly was elected in 1986 and again in 1990. Roy Schneider became governor after the 1994 elections.
In September 1989, Hurricane Hugo caused at least $500 million in damage, and 1,000 U.S. troops were sent in to suppress looting and unrest. The islands were damaged again when Hurricane Marilyn struck Saint Thomas and Saint John in 1995. The islands were declared a disaster area and the National Guard was called to help.
Virgin Islands of the United States
Saint John is the smallest of the three main Virgin Islands of the United States. Located in the Lesser Antilles chain of the West Indies, the tropical islands lie between the Caribbean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean. Saint John is marked by an irregular coastline, indented with picturesque coves and harbors, such as Caneel Bay, shown here. Two-thirds of the island is included in the Virgin Islands National Park.
Photo Researchers, Inc./Carl Purcell
