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{{Short description|Island group of the Caribbean Leeward Islands}}{{About|the group of islands in the Caribbean|other uses|Virgin Islands (disambiguation)}}{{More citations needed|date=September 2021}}

factoids

{{Leftlegend|#FF0000|United States Virgin Islands|outline=gray}}{{Leftlegend|#000080|British Virgin Islands|outline=gray}}{{Leftlegend|#F4E2BA|Puerto Rico|outline=gray}}| image_alt = | map = | map_alt = | map_width = | map_caption = | map_relief = | label = | label_position = ! colspan=“2” |St. Thomas!St. John! colspan=“2” |St. Croix!Tortola!Virgin Gorda!Anegada!Jost Van Dyke!Culebra! colspan=“5” |Vieques|1493 style=height:3em|1580|1628|1648|1650|1650|1651 style="height:3em“|1664|1671|1672|1680|1684|1685|1689|1693|1699|1733|1733|1750|1754|1802|1807|1811|1815|1816 style="height:3em“|1833 style="height:3em“|1898 style="height:3em“|1917|1958

display=inline,title}}| etymology = | location = Caribbean Sea, Atlantic Ocean| GridReference = | archipelago = Leeward Islands| total_islands = | major_islands = | area_km2 = | area_footnotes = | rank = | length_km = | length_footnotes = | width_km = | width_footnotes = | coastline_km = | coastline_footnotes = | elevation_m = | elevation_footnotes = | highest_mount = | country = | country_admin_divisions_title = | country_admin_divisions = | country_admin_divisions_title_1 = | country_admin_divisions_1 = | country_admin_divisions_title_2 = | country_admin_divisions_2 = | country_capital_type = | country_capital = | country_largest_city_type = | country_largest_city = | country_capital_and_largest_city = | country_largest_city_population = | country_leader_title = | country_leader_name = | country_area_km2 = | 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| country1_admin_divisions_2 = | country1_capital_type = | country1_capital = | country1_largest_city_type = | country1_largest_city = | country1_capital_and_largest_city = | country1_largest_city_population = | country1_leader_title = | country1_leader_name = | country1_area_km2 = | country2 = United Kingdom

British Overseas Territories>Overseas territory| country2_admin_divisions = British Virgin Islands| demonym = | population = | population_as_of = | population_footnotes = | population_rank = | population_rank_max = | density_km2 = | density_rank = | density_footnotes = | languages = | ethnic_groups = | timezone1 = | utc_offset1 = | timezone1_DST = | utc_offset1_DST = | website = | additional_info = }}The Virgin Islands () are an archipelago in the Caribbean Sea. They are geologically and biogeographically the easternmost part of the Greater Antilles,BOOK,books.google.com/books?id=1aaOGjO63UgC&pg=PA382, Island: Fact and Theory in Nature, Lazell, James, 2005, University of California Press, 9780520931596, 382, en, While the British Virgin Islands are officially designated as “The Virgin Islands”, the name is most often used to refer to the entire international grouping of the British and United States Virgin Islands together with the Spanish Virgin Islands, which, contrary to their name are in fact officially part of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, itself an unincorporated territory of the United States. Geographically, the northern islands lie along the Puerto Rico Trench. St. Croix is a displaced part of that same geologic structure. Politically, the British Virgin Islands have been governed as the western island group of the Leeward Islands, which are the northern part of the Lesser Antilles, and form the border between the Caribbean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean. The archipelago is separated from the true Lesser Antilles by the Anegada Passage and from the main island of Puerto Rico by the Virgin Passage. The islands fall into three political jurisdictions: Virgin Islands, informally referred to as British Virgin Islands, a British overseas territory, Virgin Islands of the United States, an unincorporated territory of the United States, Spanish Virgin Islands, the easternmost islands of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, itself also an unincorporated territory of the United States. Etymology (File:Virgin_Islands-map-CIA.jpg|thumb|The locations of the US and UK Virgin Islands)(File:Rigobert-Bonne-Atlas-de-toutes-les-parties-connues-du-globe-terrestre MG 0031.tif|thumb|Rigobert Bonne: Map of the Virgin Islands, 1780)Christopher Columbus named the islands after Saint Ursula and the 11,000 Virgins (), shortened to the Virgins (). 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 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.BOOK, Genocidio en América, Editorial MAPFRE, Pereña, Luciano, 1992, Madrid, 351, 84-7100-453-4, European colonists later settled here and established sugar plantations, 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.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

New Spain

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border=|size=23px}}New Spain

{{flagicon image

border=|size=23px}}New Spain

{{flagicon image

border=|size=23px}}New Spain

{{flagicon image

border=|size=23px}}New Spain

{{flagicon image

border=|size=23px}}New Spain

{{flagicon image

border=|size=23px}}New Spain

{{flagicon image

border=|size=23px}}New Spain

New Spain|1493

Puerto Rico (ES)*

Puerto Rico (ES)*|1580

1625

Dutch Virgin Islands

British Leeward Islands**

Dutch Virgin Islands**

Puerto Rico (ES)**

Dutch Virgin Islands |1628

Dutch Virgin Islands

Dutch Virgin Islands

|1648

Danish West Indies

Knights Hospitaller|1651

French West Indies|1664

Danish West Indies|1671

British Leeward Islands |1672

British Leeward Islands |1680

British Leeward Islands|1684

Brandenburg-Prussia***|1685

Brandenburg-Prussia |1689

Puerto Rico (ES)|1693

1698

Danish West Indies

1698

British Leeward Islands**

French West Indies**

Danish West Indies**

Scottish Darien Company

Danish West Indies |1718

British Leeward Islands |1750

British Leeward Islands|1801

Danish West Indies|1802

British Leeward Islands|1807

|1811

Danish West Indies|1815

British Virgin Islands|1816

British Leeward Islands|1833

Puerto Rico (US)|1898

United States Virgin Islands|1917

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 KingdomDistricts of the British Virgin Islands>Districts {{nts|153.0}} {{nts|31,758}} {{nts|207.6}}| Road Town| Spanish Virgin Islands (Puerto Rico)| United StatesMunicipalities of Puerto Rico>Barrios {{nts|165.1 }} {{nts|11,119 }} {{nts|67.3}}San Juan (Puerto Rico)>San Juan, PR| United States Virgin Islands| United StatesDistricts and sub-districts of the United States Virgin Islands>Districts {{nts|346.4}} {{nts|104,901}} {{nts|302.8}}Charlotte Amalie, United States Virgin Islands>Charlotte Amalie style=" font-weight:bold; ” class=“sortbottom“! Total|| {{nts|664.5}} {{nts|147,778}} 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

• Culture of the Virgin Islands
• Danish Virgin Islands
• Dutch Virgin Islands
• Music of the Virgin Islands
• Virgin Islands Creole
• Virgin Islands patch reefs

Citations

{{reflist}}

General sources

• MAGAZINE, Colin Thomas, J., William Albert, Allard, Cary, Wolinsky, Paradise Comes of Age: The U.S. Virgin Islands, National Geographic, February 1981, 159, 2, 225–243,

External links

{{Wikivoyage}}

• BVI.gov: British Virgin Islands government website
• U.S. Office of Insular Affairs: United States Virgin Islands government website
• Digital Library of the Caribbean: University of the Virgin Islands information
• EB9, Virgin Islands, XXIV, 1,

{{Caribbean topic}}{{Caribbean topics}}{{Danish overseas empire}}{{Authority control}}