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Virgin Islands

{{Short description|Island group of the Caribbean Leeward Islands}}

{{About|the group of islands in the Caribbean|other uses|Virgin Islands (disambiguation)}}

{{Infobox islands

| name = Virgin Islands

| image_name = {{multiple image

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| image1 = ISS017-E-18774 - View of the Caribbean Sea.jpg

| caption1 = Satellite image, October 2008

| image2 = SVG Map of Virgin Islands.svg

| caption2 = {{Leftlegend|#F4E2BA|Puerto Rico|outline=gray}}{{Leftlegend|#FF0000|United States Virgin Islands|outline=gray}}{{Leftlegend|#000080|British Virgin Islands|outline=gray}}}}

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| location = Caribbean Sea, Atlantic Ocean

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| archipelago = Leeward Islands

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| country1 = United States

| country1_admin_divisions_title = Insular area

| country1_admin_divisions = United States Virgin Islands

| country1_admin_divisions_title_1 = Insular area

| country1_admin_divisions_1 = Puerto Rico

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| country2 = United Kingdom

| country2_admin_divisions_title = Overseas territory

| country2_admin_divisions = British Virgin Islands

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| population = 150.000 (estimation)

| population_as_of = 2022

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| languages = English
Virgin Islands Creole
Spanish

| ethnic_groups = Afro-Caribbean
White-Caribbean
Hispanic-Caribbean
Asian-Caribbean
Indo-Caribbean

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The Virgin Islands ({{langx|es|Islas Vírgenes}}) are an archipelago between the North Atlantic Ocean and northeastern Caribbean Sea, geographically forming part of the Leeward Islands of the Lesser Antilles in the Caribbean islands or West Indies.

Geologically separated from the Lesser Antilles by the Anegada Passage and from the Greater Antilles by the Mona passage, all the islands except for Saint Croix lie on the same carbonate platform and insular shelf, known as the Puerto Rico Bank, and same tectonic plate, known as the Puerto Rico–Virgin Islands microplate.

Politically, the islands fall into three jurisdictions: the easternmost British overseas territory of the Virgin Islands, informally referred to as the British Virgin Islands, the central unincorporated American territory of the Virgin Islands of the United States, commonly known as the U.S. Virgin Islands, and the westernmost island-municipalities of the unincorporated American territory of Puerto Rico, officially named Vieques and Culebra but generally called the Spanish Virgin Islands or Puerto Rican Virgin Islands.

File:PAT - Virgin Islands.gif

Etymology

File:Virgin_Islands-map-CIA.jpg

File:Rigobert-Bonne-Atlas-de-toutes-les-parties-connues-du-globe-terrestre MG 0031.tif

Christopher Columbus named the islands after Saint Ursula and the 11,000 Virgins ({{langx|es|Santa Úrsula y las Once Mil Vírgenes}}), shortened to the Virgins ({{lang|es|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

{{Main|Danish West Indies|History of the United States Virgin Islands|History of the British Virgin Islands|History of Puerto Rico}}

The Virgin Islands were originally inhabited by the Arawak and Carib, many of whom are thought to have perished during the colonial period due to enslavement, foreign disease, and war brought about by European colonists.{{cite book |title=Genocidio en América |publisher=Editorial MAPFRE |last=Pereña |first=Luciano |year=1992 |location=Madrid |pages=351 |isbn=84-7100-453-4}}

European colonists later settled here and established sugar plantations and at least one tobacco plantation, and bought slaves from Africa. The descendants of the enslaved people remain the bulk of the population, sharing a common African-Caribbean heritage with the rest of the English-speaking Caribbean. Instead, African slaves were brought to the islands to work on sugarcane and indigo plantations. There are now no sugar plantations, but the descendants of slaves remain and make up the majority of the West Indian culture of the island's population, as well as the English-speaking population of other islands in the Caribbean.

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:

class="wikitable mw-collapsible"

|+

! rowspan="2" |Rule began

! colspan="5" |present day U.S.V.I.

! colspan="4" |present day British V.I.

! colspan="6" |present day Spanish V.I. (P.R.)

! rowspan="2" |Rule began

colspan="2" |St. Thomas

!St. John

! colspan="2" |St. Croix

!Tortola

!Virgin Gorda

!Anegada

!Jost Van Dyke

!Culebra

! colspan="5" |Vieques

1493

| colspan="2" rowspan="2" style="background:#F2ECCE;" |{{flagicon image|Flag_of_Cross_of_Burgundy.svg|border=|size=23px}}
New Spain

| style='background:#F2ECCE; border-style : solid solid none solid;' rowspan="2" |{{flagicon image|Flag_of_Cross_of_Burgundy.svg|border=|size=23px}}
New Spain

| style='background:#F2ECCE;' colspan="2" rowspan="2" |{{flagicon image|Flag_of_Cross_of_Burgundy.svg|border=|size=23px}}
New Spain

| style='background:#F2ECCE; border-style : solid solid none solid;' rowspan="2" |{{flagicon image|Flag_of_Cross_of_Burgundy.svg|border=|size=23px}}
New Spain

| style='background:#F2ECCE; border-style : solid solid none solid;' rowspan="2" |{{flagicon image|Flag_of_Cross_of_Burgundy.svg|border=|size=23px}}
New Spain

| style='background:#F2ECCE; border-style : solid solid none solid;' rowspan="2" |{{flagicon image|Flag_of_Cross_of_Burgundy.svg|border=|size=23px}}
New Spain

| style='background:#F2ECCE; border-style : solid solid none solid;' rowspan="2" |{{flagicon image|Flag_of_Cross_of_Burgundy.svg|border=|size=23px}}
New Spain

| style='background:#F2ECCE;' |{{flagicon image|Flag_of_Cross_of_Burgundy.svg|border=|size=23px}}
New Spain

| colspan="5" style="background:#F2ECCE;" |{{flagicon image|Flag_of_Cross_of_Burgundy.svg|border=|size=23px}}
New Spain

|1493

style=height:3em

|1580

| rowspan="4" style="background:#F2ECCE; border-style : solid solid none solid;" |Puerto Rico (ES)*

| colspan="5" rowspan="4" style="background:#F2ECCE; border-style : solid solid none solid;" |Puerto Rico (ES)*

|1580

rowspan="2" |1625

| colspan="2" rowspan="5" style="background:#E6FBFF; border-style : solid solid none solid;" |Dutch Virgin Islands

| rowspan="7" style="background:#F2ECCE; border-style : none solid none solid;" |

| rowspan="5" style="background:#E6E6FF;"|British Leeward Islands**

| style="background:#E6FBFF;" | Dutch Virgin Islands**

| rowspan="3" style="background:#F2ECCE; border-style : none solid none solid;" |

| style='background:#F2ECCE; border-style : none solid none solid;' rowspan="2" |

| rowspan="3" style="background:#F2ECCE; border-style : none solid none solid;" |

| rowspan="19" style="background:#F2ECCE; border-style : none solid none solid;" |

| rowspan="2" |1625

rowspan="4" style="background:#F2ECCE;"|Puerto Rico (ES)**
1628

| rowspan="7" style="background:#E6FBFF;"|Dutch Virgin Islands

|1628

1648

| rowspan="5" style="background:#E6FBFF; border-style : solid solid none solid;" |Dutch Virgin Islands

| rowspan="6" style="background:#E6FBFF; border-style : solid solid none solid;" |Dutch Virgin Islands

| rowspan="25" style="background:#F2ECCE; border-style : none solid none solid;" |

| colspan="5" rowspan="9" style="background:#F2ECCE; border-style : none solid none solid;" |

|1648

1650

|1650

1651

| colspan="2" rowspan="6" style="background:#FFE6E6; border-style : solid none none solid;" |Danish West Indies

| colspan="2" style="background:#EEEEEE;"|Knights Hospitaller

|1651

style="height:3em"

|1664

| colspan="2" rowspan="8" style="background:#F7E6FF;" |French West Indies

|1664

1671

| style="background:#FFE6E6;" rowspan="3" |Danish West Indies

|1671

1672

| rowspan="18" style="background:#E6E6FF;"|British Leeward Islands

|1672

1680

| colspan="2" rowspan="17" style="background:#E6E6FF;"|British Leeward Islands

|1680

1684

| rowspan="7" style="background:#E6E6FF;"|British Leeward Islands

|1684

1685

| style="background:#FFE6E6;" rowspan="9" |

| rowspan="9" style="background:#DDDDDD;"|Brandenburg-Prussia***

|1685

1689

| colspan="5" style="background:#DDDDDD;"|Brandenburg-Prussia

|1689

1693

| colspan="5" rowspan="2" style="background:#F2ECCE; border-style : solid solid none solid;"|Puerto Rico (ES)

|1693

rowspan="2" |1698

| style="background:#FFE6E6;" colspan="2" rowspan="7" |Danish West Indies

| rowspan="2" |1698

rowspan="9" style="border-style : none solid none solid;" style="background:#F2ECCE;"|

| rowspan="9" style="background:#E6E6FF;"|British Leeward Islands**

| rowspan="9" style="background:#F7E6FF;"|French West Indies**

| style="background:#FFE6E6; border-style : solid none solid solid;" rowspan="9" |Danish West Indies**

| style="background:#CEE6F2;" |Scottish Darien Company

1699

| style="background:#FFE6E6; border-style : solid solid solid none;" rowspan="8" |

|1699

1718

| style="background:#FFE6E6;" rowspan="4" |Danish West Indies

|1718

1733

|1733

1750

| rowspan="7" style="background:#E6E6FF;" |British Leeward Islands

|1750

1754

| style="background:#FFE6E6;" colspan="2" |

|1754

1801

| colspan="5" style="background:#E6E6FF;" |British Leeward Islands

|1801

1802

| style="background:#FFE6E6;" colspan="5" |Danish West Indies

|1802

1807

| colspan="5" rowspan="2" style="background:#E6E6FF;" |British Leeward Islands

|1807

1811

| colspan="5" rowspan="4" style="background:#F2ECCE; border-style : none solid solid solid;"|

|1811

1815

| colspan="5" rowspan="4" style="background:#FFE6E6; border-style : solid solid none solid;" |Danish West Indies

|1815

1816

| style="background:#E6E6FF;" colspan="4" |British Virgin Islands

|1816

style="height:3em"

|1833

| colspan="4" rowspan="3" style="background:#E6E6FF;" |British Leeward Islands

|1833

style="height:3em"

|1898

| colspan="6" rowspan="3" style="background:#CECEF2;"|Puerto Rico (US)

|1898

style="height:3em"

|1917

| colspan="5" rowspan="2" style="background:#CECEF2;"|United States Virgin Islands

|1917

1958

| style="background:#E6E6FF;" colspan="4" |British Virgin Islands

|1958

* Largely under control of pirates.

** Coexisting claim.

*** Leased/shared territory.

Demographics

{{unreferenced section|date=January 2019}}

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 black in the British and U.S. Virgin Islands, while the majority of inhabitants in Culebra and Vieques are Puerto Rican of European descent, with a significant Afro-Puerto Rican community. The main languages are English and Virgin Islands Creole in the U.S. and British Virgin Islands, and Spanish in the Puerto Rican territory. St. Thomas is the most populous island, with St. Croix close behind (51,634 and 50,601, respectively).

class="wikitable sortable"
style="background:#ececec;"

! Name

! Sovereign State

! class="unsortable"|Subdivisions

! Area
(km2)

! Population
(2005 est.)

! Population density
(per km2)

! class="unsortable"|Capital

British Virgin Islands

| United Kingdom

| Districts

| style="text-align:right;"| {{nts|153.0}}

| style="text-align:right;"| {{nts|31,758}}

| style="text-align:right;"| {{nts|207.6}}

| Road Town

Spanish Virgin Islands (Puerto Rico)

| United States

| Barrios

| style="text-align:right;"| {{nts|165.1 }}

| style="text-align:right;"| {{nts|11,119 }}

| style="text-align:right;"| {{nts|67.3}}

| San Juan, PR

United States Virgin Islands

| United States

| Districts

| style="text-align:right;"| {{nts|346.4}}

| style="text-align:right;"| {{nts|104,901}}

| style="text-align:right;"| {{nts|302.8}}

| Charlotte Amalie

style=" font-weight:bold; " class="sortbottom"

! Total

|

|

| style="text-align:right;"| {{nts|664.5}}

| style="text-align:right;"| {{nts|147,778}}

| style="text-align:right;"| 222.4

|

Traffic control

Motor vehicles are driven on the left-hand side of the road in both the British and the U.S. Virgin Islands, although the steering wheels on most cars are located on the left side (as is the norm for drive-on-the-right localities). In the Spanish Virgin Islands, vehicles are driven on the right-hand side of the road.

See also

{{portal|Caribbean|Puerto Rico|United States|United Kingdom}}

Citations

{{reflist}}

General sources

  • {{cite magazine |last1=Colin Thomas |first1=J. |first2=William Albert |last2=Allard |first3=Cary |last3=Wolinsky |title=Paradise Comes of Age: The U.S. Virgin Islands |magazine=National Geographic |date=February 1981 |volume=159 |issue=2 |pages=225–243 }}

External links

{{commonscat|Virgin Islands|
Virgin Islands}}

{{Wikivoyage}}

  • [http://www.bvi.gov.vg/ BVI.gov: British Virgin Islands government website]
  • [http://www.doi.gov/oia/islands/virgin-islands U.S. Office of Insular Affairs: United States Virgin Islands government website]
  • [http://www.uflib.ufl.edu/ufdc/?h=uvi&n=dloc Digital Library of the Caribbean: University of the Virgin Islands information]
  • [https://guides.loc.gov/virgin-islands-state-guide U.S. Virgin Islands: Resource Guide, from the Library of Congress]
  • {{cite EB9 |wstitle = Virgin Islands |volume= XXIV | page= |short=1 }}

{{Caribbean topic}}

{{Caribbean topics}}

{{Danish overseas empire}}

{{Authority control}}

Category:Leeward Islands (Caribbean)

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