"text":"The Danes secured control over the southern Virgin Islands of Saint Thomas, Saint John, and Saint Croix during the 17th and early 18th centuries. Sugarcane, produced by African slave labor, drove the islands' economy during the 18th and early 19th centuries. In 1917, the US purchased the Danish holdings, which had been in economic decline since the abolition of slavery in 1848. On 6 September 2017, Hurricane Irma passed over the northern Virgin Islands of Saint Thomas and Saint John and inflicted severe damage to structures, roads, the airport on Saint Thomas, communications, and electricity. Less than two weeks later, Hurricane Maria passed over the island of Saint Croix in the southern Virgin Islands, inflicting considerable damage with heavy winds and flooding rains."
}
},
"Geography":{
"Location":{
"text":"Caribbean, islands between the Caribbean Sea and the North Atlantic Ocean, east of Puerto Rico"
"text":"subtropical, tempered by easterly trade winds, relatively low humidity, little seasonal temperature variation; rainy season September to November"
},
"Terrain":{
"text":"mostly hilly to rugged and mountainous with little flat land"
"text":"while overall population density throughout the islands is relatively low, concentrations appear around Charlotte Amalie on St. Thomas and Christiansted on St. Croix"
},
"Natural hazards":{
"text":"several hurricanes in recent years; frequent and severe droughts and floods; occasional earthquakes"
},
"Geography - note":{
"text":"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"
"text":"while overall population density throughout the islands is relatively low, concentrations appear around Charlotte Amalie on St. Thomas and Christiansted on St. Croix"
"text":"lack of natural freshwater resources; protection of coral reefs; solid waste management; coastal development; increased boating and overfishing"
},
"Climate":{
"text":"subtropical, tempered by easterly trade winds, relatively low humidity, little seasonal temperature variation; rainy season September to November"
"text":"the myriad islets, cays, and rocks surrounding the major islands reminded Christopher COLUMBUS in 1493 of Saint Ursula and her 11,000 virgin followers (Santa Ursula y las Once Mil Virgenes), which over time shortened to the Virgins (las Virgenes)"
"text":"unincorporated organized territory of the US with local self-government; republican form of territorial government with separate executive, legislative, and judicial branches"
"text":"unincorporated organized territory of the US with policy relations between the Virgin Islands and the US Federal Government under the jurisdiction of the Office of Insular Affairs, US Department of the Interior, Washington, DC"
"text":"originally called Taphus in Danish - meaning \"tap house\" or \"beer house\" because of its many beer halls - the town received a more dignified name in 1691 when it was named Charlotte Amalie in honor of Danish King CHRISTIAN V’s wife, Charlotte AMALIE of Hesse-Kassel (1650–1714)"
"text":"none (territory of the US); there are no first-order administrative divisions as defined by the US Government, but there are 3 islands at the second order; Saint Croix, Saint John, Saint Thomas"
},
"Independence":{
"text":"none (territory of the US)"
},
"National holiday":{
"text":"Transfer Day (from Denmark to the US), 31 March (1917)"
},
"Constitution":{
"history":{
"text":"22 July 1954 - the Revised Organic Act of the Virgin Islands functions as a constitution for this US territory"
"text":"president and vice president indirectly elected on the same ballot by an Electoral College of 'electors' chosen from each state; president and vice president serve a 4-year term (eligible for a second term); under the US Constitution, residents of the Virgin Islands do not vote in elections for US president and vice president; however, they may vote in the Democratic and Republican presidential primary elections; governor and lieutenant governor directly elected on the same ballot by absolute majority vote in 2 rounds if needed for a 4-year term (eligible for a second term); election last held on 8 November 2022 (next to be held in November 2026)"
"text":"unicameral Legislature of the Virgin Islands (15 seats; senators directly elected in single- and multi-seat constituencies by simple majority popular vote to serve 2-year terms)<br><br>the Virgin Islands directly elects 1 delegate to the US House of Representatives by simple majority vote to serve a 2-year term"
"text":"Legislature of the Virgin Islands last held on 8 November 2022 (next to be held in November 2024)<br>US House of Representatives last held on 8 November 2022 (next to be held in November 2024)"
"text":"Legislature of the Virgin Islands - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - Democratic Party 9, independent 6; composition - men 9, women 6, percent of women 40%<br><br>delegate to US House of Representatives - seat by party - Democratic Party 1; composition - 1 woman"
"note":"<strong>note:</strong> the Virgin Islands delegate to the US House of Representatives can vote when serving on a committee and when the House meets as the Committee of the Whole House, but not when legislation is submitted for a “full floor” House vote"
"text":"Supreme Court of the Virgin Islands (consists of the chief justice and 2 associate justices); note - court established by the US Congress in 2004 and assumed appellate jurisdiction in 2007"
},
"judge selection and term of office":{
"text":"justices appointed by the governor and confirmed by the Virgin Islands Senate; justices serve initial 10-year terms and upon reconfirmation, during the extent of good behavior; chief justice elected to position by peers for a 3-year term"
},
"subordinate courts":{
"text":"Superior Court (Territorial Court renamed in 2004); US Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit (has appellate jurisdiction over the District Court of the Virgin Islands; it is a territorial court and is not associated with a US federal judicial district); District Court of the Virgin Islands"
"text":"white field with a modified US coat of arms in the center between the large blue initials V and I; the coat of arms shows a yellow eagle holding an olive branch in its right talon and three arrows in the left with a superimposed shield of seven red and six white vertical stripes below a blue panel; white is a symbol of purity, the letters stand for the Virgin Islands"
"note":"<strong>note:</strong> adopted 1963; serves as a local anthem; as a territory of the US, \"The Star-Spangled Banner\" is official (see United States)"
"text":"high-income, tourism-based American territorial economy; severe COVID-19 economic disruptions; major rum distillery; high public debt; sluggish reopening of large oil refinery; environmentally susceptible to hurricanes; many informal industries"
"text":"modern system with total digital switching, uses fiber-optic cable and microwave radio relay; good interisland and international connections; broadband access; expansion of FttP (Fiber to the Home) markets; LTE launches; regulatory development and expansion in several markets point to investment and focus on data (2020)"
"text":"country code - 1-340; landing points for the BSCS, St Thomas-ST Croix System, Southern Caribbean Fiber, Americas II, GCN, MAC, PAN-AM and SAC submarine cable connections to US, the Caribbean, Central and South America; satellite earth stations - NA (2020)"
"text":"about a dozen TV broadcast stations including 1 public TV station; multi-channel cable and satellite TV services are available; 24 radio stations"
"note":"<strong>note:</strong> paved runways have a concrete or asphalt surface but not all have facilities for refueling, maintenance, or air traffic control; the length of a runway required for aircraft to safely operate depends on a number of factors including the type of aircraft, the takeoff weight (including passengers, cargo, and fuel), engine types, flap settings, landing speed, elevation of the airport, and average maximum daily air temperature; paved runways can reach a length of 5,000 m (16,000 ft.), but the “typical” length of a commercial airline runway is between 2,500-4,000 m (8,000-13,000 ft.)"
