U.S. Virgin Islands ( USVI ) are a group of islands of the Lesser Antilles in the Caribbean.
This archipelago is located east of Puerto Rico. It consists of three main islands of St. Croix, St. John and St. Thomas.
The islands are territories of the United States but are not part of state or the District of Columbia.
Geography
Virgin Islands of the United States are between the Caribbean Sea and Atlantic Ocean, about 50 miles (80 km) east of Puerto Rico and south of the BVI ( British Virgin Islands).
The islands are composed of three main islands: St. Thomas (32 sq mi), Saint John (20 square miles) and St. Croix 80 sq.mi (207 km²). There are also about fifty islands, smaller, mostly uninhabited.
The islands are known for their white sandy beaches and harbors, including Charlotte Amalie and Christiansted. Most islands are of volcanic origin with a hilly terrain.
The highest point is Crown Mountain on the island of St. Thomas, with a height of 1555 feet (474 meters).
Sainte-Croix, which lies to the south, is the largest island with a flatter terrain. The Virgin Islands National Park covers about half of the island of St. John, nearly all of Hassel Island, and several other coral reef.
The islands are located at the border of the plate tectonics of North America and the Caribbean plate which place them in a danger zone for tsunamis. They are also in the area with hurricanes Hugo in 1989 and Marilyn in 1995. The climate is tropical.
History
The first inhabitants of the Virgin Islands were the Arawaks around 1500 BC. Christ, they were driven out in the mid-fifteenth century by the ethnic Indian "Caribbean".
Christopher Columbus discovered the Virgin Islands in 1493 during his second voyage. It named the islands Las Virgenes ("The Virgin") in homage to a legend of St. Ursula and the virgin martyred with her.
These islands were colonized by the Danes in 1672 under the name of the Danish West Indies.
In 1917, these territories and its 26,000 inhabitants then came under control of the United States against the $ 25 millions U.S. dollars.
Population
U. S. Virgin Islands are about 108 605 inhabitants .
The majority of the population is descended from African slaves, but there are still people of mixed origin and some white and Asiatiques.
42% are Baptist, Catholic 34% Anglican and 17% of Native Americans were still in the 16 Century exterminated.
The official language, English, an English-based Creole spoken. There is a substantial immigration from neighboring islands of the Caribbean in general from Hispaniola ( Haiti and Dominican Republic) as a result the Spanish language and Haitian Creole are rapidly evolving.
This archipelago is located east of Puerto Rico. It consists of three main islands of St. Croix, St. John and St. Thomas.
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| USVI St-John's Beach |
The islands are territories of the United States but are not part of state or the District of Columbia.
Geography
Virgin Islands of the United States are between the Caribbean Sea and Atlantic Ocean, about 50 miles (80 km) east of Puerto Rico and south of the BVI ( British Virgin Islands).
 |
| St-Thomas Island |
The islands are known for their white sandy beaches and harbors, including Charlotte Amalie and Christiansted. Most islands are of volcanic origin with a hilly terrain.
The highest point is Crown Mountain on the island of St. Thomas, with a height of 1555 feet (474 meters).
Sainte-Croix, which lies to the south, is the largest island with a flatter terrain. The Virgin Islands National Park covers about half of the island of St. John, nearly all of Hassel Island, and several other coral reef.
The islands are located at the border of the plate tectonics of North America and the Caribbean plate which place them in a danger zone for tsunamis. They are also in the area with hurricanes Hugo in 1989 and Marilyn in 1995. The climate is tropical.
History
The first inhabitants of the Virgin Islands were the Arawaks around 1500 BC. Christ, they were driven out in the mid-fifteenth century by the ethnic Indian "Caribbean".
 |
| USVI Map |
Christopher Columbus discovered the Virgin Islands in 1493 during his second voyage. It named the islands Las Virgenes ("The Virgin") in homage to a legend of St. Ursula and the virgin martyred with her.
These islands were colonized by the Danes in 1672 under the name of the Danish West Indies.
In 1917, these territories and its 26,000 inhabitants then came under control of the United States against the $ 25 millions U.S. dollars.
U. S. Virgin Islands are about 108 605 inhabitants .
42% are Baptist, Catholic 34% Anglican and 17% of Native Americans were still in the 16 Century exterminated.
The official language, English, an English-based Creole spoken. There is a substantial immigration from neighboring islands of the Caribbean in general from Hispaniola ( Haiti and Dominican Republic) as a result the Spanish language and Haitian Creole are rapidly evolving.
