About U.S. Virgin Islands
U.S. Virgin Islands
The U.S. Virgin Islands (BVI), located between Puerto Rico and the British Virgin Islands, consist of three islands (St. Croix, St. John, and St. Thomas). The most populous of the three is St. Thomas (whose population is 51,634 – out of USVI’s total population of 104,737). USVI’s capital, Charlotte Amalie, is located at St. Thomas.
Like much of the Caribbean, the islands that became the USVI changed hands between one colonial power and another. With Christopher Columbus first discovering these islands (naming one of them “Santa Cruz” – now known as St. Croix), the islands went through period of colonization by Spanish, Dutch and British settlers. At one point (17th century) they were even under the possession of the Knights of Malta. With the French eventually claiming dominion over them, they sold the islands to the Danish West India & Guinea Company in 1733 (the first and only time that Denmark held any islands in the Caribbean). The Danes were responsible for launching a sugar economy on the Virgin Islands.
With sugar becoming an economically unviable crop in Europe by the late 19th century, Denmark eventually sold the islands to the U.S. in 1917, which have been American possessions ever since. With limited manufacturing options in the USVI (industrial activities there being limited to oil refining and alumina), tourism became and remains the islands’ major source of income. According to the World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC), tourism makes up nearby 30% of USVI’s GDP. Like nearby Caribbean islands, the islands’ beaches and natural beauty are its main attractions. Americans visiting USVI have the obvious advantage of not needing a passport to make a visit.