U.S. Virgin Islands
U.S. Virgin Islands
U.S. territory in the northern part of the Lesser Antilles, east of Puerto Rico, between North and South America. It includes more than 50 islands, most of which are uninhabited. The largest islands are Saint Thomas, Saint John, and Saint Croix (over 1/3 of the total area of the territory).
Area - 355 km². The administrative center is Charlotte Amalie (over 11,000) on Saint Thomas. Population - approximately 108,700 (2005); 78% - Black, 10% - White, 12% - other. The official language is English. Spanish and Creole are also widely spoken. Religion: among the believers, 42% are Baptists, 34% are Catholics. Currency - U.S. dollar.
National holiday - March 31 - Transfer Day (from Denmark to the U.S. in 1917).
The revised constitution of the Virgin Islands, adopted by the U.S. Congress in 1954, is in effect. Overall oversight of the islands is carried out by the U.S. Department of the Interior, and the executive power is held by the governor (C. Turnbull since 1999), elected for 4 years. The governor appoints the heads of 11 executive departments and 2 administrative assistants representing him on the islands of Saint John and Saint Croix, based on recommendations from the Legislature. The unicameral Legislature consists of 15 senators, elected for 2 years. Laws passed by the Legislature are subject to the governor's approval. Since 1973, the islands have had 1 delegate (without voting rights) in the U.S. House of Representatives.
The islands have branches of the Democratic and Republican parties of the U.S., as well as the Independent Citizens' Movement.
Christopher Columbus's expedition visited the islands in 1493. The first settlements were established in 1625 on Saint Croix by English and French colonists. At different times, the island was owned by the English, French, Spanish, and the Knights of Malta. In 1733, it was purchased by the Danes (officially declared a Danish colony in 1754). In 1672 and 1683, they also colonized the islands of Saint Thomas and Saint John. During the Danish colonial rule, Saint Thomas became a center for trade (including slaves), while Saint John was occupied by sugarcane plantations, where slave labor was used; during the existence of slavery (abolished in 1848), 28,000 Black slaves were imported to the islands. Denmark owned the territory until 1917 (except for a short period during the Napoleonic Wars), after which it ceded it to the U.S. for $25 million. A U.S. military base has been established on the islands.
The economically active population numbers 48,900. In 2002, GDP was about $2.5 billion. The backbone of the economy is foreign tourism. Serving tourists is the means of existence for almost 80% of the economically active population. The islands are visited by 2 million people annually, and tourism revenues account for 80% of GDP.
19% of the economically active population is engaged in industrial production. On Saint Croix, there is one of the largest oil refineries in the world with a capacity of 23 million tons per year and an alumina plant with a capacity of 700,000 tons per year. Assembly of watches from imported parts, production of wool and pharmaceutical products, and rum are also carried out. Electricity production - 1.035 billion kWh (2002).
Agriculture employs only about 1% of the economically active population.
A large part of the territory of the islands consists of land unsuitable for agriculture. The area of arable land on the 3 largest islands does not exceed 12,000 hectares. Sugarcane, fruits, and vegetables are grown, and sorghum is cultivated on Saint Croix.
Efforts are being made to develop livestock and fishing.
The length of the roads is 86 km. The main ports are Charlotte Amalie and Christiansted (the latter on Saint Croix). There are 2 international airports.
Exports amount to about $1.8 billion: petroleum products, meat (supplied to Puerto Rico), rum (exported to the U.S., where it enjoys trade preferences); imports - about $2.2 billion (crude oil, machinery and equipment, watch parts, food, chemical products). 90% of foreign trade is with the U.S. and Puerto Rico.
The higher education institution is the University of the Virgin Islands, which has campuses on Saint Thomas and Saint Croix. Several periodicals are published, including 3 daily newspapers. There are 23 radio and 16 television stations.
