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The physical location and relationship of the United States Virgin Islands (see inset) between the North and South American continents. United States Mainland, the Atlantic Ocean and the other islands of the Caribbean.
Chapter 1
An Overview
The United States Virgin Islands, geologically formed of sedimentary rock and undersea lava flows, are located in the beautiful waters of the northern Caribbean, within the chain of all the Antilles, just west of the Atlantic Ocean. Surrounding the three Virgin Islands of St. Croix, St. John, St. Thomas—are 50 small, mostly uninhabited offshore islands and cays of which two are noteworty as the other two inhabited Virgins – Water Island and Hassell Island.
St. Croix, St. John and St. Thomas lie approximately 1,100 miles southeast of Miami and 1,650 miles south and east of New York City. Puerto Rico, a U.S. Commonwealth, is west and a little north about ninety miles away.The islands are in the Atlantic Time Zone, one hour ahead of New York and Florida,but on the same time during Daylight Savings Time. St. Croix’s latitude is a little over 17 degrees, while St. Thomas and St. John are at approximately 18 degrees. That means if you fly a direct path, east to west around the earth, you also fly over Mexico City, Hawaii and Bombay, India. The longitude at 64 degrees aligns with the Canadian province of Nova Scotia to the north, and the South American country of Venezuela to the south.
St. Croix, the southernmost island, is nearly forty miles south of St. Thomas and St. John. The “big island” is almost 84 square miles and has approximately two-thirds of the total land mass of the Virgins. It is almost twenty-four miles from end to end, with a width of just over five miles at its widest point. The highest point is Mount Eagle, which rises 1,165 feet above sea level. The two main towns are Christiansted, mid-island on the north shore, and Frederiksted, on the west end. Both retain their names from the Danish period on St. Croix. St. Croix sounds like St. Croy, and its residents refer to themselves as Crucians; pronounced Crew’-shuns. St. Croix, is the only one of the three Virgins completely surrounded by the Caribbean Sea; St. Thomas and St. John are bounded by the Atlantic on the north.
St. John, the smallest of these three, is nine miles long and four miles wide, about twenty square miles of land. The highest point is Bordeaux Mountain at 1,277 feet. Cruz Bay at its west end is the main town and population center, and Coral Bay at the island’s eastern end is a rapidly growing area. The island’s residents are called St. Joe’-ne’ans. About two-thirds of St. John is a natural preservation, bequeathed by Laurance Rockefeller. Notable sites include historic ruins of Annaberg Plantation, a natural campsite at Maho Bay Campground and the famous Trunk Bay beach.
St. Thomas, thirteen miles long and three miles wide, has a total area of just over thirty-one square miles. Crown Mountain, at 1,550 feet and near the center of the island, is the highest point. Charlotte Amalie (pronounced (A’-mal-yah), the territorial capital of the U.S. Virgin Islands, is also the largest population center on St. Thomas. Growing population areas include the Tutu (mid-isle), and Red Hook sections (east end). Residents are called St. To’-me-ans.
Water Island is just off the south coast of St. Thomas and has under 250 residents.
Hassel Island while inhabited by a dozen or so people is part of the National Park system.
Population
The territory of the Virgin Islands boomed during the 1960s when the population almost doubled. This was due to tourism, immigration work permits, an influx of retirees and federal aid. Unfortunately, the ‘70s saw the same economic recession that affected the U.S. mainland and the population in the islands declined. The U.S. census estimated the total population of the Virgin Islands in the ‘80s to be around 95,000 people. By 1990 it was 101,809. In 2014 reports, the population of the islands was 104,000, with about 49,656 on St. Croix, 3,989 on St. John and 54,305 on St. Thomas. (what was available at press time (November 2015).
The inhabitants of the U.S. Virgin Islands are a unique collection of natives and peoples from the United States, various islands of the Caribbean, as well as Europe, the Middle East and South America. This has created a diversity in culture, giving the islands an extraordinary quality and personality.
Weather
The Virgin Islands proximity to the equator means that year-round, the length of the days are fairly consistent and the weather tropical. Residents lament the “cold” temperatures in January and February when the thermometer can dip to below 70 degrees F in the evening or early morning hours. That’s long-sleeved shirt or sweater weather for those who are acclimatized. In the winter mid-day temperatures range from the high 70s to the mid-80s. In the summer, it’s hot with a mid day range in the mid-80s to mid-90s. The record low is 57 and the record high 99. The year round 80 percent humidity is mitigated by the near-constant tradewinds. The annual average rainfall is about 43 inches. While statistics show September-October and May-June as the rainiest months, downpours can occur any time. One year may be extremely wet and the next very dry. The western ends of the islands get the most rain. One obvious indication is the scrub and cactus on the eastern end of St. Croix and the so-called rain forest near Frederiksted in the west. In 1994, only 26 inches of rain fell, 17 inches less than average and again in 2015 only 18 inches fell by September. The droughts caused hardships for all the islands’ residents who depend on rainfall to meet their agricultural, personal and household needs. A day-long downpour, however, can fill the water-saving cisterns. One or two day’s worth of such rain can turn the brown hillsides to an emerald green. Hurricane season lasts from June l till November 30. Of the island weather it is often said, “if you don’t like the weather, wait 10 minutes and it will change!
A Brief History
One hundred and fifty million years ago, when reptiles ruled the earth, there was neither a Caribbean Sea nor an Atlantic Ocean. The world’s dry land mass (Pangaea) gradually split and spread to form the continents as we know them today (Continental Drift Theory). Even now the geological spreading continues and, where the great blocks of the earth’s crust meet or diverge, titanic forces construct mountain chains or open deep ocean trenches which lead to rumbling volcanoes or shifting earthquakes. Cuba, Hispaniola, Puerto Rico, St. Thomas, St. John and the British Virgin Islands share a single large submerged bank which is part of the North American Plate. St. Croix, separated from her northern sisters by a two-mile deep ocean trench called the Virgin Islands Trench, is aligned along the northern edge of the Caribbean Plate on a mass called the Aves Ridge. To the south of the Caribbean Plate is the landmass of the South American Plate. The only active area as far as geologists can see is located in the Cayman Trough which runs in a line east-west, north of St. Croix, including Puerto Rico, St. Thomas, and other nearby islands. Other than minor tremors, no major activity has occurred in the area. Geologically, the islands are a conglomeration of ancient undersea lava flows, sedimentary and igneous rock formed under water from volcanic ash and layers of sand, and marine animals laid down by ocean currents. There was a major undersea earthquake along with tidal waves in 1867.Volcanic eruptions such as Montserrat in 1995 and the earthquake that submerged Port Royal, Jamaica three centuries ago, are reminders that the earth is in constant change.
The northern island chain in this part of the Caribbean, running east-west, is called the Greater Antilles. This includes: Hispaniola, Cuba and Puerto Rico. Southeast, including the Virgin Islands and extending in an arc toward the South American continent, are the Lesser
