Composed of three large islands and some 50 islets, the Virgin Islands of the United States are located in the northeastern Caribbean Sea about 40 miles (64 kilometers) east of Puerto Rico. They cover an area of 136 square miles (352 square kilometers). St. Croix, the largest of the islands, has an area of 84 square miles (218 square kilometers). The capital of the Virgin Islands, Charlotte Amalie, is on St. Thomas, the second largest island. The third major island is St. John.
The islands are covered mostly with steep hills. St. Croix's northern hills, however, give way in the south to a plain that varies from rolling to level. The lofty hills and deep valleys of Virgin Islands National Park cover nearly two thirds of St. John. Native tropical forests are found only on St. Thomas. Only 5 percent of the land is forested, though the government has replanted parts of St. Croix and St. Thomas. All of the islands are surrounded by coral reefs.
Tourism is a leading industry. Visitors like the tropical climate, beautiful scenery, beaches, and sport fishing. Proximity to the United States mainland and free-port status also attract tourists. In addition to the traditional rum-distilling industry, chemicals, pharmaceuticals, and clothing are manufactured on a small scale, and watches are assembled. In the 1980s the petroleum-refining and alumina industries on St. Croix were expanded. Exports are shipped mainly to the United States, Puerto Rico, and the British Virgin Islands. Ferries and seaplanes travel between the islands and to Puerto Rico. There are deepwater ports at Charlotte Amalie and at Frederiksted on St. Croix. On the northeastern coast of St. Croix is the port of Christiansted, the capital of the former Danish West Indies. The town has no wells, so drinking water must be imported by barge from Puerto Rico.
Nearly 80 percent of the people on the islands are descended from black Africans. About 15 percent of the people are descended from white Europeans. There is a significant Hispanic heritage in both groups and in the remainder of the population. Residents are United States citizens and elect their own governor, local legislature, and a nonvoting representative to the United States Congress. The islanders do not vote in United States national elections.
Arawak Indians were probably the original inhabitants of the islands, though they had been replaced by Carib Indians when Christopher Columbus landed on St. Croix in 1493. The islands were controlled by a series of countries until becoming a colony of Denmark in the 18th century. The Danes planted sugarcane, first using convicted criminals and then African slaves for labor. The sugar industry declined in the early 1800s, and slave revolts shook the economy. In 1848 slavery was abolished. The United States bought the territory from Denmark in 1917. Population (1980 census), 96,569.
