Virgin Islands
This article needs additional citations for verification. (September 2021) |
Geography | |
---|---|
Location | Caribbean Sea, Atlantic Ocean |
Coordinates | 18°12′N 64°48′W / 18.2°N 64.8°W |
Archipelago | Leeward Islands |
Insular area | United States Virgin Islands |
Insular area | Puerto Rico |
Overseas territory | British Virgin Islands |
The Virgin Islands (
The islands fall into three different political jurisdictions:
- Virgin Islands, informally referred to as British Virgin Islands, a British overseas territory,
- unincorporated territoryof the United States,
- Spanish Virgin Islands, the easternmost islands of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, itself also an unincorporated territory of the United States.
Etymology
Christopher Columbus named the islands after Saint Ursula and the 11,000 Virgins (Spanish: Santa Úrsula y las Once Mil Vírgenes), shortened to the Virgins (las Vírgenes). The official name of the British territory is the Virgin Islands, and the official name of the U.S. territory is the Virgin Islands of the United States. In practice, the two island groups are almost universally referred to as the British Virgin Islands and the U.S. Virgin Islands.
History
The Virgin Islands were originally inhabited by the
European colonists later settled here and established
Like mainland Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands that belonged to Spain were ceded to the United States in 1898. The United States took possession of the islands after the signing of the armistice that put an end to military operations in the Spanish–American War.
A 1916 treaty between the United States and Denmark (not ratified by the United States until 1917) resulted in Denmark selling the Danish Virgin Islands to the United States for $25 million in gold.
Historical affiliations
The Virgin Islands have been under the sovereignty of several nations and groups throughout history. Below is a table which represents the affiliation of the various islands:
*Largely under control of pirates
**Coexisting claim
***Leased/shared territory
Demography
The total population of the Virgin Islands is 147,778: 104,901 in the U.S. Virgin Islands, 31,758 in the British, and 11,119 in the Spanish. Roughly three-quarters of islanders are
Name | Sovereign State
|
Subdivisions | Area (km2) |
Population (2005 est.) |
Population density (per km2) |
Capital
|
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
British Virgin Islands | United Kingdom | Districts | 153.0 | 31,758 | 207.6 | Road Town |
Spanish Virgin Islands (Puerto Rico) | United States | Barrios | 165.1 | 11,119 | 67.3 | San Juan, PR
|
United States Virgin Islands | United States | Districts | 346.4 | 104,901 | 302.8 | Charlotte Amalie
|
Total | 664.5 | 147,778 | 222.4 |
Traffic control
Motor vehicles are
See also
- Culture of the Virgin Islands
- Danish Virgin Islands
- Dutch Virgin Islands
- Music of the Virgin Islands
- Virgin Islands Creole
- Virgin Islands patch reefs
Citations
- ISBN 9780520931596.
- ISBN 84-7100-453-4.
General sources
- Colin Thomas, J.; Allard, William Albert; Wolinsky, Cary (February 1981). "Paradise Comes of Age: The U.S. Virgin Islands". National Geographic. Vol. 159, no. 2. pp. 225–243.
External links
Virgin Islands.