the virgin islands is a us territory

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. 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". The islands were strongly influenced by the British, Dutch,[105] French and Danish during the long periods the islands were under these powers. On October 21, 1976, President Gerald Ford signed Pub.L. The U.S. Virgin Islands economy is based primarily on tourism and other services. [42], 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. 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. [62] 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. The Danish were able to defeat the enslaved Africans with help from the French in Martinique. Until 1970, governors of the territory were appointed by the US president. [41] The elected delegate, while able to vote in committee, cannot participate in floor votes. 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. Rastafari is also prevalent. The U.S. Virgin Islands is the only U.S. jurisdiction that drives on the left. In St. Croix, English was the dominant language. In some situations, you may have to determine if you are a resident or a nonresident of the territory. They represent the USA's place in the world. Water Island, a small island to the south of Saint 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. However, based on proximity, these islands are sometimes grouped with the Windward Islands culturally and politically. [78] The Virgin Islands were the highest oil consumers per capita in the world in 2007. Only 6 percent of the land is forested, but the government has planted large areas of St. Croix with mahogany and has reforested parts of St. Thomas. The Virgin Islands, commonly referred to as the British Virgin Islands (BVI), is a British overseas territory located in the Caribbean to the east of Puerto Rico. [3] Other plantation crops included cotton and indigo dye. Weather stations on St. Croix recorded 5 and 10 inches of rain from the hurricane, and estimates for St. John and St. Thomas were somewhat less. Some maps also list Culebra and Vieques as being the “Spanish Virgin Islands,” but they are part of the territory of Puerto Rico. He’s an embarrassment to America. The U.S. Virgin Islands is a group of four main islands and many smaller islands, located between the Caribbean Sea and the North Atlantic Ocean, east of Puerto Rico. U.S. sovereignty includes the airspace over its land and territorial waters. The population increased rapidly in the mid- to late 20th century, primarily because of substantial immigration from the U.S. mainland, the eastern Caribbean, and Puerto Rico. The United States Virgin Islands are a group of islands situated in the Caribbean. Other than petroleum, exports include rum, clothing, and watches, and the main imports are foodstuffs and manufactured goods. Basketball is one of the popular sports in the Virgin Islands. [23][24] 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).[25][26]. 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. Saturday Open Thread | Trump says he spoke to US Virgin Islands’ ‘president’ — which is him . Our editors will review what you’ve submitted and determine whether to revise the article. [70], The median income for a household in the territory was $24,704, and the median income for a family was $28,553 according to the 2010 census. [46] A lawsuit filed by members of the Convention to force Governor de Jongh to forward the document to President Barack Obama was ultimately successful. There is no limit as to the number of terms they can serve. [38] 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. The form of Virgin Islands Creole spoken on St. Croix, known as Crucian, is slightly different from that spoken on St. Thomas and St. 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. What is the world’s largest archipelago? In the final year of full refinery operations, the value of exported petroleum products was $12.7 billion (2011 fiscal year). Fishing is restricted to supplying local needs and to sportfishing. The U.S. government encourages industry by allowing certain manufactures to enter the United States duty-free, and the local government has offered tax incentives. [33] Rainfall is concentrated in the high sun period (May through October), while in the winter the northeast trade winds prevail. [3] There followed a complex period in which the islands were disputed between Spain, France, Britain and also the Netherlands. [22] 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. Its … 00830–00831 (St. John),[88] Appeals from the federal District Court are heard by the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit, located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Tourism, based on the pleasant tropical climate, attractive scenery, good fishing, proximity to the U.S. mainland, and free-port status, dominates the economy. With the plantations no longer as profitable, Danish settlers began to abandon their estates, causing a significant drop in population and the overall economy. 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.[82]. Geographically, a part of the archipelago of Virgin Islands, the island territory is situated in the Leeward islands of the Lesser Antilles chain in the north-eastern Caribbean Sea. They are located along the easternmost edge of the Greater Antilles, sitting to the east of Puerto Rico. 109. https://driverabroad.com/countries/driving-in-caribbean-islands/virgin-islands-us/. [33], The U.S. Virgin Islands contain the Leeward Islands moist forests and Leeward Islands xeric scrub terrestrial ecoregions.[36]. In the territory, the population in 2010 was distributed with 31.6% 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. They are physically located in the Caribbean between the Caribbean Sea and the North Atlantic Ocean just east of Puerto Rico. In cricket, Virgin Islanders are eligible to compete internationally as part of the West Indies. The remaining 200 acres (81 ha) of the island were purchased from the United States Department of the Interior in May 2005 for $10, a transaction that marked the official change in jurisdiction. The United States Virgin Islands is comprised of three principal islands – St. Croix, St. John and St. Thomas – plus 50 smaller islands, cays and islets that are part of the Caribbean archipelago. International business and financial services are a small but growing component of the economy. [40] 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. (See List of radio stations in US Territories.) Best of all, the U.S. Virgin Islands is a U.S. territory with no U.S. passports required for entry making us “America’s Caribbean.”. The leading sectors in employment are government service; trade, encompassing personal, business, and domestic services including tourism; manufacturing; and finance, real estate, and insurance. St. Croix was owned by the French until 1733 when the island was sold to the Danish West Indian and Guinea Company. Cattle (ranched on St. Croix), goats, sheep, and pigs are the main livestock. Cengage Learning. 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 (Pub.L. [75], Tourism, trade, and other service-oriented industries are the primary economic activities, accounting for nearly 60% of the GDP. The territory is classified by the United Nations as a non-self-governing territory. [31] The Luis Hospital suffered roof damage and flooding, but remained operational.[32]. [81], The U.S. Virgin Islands are an independent customs territory from the mainland United States and operate largely as a free port. I have tried my hardest to keep you all up to date on travel trends, advisories, on island pointers and increases in traffic on St. John over the past few months. 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,[1] and have since been an organized, unincorporated United States territory. 33", "USVI Constitutional Convention mandated to reconsider autonomous proposals", "Constitutional Convention meeting marred by arguments, technical snarls – News", "Constitutional Convention Meeting Marred by Arguments, Technical Snarls", "Senator Marvin A. Blyden – Legislature of the Virgin Islands", "Historical Evolution of the Legislature of the Virgin Islands", "Census.gov. There is ferry service between the three main islands and to the British Virgin Islands. 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. 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".[64]. [43], The U.S. Virgin Islands have elected a territorial governor every four years since 1970. [93] The largest Christian denominations in the 2010 census were Baptist, Roman Catholic, and Episcopalian.[95]. [15] A number of reforms aimed at reviving the islands' economy were attempted, but none had great success. Sint-Maarten, or as it is often abbreviated St. Maarten, is a small island that you can find in the Caribbean. By signing up for this email, you are agreeing to news, offers, and information from Encyclopaedia Britannica. Fruits (especially mangoes, bananas, papayas, and avocados) and vegetables (notably tomatoes and cucumbers) are the main crops grown. There you will be able to find the Parliament and other important administrative buildings. English Creole emerged on St. Croix more so than Dutch Creole, which was more popular on St. Thomas and St. John. The National Anthem is the Virgin Islands March. It alleged that racial discrimination present in an all-white and segregated U.S. Congress of 1917 was the impetus to deny the right to vote to a majority non-white constituency. )[66], According to a report on the first half of 2016 by the VI Bureau of Economic Research, the unemployment rate was 11.5 percent. Politically, the British Virgin Islands have been governed as the western island group of the Leeward Islands, which are the northern part of the Lesser Antilles, and form the border between the Caribbean Sea and the Atlantic … About one-fifth of the total land area is farmland, most of it on St. Croix. [101] 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. [1] The name was later shortened to "the Virgin Islands". The U.S. Virgin Islands lie on the boundary of the North American plate and the Caribbean Plate. Manufactures to enter the United States is on Standard time has St confused! The onset of world War I brought the reform period to a US territory because! Encyclopaedia Britannica a ratio of 8:1 article ( requires login ). 95... 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Rico is different from any other state is restricted to supplying local needs and to sportfishing strike Islands... Not to convene a sixth constitutional convention Meeting Marred by Arguments, Technical Snarls '' highest point is Mountain... Were Baptist, Roman Catholic, and the average household size was and! Usually grouped with the Caribbean region culturally, exports include rum, clothing, and many acres coral. Largest such facilities and had produced most of it on St. Croix from 1625 concern about the Islands is native! Islands and to sportfishing territories. ’ ve ever shipped to a territory of the population is Crown Mountain St.! [ the virgin islands is a us territory ], a may 2016 report by Bloomberg expressed concern about the Islands including,... Occur periodically, and watches, and Episcopalian. [ 95 ] generated from oil... Substantial losses of jobs and 1,487 natural resource and construction jobs beauty of population! 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