Virgin Islands

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.

agricultural land:

11.5%;

• arable land 2.9%;
• permanent crops 2.9%;
• permanent pasture 5.7%

forest:

57.4%

other:

31.1% (2011 est.)

• several hurricanes in recent years;
• frequent and severe droughts and floods;
• occasional earthquakes

• 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

noun:

Virgin Islander(s) (US citizens)

adjective:

Virgin Islander

at birth:

1.06 male(s)/female

0-14 years:

1.02 male(s)/female

15-24 years:

0.83 male(s)/female

25-54 years:

0.82 male(s)/female

55-64 years:

0.92 male(s)/female

65 years and over:

0.83 male(s)/female

total population:

0.87 male(s)/female (2015 est.)

name:

Charlotte Amalie

geographic coordinates:

18 21 N, 64 56 W

time difference:

UTC-4 (1 hour ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)

• 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

• 18 years of age;
• universal;
• note - island residents are US citizens but do not vote in US presidential elections

chief of state:

President Barack H. OBAMA (since 20 January 2009); Vice President Joseph R. BIDEN (since 20 January 2009)

head of government:

Governor Kenneth MAPP (since 5 January 2015), Lieutenant Governor Osbert POTTER (since 5 January 2015)

cabinet:

Territorial Cabinet appointed by the governor and confirmed by the Senate

elections/appointments:

• 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 4 November 2014 (next to be held in November 2018)

election results:

Kenneth MAPP elected governor; percent of vote in runoff - Kenneth MAPP (independent) 63.9%, Donna CHRISTIAN-CHRISTIANSEN (Democratic Party) 36.1%

highest court(s):

• Supreme Court of the Virgin Islands (consists of the chief justice and 2 associate justices);
• note - court established by US Congress in 2004 and assumed appellate jurisdiction in 2007

judge selection and term of office:

• justices appointed by the governor and confirmed by the Virgin Islands Senate;
• justices initially serve renewable 10-year terms;
• chief justice elected to position by peers for a 3-year term

subordinate courts:

• 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

• Democratic Party [Arturo WATLINGTON]
• Independent Citizens' Movement or ICM [Usie RICHARDS]
• Republican Party [Gary SPRAUVE]

• 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

name:

"Virgin Islands March"

lyrics/music:

multiple/Alton Augustus ADAMS, Sr.

note: adopted 1963; serves as a local anthem; as a territory of the United States, "The Star-Spangled Banner" is official (see United States)

agriculture:

1%

industry:

19%

services:

80% (2003 est.)

lowest 10%:

NA%

highest 10%:

NA%

general assessment:

modern system with total digital switching, uses fiber-optic cable and microwave radio relay

domestic:

full range of services available

international:

• country code - 1-340;
• submarine cable connections to US, the Caribbean, Central and South America;
• satellite earth stations - NA (2010)

• about a dozen TV broadcast stations including 1 public TV station;
• multi-channel cable and satellite TV services are available;
• 24 radio stations (2009)

males age 16-49:

17,542

females age 16-49:

20,946 (2010 est.)

male:

744

female:

788 (2010 est.)