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Virgin Islands
From Wikitravel
North America : Caribbean : Virgin Islands
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Contents
Location
Flag
Quick Facts
Capital
Charlotte Amalie
Government
U.S. Territory
Currency
US dollar (USD)
Area
total: 352 sq km
water: 3 sq km
land: 349 sq km
Population
123,498 (July 2002 est.)
Language
English (official), Spanish
Religion
Baptist 42%, Roman Catholic 34%, Episcopalian 17%, other 7%
Calling Code
+1 (340)
Internet TLD
.vi
Time Zone
UTC-4 (no DST)
The U.S. Virgin Islands is an unincorporated organized territory of the United States of America between the Caribbean Sea and the North Atlantic Ocean, east of Puerto Rico. It was formerly known as the Danish West Indies. Together with the British Virgin Islands, to the northeast, the territory forms the Virgin Islands archipelago. The islands natural resources are sun, sand, sea, and surf.
[edit] Islands
[edit] Cities
  Map of Virgin Islands
[edit] Other destinations
[edit] Understand
[edit] Climate
Subtropical, tempered by easterly trade winds, relatively low humidity, little seasonal temperature variation; rainy season May to November. Has experienced several hurricanes in recent years as well as frequent and severe droughts and floods.
[edit] Terrain
Mostly hilly to rugged and mountainous with little level land. There are occasional earthquakes.
- Highest point: Crown Mountain 474 m
[edit] Location
Is in an important location along the Anegada Passage - a key shipping lane for the Panama Canal; Saint Thomas has one of the best natural deepwater harbors in the Caribbean
[edit] History
During the 17th century, the archipelago was divided into two territorial units, one English and the other Danish. Sugarcane, produced by slave labor, drove the islands' economy during the 18th and early 19th centuries. In 1917, the US purchased the Danish portion, which had been in economic decline since the abolition of slavery in 1848.
- National holiday
- Transfer Day (from Denmark to the US), 27 March (1917), Emancipation Day, 3 July (1848)
[edit] Get in
[edit] By plane
Flights are into either St. Croix or St. Thomas. St. John does not have an airport, but is easily accessible via St. Thomas.
Many flights connect through San Juan, Puerto Rico, but direct flights from the continental U.S. involve less hassle and flying time.
Direct flights into St. Thomas can be found from Miami, New York-JFK and Boston on American Airlines, Atlanta on Delta Airlines, Newark on Continental Airlines, Ft. Lauderdale on Spirit Airlines, Charlotte, Philadelphia, and New York-La Guardia(weekly) on U.S. Airways, Washington-Dulles and Chicago-O'Hare on United Airlines, and Detroit(weekly) on Northwest Airlines.
Direct flights into St. Croix can be found from Miami on American Airlines, Charlotte on U.S. Airways (weekly, seasonal), and Atlanta (twice weekly) on Delta Airlines. St. Croix can also be easily reached from the mainland via St. Thomas by flying Cape Air (which flies between the St. Thomas and St. Croix airports) or Seaborne Airlines (which flies seaplanes between Charlotte Amalie, St. Thomas and Christiansted, St. Croix).
[edit] By boat
Ferries run between all three US Virgin Islands, as well as to and from the British Virgin Islands and, on a seasonal basis, Puerto Rico.
[edit] Get around
Getting around any of the Virgin Islands is fairly easy. All of the islands have bus service and/or a regulated taxi service. Upon docking at Cruz Bay, taxis, rental cars, and scooters are available.
[edit] By car
With plenty to explore on all the islands, car rental agencies are recommended. From the lush rainforest to the quaint Christiansted, driving the St Croix island is both scenic and a visual pleasure. Stick to the left-hand side and with a good handful of sharp curves, take your time navigating the roads. Remember that you're on "island time."
Generally car rental rates will be comparable to the mainland U.S. (about $500 per week or $80 per day). If you make advanced reservations, the rates are generally lower. Take out the insurance if you plan to go four wheeling up the steep mountain roads. Throughout St. Thomas, there are colored directional signs to major destinations.
Unlike other US territories, traffic on the Virgin Islands moves on the left. To add to the confusion, unlike most other places where traffic moves on the left, most cars in the Virgin Islands are left-hand drive as they are usually imported from the US mainland. A combination of these two factors accounts for the relatively high accident rate among American drivers on the Virgin Islands. As such, one should always pay extra attention when driving and watch out for drivers who drive on the wrong side of the road.
[edit] By taxi and bus
Upon landing at the Cyril E. King Airport on St. Thomas, one could rent a taxi or take buses to Charlotte Amalie, or to Red Hook, either of which have ferry service to Cruz Bay, St. John. You can "bargain" for most things on the islands, but the taxi and bus rates are regulated. Taxi rates are published by the Virgin Islands Taxicab Commission.
Taxi rates are charged per person one way. For example, a one way trip from Charlotte Amalie to Magens Bay is $10; round trip for four people will cost $80. If you plan on visiting multiple destinations, renting a car might be more economical.you need to have bus fares too!
[edit] By boat
Sailboat rentals at Red Hook will allow you to get around by water. If you plan to sail to the British Virgin Islands, a passport is required as of 2007. Although passports are not required for American citizens to travel to the U.S. Virgin Islands, the Intelligence Reform and Terrorism Prevention Act of 2004 (IRTPA) has made the documentation requirements must stricter.
On St. John, get the best idea of the island by chartering a boat for a full day. By doing this not only will one get a wonderful day of snorkeling in, but also see the island from a local's perspective.
There is a ferry boat that transports cars between Red Hook, St. Thomas and Cruz Bay, St. John. The dock is separate from the passenger ferries. The sign is really small, so if you can't find the dock, ask the workers by the passenger ferries.
English is the official language but you may also find Spanish being spoken.
The islands are duty-free and have all sorts of shops, with special emphasis on rums, tanzanite, and diamond and gold jewelry. See same subject under St Thomas for discussion.
On Saint John dollar drinks are available across the street from the National park office, next to the ice cream shop.
On St. Thomas, There are several drinking establishments in Red Hook, on the East End, including: Caribbean Saloon, Duffy's Love Shack, Fat Boy's, Molly Malone's, Island Time Pizza, and XO Bistro.
Hostel Happy, [1]. Offers a sailboat hostel for hosteling and chartering all over the US and British Virgin Islands and the greater Caribbean.
University of the Virgin Islands [2] UVI is a small but respectable school founded in 1962. It is compromised of two main campuses, in St. Thomas and St. Croix. Its mascot is the UVI Buccaneer. It is a corresponding member of the NCAA and competes against NCAA II and III along with the Intercollegiate Sports Organization League in Puerto Rico.
The public high schools have had a history of trouble with accreditation, but recent improvements have gotten them accepted on a probationary basis.
As a US territory, Americans can come here and work with no special visa. Foreigners must go through the rigorous process of obtaining a US work permit.
The economy is quite seasonal, based mostly around cruise ship calls, which taper off from May through September and peak in December and January.
[edit] Stay safe
This is the only US possession where driving on the left side (British) of the road is practiced. There are many theories as to why this is. One theory is due to the prior use of the donkey as a main mode of transportation. Islanders would drive on the left to see how close they were getting to the edge of the many steep and cliff-like roadways. The original donkey trails were then paved over to create what are now the roadways today. Another theory is that as a Danish colony, the Danish West Indies were heavily British-influenced, due to an unwillingness among Danish people to relocate to the Danish colony. This British influence explains the widespread use of the English language even before the United States purchased the islands from Denmark in 1917.
[edit] Stay healthy
Low-lying buildings usually use the public water, which is fine to drink. Places up in the mountains almost all have independent water supplies, replenished by the rain that falls on their roofs. The safety of this water depends on regular cleaning and treatment of the building's cistern.
There are several parts of St. Thomas that are not safe after dark, and a couple places that are not safe at any time of day.
[edit] Respect
Islanders follow a system of greeting which depends on the time of day. Good morning, good afternoon, good evening and good night are the norm. When entering a room with others it is customary to greet people. You may also be greeted with "ya arright?", to which an appropriate response would be "arright!" or "OK".
[edit] Contact
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