- Central Intelligence Institution – The Entire World Factbook – Virgin Islands
- CRW Flags – Flag of Virgin Isles, United States
- Certified Tourism Web Site of United States Virgin Isles
- United States Records – The Virgin Islands
S. Virgin countries, prepared unincorporated island territory for the United States, positioned within eastern end of the better Antilles, about 40 miles (64 kilometres) eastern of Puerto Rico, for the northeastern Caribbean ocean. The area is geographically part of the Virgin countries class, which have its near neighbour, the British Virgin countries.
The region is composed of three huge islands- St. Croix, St. John, and St. Thomas-and about 50 small islets and cays. The capital are Charlotte Amalie, on St. Thomas.
Geologically, making use of the Brit Virgin countries, the U.S. Virgin countries include an extension in the central fault-block hill ranges of Puerto Rico and are generally thus part of the better Antilles. These are typically made up of metamorphosed igneous and sedimentary stones overlain in parts by limestone and alluvium, and go up off of the continental rack to maximum heights of 1,556 foot (474 yards) at Crown hill on St. Thomas, 1,277 ft (389 yards) at Bordeaux hill on St. John, and 1,088 feet (332 yards) at Mount Eagle on St. Croix-the largest on the isles, with an area of 84 square kilometers (218 square km). St. Thomas and St. John are durable, but St. Croix’s mountains include restricted to your north, with a large rolling-to-level ordinary opening south. All the islands is in the middle of fringing red coral reefs, and old increased reefs ring the main isles.
The weather is actually pleasant, with temperature ranges at St. Thomas averaging a maximum of about 82 A°F (28 A°C) throughout the day in January and 88 A°F (31 A°C) in July and being tempered throughout every season by northeasterly trade winds. Evening lowest temperature are about 11 A°F (6 A°C) cool, and general humidity are lower your tropics. Rainfall averages some 45 ins (1,100 mm) annually, with reasonable rainy month from September to December. Droughts take place regularly, and hurricanes may hit the islands on unusual occasions. Early plantation approval destroyed the hawaiian islands’ warm woodland, basically now discover only in a few places on St. Thomas and contains elsewhere been replaced by secondary forest and scrub. Isle fauna is actually sparse, save for birds, nevertheless the surrounding seas abound in commercial and event kinds.
Everyone
About three-fourths from the inhabitants are black, and between one-tenth and one-fifth try white. English will be the official words, however French is spoken on St. Thomas, and Spanish was talked on St. Croix among Puerto Rican immigrants.
The populace is actually mostly Christian; Protestants constitute about 50 % and Roman Catholics above one-fourth of these professing a faith. The populace increasing rapidly for the middle- to later 20th century, mostly as a result of substantial immigration from the U.S. mainland, the east Caribbean, and Puerto Rico.
The newborn mortality rates is relatively reduced when it comes to area, and lifestyle expectancy-in many years, during the mid-70s for males and lowest 80s for females-is about medium. Charlotte Amalie, the largest settlement, is the best town with a population in excess of 10,000.
Economy
The U.S. Virgin Islands economic climate is reliant mainly on tourist as well as other services. The key sectors in business are federal government service; trade, surrounding private, business, and residential providers like tourist; production; and finance, property, and insurance rates.
About one-fifth of the overall secure place are farmland, almost all of they on St. Croix. In the later part of the 20th millennium farming generation underwent a transition through the traditional reliance on sugarcane to more-diversified harvest. Fruits (especially mangoes, bananas, papayas, and avocados) and veggies (particularly tomatoes and cucumbers) are primary vegetation expanded. Cattle (ranched on St. Croix), goats, sheep, and pigs would be the main livestock. St. Croix produces whole milk adequate for island requirements. The federal government has generated dams on St. Croix and St. Thomas to enhance growers’ water supply. Best 6 per cent for the land was forested, nevertheless federal government features grown large regions of St. Croix with mahogany and also reforested parts of St. Thomas. A bay woodland on St. John offers actually leaves when it comes down to bay rum markets. Angling is fixed to supplying local requirements in order to sportfishing.
The islands bring few home-based energy sources and thus have traditionally used brought in petroleum services and products to provide a majority of their specifications, particularly for electric power generation. To mitigate that problem, the region generated effort to transform their turbines to permit them to make use of propane as well as energy essential oils, to improve energy efficiency inside the isles, and to establish renewable power resources. Solar technology plays a small but expanding character for the territory’s producing energy.
Rum distilling ended up being traditionally the hawaiian islands’ primary field, but production at some point diversified to incorporate petroleum refining, view system, as well as the manufacture of chemicals, pharmaceuticals, and clothes. Petroleum refining ceased in 2012 making use of closing in the HOVENSA place on St. Croix after above four years in operation. The herbal were one of the earth’s premier such facilities along with made the majority of the islands’ energy present. The effect of its closing about economic climate provided significant losses of work and revenue also the reduced its oil merchandise. The U.S. federal government promotes business by permitting particular companies to enter america duty-free, while the town enjoys offered taxation rewards.
The undesireable effects with the HOVENSA closing longer towards isles’ imports and exports. Prior to the loss of the refinery, the principal significance was crude petroleum (largely from Venezuela) and main export was processed oil (sent primarily into the U . S .). Exports totaled significantly more than four-fifths of imports in price annually. After https://datingrating.net/cs/pripojeni/ the closure from the refinery, exports contracted sharply, although losses had been later offset by development in the tourist sector. Other than oil, exports integrate rum, clothes, and watches, while the primary imports is foods and manufactured merchandise. The most important trade lovers were Asia, the usa, and many countries associated with the eu.
Tourist, in line with the nice exotic environment, appealing landscape, close fishing, distance to the U.S. mainland, and free-port reputation, reigns over the economic climate. Virgin Islands state Park, addressing some three-fifths of St. John, and money area Reef nationwide Monument, which includes all the islet of dollar isle plus the waters and coral reef nearby they, are also major tourist attractions. Souvenir and handicraft companies are suffering from for the tourist industry.
The islands’ considerable road circle is mostly paved. St. Croix, St. John, and St. Thomas all bring planned coach service. Charlotte Amalie, on St. Thomas, and Frederiksted and Limetree Bay, on St. Croix, is deepwater harbors. A container port regarding southern coastline of St. Croix deals with all the isles’ cargo visitors. Discover ferry services within three main islands also to the British Virgin isles. There are 2 airfields, on St. Thomas and on St. Croix. Interisland seaplanes provide the islands and Puerto Rico, british Virgin isles, and Saint Martin.
