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Wikipedia

United States Virgin Islands

January 21, 2023

The United States Virgin Islands,[note 2] officially the Virgin Islands of the United States, are a group of Caribbean islands and an unincorporated and organized territory of the United States.[7] The islands are geographically part of the Virgin Islands archipelago and are located in the Leeward Islands of the Lesser Antilles to the east of Puerto Rico and west of the British Virgin Islands.[8]

Virgin Islands of the United States
Unincorporated and organized U.S. territory

Flag

Seal
Motto: 
"United in Pride and Hope"
Anthem: "Virgin Islands March"
Location of the United States Virgin Islands
Sovereign state United States[note 1]
Before purchaseDanish West Indies
Transfer from DenmarkMarch 31, 1917
Capital
and largest city
Charlotte Amalie
18°21′N 64°56′W / 18.350°N 64.933°W / 18.350; -64.933
Official languagesEnglish
Ethnic groups
(2020)[1]
By race
By ethnicity
Religion
(2010)[2]
Demonym(s)American Virgin Islander
GovernmentDevolved presidential constitutional dependency
• President
Joe Biden (D)
• Governor
Albert Bryan (D)
Tregenza Roach (D)
LegislatureLegislature of the Virgin Islands
United States Congress
• House delegate
Stacey Plaskett (D)
Area
• Total
346.4 km2 (133.7 sq mi) (168th)
• Water (%)
negligible
Highest elevation
474 m (1,555 ft)
Population
• 2020 census
87,146[3]
• Density
653.6/sq mi (252.4/km2)
GDP (PPP)2019 estimate
• Per capita
$38,136[4]
GDP (nominal)2019 estimate
• Total
US$4.068 billion[5]
HDI (2019) 0.892[6]
very high · 31st
CurrencyUnited States dollar (US$) (USD)
Time zoneUTC−4:00 (AST)
Date formatmm/dd/yyyy
Driving sideleft
Calling code+1–340
USPS abbreviation
VI
Trad. abbreviation
U.S.V.I.
ISO 3166 code
Internet TLD.vi

The U.S. Virgin Islands consist of the main islands of Saint Croix, Saint John, and Saint Thomas and 50 other surrounding minor islands and cays.[9] The total land area of the territory is 133.73 square miles (346.36 km2).[7] The territory's capital is Charlotte Amalie on the island of St. Thomas.

Previously known as the Danish West Indies of the Kingdom of Denmark–Norway (from 1754 to 1814) and the independent Kingdom of Denmark (from 1814 to 1917), they were sold to the United States by Denmark for $25,000,000 in the 1917 Treaty of the Danish West Indies[7] and have since been an organized, unincorporated United States territory. The U.S. Virgin Islands are organized under the 1954 Revised Organic Act of the Virgin Islands and have since held five constitutional conventions.

Tourism and related categories are the primary economic activities.[7]

Etymology

The islands were named Santa Úrsula y las Once Mil Vírgenes by Christopher Columbus in 1493 after the legend of Saint Ursula and the 11,000 virgins.[7] The name was later shortened to the Virgin Islands.[7]

History

Main article: History of the United States Virgin Islands

Pre-European contact

 
Ancient petroglyphs in the Virgin Islands National Park

The U.S. Virgin Islands were originally inhabited by the Ciboney and Arawaks,[10] with some scholars thinking that the islands were inhabited from as early as 1000 BC.[8] The Caribs arrived around the mid-15th century AD.[8]

Early European settlers

Christopher Columbus, on his second voyage in 1493, is thought to have been the first European to see the islands, giving them their current name.[10] The Spanish later settled in 1555, with English and French settlers arriving on St. Croix from 1625.[8] There followed a complex period in which the islands were disputed among Spain, France, Britain and the Netherlands.[8]

Danish period

Main article: Danish West Indies

Denmark–Norway also took an interest in the islands, and the Danish West India Company settled on St. Thomas in 1672 and St. John in 1694, later purchasing St. Croix from France in 1733.[11] The islands became royal Danish colonies in 1754, named the Danish West Indian Islands (Danish: De dansk-vestindiske øer). Initially the currency was the Danish West Indian rigsdaler, replaced by the daler in 1849. The islands proved ideal for sugar plantations: sugarcane, produced by enslaved Africans, drove the islands' economy during the 18th and early 19th centuries.[8] Other plantation crops included cotton and indigo dye.[12][better source needed] During the 17th and 18th centuries, a sizable Jewish community also began to settle on the islands.[13]

 
The Høgensborg estate on Sankt Croix, 1833

In 1733, St. John was the site of one of the first significant slave rebellions in the New World when Akan–Akwamu slaves from the Gold Coast (modern Ghana) took over the island for six months. The Danish were able to defeat the enslaved Africans with help from the French in Martinique.[14] Instead of allowing themselves to be recaptured, more than a dozen of the ringleaders shot themselves before the French forces could capture them. It is estimated that by 1775, slaves outnumbered the Danish settlers by a ratio of 8:1.[15][16]

After another slave rebellion occurred on St. Croix, slavery was abolished by Governor Peter von Scholten on July 3, 1848,[17][18] now celebrated as Emancipation Day.[19] Over the following years, strict labor laws were implemented several times, leading to the 1878 St. Croix labor riot.[20][21][22]

With the plantations no longer as profitable, Danish settlers began to abandon their estates, causing a significant drop in population and the overall economy. Additionally, the 1867 hurricane and earthquake and tsunami further impacted the economy. For the remainder of the period of Danish rule, the islands were not economically viable and significant transfers had to be made from the Danish state budget to the authorities in the islands.

The United States began to take an interest in the islands, and in 1867 a treaty to sell St. Thomas and St. John to the U.S. was agreed but never effected.[23] A number of reforms aimed at reviving the islands' economy were attempted, but none had great success. A second draft treaty to sell the islands to the United States was negotiated in 1902 but was defeated in the upper house of the Danish parliament in a tie vote (because the opposition carried a 97-year-old life member into the chamber).[23]

The onset of World War I brought the reform period to a close and again left the islands isolated. During the submarine warfare phases of the war, the United States, fearing that the islands might be seized by Germany as a submarine base,[24] again approached Denmark about buying them. After a few months of negotiations, a selling price of $25 million[25][8] in United States gold coin was agreed, equivalent to $622.55 million in 2021 dollars. At the same time, the economics of continued possession weighed heavily on the minds of Danish decision makers, and a consensus in favor of selling emerged in the Danish parliament.

The Treaty of the Danish West Indies was signed on August 4, 1916,[25][26] with a referendum on the sale held in Denmark in December 1916 in which voters approved the decision to sell. The deal was finalized on January 17, 1917, when the United States and Denmark exchanged their respective treaty ratifications.

American period

The United States took possession of the islands on March 31, 1917, and the territory was renamed the Virgin Islands of the United States.[25] Every year, Transfer Day is recognized as a holiday, to commemorate the acquisition of the islands by the United States.[27] Paul Martin Pearson, first civilian governor, was appointed by Herbert Hoover and was inaugurated March 18, 1931.

U.S. citizenship was granted to many inhabitants of the islands in 1927 and 1932. The Danish West Indian daler was replaced by the U.S. dollar in 1934,[28] and from 1935 to 1939 the islands were a part of the United States customs area.[29] The 1936 Organic Act and the 1954 Revised Organic Act established the local government.[8] Tourism began to develop following World War II, over time becoming the most important sector of the islands' economy.[8] In 1970, Virgin Islanders elected their first governor, Melvin H. Evans, and from 1976 the islands began work on creating their own constitution.[8]

Water Island, a small island to the south of St. Thomas, was initially administered by the U.S. federal government and did not become a part of the U.S. Virgin Islands territory until 1996, when 50 acres (20 ha) of land was transferred to the territorial government. The remaining 200 acres (81 ha) of the island was purchased from the United States Department of the Interior in May 2005 for $10, a transaction that marked the official change in jurisdiction.[30]

In 1966, Hess Oil began construction on an oil refinery. Until February 2012, the Hovensa plant, located on St. Croix, was one of the world's largest petroleum refineries, refining 494,000 bbl/d (78,500 m3/d), and contributed about 20% of the territory's GDP. The refinery ceased operation in 2012, and the facility stopped exporting petroleum products in 2014. In the final year of full refinery operations, the value of exported petroleum products was $12.7 billion (2011 fiscal year).[31] Since refining ended, the 34-million-barrel tank farm has operated as a crude oil and petrochemical storage facility for third-party customers. The refinery's closure provoked a local economic crisis.[32][33] Following the acquisition of the 1,500-acre complex by ArcLight Capital Partners, LLC, in 2016, Limetree Bay Ventures, LLC, was formed, and is currently executing a project to refurbish and restart the refinery, with a processing capability of up to 200,000 bbl/d (32,000 m3/d).[34][35]

 
The aftermath of Hurricane Marilyn on the island of St. Thomas, 1995. In recent decades the U.S. Virgin Islands have been devastated by a series of hurricanes.

Hurricane Hugo struck the U.S. Virgin Islands in 1989, causing catastrophic physical and economic damage, particularly on the island of St. Croix. The territory was again struck by Hurricane Marilyn in 1995, killing eight people and causing more than $2 billion in damage. The islands were again struck by hurricanes Bertha, Georges, Lenny, and Omar in 1996, 1998, 1999, and 2008, respectively, but damage was not as severe in those storms.

In September 2017, Category 5 Hurricane Irma caused catastrophic damage, particularly to St. John and St. Thomas. Just two weeks later, Category 5 Hurricane Maria ravaged all three islands. Sustained winds at the Sandy Point National Wildlife Refuge on St. Croix reached 99 to 104 mph (159 to 167 km/h) and gusted to 137 mph (220 km/h).[36] Even stronger winds likely occurred somewhere across the island's west end. The British Virgin Islands and the other two U.S. Virgin Islands, St. John and St. Thomas, were far enough northeast to avoid the worst from Maria, but were still massively impacted, with great destruction everywhere. A wind gust to 86 mph (138 km/h) was reported at St. Thomas. Weather stations on St. Croix recorded 5 and 10 inches (130 and 250 mm) of rain from the hurricane, and estimates for St. John and St. Thomas were somewhat less.[37] The hurricane killed two people, both in their homes: one person drowned and another was trapped by a mudslide.[38] A third person had a fatal heart attack during the hurricane.[39] The hurricane caused extensive and severe damage to St. Croix. After both hurricanes, the office of Virgin Islands congresswoman Stacey Plaskett stated that 90% of buildings in the Virgin Islands were damaged or destroyed and 13,000 of those buildings had lost their roofs.[40] The Luis Hospital suffered roof damage and flooding, but remained operational.[41]

Geography

Main article: Geography of the United States Virgin Islands
 
A map of the United States Virgin Islands

The U.S. Virgin Islands are in the Atlantic Ocean, about 40 miles (64 km) east of Puerto Rico and immediately west of the British Virgin Islands. They share the Virgin Islands archipelago with the Puerto Rican Virgin Islands of Vieques and Culebra (administered by Puerto Rico), and the British Virgin Islands.

The territory consists of three main islands: St. Thomas, St. John, and St. Croix, as well as several dozen smaller islands.[42] The main islands have nicknames often used by locals: "Twin City" (St. Croix), "Rock City" (St. Thomas), and "Love City" (St. John).[43] The combined land area of the islands is roughly twice the size of Washington, D.C.

The U.S. Virgin Islands are known for their white sand beaches, including Magens Bay and Trunk Bay, and deepwater harbors along the Anegada Passage, including Charlotte Amalie (the capital) and Christiansted.[44] Like most Caribbean islands, most of the islands of the Virgin Islands, including St. Thomas and St. John, are volcanic in origin and hilly. The highest point is Crown Mountain on St. Thomas at 1,555 feet (474 m).[42]

St. Croix, the largest of the U.S. Virgin Islands, lies to the south and has a flatter terrain because of its coral origin. The National Park Service manages more than half of St. John, nearly all of Hassel Island, and many acres of coral reef.

There are several national park sites, such as the Virgin Islands National Park, Virgin Islands Coral Reef National Monument, Buck Island Reef National Monument, Christiansted National Historic Site, and Salt River Bay National Historical Park and Ecological Preserve.

The U.S. Virgin Islands lie on the boundary of the North American plate and the Caribbean Plate. Natural hazards include earthquakes, hurricanes and tsunamis.[42]

The U.S. Virgin Islands contain the Leeward Islands moist forests and Leeward Islands xeric scrub terrestrial ecoregions.[45]

Climate

Main article: Climate of the United States Virgin Islands

The United States Virgin Islands experience a tropical climate, with little seasonal change throughout the year.[42] Rainfall is concentrated in the high-sun period (May through October), while in the winter the northeast trade winds prevail. Summer and winter high temperatures differ by 5 °F (3 °C) or less on average.

Climate data for St. Thomas, Virgin Islands
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Record high °F (°C) 93
(34) 		93
(34) 		94
(34) 		96
(36) 		97
(36) 		99
(37) 		98
(37) 		99
(37) 		98
(37) 		97
(36) 		95
(35) 		92
(33) 		99
(37)
Average high °F (°C) 85
(29) 		85
(29) 		86
(30) 		87
(31) 		88
(31) 		89
(32) 		90
(32) 		90
(32) 		90
(32) 		89
(32) 		87
(31) 		86
(30) 		88
(31)
Average low °F (°C) 72
(22) 		73
(23) 		73
(23) 		74
(23) 		76
(24) 		78
(26) 		78
(26) 		78
(26) 		78
(26) 		77
(25) 		75
(24) 		74
(23) 		76
(24)
Record low °F (°C) 63
(17) 		62
(17) 		56
(13) 		62
(17) 		66
(19) 		67
(19) 		57
(14) 		59
(15) 		64
(18) 		66
(19) 		52
(11) 		62
(17) 		52
(11)
Average precipitation inches (mm) 2.38
(60) 		1.48
(38) 		1.42
(36) 		2.74
(70) 		3.06
(78) 		2.53
(64) 		2.85
(72) 		3.74
(95) 		5.58
(142) 		5.42
(138) 		5.23
(133) 		2.96
(75) 		39.39
(1,001)
Source: weather.com[46]

Politics and government

Main article: Politics of the United States Virgin Islands
See also: Political party strength in the United States Virgin Islands
 
Charlotte Amalie, St. Thomas, the islands' capital
 
Christiansted, the largest town on St. Croix

The U.S. Virgin Islands are an organized, unincorporated United States territory.[47] Although those born on the islands are U.S. citizens, U.S. Virgin Islanders residing in the territory are ineligible to vote for the president of the United States. People born in the U.S. Virgin Islands derive their U.S. citizenship from congressional statute.[48]

The U.S. Democratic and Republican parties allow U.S. Virgin Islands citizens to vote in their presidential primary elections for delegates to the respective national conventions.[49] The main political parties in the U.S. Virgin Islands themselves are the Democratic Party of the Virgin Islands, the Independent Citizens Movement, and the Republican Party of the Virgin Islands. Additional candidates run as independents.

At the national level, the U.S. Virgin Islands elect a delegate to Congress from their at-large congressional district.[50] The elected delegate, while able to vote in committee, cannot participate in floor votes. The current House of Representatives delegate is Stacey Plaskett, a Democrat. Like other territories, the U.S. Virgin Islands does not have U.S. senators.[51]

At the territorial level, fifteen senators—seven from the district of St. Croix, seven from the district of St. Thomas and St. John, and one senator at large who must be a resident of St. John—are elected for two-year terms to the unicameral Virgin Islands legislature. There is no limit as to the number of terms they can serve.[52]

The U.S. Virgin Islands have elected a territorial governor every four years since 1970. Previous governors were appointed by the president of the United States.[53]

Legal system

The U.S. Virgin Islands have a Superior Court and Supreme Court.[47] The District Court of the Virgin Islands is responsible for cases brought under federal law, and the U.S. Attorney for the District of the Virgin Islands can bring federal criminal cases there. The Superior Court is responsible for hearing cases under U.S. Virgin Islands law at the trial level, and the Supreme Court is responsible for appeals from the Superior Court for all appeals filed on or after January 29, 2007.[citation needed] (Appeals filed prior to that date were heard by the Appellate Division of the District Court.) Appeals from the federal District Court are heard by the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit, located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.[citation needed] District Court judges are appointed by the U.S. president, while Superior Court and Supreme Court judges are appointed by the governor.

As of 2019, the USVI courts apply both American common law[54] and the 2019 US Virgin Islands Code as passed by the territorial legislature. Because the USVI is not a state and Congress has not determined otherwise, the federal district court is an Article IV tribunal, subject to the authority of the United States secretary of the interior and without lifetime appointment for judges. Elements of Danish law have all been repealed, except for two 1914 laws having to do with customs and ship duties for St. Thomas and St. John.[55]

Further information: Gun laws in the United States Virgin Islands

Constitution

 
The Legislature Building in Charlotte Amalie

On October 21, 1976, President Gerald Ford signed Pub. L. 94–584 authorizing the people of the United States Virgin Islands to organize a government pursuant to a constitution, which would be automatically approved if Congress did not act within 60 days.[56]

In 2004, an act was passed by the legislature of the Virgin Islands calling for a fifth constitutional convention, and 30 delegates to the convention were elected in 2007. On May 26, 2009, the convention adopted a proposed Constitution of the Virgin Islands. However, in June 2009, Governor John de Jongh, Jr. rejected the resulting constitutional draft, saying the terms of the document would "violate federal law, fail to defer to federal sovereignty and disregard basic civil rights".[57] A lawsuit filed by members of the convention to force Governor de Jongh to forward the document to President Barack Obama was ultimately successful. President Obama forwarded the proposal to Congress in May 2010, along with a report noting concerns raised by the United States Department of Justice that the powers sought exceeded what would be considered allowable under territorial status[58] and restating the issues noted by Governor de Jongh. A U.S. Congressional resolution disapproving of the proposed constitution and requesting that the Fifth Constitutional Convention reconvene to consider changes to address these issues was signed into law[59] by President Obama on June 30, 2010.[60][61]

Months later, a federal lawsuit was filed in the federal District Court of the Virgin Islands. The lawsuit claimed that the United States had to provide U.S. Virgin Islanders with the ability to be represented in Congress and vote for U.S. president. It alleged that racial discrimination present in the all-white and segregated U.S. Congress of 1917 was the impetus to deny the right to vote to a majority nonwhite constituency. The case was ultimately dismissed on August 16, 2012.[62]

The Fifth Constitutional Convention of the U.S. Virgin Islands met in October 2012 but was not able to produce a revised constitution before its October 31 deadline.[63][64][65][66]

On November 3, 2020, the Virgin Islands held a referendum on whether to convene a sixth constitutional convention. The proposal was approved with nearly 72% voting in favor.

Administrative divisions

Main article: Districts and sub-districts of the United States Virgin Islands

Administratively, the U.S. Virgin Islands are divided into two districts: the St. Thomas and St. John district, and the St. Croix district.[67][68][69] However, the U.S. Census Bureau divides each of the three main islands into three separate statistical entities (which are further divided into 20 subdistricts).[70] Below is the U.S. Census Bureau's division model.

 
Districts and subdistricts of the U.S. Virgin Islands
Districts St. Thomas St. John St. Croix
Sub-districts
  1. Charlotte Amalie
  2. East End
  3. Northside
  4. Southside
  5. Tutu
  6. Water Island
  7. West End
  1. Central
  2. Coral Bay
  3. Cruz Bay
  4. East End
  1. Anna's Hope Village
  2. Christiansted
  3. East End
  4. Frederiksted
  5. Northcentral
  6. Northwest
  7. Sion Farm
  8. Southcentral
  9. Southwest

Each of the three main islands of the U.S. Virgin Islands is counted as a county equivalent by the U.S. Census Bureau, with the following FIPS codes: 78010 for St. Croix, 78020 for St. John, and 78030 for St. Thomas.[71][72]

While a Danish possession, the islands were divided into "quarters" (five on St. John and nine on St. Croix), which were further divided into many dozens of "estates". Estate names are still used to write addresses; estates and quarters are used in describing real estate, especially on St. John[73] and St. Croix.[74] More densely populated towns such as Frederiksted and Christiansted on St. Croix were historically referred to as "districts", in contrast to the surrounding plantation land.

Self-determination

A 1993 referendum on status attracted only 31.4% turnout, and so its results (in favor of the status quo) were considered void.[75] No further status referendums have been scheduled since.

The territory is classified by the United Nations as a non-self-governing territory. In 2016, the United Nations' Special Committee on Decolonization recommended to the UN's General Assembly that this larger body should "actively pursue a public awareness campaign aimed at assisting the people of the United States Virgin Islands with their inalienable right to self-determination and in gaining a better understanding of the options for self-determination".[76]

Governors of the U.S. Virgin Islands

Main articles: List of Governors of the Danish West Indies and List of Governors of the United States Virgin Islands

Law enforcement

Main article: United States Virgin Islands Police Department
 
USVI police officers in 2012

Law enforcement services are provided by the United States Virgin Islands Police Department (USVIPD).

Military

Defense is the responsibility of the United States.[7] There are some military facilities and personnel on the islands, supported by the U.S. government:

Although a public airport, Henry E. Rohlsen Airport has serviced aircraft from the United States Air Force, as well as the United States Army.

Economy

Main article: Economy of the United States Virgin Islands

Tourism is the Islands' biggest industry; with 2.5–3 million annual visitors, the sector is responsible for about 60% of the GDP.[7][31] Other major sectors are the public sector, some limited agriculture, and small scale manufacturing, most notably rum production.[7][8]

A 2012 economic report from the U.S. Census Bureau indicated a total of 2,414 business establishments generating $6.8 billion in sales, employing 32,465 people and paying $1.1 billion in payroll per year. Between 2007 and 2012, sales declined by $12.6 billion, or 64.9 percent. (In 2007, total sales were $19.5 billion and the number employed was 35,300.)[77]

According to a report on the first half of 2016 by the VI Bureau of Economic Research, the unemployment rate was 11.5 percent.[78] In May 2016 the islands' Bureau of Economic Research indicated that there were 37,613 non-agricultural wage and salary jobs in the islands. This report states that the "leisure and hospitality sector" employed an average of 7,333 people. The retail trade sector, which also serves many tourists, averaged another 5,913 jobs. Other categories which also include some tourism jobs include arts and entertainment (792 jobs), accommodation and food (6,541 jobs), accommodation (3,755 jobs), and food services and drink (2,766 jobs). A large percentage of the 37,613 non-farm workers are employed in dealing with tourists. Serving the local population is also part of the role of these sectors.[31]

In a May 2016 report, some 11,000 people were categorized as being involved in some aspect of agriculture in the first half of 2016, but this category makes up a small part of the total economy. At that time, there were approximately 607 manufacturing jobs and 1,487 natural resource and construction jobs. The single largest employer was the government.[31] In mid-February 2017, the USVI was facing a financial crisis due to a very high debt level of $2 billion and a structural budget deficit of $110 million.[79][80] Since January 2017, the U.S. Virgin Islands government has been unable to raise financing from the bond market at favorable interest rates, and as of June 2019 have not issued any new bonds since then.[81]

Personal income

The median income for a household in the territory was $40,408, and the median income for a family was $52,000 according to the 2020 census.[82] Males had a median income of $41,747 versus $37,052 for females. The per capita income for the territory was $26,897. The average private sector salary was $34,088 and the average public sector salary was $52,572.[31] About 28.7% of families and 32.5% of the population were below the poverty line, including 41.7% of those less than 18 years old and 29.8% of those 65 or more years old. Nearly 70% of adults had at least a high school diploma and 19.2% had a bachelor's degree or higher.[83]

Financial challenges

Analysts reviewing the economy often point to the closure of the HOVENSA oil refinery, the islands' largest private sector employer, in early 2012 as having a major negative impact on the territory's economy.[citation needed] In late 2013, the Federal Reserve Bank of New York's Research and Statistics Group pointed out that manufacturing employment dropped by 50% in May 2012 and by another 4% by November 2012, and that the GDP fell by 13%, "mainly due to an 80% drop-off in exports (mostly refined petroleum)". On the other hand, tourism and some other service industries were growing. As well, the 2010 census indicated that a relatively high share of the adult population is in the labor force: 66%, versus 65% on the mainland and well above 50% in Puerto Rico.[84]

A May 2016 report by Bloomberg expressed concern about the islands' tax-supported debt load.[85] By January 23, 2017, this had increased to $2 billion. That translated to a per capita debt of $19,000, which was higher than the per capita debt in Puerto Rico which was undergoing a severe financial crisis at the time. A Debtwire analyst writing in Forbes indicated that nothing short of a miracle would prevent a financial collapse.[79] Another area of concern was the structural budget deficit which was at $110 million in mid February 2017.[86] The government instituted a new law in March 2017 with new or increased taxes on rum, beer, tobacco products and sugary drinks, as well as internet purchases and timeshare unit owners.[87]

Tourism

Tourism, trade, and other service-oriented industries are the primary economic activities, accounting for nearly 60% of the GDP. Approximately 2.5 million tourists per year visit, most arriving on cruise ships.[31] Such visitors do not spend large amounts of money ($146.70 each on average) but as a group, they contributed $339.8 million to the economy in 2012.[88] Euromonitor indicates that over 50% of the workforce is employed in some tourism-related work.[89]

Additionally, the islands frequently are a starting point for private yacht charters to the neighboring British Virgin Islands.[citation needed]

Other sectors

The manufacturing sector consists of mainly rum distilling. The agricultural sector is small, with most food being imported. International business and financial services are a small but growing component of the economy. Most energy is also generated from imported oil, leading to electricity costs four to five times higher than the U.S. mainland.[90] The Virgin Islands were the highest oil consumers per capita in the world in 2007.[91] The Virgin Islands Water and Power Authority[92] also uses imported energy to operate its desalination facilities to provide fresh water.

Government

The CIA World Factbook lists the value of federal programs and grants — $241.4 million in 2013, 19.7% of the territory's total revenues — and that "the economy remains relatively diversified. Along with the tourist industry, it appears that rum exports, trade, and services will be major income sources in future years".[93]

Tax and trade

The U.S. Virgin Islands are an independent customs territory from the mainland United States and operate largely as a free port. U.S. citizens thus do not have to clear customs when arriving in the U.S. Virgin Islands, but do when traveling to the mainland. Local residents are not subject to US federal income taxes on U.S. Virgin Islands source income; they pay taxes to the territory equal to what their federal taxes would be if they lived in a state.[94]

Transport and communications

Main article: Transportation in the United States Virgin Islands
 
Cyril E. King Airport on St Thomas

The Henry E. Rohlsen International Airport serves St. Croix and the Cyril E. King Airport serves St. Thomas and St. John.

The U.S. Virgin Islands is the only U.S. jurisdiction that drives on the left.[citation needed] This was inherited from what was then-current practice on the islands at the time of the 1917 transfer of the territory to the United States from Denmark. However, because most cars in the territory are imported from the mainland United States, the cars in the territory are left-hand drive. However, not all U.S. vehicle regulations are in force, and there are vehicles on the road that cannot be sold in the mainland U.S. Additionally, headlights use the U.S. pattern which casts light to the right, tending to blind oncoming drivers. Traffic signals are located on the opposite side of the road than they are in the U.S. mainland, and many standard road signs have been altered to fit the left-side driving.

Mail service is handled by the United States Postal Service, using the two-character state code "VI" for domestic mail delivery.[95][96][97]ZIP codes are in the 008xx range.[97] As of January 2010, specifically assigned codes include 00801–00805 (St Thomas),[98] 00820–00824 (Christiansted),[99] 00830–00831 (St. John),[100] 00840–00841 (Frederiksted),[101] and 00850–00851 (Kingshill).[102] The islands are part of the North American Numbering Plan, using area code 340, and island residents and visitors are able to call most toll-free U.S. numbers.[95]

The U.S. Virgin Islands are located in the Atlantic Standard Time zone and do not participate in daylight saving time. When the mainland United States is on standard time, the U.S. Virgin Islands are one hour ahead of Eastern Standard Time. When the mainland United States is on daylight saving time, Eastern Daylight Time is the same as Atlantic Standard Time.

Demographics

See also: Demographics of the United States Virgin Islands
Historical population
Census Pop. %±
197062,468—
198096,56954.6%
1990101,8095.4%
2000108,6126.7%
2010106,405−2.0%
202087,146−18.1%
Sources:[3]

In 2020, the census put the population of the U.S. Virgin Islands at 87,146, a decline of 18,989 (-18.1%) from 2010.[3]

In 2020,[103][104] there were 39,642 households, out of which 24.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 27.8% were married couples living together, 20.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 45.1% were non-families. 40.1% of all households were made up of individuals, and 16.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.14 and the average family size was 2.98.

In the territory, the population in 2020 was distributed with 19.6% under the age of 18, 8.0% from 18 to 24, 27.1% from 25 to 44, 24.9% from 45 to 64, and 8.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 33 years. For every 100 females, there were 91.4 males. For every 100 females ages 18 and up, there were 87.7 males. The annual population growth is −0.12%.

The literacy rate for the adult population was 94.9% in 2010.[105]

Ethnic groups

The racial makeup of the U.S. Virgin Islands as of the 2020 United States census:[1]

Many residents can trace their ancestry to other Caribbean islands, especially Puerto Rico and the Lesser Antilles. The territory is largely Afro-Caribbean in origin.[7]

Languages

 
A Danish street name in Charlotte-Amalie

English is the predominant language. As of 2010, Spanish or Spanish Creole is spoken by 17.2% of the population age five and older, French or French Creole is spoken by 8.6%, and other languages are spoken by 2.5%.[106]

English has been the predominant language since 1917, when the islands were transferred from Denmark to the United States. Under Danish rule, the official language was Danish, but it was solely the language of administration and spoken by Danes, a tiny minority of the overall population that primarily occupied administrative roles in colonial Danish West Indian society. Place names and surnames of Denmark–Norway origin are still common.

Although the U.S. Virgin Islands was a Danish possession during most of its colonial history, Danish never was a spoken language among the populace, black or non-Danish white, as the majority of plantation and slave owners were of Dutch, English, Scottish, Irish, or Spanish descent.[107] Even during Danish ownership, Dutch, another Germanic language like Danish, was more common, at least during some of those 245 years, specifically on St. Thomas and St. John, where the majority of the European settlers were Dutch. In St. Croix, English was the dominant language. St. Croix was owned by the French until 1733 when the island was sold to the Danish West Indian and Guinea Company. By 1741, there were five times as many English on the island as Danes. English Creole emerged on St. Croix more so than the Dutch Creole, which was more popular on St. Thomas and St. John. Other languages spoken in the Danish West Indies included Irish, Scots, Spanish, and French, as well as Virgin Islands English Creole.[108]

Virgin Islands Creole English, an English-based creole locally known as "dialect", is spoken in informal situations. The form of Virgin Islands Creole spoken on St. Croix, known as Crucian, is slightly different from that spoken on St. Thomas and St. John.[109][110] Because the U.S. Virgin Islands are home to thousands of immigrants from across the Caribbean, Spanish and various French creole languages are also widely spoken. Spanish is mostly spoken by Puerto Ricans in St. Croix;[111] Puerto Rican migration was prevalent in the 1930s, '40s and '50s, when many Puerto Ricans relocated to St. Croix for work after the collapse of the sugar industry.[citation needed] In addition, the U.S. Navy purchase of two-thirds of the nearby Puerto Rican island of Vieques during World War II resulted in the displacement of thousands of Viequenses, many of whom relocated to St. Croix because of its similar size and geography. Puerto Ricans in St. Croix, most of whom have lived on the island for more than a generation, have kept their culture alive while integrating it into the native Crucian culture and society.[citation needed] For example, in informal situations, many Puerto Ricans in St. Croix speak a unique Spanglish-like combination of Puerto Rican Spanish and the local Crucian dialect of creole English.[111]

Negerhollands, a Dutch-based creole language, was formerly spoken on St. John, St. Croix, and St. Thomas. The creole emerged on plantations in the late 17th century or early 18th century; but its prevalence began to decline in the early-mid 19th century as the usage of English and Virgin Islands Creole English increased.[112][113] The last speaker of Negerhollands died in 1987, and the language is now considered extinct.[112][113]

Religion

See also: Religion in the United States Virgin Islands

Religion in the United States Virgin Islands (2010)[2]

  Protestant (65.5%)
  Catholic (27.1%)
  Other Christian (1.8%)
  Unaffiliated (3.7%)
  Other religion (1.9%)

Christianity is the dominant religion in the U.S. Virgin Islands. According to Pew Research Center, 94.8% of the population was Christian in 2010.[105] The largest Christian denominations in the 2010 census were Baptist, Roman Catholic, and Episcopal.[114]

Owing to both their Danish past and American present, Protestantism on the islands has long been widespread. It was first introduced when Lutheranism was brought to the islands in the Danish colonization. The Danish crown also allowed other religious traditions on the islands including Anglicanism, Roman Catholicism, the Moravian Church and other Protestant groups.[115] Historically, St. Thomas and St. Croix are known for missionary efforts undertaken by the Moravian missionaries. They were allowed on the islands by the Danish royal court, but came under scrutiny when they denounced slavery.[115][116][page needed] A number of neo-Protestant traditions including Pentecostalism, various evangelical Protestants and the Seventh-day Adventists arrived later with the switch of allegiance from Denmark to the United States.

There is also a strong Roman Catholic presence. Rastafari is also prevalent. St. Thomas is home to one of the oldest Jewish communities in the Western Hemisphere, as Sephardi Jews began to settle the island in the 18th century as traders and merchants. The St. Thomas Synagogue in Charlotte Amalie is the second-oldest synagogue on American soil, and oldest in terms of continuous usage.[117] Hinduism and Islam is practiced by the Indo-Caribbean and Indian (mostly Sindhi Indian) population. There is a Hindu temple in La Grande Princesse, St. Croix and one in Frenchman's Bay, St. Thomas.[118][119]

Health

In 2010, the national average life expectancy was 79.61 years. It was 76.57 years for men and 82.83 for women.[105]

Education

The United States Virgin Islands Department of Education serves as the territory's education agency, and has two school districts: St. Thomas-St. John School District and St. Croix School District.[120]

The University of the Virgin Islands provides higher education leading to associate's, bachelor's, and master's degrees, with campuses on St. Thomas and St. Croix.

Culture

Main article: Culture of the Virgin Islands

The culture of the Virgin Islands reflects the various people that have inhabited the present-day U.S. Virgin Islands and British Virgin Islands, which despite their political separation have kept close cultural ties. The culture derives chiefly from West African, European and American traditions, in addition to the influences from the immigrants from the Arab world, India and other Caribbean islands. The islands were strongly influenced by the British, Dutch,[121] French and Danish during the long periods the islands were under these powers.

Music

Main article: Music of the Virgin Islands

Media

The islands have a number of AM and FM radio stations (mostly on St. Thomas and St. Croix) broadcasting music, religious, and news programming. (See List of radio stations in US Territories.) Full- and low-power television stations are split between St. Thomas and St. Croix. (See List of television stations in the U.S. Virgin Islands.) Newspapers include:

  • The Avis, printed daily on St. Croix
  • The Virgin Islands Daily News,[122] printed daily on St. Thomas
  • St. John Tradewinds,[123] distributed weekly on St. John
  • St. Thomas – St. John This Week[124] (online only)
  • St. Thomas Source[125] (online only)
  • St. Croix Source[126] (online only)
  • St. John On Island Times,[127] news and information on St. John, USVI
  • The Virgin Islands Consortium (online only)

Libraries

Soon after becoming a US territory in 1917, the first public library was formally accepted as a gift from the Junior Red Cross. The St. Thomas Library opened in December 1920. The library occupied rented quarters and frequently moved. The Carnegie Corporation of New York provided grant funding from 1929 through 1933 to the US Virgin Islands for the development of library services by sending librarians, funding for books, and training for the supervising librarian.[128]

An early and enduring pioneer for libraries in the Virgin Islands was Enid M. Baa. Ms. Baa was one of the four first high school graduates in St. Thomas and participated in the establishment of the first high school library. Soon after her graduation, Ms. Baa was selected by the Carnegie Foundation and Governor Pearson for a scholarship as a special student to the Graduate Library School at Hampton Institute. After graduating from the program in 1933, Ms. Baa returned to the Virgin Islands to be appointed by Governor Pearson as Supervising Librarian for the Virgin Islands. She was the first woman to hold a cabinet-level office in the Virgin Islands government. In 1943, Ms. Baa returned to the US to complete her studies at Columbia University and worked in the library field in the US. Among the positions she held include Head of Serial Cataloging Section at the United Nations Library and Specialist in Cataloging of Spanish or Portuguese materials at the New York Public Library. In 1954, Ms. Baa was appointed Director of Libraries and Museums under Governor Archibald Alexander. She received the John Jay Whitney Foundation Fellowship in 1955 on the basis of her contribution to the preservation of the Sephardic Jewish Records of the Virgin Islands and the re-indexing of these records in a card file. The family records of US senator Judah P. Benjamin, artist Camille Pissarro, medical pioneer Jacob Da Costa, and others can be found in the documents.[129]

The US Virgin Islands Public Library System currently consists of five libraries. Three in St. Croix: Athalie McFarlane Peterson Public Library in Frederiksted, and the Regional Library for the Blind and Physically Handicapped and the Florence Augusta Williams Public Library, both in Christiansted. One in St. John, Elaine Ione Sprauve Public Library and Museum of Cultural Arts in Cruz Bay. While St. Thomas has two: Charles Wesley Turnbull Regional Public Library in Estate Tutu and Enid M. Baa Public Library and Archives in Charlotte Amalie, the Enid M. Baa Library is currently closed to the public and used for administrative purposes. The US Virgin Island Public Library System is administered by the USVI Department of Planning and Natural Resources' Division of Libraries, Archives, and Museums.[130]

The US Virgin Islands Public Library System provides free reader services to adults, children, young adults, and seniors. Collections include: adult fiction and non-fiction; children's fiction and non-fiction; reference materials, magazines, daily newspapers, and DVDs. The library system also houses original and microfilm collections of Virgin Islands Archives, records, newspapers and other materials. The Virgin Islands Automated Library System provides a database and computerized support network for books, reading materials and patron records for the library and archives collections. The viNGN Public Computer Centers provide patrons with free access to high-speed connections to access the Internet and the World Wide Web.[130]

Public holidays

Main article: Public holidays in the United States Virgin Islands
  • January 1: New Year's Day
  • January 6: Three Kings Day
  • January (third Monday): Martin Luther King, Jr. Day
  • February (third Monday): Presidents' Day
  • March 31: Transfer Day (celebrates the transfer of the islands from Denmark to the US)
  • March–April: Holy Thursday, Good Friday, Easter Monday
  • May (fourth Monday): Memorial Day
  • July 3: Emancipation Day
  • July 4: U.S. Independence Day
  • September (first Monday): Labor Day
  • October (second Monday): Virgin Islands–Puerto Rico Friendship Day/Columbus Day
  • November 1: D. Hamilton Jackson Day (also known as "Liberty Day", or "Bull and Bread Day")
  • November 11: Veterans Day
  • November (fourth Thursday): Thanksgiving Day
  • December 25: Christmas
  • December 26: Christmas Second Day (also known as "Boxing Day")

Virgin Islands government employees are also given administrative leave for St. Croix carnival events in January and St. Thomas carnival events in April/May.[131][132]

Sports

Basketball is one of the popular sports in the Virgin Islands. There is currently one player in the NBA from the Virgin Islands, 2019 NBA Draft pick Nicolas Claxton, who plays for the Brooklyn Nets. Retired five-time NBA champion Tim Duncan of the San Antonio Spurs also is a native of the Virgin Islands. Consensus 2022 NCAA women's player of the year and USA national team member Aliyah Boston (University of South Carolina) was born and raised in St. Thomas.[133]

In cricket, Virgin Islanders are eligible to compete internationally as part of the West Indies. The most recent Virgin Islander to be named to the West Indies squad is Hayden Walsh Jr., who was born in St. Croix. In regional Caribbean competitions, Virgin Islanders compete in List A and first-class cricket as part of the Leeward Islands cricket team. Currently, the Virgin Islands are not represented in Caribbean Twenty20 leagues.

There are also a men's and women's national soccer teams.

See also

Explanatory notes

  1. ^ The Virgin Islands of the United States belongs to, but is not a part of, the United States. See the page for the Insular Cases for more information.
  2. ^ Danish: Amerikanske Jomfruøer. Also called the American Virgin Islands and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

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Further reading

  • Jensen, Niklas Thode; Simonsen, Gunvor (2016). "Introduction: The historiography of slavery in the Danish-Norwegian West Indies, c. 1950–2016". Scandinavian Journal of History. 41 (4–5): 475–494. doi:10.1080/03468755.2016.1210880.

External links

  • United States Virgin Islands Government House Official website
  • "Virgin Islands". The World Factbook. Central Intelligence Agency.
  • US Census Bureau: Island Areas Census 2000
  • at UCB Libraries GovPubs
  • United States Virgin Islands at Curlie
  •   Wikimedia Atlas of the United States Virgin Islands
  • at the United States Geological Survey.
  • Official Tourism Website
  • Quarters and estates of Saint Croix
  • Quarters and estates of Saint John

Coordinates: 18°20′N 64°54′W / 18.34°N 64.90°W / 18.34; -64.90 (Virgin Islands of the United States)

January 21, 2023
united, states, virgin, islands, note, officially, virgin, islands, united, states, group, caribbean, islands, unincorporated, organized, territory, united, states, islands, geographically, part, virgin, islands, archipelago, located, leeward, islands, lesser,. The United States Virgin Islands note 2 officially the Virgin Islands of the United States are a group of Caribbean islands and an unincorporated and organized territory of the United States 7 The islands are geographically part of the Virgin Islands archipelago and are located in the Leeward Islands of the Lesser Antilles to the east of Puerto Rico and west of the British Virgin Islands 8 Virgin Islands of the United StatesUnincorporated and organized U S territoryFlagSealMotto United in Pride and Hope Anthem Virgin Islands March source source source track Location of the United States Virgin IslandsSovereign state United States note 1 Before purchaseDanish West IndiesTransfer from DenmarkMarch 31 1917Capitaland largest cityCharlotte Amalie18 21 N 64 56 W 18 350 N 64 933 W 18 350 64 933Official languagesEnglishEthnic groups 2020 1 By race 71 4 Black 13 3 White 6 3 Other 7 5 Multiracial 1 0 Asian By ethnicity 81 6 Non Hispanic or Latino 18 4 Hispanic or LatinoReligion 2010 2 94 4 Christianity 3 7 No religion 1 9 OtherDemonym s American Virgin IslanderGovernmentDevolved presidential constitutional dependency PresidentJoe Biden D GovernorAlbert Bryan D Lieutenant GovernorTregenza Roach D LegislatureLegislature of the Virgin IslandsUnited States Congress House delegateStacey Plaskett D Area Total346 4 km2 133 7 sq mi 168th Water negligibleHighest elevation474 m 1 555 ft Population 2020 census87 146 3 Density653 6 sq mi 252 4 km2 GDP PPP 2019 estimate Per capita 38 136 4 GDP nominal 2019 estimate TotalUS 4 068 billion 5 HDI 2019 0 892 6 very high 31stCurrencyUnited States dollar US USD Time zoneUTC 4 00 AST Date formatmm dd yyyyDriving sideleftCalling code 1 340USPS abbreviationVITrad abbreviationU S V I ISO 3166 codeVIUS VIInternet TLD viThe U S Virgin Islands consist of the main islands of Saint Croix Saint John and Saint Thomas and 50 other surrounding minor islands and cays 9 The total land area of the territory is 133 73 square miles 346 36 km2 7 The territory s capital is Charlotte Amalie on the island of St Thomas Previously known as the Danish West Indies of the Kingdom of Denmark Norway from 1754 to 1814 and the independent Kingdom of Denmark from 1814 to 1917 they were sold to the United States by Denmark for 25 000 000 in the 1917 Treaty of the Danish West Indies 7 and have since been an organized unincorporated United States territory The U S Virgin Islands are organized under the 1954 Revised Organic Act of the Virgin Islands and have since held five constitutional conventions Tourism and related categories are the primary economic activities 7 Contents 1 Etymology 2 History 2 1 Pre European contact 2 2 Early European settlers 2 3 Danish period 2 4 American period 3 Geography 3 1 Climate 4 Politics and government 4 1 Legal system 4 2 Constitution 4 3 Administrative divisions 4 4 Self determination 4 5 Governors of the U S Virgin Islands 4 6 Law enforcement 4 7 Military 5 Economy 5 1 Personal income 5 2 Financial challenges 5 3 Tourism 5 4 Other sectors 5 5 Government 5 6 Tax and trade 6 Transport and communications 7 Demographics 7 1 Ethnic groups 7 2 Languages 7 3 Religion 7 4 Health 7 5 Education 8 Culture 8 1 Music 8 2 Media 8 3 Libraries 8 4 Public holidays 9 Sports 10 See also 11 Explanatory notes 12 References 13 Further reading 14 External linksEtymology EditThe islands were named Santa Ursula y las Once Mil Virgenes by Christopher Columbus in 1493 after the legend of Saint Ursula and the 11 000 virgins 7 The name was later shortened to the Virgin Islands 7 History EditMain article History of the United States Virgin Islands Pre European contact Edit Ancient petroglyphs in the Virgin Islands National Park The U S Virgin Islands were originally inhabited by the Ciboney and Arawaks 10 with some scholars thinking that the islands were inhabited from as early as 1000 BC 8 The Caribs arrived around the mid 15th century AD 8 Early European settlers Edit Christopher Columbus on his second voyage in 1493 is thought to have been the first European to see the islands giving them their current name 10 The Spanish later settled in 1555 with English and French settlers arriving on St Croix from 1625 8 There followed a complex period in which the islands were disputed among Spain France Britain and the Netherlands 8 Danish period Edit Main article Danish West Indies Denmark Norway also took an interest in the islands and the Danish West India Company settled on St Thomas in 1672 and St John in 1694 later purchasing St Croix from France in 1733 11 The islands became royal Danish colonies in 1754 named the Danish West Indian Islands Danish De dansk vestindiske oer Initially the currency was the Danish West Indian rigsdaler replaced by the daler in 1849 The islands proved ideal for sugar plantations sugarcane produced by enslaved Africans drove the islands economy during the 18th and early 19th centuries 8 Other plantation crops included cotton and indigo dye 12 better source needed During the 17th and 18th centuries a sizable Jewish community also began to settle on the islands 13 The Hogensborg estate on Sankt Croix 1833 In 1733 St John was the site of one of the first significant slave rebellions in the New World when Akan Akwamu slaves from the Gold Coast modern Ghana took over the island for six months The Danish were able to defeat the enslaved Africans with help from the French in Martinique 14 Instead of allowing themselves to be recaptured more than a dozen of the ringleaders shot themselves before the French forces could capture them It is estimated that by 1775 slaves outnumbered the Danish settlers by a ratio of 8 1 15 16 After another slave rebellion occurred on St Croix slavery was abolished by Governor Peter von Scholten on July 3 1848 17 18 now celebrated as Emancipation Day 19 Over the following years strict labor laws were implemented several times leading to the 1878 St Croix labor riot 20 21 22 With the plantations no longer as profitable Danish settlers began to abandon their estates causing a significant drop in population and the overall economy Additionally the 1867 hurricane and earthquake and tsunami further impacted the economy For the remainder of the period of Danish rule the islands were not economically viable and significant transfers had to be made from the Danish state budget to the authorities in the islands The United States began to take an interest in the islands and in 1867 a treaty to sell St Thomas and St John to the U S was agreed but never effected 23 A number of reforms aimed at reviving the islands economy were attempted but none had great success A second draft treaty to sell the islands to the United States was negotiated in 1902 but was defeated in the upper house of the Danish parliament in a tie vote because the opposition carried a 97 year old life member into the chamber 23 The onset of World War I brought the reform period to a close and again left the islands isolated During the submarine warfare phases of the war the United States fearing that the islands might be seized by Germany as a submarine base 24 again approached Denmark about buying them After a few months of negotiations a selling price of 25 million 25 8 in United States gold coin was agreed equivalent to 622 55 million in 2021 dollars At the same time the economics of continued possession weighed heavily on the minds of Danish decision makers and a consensus in favor of selling emerged in the Danish parliament The Treaty of the Danish West Indies was signed on August 4 1916 25 26 with a referendum on the sale held in Denmark in December 1916 in which voters approved the decision to sell The deal was finalized on January 17 1917 when the United States and Denmark exchanged their respective treaty ratifications American period Edit The United States took possession of the islands on March 31 1917 and the territory was renamed the Virgin Islands of the United States 25 Every year Transfer Day is recognized as a holiday to commemorate the acquisition of the islands by the United States 27 Paul Martin Pearson first civilian governor was appointed by Herbert Hoover and was inaugurated March 18 1931 U S citizenship was granted to many inhabitants of the islands in 1927 and 1932 The Danish West Indian daler was replaced by the U S dollar in 1934 28 and from 1935 to 1939 the islands were a part of the United States customs area 29 The 1936 Organic Act and the 1954 Revised Organic Act established the local government 8 Tourism began to develop following World War II over time becoming the most important sector of the islands economy 8 In 1970 Virgin Islanders elected their first governor Melvin H Evans and from 1976 the islands began work on creating their own constitution 8 Water Island a small island to the south of St Thomas was initially administered by the U S federal government and did not become a part of the U S Virgin Islands territory until 1996 when 50 acres 20 ha of land was transferred to the territorial government The remaining 200 acres 81 ha of the island was purchased from the United States Department of the Interior in May 2005 for 10 a transaction that marked the official change in jurisdiction 30 In 1966 Hess Oil began construction on an oil refinery Until February 2012 the Hovensa plant located on St Croix was one of the world s largest petroleum refineries refining 494 000 bbl d 78 500 m3 d and contributed about 20 of the territory s GDP The refinery ceased operation in 2012 and the facility stopped exporting petroleum products in 2014 In the final year of full refinery operations the value of exported petroleum products was 12 7 billion 2011 fiscal year 31 Since refining ended the 34 million barrel tank farm has operated as a crude oil and petrochemical storage facility for third party customers The refinery s closure provoked a local economic crisis 32 33 Following the acquisition of the 1 500 acre complex by ArcLight Capital Partners LLC in 2016 Limetree Bay Ventures LLC was formed and is currently executing a project to refurbish and restart the refinery with a processing capability of up to 200 000 bbl d 32 000 m3 d 34 35 The aftermath of Hurricane Marilyn on the island of St Thomas 1995 In recent decades the U S Virgin Islands have been devastated by a series of hurricanes Hurricane Hugo struck the U S Virgin Islands in 1989 causing catastrophic physical and economic damage particularly on the island of St Croix The territory was again struck by Hurricane Marilyn in 1995 killing eight people and causing more than 2 billion in damage The islands were again struck by hurricanes Bertha Georges Lenny and Omar in 1996 1998 1999 and 2008 respectively but damage was not as severe in those storms In September 2017 Category 5 Hurricane Irma caused catastrophic damage particularly to St John and St Thomas Just two weeks later Category 5 Hurricane Maria ravaged all three islands Sustained winds at the Sandy Point National Wildlife Refuge on St Croix reached 99 to 104 mph 159 to 167 km h and gusted to 137 mph 220 km h 36 Even stronger winds likely occurred somewhere across the island s west end The British Virgin Islands and the other two U S Virgin Islands St John and St Thomas were far enough northeast to avoid the worst from Maria but were still massively impacted with great destruction everywhere A wind gust to 86 mph 138 km h was reported at St Thomas Weather stations on St Croix recorded 5 and 10 inches 130 and 250 mm of rain from the hurricane and estimates for St John and St Thomas were somewhat less 37 The hurricane killed two people both in their homes one person drowned and another was trapped by a mudslide 38 A third person had a fatal heart attack during the hurricane 39 The hurricane caused extensive and severe damage to St Croix After both hurricanes the office of Virgin Islands congresswoman Stacey Plaskett stated that 90 of buildings in the Virgin Islands were damaged or destroyed and 13 000 of those buildings had lost their roofs 40 The Luis Hospital suffered roof damage and flooding but remained operational 41 Geography EditMain article Geography of the United States Virgin Islands A map of the United States Virgin Islands The U S Virgin Islands are in the Atlantic Ocean about 40 miles 64 km east of Puerto Rico and immediately west of the British Virgin Islands They share the Virgin Islands archipelago with the Puerto Rican Virgin Islands of Vieques and Culebra administered by Puerto Rico and the British Virgin Islands The territory consists of three main islands St Thomas St John and St Croix as well as several dozen smaller islands 42 The main islands have nicknames often used by locals Twin City St Croix Rock City St Thomas and Love City St John 43 The combined land area of the islands is roughly twice the size of Washington D C The U S Virgin Islands are known for their white sand beaches including Magens Bay and Trunk Bay and deepwater harbors along the Anegada Passage including Charlotte Amalie the capital and Christiansted 44 Like most Caribbean islands most of the islands of the Virgin Islands including St Thomas and St John are volcanic in origin and hilly The highest point is Crown Mountain on St Thomas at 1 555 feet 474 m 42 St Croix the largest of the U S Virgin Islands lies to the south and has a flatter terrain because of its coral origin The National Park Service manages more than half of St John nearly all of Hassel Island and many acres of coral reef There are several national park sites such as the Virgin Islands National Park Virgin Islands Coral Reef National Monument Buck Island Reef National Monument Christiansted National Historic Site and Salt River Bay National Historical Park and Ecological Preserve The U S Virgin Islands lie on the boundary of the North American plate and the Caribbean Plate Natural hazards include earthquakes hurricanes and tsunamis 42 The U S Virgin Islands contain the Leeward Islands moist forests and Leeward Islands xeric scrub terrestrial ecoregions 45 Climate Edit Main article Climate of the United States Virgin Islands The United States Virgin Islands experience a tropical climate with little seasonal change throughout the year 42 Rainfall is concentrated in the high sun period May through October while in the winter the northeast trade winds prevail Summer and winter high temperatures differ by 5 F 3 C or less on average Climate data for St Thomas Virgin IslandsMonth Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec YearRecord high F C 93 34 93 34 94 34 96 36 97 36 99 37 98 37 99 37 98 37 97 36 95 35 92 33 99 37 Average high F C 85 29 85 29 86 30 87 31 88 31 89 32 90 32 90 32 90 32 89 32 87 31 86 30 88 31 Average low F C 72 22 73 23 73 23 74 23 76 24 78 26 78 26 78 26 78 26 77 25 75 24 74 23 76 24 Record low F C 63 17 62 17 56 13 62 17 66 19 67 19 57 14 59 15 64 18 66 19 52 11 62 17 52 11 Average precipitation inches mm 2 38 60 1 48 38 1 42 36 2 74 70 3 06 78 2 53 64 2 85 72 3 74 95 5 58 142 5 42 138 5 23 133 2 96 75 39 39 1 001 Source weather com 46 Politics and government EditMain article Politics of the United States Virgin Islands See also Political party strength in the United States Virgin Islands Charlotte Amalie St Thomas the islands capital Christiansted the largest town on St Croix The U S Virgin Islands are an organized unincorporated United States territory 47 Although those born on the islands are U S citizens U S Virgin Islanders residing in the territory are ineligible to vote for the president of the United States People born in the U S Virgin Islands derive their U S citizenship from congressional statute 48 The U S Democratic and Republican parties allow U S Virgin Islands citizens to vote in their presidential primary elections for delegates to the respective national conventions 49 The main political parties in the U S Virgin Islands themselves are the Democratic Party of the Virgin Islands the Independent Citizens Movement and the Republican Party of the Virgin Islands Additional candidates run as independents At the national level the U S Virgin Islands elect a delegate to Congress from their at large congressional district 50 The elected delegate while able to vote in committee cannot participate in floor votes The current House of Representatives delegate is Stacey Plaskett a Democrat Like other territories the U S Virgin Islands does not have U S senators 51 At the territorial level fifteen senators seven from the district of St Croix seven from the district of St Thomas and St John and one senator at large who must be a resident of St John are elected for two year terms to the unicameral Virgin Islands legislature There is no limit as to the number of terms they can serve 52 The U S Virgin Islands have elected a territorial governor every four years since 1970 Previous governors were appointed by the president of the United States 53 Legal system Edit The U S Virgin Islands have a Superior Court and Supreme Court 47 The District Court of the Virgin Islands is responsible for cases brought under federal law and the U S Attorney for the District of the Virgin Islands can bring federal criminal cases there The Superior Court is responsible for hearing cases under U S Virgin Islands law at the trial level and the Supreme Court is responsible for appeals from the Superior Court for all appeals filed on or after January 29 2007 citation needed Appeals filed prior to that date were heard by the Appellate Division of the District Court Appeals from the federal District Court are heard by the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit located in Philadelphia Pennsylvania citation needed District Court judges are appointed by the U S president while Superior Court and Supreme Court judges are appointed by the governor As of 2019 the USVI courts apply both American common law 54 and the 2019 US Virgin Islands Code as passed by the territorial legislature Because the USVI is not a state and Congress has not determined otherwise the federal district court is an Article IV tribunal subject to the authority of the United States secretary of the interior and without lifetime appointment for judges Elements of Danish law have all been repealed except for two 1914 laws having to do with customs and ship duties for St Thomas and St John 55 Further information Gun laws in the United States Virgin Islands Constitution Edit The Legislature Building in Charlotte Amalie On October 21 1976 President Gerald Ford signed Pub L 94 584 authorizing the people of the United States Virgin Islands to organize a government pursuant to a constitution which would be automatically approved if Congress did not act within 60 days 56 In 2004 an act was passed by the legislature of the Virgin Islands calling for a fifth constitutional convention and 30 delegates to the convention were elected in 2007 On May 26 2009 the convention adopted a proposed Constitution of the Virgin Islands However in June 2009 Governor John de Jongh Jr rejected the resulting constitutional draft saying the terms of the document would violate federal law fail to defer to federal sovereignty and disregard basic civil rights 57 A lawsuit filed by members of the convention to force Governor de Jongh to forward the document to President Barack Obama was ultimately successful President Obama forwarded the proposal to Congress in May 2010 along with a report noting concerns raised by the United States Department of Justice that the powers sought exceeded what would be considered allowable under territorial status 58 and restating the issues noted by Governor de Jongh A U S Congressional resolution disapproving of the proposed constitution and requesting that the Fifth Constitutional Convention reconvene to consider changes to address these issues was signed into law 59 by President Obama on June 30 2010 60 61 Months later a federal lawsuit was filed in the federal District Court of the Virgin Islands The lawsuit claimed that the United States had to provide U S Virgin Islanders with the ability to be represented in Congress and vote for U S president It alleged that racial discrimination present in the all white and segregated U S Congress of 1917 was the impetus to deny the right to vote to a majority nonwhite constituency The case was ultimately dismissed on August 16 2012 62 The Fifth Constitutional Convention of the U S Virgin Islands met in October 2012 but was not able to produce a revised constitution before its October 31 deadline 63 64 65 66 On November 3 2020 the Virgin Islands held a referendum on whether to convene a sixth constitutional convention The proposal was approved with nearly 72 voting in favor Administrative divisions Edit Main article Districts and sub districts of the United States Virgin Islands Administratively the U S Virgin Islands are divided into two districts the St Thomas and St John district and the St Croix district 67 68 69 However the U S Census Bureau divides each of the three main islands into three separate statistical entities which are further divided into 20 subdistricts 70 Below is the U S Census Bureau s division model Districts and subdistricts of the U S Virgin Islands Districts St Thomas St John St CroixSub districts Charlotte Amalie East End Northside Southside Tutu Water Island West End Central Coral Bay Cruz Bay East End Anna s Hope Village Christiansted East End Frederiksted Northcentral Northwest Sion Farm Southcentral SouthwestEach of the three main islands of the U S Virgin Islands is counted as a county equivalent by the U S Census Bureau with the following FIPS codes 78010 for St Croix 78020 for St John and 78030 for St Thomas 71 72 While a Danish possession the islands were divided into quarters five on St John and nine on St Croix which were further divided into many dozens of estates Estate names are still used to write addresses estates and quarters are used in describing real estate especially on St John 73 and St Croix 74 More densely populated towns such as Frederiksted and Christiansted on St Croix were historically referred to as districts in contrast to the surrounding plantation land Self determination Edit A 1993 referendum on status attracted only 31 4 turnout and so its results in favor of the status quo were considered void 75 No further status referendums have been scheduled since The territory is classified by the United Nations as a non self governing territory In 2016 the United Nations Special Committee on Decolonization recommended to the UN s General Assembly that this larger body should actively pursue a public awareness campaign aimed at assisting the people of the United States Virgin Islands with their inalienable right to self determination and in gaining a better understanding of the options for self determination 76 Governors of the U S Virgin Islands Edit Main articles List of Governors of the Danish West Indies and List of Governors of the United States Virgin Islands Law enforcement Edit Main article United States Virgin Islands Police Department USVI police officers in 2012 Law enforcement services are provided by the United States Virgin Islands Police Department USVIPD Military Edit Defense is the responsibility of the United States 7 There are some military facilities and personnel on the islands supported by the U S government United States Army Reserve Virgin Islands National Guard Virgin Islands Air National Guard stationed at St Croix ANGS Virgin Islands Army National Guard stationed at St Croix ANGS Lionel A Jackson Readiness Center shared facility for Army and Air unitsAlthough a public airport Henry E Rohlsen Airport has serviced aircraft from the United States Air Force as well as the United States Army Economy EditMain article Economy of the United States Virgin Islands Magens Bay St Thomas Tourism is the Islands biggest industry with 2 5 3 million annual visitors the sector is responsible for about 60 of the GDP 7 31 Other major sectors are the public sector some limited agriculture and small scale manufacturing most notably rum production 7 8 A 2012 economic report from the U S Census Bureau indicated a total of 2 414 business establishments generating 6 8 billion in sales employing 32 465 people and paying 1 1 billion in payroll per year Between 2007 and 2012 sales declined by 12 6 billion or 64 9 percent In 2007 total sales were 19 5 billion and the number employed was 35 300 77 According to a report on the first half of 2016 by the VI Bureau of Economic Research the unemployment rate was 11 5 percent 78 In May 2016 the islands Bureau of Economic Research indicated that there were 37 613 non agricultural wage and salary jobs in the islands This report states that the leisure and hospitality sector employed an average of 7 333 people The retail trade sector which also serves many tourists averaged another 5 913 jobs Other categories which also include some tourism jobs include arts and entertainment 792 jobs accommodation and food 6 541 jobs accommodation 3 755 jobs and food services and drink 2 766 jobs A large percentage of the 37 613 non farm workers are employed in dealing with tourists Serving the local population is also part of the role of these sectors 31 In a May 2016 report some 11 000 people were categorized as being involved in some aspect of agriculture in the first half of 2016 but this category makes up a small part of the total economy At that time there were approximately 607 manufacturing jobs and 1 487 natural resource and construction jobs The single largest employer was the government 31 In mid February 2017 the USVI was facing a financial crisis due to a very high debt level of 2 billion and a structural budget deficit of 110 million 79 80 Since January 2017 the U S Virgin Islands government has been unable to raise financing from the bond market at favorable interest rates and as of June 2019 have not issued any new bonds since then 81 Personal income Edit The median income for a household in the territory was 40 408 and the median income for a family was 52 000 according to the 2020 census 82 Males had a median income of 41 747 versus 37 052 for females The per capita income for the territory was 26 897 The average private sector salary was 34 088 and the average public sector salary was 52 572 31 About 28 7 of families and 32 5 of the population were below the poverty line including 41 7 of those less than 18 years old and 29 8 of those 65 or more years old Nearly 70 of adults had at least a high school diploma and 19 2 had a bachelor s degree or higher 83 Financial challenges Edit Analysts reviewing the economy often point to the closure of the HOVENSA oil refinery the islands largest private sector employer in early 2012 as having a major negative impact on the territory s economy citation needed In late 2013 the Federal Reserve Bank of New York s Research and Statistics Group pointed out that manufacturing employment dropped by 50 in May 2012 and by another 4 by November 2012 and that the GDP fell by 13 mainly due to an 80 drop off in exports mostly refined petroleum On the other hand tourism and some other service industries were growing As well the 2010 census indicated that a relatively high share of the adult population is in the labor force 66 versus 65 on the mainland and well above 50 in Puerto Rico 84 A May 2016 report by Bloomberg expressed concern about the islands tax supported debt load 85 By January 23 2017 this had increased to 2 billion That translated to a per capita debt of 19 000 which was higher than the per capita debt in Puerto Rico which was undergoing a severe financial crisis at the time A Debtwire analyst writing in Forbes indicated that nothing short of a miracle would prevent a financial collapse 79 Another area of concern was the structural budget deficit which was at 110 million in mid February 2017 86 The government instituted a new law in March 2017 with new or increased taxes on rum beer tobacco products and sugary drinks as well as internet purchases and timeshare unit owners 87 Tourism Edit Tourism trade and other service oriented industries are the primary economic activities accounting for nearly 60 of the GDP Approximately 2 5 million tourists per year visit most arriving on cruise ships 31 Such visitors do not spend large amounts of money 146 70 each on average but as a group they contributed 339 8 million to the economy in 2012 88 Euromonitor indicates that over 50 of the workforce is employed in some tourism related work 89 Additionally the islands frequently are a starting point for private yacht charters to the neighboring British Virgin Islands citation needed Other sectors Edit The manufacturing sector consists of mainly rum distilling The agricultural sector is small with most food being imported International business and financial services are a small but growing component of the economy Most energy is also generated from imported oil leading to electricity costs four to five times higher than the U S mainland 90 The Virgin Islands were the highest oil consumers per capita in the world in 2007 91 The Virgin Islands Water and Power Authority 92 also uses imported energy to operate its desalination facilities to provide fresh water Government Edit The CIA World Factbook lists the value of federal programs and grants 241 4 million in 2013 19 7 of the territory s total revenues and that the economy remains relatively diversified Along with the tourist industry it appears that rum exports trade and services will be major income sources in future years 93 Tax and trade Edit The U S Virgin Islands are an independent customs territory from the mainland United States and operate largely as a free port U S citizens thus do not have to clear customs when arriving in the U S Virgin Islands but do when traveling to the mainland Local residents are not subject to US federal income taxes on U S Virgin Islands source income they pay taxes to the territory equal to what their federal taxes would be if they lived in a state 94 Transport and communications EditMain article Transportation in the United States Virgin Islands Cyril E King Airport on St Thomas The Henry E Rohlsen International Airport serves St Croix and the Cyril E King Airport serves St Thomas and St John The U S Virgin Islands is the only U S jurisdiction that drives on the left citation needed This was inherited from what was then current practice on the islands at the time of the 1917 transfer of the territory to the United States from Denmark However because most cars in the territory are imported from the mainland United States the cars in the territory are left hand drive However not all U S vehicle regulations are in force and there are vehicles on the road that cannot be sold in the mainland U S Additionally headlights use the U S pattern which casts light to the right tending to blind oncoming drivers Traffic signals are located on the opposite side of the road than they are in the U S mainland and many standard road signs have been altered to fit the left side driving Mail service is handled by the United States Postal Service using the two character state code VI for domestic mail delivery 95 96 97 ZIP codes are in the 008xx range 97 As of January 2010 update specifically assigned codes include 00801 00805 St Thomas 98 00820 00824 Christiansted 99 00830 00831 St John 100 00840 00841 Frederiksted 101 and 00850 00851 Kingshill 102 The islands are part of the North American Numbering Plan using area code 340 and island residents and visitors are able to call most toll free U S numbers 95 The U S Virgin Islands are located in the Atlantic Standard Time zone and do not participate in daylight saving time When the mainland United States is on standard time the U S Virgin Islands are one hour ahead of Eastern Standard Time When the mainland United States is on daylight saving time Eastern Daylight Time is the same as Atlantic Standard Time Demographics EditSee also Demographics of the United States Virgin Islands Trunk Bay St John Historical populationCensus Pop 197062 468 198096 56954 6 1990101 8095 4 2000108 6126 7 2010106 405 2 0 202087 146 18 1 Sources 3 In 2020 the census put the population of the U S Virgin Islands at 87 146 a decline of 18 989 18 1 from 2010 3 In 2020 103 104 there were 39 642 households out of which 24 1 had children under the age of 18 living with them 27 8 were married couples living together 20 5 had a female householder with no husband present and 45 1 were non families 40 1 of all households were made up of individuals and 16 4 had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older The average household size was 2 14 and the average family size was 2 98 In the territory the population in 2020 was distributed with 19 6 under the age of 18 8 0 from 18 to 24 27 1 from 25 to 44 24 9 from 45 to 64 and 8 4 who were 65 years of age or older The median age was 33 years For every 100 females there were 91 4 males For every 100 females ages 18 and up there were 87 7 males The annual population growth is 0 12 The literacy rate for the adult population was 94 9 in 2010 105 Ethnic groups Edit The racial makeup of the U S Virgin Islands as of the 2020 United States census 1 Black or Afro Caribbean 71 4 64 2 Non Hispanic Black Hispanic or Latino of any race 17 4 8 9 Puerto Rican 6 2 Dominican White 13 3 12 7 Non Hispanic Whites Other 6 3 Mixed 7 4 Asian or Asian Caribbean 1 0 Many residents can trace their ancestry to other Caribbean islands especially Puerto Rico and the Lesser Antilles The territory is largely Afro Caribbean in origin 7 Languages Edit A Danish street name in Charlotte Amalie English is the predominant language As of 2010 Spanish or Spanish Creole is spoken by 17 2 of the population age five and older French or French Creole is spoken by 8 6 and other languages are spoken by 2 5 106 English has been the predominant language since 1917 when the islands were transferred from Denmark to the United States Under Danish rule the official language was Danish but it was solely the language of administration and spoken by Danes a tiny minority of the overall population that primarily occupied administrative roles in colonial Danish West Indian society Place names and surnames of Denmark Norway origin are still common Although the U S Virgin Islands was a Danish possession during most of its colonial history Danish never was a spoken language among the populace black or non Danish white as the majority of plantation and slave owners were of Dutch English Scottish Irish or Spanish descent 107 Even during Danish ownership Dutch another Germanic language like Danish was more common at least during some of those 245 years specifically on St Thomas and St John where the majority of the European settlers were Dutch In St Croix English was the dominant language St Croix was owned by the French until 1733 when the island was sold to the Danish West Indian and Guinea Company By 1741 there were five times as many English on the island as Danes English Creole emerged on St Croix more so than the Dutch Creole which was more popular on St Thomas and St John Other languages spoken in the Danish West Indies included Irish Scots Spanish and French as well as Virgin Islands English Creole 108 Virgin Islands Creole English an English based creole locally known as dialect is spoken in informal situations The form of Virgin Islands Creole spoken on St Croix known as Crucian is slightly different from that spoken on St Thomas and St John 109 110 Because the U S Virgin Islands are home to thousands of immigrants from across the Caribbean Spanish and various French creole languages are also widely spoken Spanish is mostly spoken by Puerto Ricans in St Croix 111 Puerto Rican migration was prevalent in the 1930s 40s and 50s when many Puerto Ricans relocated to St Croix for work after the collapse of the sugar industry citation needed In addition the U S Navy purchase of two thirds of the nearby Puerto Rican island of Vieques during World War II resulted in the displacement of thousands of Viequenses many of whom relocated to St Croix because of its similar size and geography Puerto Ricans in St Croix most of whom have lived on the island for more than a generation have kept their culture alive while integrating it into the native Crucian culture and society citation needed For example in informal situations many Puerto Ricans in St Croix speak a unique Spanglish like combination of Puerto Rican Spanish and the local Crucian dialect of creole English 111 Negerhollands a Dutch based creole language was formerly spoken on St John St Croix and St Thomas The creole emerged on plantations in the late 17th century or early 18th century but its prevalence began to decline in the early mid 19th century as the usage of English and Virgin Islands Creole English increased 112 113 The last speaker of Negerhollands died in 1987 and the language is now considered extinct 112 113 Religion Edit See also Religion in the United States Virgin Islands Religion in the United States Virgin Islands 2010 2 Protestant 65 5 Catholic 27 1 Other Christian 1 8 Unaffiliated 3 7 Other religion 1 9 Christianity is the dominant religion in the U S Virgin Islands According to Pew Research Center 94 8 of the population was Christian in 2010 105 The largest Christian denominations in the 2010 census were Baptist Roman Catholic and Episcopal 114 Owing to both their Danish past and American present Protestantism on the islands has long been widespread It was first introduced when Lutheranism was brought to the islands in the Danish colonization The Danish crown also allowed other religious traditions on the islands including Anglicanism Roman Catholicism the Moravian Church and other Protestant groups 115 Historically St Thomas and St Croix are known for missionary efforts undertaken by the Moravian missionaries They were allowed on the islands by the Danish royal court but came under scrutiny when they denounced slavery 115 116 page needed A number of neo Protestant traditions including Pentecostalism various evangelical Protestants and the Seventh day Adventists arrived later with the switch of allegiance from Denmark to the United States There is also a strong Roman Catholic presence Rastafari is also prevalent St Thomas is home to one of the oldest Jewish communities in the Western Hemisphere as Sephardi Jews began to settle the island in the 18th century as traders and merchants The St Thomas Synagogue in Charlotte Amalie is the second oldest synagogue on American soil and oldest in terms of continuous usage 117 Hinduism and Islam is practiced by the Indo Caribbean and Indian mostly Sindhi Indian population There is a Hindu temple in La Grande Princesse St Croix and one in Frenchman s Bay St Thomas 118 119 Health Edit In 2010 the national average life expectancy was 79 61 years It was 76 57 years for men and 82 83 for women 105 Education Edit The United States Virgin Islands Department of Education serves as the territory s education agency and has two school districts St Thomas St John School District and St Croix School District 120 The University of the Virgin Islands provides higher education leading to associate s bachelor s and master s degrees with campuses on St Thomas and St Croix Culture EditMain article Culture of the Virgin Islands The culture of the Virgin Islands reflects the various people that have inhabited the present day U S Virgin Islands and British Virgin Islands which despite their political separation have kept close cultural ties The culture derives chiefly from West African European and American traditions in addition to the influences from the immigrants from the Arab world India and other Caribbean islands The islands were strongly influenced by the British Dutch 121 French and Danish during the long periods the islands were under these powers Music Edit Main article Music of the Virgin Islands Media Edit The islands have a number of AM and FM radio stations mostly on St Thomas and St Croix broadcasting music religious and news programming See List of radio stations in US Territories Full and low power television stations are split between St Thomas and St Croix See List of television stations in the U S Virgin Islands Newspapers include The Avis printed daily on St Croix The Virgin Islands Daily News 122 printed daily on St Thomas St John Tradewinds 123 distributed weekly on St John St Thomas St John This Week 124 online only St Thomas Source 125 online only St Croix Source 126 online only St John On Island Times 127 news and information on St John USVI The Virgin Islands Consortium online only Libraries Edit Soon after becoming a US territory in 1917 the first public library was formally accepted as a gift from the Junior Red Cross The St Thomas Library opened in December 1920 The library occupied rented quarters and frequently moved The Carnegie Corporation of New York provided grant funding from 1929 through 1933 to the US Virgin Islands for the development of library services by sending librarians funding for books and training for the supervising librarian 128 An early and enduring pioneer for libraries in the Virgin Islands was Enid M Baa Ms Baa was one of the four first high school graduates in St Thomas and participated in the establishment of the first high school library Soon after her graduation Ms Baa was selected by the Carnegie Foundation and Governor Pearson for a scholarship as a special student to the Graduate Library School at Hampton Institute After graduating from the program in 1933 Ms Baa returned to the Virgin Islands to be appointed by Governor Pearson as Supervising Librarian for the Virgin Islands She was the first woman to hold a cabinet level office in the Virgin Islands government In 1943 Ms Baa returned to the US to complete her studies at Columbia University and worked in the library field in the US Among the positions she held include Head of Serial Cataloging Section at the United Nations Library and Specialist in Cataloging of Spanish or Portuguese materials at the New York Public Library In 1954 Ms Baa was appointed Director of Libraries and Museums under Governor Archibald Alexander She received the John Jay Whitney Foundation Fellowship in 1955 on the basis of her contribution to the preservation of the Sephardic Jewish Records of the Virgin Islands and the re indexing of these records in a card file The family records of US senator Judah P Benjamin artist Camille Pissarro medical pioneer Jacob Da Costa and others can be found in the documents 129 The US Virgin Islands Public Library System currently consists of five libraries Three in St Croix Athalie McFarlane Peterson Public Library in Frederiksted and the Regional Library for the Blind and Physically Handicapped and the Florence Augusta Williams Public Library both in Christiansted One in St John Elaine Ione Sprauve Public Library and Museum of Cultural Arts in Cruz Bay While St Thomas has two Charles Wesley Turnbull Regional Public Library in Estate Tutu and Enid M Baa Public Library and Archives in Charlotte Amalie the Enid M Baa Library is currently closed to the public and used for administrative purposes The US Virgin Island Public Library System is administered by the USVI Department of Planning and Natural Resources Division of Libraries Archives and Museums 130 The US Virgin Islands Public Library System provides free reader services to adults children young adults and seniors Collections include adult fiction and non fiction children s fiction and non fiction reference materials magazines daily newspapers and DVDs The library system also houses original and microfilm collections of Virgin Islands Archives records newspapers and other materials The Virgin Islands Automated Library System provides a database and computerized support network for books reading materials and patron records for the library and archives collections The viNGN Public Computer Centers provide patrons with free access to high speed connections to access the Internet and the World Wide Web 130 Public holidays Edit Main article Public holidays in the United States Virgin Islands January 1 New Year s Day January 6 Three Kings Day January third Monday Martin Luther King Jr Day February third Monday Presidents Day March 31 Transfer Day celebrates the transfer of the islands from Denmark to the US March April Holy Thursday Good Friday Easter Monday May fourth Monday Memorial Day July 3 Emancipation Day July 4 U S Independence Day September first Monday Labor Day October second Monday Virgin Islands Puerto Rico Friendship Day Columbus Day November 1 D Hamilton Jackson Day also known as Liberty Day or Bull and Bread Day November 11 Veterans Day November fourth Thursday Thanksgiving Day December 25 Christmas December 26 Christmas Second Day also known as Boxing Day Virgin Islands government employees are also given administrative leave for St Croix carnival events in January and St Thomas carnival events in April May 131 132 Sports EditBasketball is one of the popular sports in the Virgin Islands There is currently one player in the NBA from the Virgin Islands 2019 NBA Draft pick Nicolas Claxton who plays for the Brooklyn Nets Retired five time NBA champion Tim Duncan of the San Antonio Spurs also is a native of the Virgin Islands Consensus 2022 NCAA women s player of the year and USA national team member Aliyah Boston University of South Carolina was born and raised in St Thomas 133 In cricket Virgin Islanders are eligible to compete internationally as part of the West Indies The most recent Virgin Islander to be named to the West Indies squad is Hayden Walsh Jr who was born in St Croix In regional Caribbean competitions Virgin Islanders compete in List A and first class cricket as part of the Leeward Islands cricket team Currently the Virgin Islands are not represented in Caribbean Twenty20 leagues There are also a men s and women s national soccer teams See also Edit United States portal Caribbean portal Islands portalOutline of the United States Virgin Islands Index of United States Virgin Islands related articles Bibliography of the United States Virgin IslandsExplanatory notes Edit The Virgin Islands of the United States belongs to but is not a part of the United States See the page for the Insular Cases for more information Danish Amerikanske Jomfruoer Also called the American Virgin Islands and the U S Virgin Islands References Edit a b 2020 Island Areas Censuses Data on Demographic Social Economic and Housing Characteristics Now Available for the U S Virgin Islands a b Religions in U S Virgin Islands PEW GRF www globalreligiousfutures org Archived from the original on January 7 2018 Retrieved February 22 2017 a b c 2020 Island Areas Censuses U S Virgin Islands United States Census Bureau United States Department of Commerce Retrieved January 8 2022 Gross Domestic Product Per Capita for U S Virgin Islands Report May 5 2017 Archived from the original on May 23 2017 Retrieved July 14 2017 Virgin Islands U S Data data worldbank org Retrieved August 10 2021 The Forgotten Isles A Risk Assessment of the United States Island Territories 2008 2020 PDF sites tufts edu a b c d e f g h i j CIA The World Factbook US Virgin Islands November 10 2021 a b c d e f g h i j k United States Virgin Islands Britannica Archived from the original on July 31 2022 Retrieved August 6 2022 Virgin Islands britannica com a b Dookhan Isaac 1994 A History of the Virgin Islands of the United States Canoe Press ISBN 9789768125057 A Brief History of the Danish West Indies 1666 1917 Danish National Archives Archived from the original on December 4 2008 Retrieved January 26 2017 Virgin Islands History VI Now 2015 Archived from the original on January 2 2017 In the Danish West Indies slaves labored mainly on sugar plantations Cotton indigo and other crops were also grown Sugar mills and plantations dotted the islands hilly landscapes Each island s economy prospered through sugar plantations and slave trading While St John and St Croix maintained a plantation economy St Thomas developed into a prosperous center of trade Slave rebellion on St John and St Croix are well documented Legitimate trade and business on St Thomas influenced a different society where many more slaves were given freedom and an opportunity outside plantation life Historical Synagogue Archived from the original on April 13 2019 Retrieved July 14 2019 St John Slave Rebellion St John Off the Beaten Track Sombrero Publishing Co 2000 Archived from the original on June 21 2008 Retrieved July 19 2008 Hatch 1972 33 Annaberg in 3D Slavery Images Archived from the original on October 7 2019 Retrieved October 2 2021 Monuments and sites in St Croix The slave ship Fredenborg An information project United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organization Archived from the original on December 29 2005 Hodge Carl Cavanagh 2007 Encyclopedia of the Age of Imperialism 1800 1914 Greenwood Publishing Group p 179 ISBN 978 0 313 33404 7 Virgin Islands Court Rules Annotated LexisNexis June 26 2020 p 399 ISBN 978 1 5221 8921 3 Lewishon Florence 1964 Divers Information on The Romantic History of St Croix From the Time of Columbus until Today Dukane Press pp 48 57 Olwig Karen Fog ed January 14 2014 Small Islands Large Questions Society Culture and Resistance in the Post Emancipation Caribbean Routledge p 136 Jensen Peter 1998 From Serfdom to Fireburn and Strike The History of Black Labor in the Danish West Indies 1848 1917 Christiansted St Croix Antilles Press p 139 The liberalization of labor conditions in the 1879 then did not necessarily result in any improvements in the laborers conditions on balance since it was obtained on the planters and not the laborers terms a b A Brief History of the Danish West Indies 1666 1917 Archived December 4 2008 at the Wayback Machine Danish National Archives 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Service SFO San Juan November 22 2017 Major Hurricane Maria National Weather Service Archived from the original on June 8 2018 Carlson Suzanne October 3 2017 Five hurricane related deaths confirmed The Virgin Islands Daily News Archived from the original on October 3 2017 Retrieved November 12 2017 O Connor Brian September 22 2017 Federal disaster relief begins on St Croix The Virgin Islands Daily News Archived from the original on September 23 2017 Retrieved September 23 2017 J B Wogan October 6 2017 After Hurricanes Public Housing May Never Get Rebuilt Governing Archived from the original on June 12 2018 Retrieved June 11 2018 O Connor Brian September 21 2017 Maria leaves St Croix with a working hospital The Virgin Islands Daily News Archived from the original on September 21 2017 Retrieved September 22 2017 a b c d CIA World Factbook USVirgin Islands Retrieved July 14 2019 Slawych Diane Love is in the air CANOE ca Archived from the original on July 18 2012 Retrieved January 25 2008 The World Factbook CIA Retrieved August 1 2017 Dinerstein Eric et al 2017 An Ecoregion Based Approach to Protecting Half the Terrestrial Realm BioScience 67 6 534 545 doi 10 1093 biosci bix014 ISSN 0006 3568 PMC 5451287 PMID 28608869 Average Conditions Saint Thomas VI weather com Archived from the original on December 3 2010 Retrieved May 16 2010 a b CIA World Factbook US Virgin Islands Retrieved July 14 2019 8 U S Code 1406 Persons living in and born in the Virgin Islands LII Legal Information Institute Archived from the original on September 22 2018 Retrieved September 22 2018 Presidential election in the U S Virgin Islands 2016 Ballotpedia Ballotpedia July 1 2016 Archived from the original on April 21 2017 Retrieved February 24 2017 Lin Tom C W Americans Almost and Forgotten 107 California Law Review 2019 Watch John Oliver Cast His Ballot for Voting Rights for U S Territories Time Archived from the original on September 18 2018 Retrieved September 22 2018 Legislature of the Virgin 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S Virgin Islands Overseas Review Overseas Review Archived from the original on May 25 2017 Retrieved February 21 2017 Recognizing that the specific characteristics and the aspirations of the people of the United States Virgin Islands require flexible practical and innovative approaches to the options for self determination without any prejudice to territorial size geographical location size of population or natural resources Economic Census Shows the U S Virgin Islands Generated 6 8 Billion in Sales in 2012 US Census Department of Commerce July 15 2014 Archived from the original on February 22 2017 Retrieved February 18 2017 UNEMPLOYMENT RATES U S Virgin Islands PDF Bureau of Economic Research United States Virgin Islands Retrieved January 24 2021 a b Baribeau Simone January 23 2017 United States Virgin Islands Risks Capsizing Under Weight Of Debt Forbes Archived from the original on February 17 2017 Retrieved February 15 2017 How far behind is the United States Virgin Islands USVI from facing the same sort of financial crisis as Puerto Rico Not very Gilbert Ernice February 16 2017 GOVERNMENT HAS TWO DAYS CASH ON HAND LEFT FINANCE COMMISSIONER REVEALS VI Consortium VI Consortium Archived from the original on February 16 2017 Retrieved February 16 2017 U S TERRITORIES Public Debt Outlook PDF US GAO Archived PDF from the original on October 13 2019 Retrieved October 25 2019 Bureau US Census 2020 Island Areas Censuses Data on Demographic Social Economic and Housing Characteristics Now Available for the U S Virgin Islands Census gov Retrieved October 26 2022 Fact Finder US Census Department of Commerce 2011 Archived from the original on February 14 2020 Retrieved February 18 2017 Bram Jason November 15 2013 A Long Road to Economic Recovery for the U S Virgin Islands Liberty Street Economics Archived from the original on January 22 2019 Retrieved December 3 2018 Looking ahead we note that the tropical weather and picturesque beaches will continue to draw tourists and 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November 1 2012 Retrieved December 13 2012 a b c U S Virgin Islands Pew Research Pew Research 2016 Archived from the original on February 22 2017 Retrieved February 21 2017 U S Census Bureau 2013 USVI 2010 Census Detailed Crosstabulations Part1 v3 xlsx spreadsheet tab 2 9 Retrieved from https www2 census gov census 2010 10 Island Areas Detailed Cross Tabulations Virgin Islands An introduction to pidgins and creoles John A Holm Virgin Islands Language Vinow VI Now 2016 Archived from the original on April 7 2016 Retrieved July 6 2016 St Croix was owned by the French until 1733 when the Danes bought it By 1741 there were five times as many English on the island as Danes English Creole emerged on St Croix more so than Dutch Creole which was more popular on St Thomas and St John until the 1800s Plata Monllor Miriam R 2008 Phonological features of Crucian Creole Doctoral Dissertation Doctoral dissertation University of Puerto Rico ProQuest Dissertations Publishing Vergne Vargas Aida M 2017 A Comparative Study of the Grammatical Structures of Crucian Creole and West African Languages Doctoral dissertation University of Puerto Rico ProQuest Dissertations Publishing a b Villanueva Feliciano Orville Omar 2009 A Contrastive analysis of English Influences on the Lexicon of Puerto Rican Spanish in Puerto Rico and St Croix Doctoral dissertation University of Puerto Rico ProQuest Dissertations Publishing a b APiCS Online Survey chapter Negerhollands The Atlas of Pidgin and Creole Language Structures Online Retrieved July 25 2022 a b Robbert van Sluijs 2013 Negerhollands In Michaelis Susanne Maria amp Maurer Philippe amp Haspelmath Martin amp Huber Magnus eds The survey of pidgin and creole languages Volume 1 English based and Dutch based Languages Oxford Oxford University Press ISBN 9780199691401 Virgin Islands Demographics VI Moving Center VI Moving Center 2015 Archived from the original on February 17 2017 Retrieved February 18 2017 Resource 2010 United States Census of Population and Housing a b Kenneth Scott Latourette Christianity in a Revolutionary Age III The Nineteenth Century Outside Europe The Americas the Pacific Asia and Africa 1961 pp 278 79 Hastings S U MacLeavey B L 1979 Seedtime and Harvest A Brief History of the Moravian Church in Jamaica 1754 1979 Kingston Jamaica Moravian Church OCLC 10506410 Chabad Lubavitch Jewish Center of the Virgin Islands Your Soul Resort In America s paradise Jewishvirginislands com Archived from the original on November 27 2012 Retrieved December 13 2012 Faith Matters Hinduism in the U S V I July 11 2011 Shree Ram Naya Sabha Inc v Hendricks 19 VI 216 D V I July 14 1982 Home Archived February 11 2008 at the Wayback Machine Virgin Islands Department of Education Retrieved October 13 2010 Go to the Schools tab and two school districts are listed Life in Denmark and 2017 centennial in St Thomas of U S Virgin Islands Archived from the original on May 13 2016 Retrieved May 11 2016 Virgin Islands Daily News virginislandsdailynews com dailynews vi Archived from the original on March 24 2010 Retrieved December 13 2012 Welcome to the Frontpage stjohntradewindsnews com Archived from the original on December 20 2012 Retrieved December 13 2012 Virgin Island Vacation Guide What to Do Restaurants Hotels in St Thomas amp St John virginislandsthisweek com Archived from the original on April 7 2014 Retrieved April 3 2014 St Thomas Source stthomassource com Archived from the original on February 27 2012 Retrieved February 27 2012 St Croix Source stcroixsource com Archived from the original on February 28 2012 Retrieved February 27 2012 St John On Island Times onislandtimes com Archived from the original on February 20 2014 Retrieved January 21 2014 Garrison Gretchen April 1943 Peacetime Story Virgin Island Libraries 1920 1941 Wilson Library Bulletin 17 622 625 USVI Public Library System Enid M Baa November 26 2021 Retrieved November 26 2021 a b US Virgin Islands Public Library System Retrieved November 26 2021 Governor Bryan Announces Administrative Leave for St Thomas Carnival Government of the United States Virgin Islands April 25 2019 Retrieved October 2 2020 Gov Bryan Announces Administrative Leave For Holiday Season viconsortium com Retrieved October 2 2020 Far from Home Aliyah Boston Has Found a Home on the Court with USA Basketball Further reading EditJensen Niklas Thode Simonsen Gunvor 2016 Introduction The historiography of slavery in the Danish Norwegian West Indies c 1950 2016 Scandinavian Journal of History 41 4 5 475 494 doi 10 1080 03468755 2016 1210880 External links EditUnited States Virgin Islands Government House Official website Virgin Islands The World Factbook Central Intelligence Agency US Census Bureau Island Areas Census 2000 United States Virgin Islands at UCB Libraries GovPubs United States Virgin Islands at Curlie Wikimedia Atlas of the United States Virgin Islands Real time geographic and other scientific resources of Virgin Islands at the United States Geological Survey Official Tourism Website Quarters and estates of Saint Croix Quarters and estates of Saint John Coordinates 18 20 N 64 54 W 18 34 N 64 90 W 18 34 64 90 Virgin Islands of the United States Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title United States Virgin Islands amp oldid 1134922348, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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