About the Virgin Islands in detail

Flag of Virgin Islands	Map of Virgin Islands

The Danes secured control over the southern Virgin Islands of Saint Thomas, Saint John, and Saint Croix during the 17th and early 18th centuries. Sugarcane, produced by African slave labor, drove the island’s economy during the 18th and early 19th centuries. In 1917, the US purchased the Danish holdings, which had been in economic decline since the abolition of slavery in 1848. On 6 September 2017, Hurricane Irma passed over the northern Virgin Islands of Saint Thomas and Saint John. She inflicted severe damage to structures, roads, the airport on Saint Thomas, communications, and electricity. Less than two weeks later, Hurricane Maria passed over the island of Saint Croix in the southern Virgin Islands, inflicting considerable damage with heavy winds and flooding rains.

Virgin Islands’s names conventional long form: United States Virgin Islands, conventional short form: the Virgin Islands, former: Danish West Indiesabbreviation: USVInote: the numerous islets, cays, and rocks surrounding the major islands reminded Christopher COLUMBUS in 1493 of Saint Ursula and her 11,000 virgin followers (Santa Ursula y las Once Mil Virgenes), which over time shortened to the Virgins (las Virgenes). The myriad islets, cays, and rocks surrounding the major islands reminded Christopher COLUMBUS in 1493 of Saint Ursula and her 11,000 virgin followers (Santa Ursula y las Once Mil Virgenes), which over time shortened to the Virgins (las Virgenes).

Virgin Islands’s terrain is typically mostly hilly to rugged and mountainous with little flat land. The country’s mean elevation: N/A, elevation extremes; lowest point: the Caribbean Sea 0 m, highest point: Crown Mountain 474 m.

The country’s general climate is subtropical, tempered by easterly trade winds, relatively low humidity, little seasonal temperature variation: rainy season September to November.

The total number of border countries is 0; none are the neighboring nations with the indicated border lengths. Virgin Islands’s coastline is 188 km, while its marital claims are: territorial sea: 12 nautical miles, exclusive economic zone: 200 nautical miles. Waterways: N/A. Land use: agricultural land: 11.5%; arable land 2.9%; permanent crops 2.9%; permanent pasture 5.7%; forest: 57.4%; other: 31.1% (2011 estimate).

The population in Virgin Islands 106,977 (July 2018 estimate), urban population: 95.3% of total population (2015), central metropolitan area’s population: CHARLOTTE AMALIE (capital) 52,000 (2014), while the Virgin Islands has while overall population density throughout the islands is relatively low, concentrations appear around Charlotte Amalie on St. Thomas and Christiansted on St. Croix. Their spoken languages are: English 71.6%, Spanish or Spanish Creole 17.2%, French or French Creole 8.6%, other 2.5% (2010 estimate). The main religions in the Virgin Islands are Protestant 59% (Baptist 42%, Episcopalian 17%), Roman Catholic 34%, other 7%. The nation uses US common law. It is a(n) presidential democracy; a self-governing territory of the US, National holiday(s) Transfer Day (from Denmark to the US), 31 March (1917).

Economic overview for the country: Tourism, trade, other services, and rum production are the primary economic activities of the US Virgin Islands (USVI), accounting for most of its GDP and employment. The USVI receives between 2.5 and 3 million tourists a year, mostly from visiting cruise ships. The islands are vulnerable to storm damage, as evidenced by the destruction from two major hurricanes in 2017. Recovery and rebuilding have continued, but full recovery from these back-to-back hurricanes is years away. The USVI government estimates it will need $7.5 billion, almost twice the territory’s GDP, to rebuild it. The agriculture sector is small, and most food is imported. In 2016, government spending (both federal and territorial together) accounted for about 27% of GDP while exports of goods and services, including spending by tourists, accounted for nearly 47%. Federal programs and grants, including rum tax cover-over totaling $482.3 million in 2016, contributed 32.2% of the territory’s total revenues. The economy picked up 0.9% in 2016 and had appeared to be progressing before the 2017 hurricanes severely damaged the territory’s infrastructure and the economy.

Natural resources of Virgin Islands: sun, sand, sea, surf.

Main export partners for the Virgin Islands, Central America, and the Caribbean are N/A for rum, while the main import partners for the country are: N/A for foodstuffs, consumer goods, building materials.

When you visit this country in Central America and the Caribbean, consider the natural hazards in the Virgin Islands: Several hurricanes in recent years, frequent and severe droughts and floods, occasional earthquakes, while infectious diseases are noted: active local transmission of Zika virus by Aedes species mosquitoes have been identified in this country (as of August 2016); it poses a significant risk (a large number of cases possible) among US citizens if bitten by an infective mosquito; other less common ways to get Zika are through sex, via blood transfusion, or during pregnancy, in which the pregnant woman passes Zika virus to her fetus (2016). Also, note that the Virgin Islands faces the following environmental issues: Lack of natural freshwater resources, Protection of coral reefs, Solid waste management, Coastal development, Increased boating, and overfishing.

You may also be interested in the countries next to the Virgin Islands around its 0 km border – No border countries.