what two countries claim the virgin islands in the caribbean sea
United States United Kingdom
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due to enslavement, foreign disease, and mass extermination brought about by European colonists, as is the case in the rest of the Caribbean. European colonists later settled here and established sugar plantations, at least one tobacco plantation, and purchased slaves acquired from Africa. The plantations are gone, but the descendants of the slaves remain the bulk of the population, sharing a common African-Caribbean heritage with the rest of the English-speaking Caribbean. In 1916 and 1917, Denmark and the United States, respectively, ratified a treaty in which Denmark sold the Danish Virgin Islands to the United States for $25 million in
Virgin Islands
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History of the United States Virgin Islands The United States Virgin Islands, often abbreviated USVI, is a group of islands and cays in the Caribbean to the east of Puerto Rico. Consisting of three larger islands (Saint Croix, Saint John, and Saint Thomas plus fifty smaller islets and cays, it covers approximately . Like many of its Caribbean neighbors, its history includes native Amerindian cultures, European exploration followed by subsequent colonization and exploitation, and the enslavement of Africans. The United States Virgin Islands are located in the Lesser Antilles] of the Eastern Caribbean (between the Atlantic Ocean and Caribbean Sea),
History of the United States Virgin Islands
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United States Virgin Islands. The association had its first annual meeting at the Sandy Lane Hotel in Barbados in 1964. Caribbean Food Crops Society The Caribbean Food Crop Society is the regional trade association serving agronomists and agriculture for countries bordering on the Caribbean Sea. Agriculture is the largest sector of the economy of the Caribbean and it affects every nation and territory within the region. The Caribbean Food Crop Society is the organization through which people in the field have the opportunity to meet to discuss research and shared concerns and objectives. The society was founded by Richard Marshall
Caribbean Food Crops Society
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is an Islamic school based in St. Croix, known as Iqra academy. There is a Buddhist temple located on the island of St. Thomas and more. As in most of the Caribbean, various forms of Rastafari are practiced on the island. Religion in the United States Virgin Islands Religion in the United States Virgin Islands is varied. Only 7% of the religious population is non-Christian. As in most Caribbean countries, Christianity is the dominant religion in the U.S. Virgin Islands. Protestantism is most prevalent, reflecting the territory's Danish colonial heritage. There is also a strong Roman Catholic presence. Protestants makes
Religion in the United States Virgin Islands
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Flanagan Island Flanagan Island (sometimes referred to in older charts as Witch Island) is an island located within the Virgin Islands archipelago in the Caribbean and forms part of the U.S. Virgin Islands. It is located just off of the eastern end of St. John island. For many years the island fell between the claimed maritime boundaries of the British Virgin Islands and U.S. Virgin Islands. However, the United Kingdom Foreign and Commonwealth Office formally relinquished its claim to Flanagan Island in 1977 in an agreement with a US delegation headed by David Colson, Deputy Assistant Secretary for Oceans, US
Flanagan Island
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Women in the United States Virgin Islands Women in the United States Virgin Islands are women who were born in, who live in, and are from the Virgin Islands of the United States, a group of islands in the Caribbean that are an insular area of the United States, and is composed of the islands of St. Croix, St. John, and St. Thomas. According to "Countries and Their Culture", the women of the U.S. Virgin Islands are participating increasingly in the fields of economics, business, and politics. On October 1, 1878 the Fireburn rebellion in Saint Croix was led by
Women in the United States Virgin Islands
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Saint John, U.S. Virgin Islands Saint John () is one of the Virgin Islands in the Caribbean Sea and a constituent district of the United States Virgin Islands (USVI), an unincorporated territory of the United States. At 50 km the smallest of the three main US Virgin Islands, Saint John is located about four miles east of Saint Thomas, the location of the territory's capital, Charlotte Amalie. It is also four miles southwest of Tortola, part of the British Virgin Islands. Its largest settlement is Cruz Bay with a population of 2,700. St. John's nickname is Love City. Since 1956,
Saint John, U.S. Virgin Islands
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Religion in the United States Virgin Islands Religion in the United States Virgin Islands is varied. Only 7% of the religious population is non-Christian. As in most Caribbean countries, Christianity is the dominant religion in the U.S. Virgin Islands. Protestantism is most prevalent, reflecting the territory's Danish colonial heritage. There is also a strong Roman Catholic presence. Protestants makes up 59% (Baptist 42%, Episcopalian 17%) of the total religious population on the islands. Roman Catholics are 34% of the religious population. "See also": "Episcopal Diocese of the Virgin Islands" and "Roman Catholic Diocese of Saint Thomas" Jews began settling the
Religion in the United States Virgin Islands
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Colleges and universities: Saint Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands Saint Thomas () is one of the Virgin Islands in the Caribbean Sea and, together with Saint John, Water Island and Saint Croix, a former Danish colony, form a county and constituent district of the United States Virgin Islands (USVI), an unincorporated territory of the United States. Located on the island is the territorial capital and port of Charlotte Amalie. As of the 2010 census, the population of Saint Thomas was 51,634 about 48.5% of the US Virgin Islands total. The district has a land area of . The island was originally
Saint Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands
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Saint Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands Saint Thomas () is one of the Virgin Islands in the Caribbean Sea and, together with Saint John, Water Island and Saint Croix, a former Danish colony, form a county and constituent district of the United States Virgin Islands (USVI), an unincorporated territory of the United States. Located on the island is the territorial capital and port of Charlotte Amalie. As of the 2010 census, the population of Saint Thomas was 51,634 about 48.5% of the US Virgin Islands total. The district has a land area of . The island was originally settled around 1500
Saint Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands
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2000 U.S. Census, there are 15,014 of U.S. Virgin Islands ancestry residing in the continental United States. However, a count of American residents with "U.S. Virgin Islands ancestry" excludes most U.S. Virgin Islands-born immigrants in the United States. Because of a high incidence of inter-Caribbean migration throughout the 1960s and 1970s, most native-born Virgin Islanders today are one or two generations removed from other Caribbean islands and would not necessarily define themselves as having "U.S. Virgin Islands ancestry." For example, Tim Duncan is a St. Croix native with Anguillian ancestry. In September 2017, Hurricane Irma and Hurricane Maria slammed the
Virgin Islands Americans
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surface and walk to the sea. Leatherback nesting seasons vary by location; it occurs from February to July in Parismina, Costa Rica. Farther east in French Guiana, nesting is from March to August. Atlantic leatherbacks nest between February and July from South Carolina in the United States to the United States Virgin Islands in the Caribbean and to Suriname and Guyana. People around the world still harvest sea turtle eggs. Asian exploitation of turtle nests has been cited as the most significant factor for the species' global population decline. In Southeast Asia, egg harvesting in countries such as Thailand and
Leatherback sea turtle
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Saba Island, United States Virgin Islands Saba Island is a rocky Caribbean island in the United States Virgin Islands, situated three miles south of the Cyril E. King Airport and 2.6 miles west of Water Island. It is a steep, 200 feet high island with a sandy beach on the northern side. Turtledove Cay is connected by a shallow sandbar. Saba Island has salt ponds on both the eastern and western sides, which is popular bird observation posts, and has numerous rocky cliffs with sea birds on its southern shores. The island has the archipelago’s largest colony of sea birds
Saba Island, United States Virgin Islands
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tropical storm warnings were in place for was issued for Anguilla, Antigua, Barbuda, the British Virgin Islands, Culebra, Dominica, Guadeloupe, Desirade, Les Saintes, Marie Galante, Martinique, Montserrat, Nevis, Puerto Rico, Saba, St. Eustatius, St. Maarten, St. Martin, St. Kitts, United States Virgin Islands, and Vieques. Hurricanes watches were also in place for Puerto Rico, Vieques, Culebra, and the United States Virgin Islands. As the storm continued westward towards the region, a hurricane watch was issued for the British Virgin Islands on August 22. Later that day, Isaac entered the eastern Caribbean Sea as a minimal tropical storm rather than a
Hurricane Isaac (2012)
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Water Island, U.S. Virgin Islands Water Island, U.S. Virgin Islands () was acquired by the USA in 1917 from Denmark but continued to be owned by a corporation until several decades later. Since 1996, it has formed part of the United States Virgin Islands, a United States territory located in the Caribbean Sea. The island is of volcanic origin and lies to the south of Saint Thomas in the Charlotte Amalie harbor. Ferry service runs regularly from Crown Bay, Saint Thomas to Phillips Landing, Water Island; the ferry ride is about 10 minutes. At in size is administratively part (with
Water Island, U.S. Virgin Islands
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United States–Venezuela Maritime Boundary Treaty The United States – Venezuela Maritime Boundary Treaty is a 1978 treaty between the United States and Venezuela which delimits the maritime boundary between Venezuelan islands in the Caribbean Sea and the American territories of Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands. The treaty was signed in Caracas on 28 March 1978. The boundary set out by the text of the treaty is 298.7 nautical miles long that consists of 21 maritime straight-line segments defined by 22 individual coordinate points. Two-thirds of the boundary is an equidistant line between the U.S. Virgin Islands and Aves Island.
United States–Venezuela Maritime Boundary Treaty
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handled by the FCO in London. Some territories maintain diplomatic officers in nearby countries for trade and immigration purposes. Several of the territories in the Americas maintain membership within the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States, the Caribbean Community, the Caribbean Development Bank, Caribbean Disaster Emergency Management Agency, and the Association of Caribbean States. The territories are members of the Commonwealth of Nations through the United Kingdom. The inhabited territories compete in their own right at the Commonwealth Games, and three of the territories (Bermuda, the Cayman Islands and the British Virgin Islands) sent teams to the 2008 Summer Olympics. Gibraltar
British Overseas Territories
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Geography of the United States Virgin Islands Geography of the United States Virgin Islands The United States Virgin Islands are a group of several dozen islands and cays located in the Caribbean, about southeast of Florida, north of Venezuela, east of Puerto Rico, and immediately west and south of the British Virgin Islands. The U.S. Virgin Islands lie near the boundary of the North American Plate and the Caribbean Plate, roughly south of the Puerto Rico Trench and near the Anegada Passage, a key shipping lane. Together with the British Virgin Islands, Vieques, and Culebra, they make up the Virgin
Geography of the United States Virgin Islands
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Etelman Observatory Etelman Observatory is an astronomical and geophysical observatory located on the St Thomas island, United States Virgin Islands. It is owned and operated by the University of the Virgin Islands (UVI). The Etelman Observatory is the eastern-most observatory of the U.S., and the only owning a robotic instrument in that part of the Caribbean Sea. The Observatory building and a first instrument were donated by Harry I Etelman in 1962 to the then College of Virgin Islands. Once promoted to University, UVI refurbished the building and upgraded the telescope to its current configuration in 2004. The instrument is
Etelman Observatory
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two days after the attack on Pearl Harbor. By 18 December, she was at New London, Connecticut, whence she conducted patrols and assisted in antisubmarine warfare training into February 1942. Shifted to the Virgin Islands the next month she continued her dual mission in the Caribbean Sea, operating from Saint Thomas, United States Virgin Islands, and from Trinidad until 1 March 1943 when she returned to New London. There she conducted operations for the submarine school, the sound laboratory, and for destroyer and destroyer escort training units. Between 1 August 1943 and 20 March 1944, she operated from Bermuda, then
USS R-16 (SS-93)
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storms. Geography of the United States Virgin Islands Geography of the United States Virgin Islands The United States Virgin Islands are a group of several dozen islands and cays located in the Caribbean, about southeast of Florida, north of Venezuela, east of Puerto Rico, and immediately west and south of the British Virgin Islands. The U.S. Virgin Islands lie near the boundary of the North American Plate and the Caribbean Plate, roughly south of the Puerto Rico Trench and near the Anegada Passage, a key shipping lane. Together with the British Virgin Islands, Vieques, and Culebra, they make up the
Geography of the United States Virgin Islands
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Virgin Islands Americans Virgin Islands Americans (stateside) are Americans from the U.S. Virgin Islands who reside in the continental United States, or continental-born Americans of Virgin Islands heritage. Persons born in the U.S. Virgin Islands are United States citizens, and as a result do not go through the legal immigration procedures a typical West Indies immigrant would. They are also, due to cultural affinities with the Anglophone Caribbean, U.S. Virgin Islanders in the U.S. are considered part of the Caribbean American immigrant community. It is difficult to determine how many Virgin Islanders reside in the United States. According to the
Virgin Islands Americans
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is, "de facto", fiat money. As it is the most used in international transactions, the U.S. dollar is the world's primary reserve currency. Several countries use it as their official currency, and in many others it is the "de facto" currency. Besides the United States, it is also used as the sole currency in two British Overseas Territories in the Caribbean: the British Virgin Islands and Turks and Caicos Islands. A few countries use the Federal Reserve Notes for paper money, while still minting their own coins, or also accept U.S. dollar coins (such as the Sacagawea or presidential dollar).
United States dollar
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the Indian community in the United States Virgin Islands is primarily made up of Indo-Caribbeans who migrated from other Caribbean countries, as well as other persons of Indian origin. There is also an Indian-American community in the USVI as it is an unincorporated United States territory. As of the 2010 Census of the United States Virgin Islands, an estimated 1,000 persons of Indian descent reside in the territory. Following the abolition of slavery in Saint Croix in the Danish West Indies in 1848, plantation owners on the island sought to find an alternative to African slave labor. Danish Ambassador M.
Indians in the United States Virgin Islands
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Hassel Island, U.S. Virgin Islands Hassel Island (also sometimes Hassell Island) is a small island of the U.S. Virgin Islands, a United States territory located in the Caribbean Sea. Hassel Island lies in the Charlotte Amalie harbor just south of Saint Thomas and east of Water Island, with which it is part of the sub-district of Water Island. The roughly island was once a peninsula of Saint Thomas, known as Orkanhullet (Hurricane Hole). Hassel Island was separated by the Danish government in 1860, and named for the Hassel family who owned much of the estate. In March 2012, the MTV's
Hassel Island, U.S. Virgin Islands
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Southside, Saint Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands Southside is a census subdistrict (CSD) on Saint Thomas in the United States Virgin Islands. The CSD is bordering Charlotte Amalie from Havensight in the west, Nordside- and the Tutu subdistricts to the north, and the East End subdistrict to the east. The 2010 U.S. Census showed a population of 5,411 people, which is a decrease of 56 people as compared to the 2000 U.S. Census of 5,467. Some of the communities here includes Havensight, Bellevue, Raphune, Hoffman, Bolongo and Bovoni. Hotels and resorts in this region front the calmer Caribbean Sea as opposed
Southside, Saint Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands
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island's historic sites. There are limited guided kayaking and hiking tours of the island. Hassel Island is also the location for "", the twenty-seventh season of the reality show "The Real World". Hassel Island, U.S. Virgin Islands Hassel Island (also sometimes Hassell Island) is a small island of the U.S. Virgin Islands, a United States territory located in the Caribbean Sea. Hassel Island lies in the Charlotte Amalie harbor just south of Saint Thomas and east of Water Island, with which it is part of the sub-district of Water Island. The roughly island was once a peninsula of Saint Thomas,
Hassel Island, U.S. Virgin Islands
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with more than 30,000 Sooty terns. Other sea bird species include the Bridled tern, Roseate tern, Brown noddy, Black-crowned night heron, Black-necked stilt, Yellow warbler, as well as the Red-billed- and White-tailed tropicbird. Besides for bird observation, the island is visited by scuba divers and snorkelers. In addition to coral reefs, the waters here are home to numerous ship wrecks, such as the Witshoal II, Witconcrete II, Grainton, and Witservice IV. Saba Island, United States Virgin Islands Saba Island is a rocky Caribbean island in the United States Virgin Islands, situated three miles south of the Cyril E. King Airport
Saba Island, United States Virgin Islands
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claim to all the islands on its continental shelf, covering an area of over 50,000 km in the Caribbean Sea, including the Serranilla Bank and all islands associated with the San Andrés and Providencia archipelagoes. It has persistently pursued this claim against Colombia in the International Court of Justice (ICJ), filing cases in both 2001 and 2007. The United States' claim was made in 1879 and 1880 under the Guano Islands Act by James W. Jennett. Most claims made by the U.S. over the guano islands in this region were officially renounced in a treaty with Colombia, dated September 1972.
Serranilla Bank
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the former. Some of these Indians are recorded in the 1880 and 1890 Censuses of Saint Croix as "coolies". This group of Kittitian Indians is sometimes mistaken for the Indians that arrived in Saint Croix aboard the "Mars" in 1863. All of the Indians who arrived in Saint Croix as indentured workers in 1863 left the island by the 1870s. The Indian community in the United States Virgin Islands today is primarily made up of Indo-Caribbeans who migrated from other Caribbean countries, as well as other persons of Indian origin. There is also an Indian American community in the Virgin
Indians in the United States Virgin Islands
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UCP, Northern Command's mission is to: USNORTHCOM’s Area of Responsibility (AOR) includes air, land and sea approaches and encompasses the continental United States, Canada, Mexico and the surrounding water out to approximately . It also includes the Gulf of Mexico, the Straits of Florida, portions of the Caribbean region to include The Bahamas, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, the British Virgin Islands, Bermuda, and the Turks and Caicos Islands. The commander of USNORTHCOM is responsible for theater security cooperation with Canada, Mexico, and The Bahamas. In May 2011, NORTHCOM was mobilized in the wake of the BP oil spill
United States Northern Command
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were appeals from the British Virgin Islands include: The British Virgin Islands is not a member of the Caribbean Court of Justice. Although the issue is discussed periodically in the press, at this time there seems to be no strong impetus to change from one final appellate court in a foreign jurisdiction (the Privy Council in London) to another (the Caribbean Court of Justice in Port of Spain). Although the British Virgin Islands is not a member of the Council of Europe, the European Convention on Human Rights has been extended to the British Virgin Islands by the United Kingdom.
Judiciary of the British Virgin Islands
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thick stew consistency. Because of inter-Caribbean migration, many foods from other Caribbean countries have been adopted into the Virgin Islands culinary culture. For example, a popular dish is roti, of Indo-Trinidadian origin, which consists of curried vegetables and meat wrapped in a paper-thin dough. Fruits consumed in the Virgin Islands include: sugar apple, mango, papaya, soursop, genip, sea grapes, tamarind (can be made in a sweet stew or rolled in sweet balls), and goose berries (small green sour fruit, smaller than a grape). These fruits are mainly stewed together with sugar for a sweet snack. “Bush tea”, a general term
Culture of the Virgin Islands
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Islands archipelago. The hilly, volcanic islands of Saint Thomas () and Saint John () border the North Atlantic Ocean to the north and the Caribbean Sea to the south. The larger island of Saint Croix () lies to the south across the Virgin Islands Trough and is entirely in the Caribbean Sea. Charlotte Amalie, Saint Thomas is one of the best natural, deepwater harbors in the Caribbean. The Islands have many well-known beaches, including Magens Bay (Saint Thomas) and Trunk Bay (Saint John), and coral reefs, including the Virgin Islands Coral Reef National Monument and the Buck Island Reef National
Geography of the United States Virgin Islands
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small Asian mongoose, goats, feral donkeys, rats, mice, sheep, hogs, dogs and cats. Sea mammals includes numerous species of whales, dolphins, orcas, manatees and dugongs. The islands’ only species of seal, the Caribbean monk seal, was deemed extinct in the early 1950s. Virgin Islands National Park and the Virgin Islands Coral Reef National Monument are the two largest among many refugees for numerous species of wildlife. Some of the currently endangered animals includes the West Indian manatee, Virgin Islands tree boa (Epicrates monensis monensis), Saint Croix ground lizard, and the green sea turtle. The official territorial bird of the U.S.V.I.
Fauna of the United States Virgin Islands
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The Arawak inhabited the islands until the 15th century, when they were displaced by the more aggressive Caribs, a tribe from the Lesser Antilles islands. The Caribbean Sea is named for these people. None of the later European visitors to the Virgin Islands reported encountering Amerindians in what would later be the British Virgin Islands. Christopher Columbus did have a hostile encounter with the Carib natives of St. Croix. Comparatively little is known about the early inhabitants of this territory specifically (as opposed to the Arawak generally). The largest excavations of Arawak pottery have been found around Belmont and Smuggler's
History of the British Virgin Islands
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Geography of the British Virgin Islands The British Virgin Islands are located in the Caribbean, between the Caribbean Sea and the North Atlantic Ocean, east of Puerto Rico.Its geographic coordinates are . Map references include Central America and the Caribbean. The area totals 151 km² (about 0.9 times the size of Washington, DC) and comprises 16 inhabited and more than 20 uninhabited islands; includes the islands of Tortola, Anegada, Virgin Gorda and Jost van Dyke. There are no bodies of water on the land. There are no land boundaries. There is 80 km of coastline. Maritime claims include of territorial
Geography of the British Virgin Islands
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variable, but the wettest months on average are September to November and the driest months on average are February and March. Hurricanes occasionally hit the islands, with the hurricane season running from June to November. Geography of the British Virgin Islands The British Virgin Islands are located in the Caribbean, between the Caribbean Sea and the North Atlantic Ocean, east of Puerto Rico.Its geographic coordinates are . Map references include Central America and the Caribbean. The area totals 151 km² (about 0.9 times the size of Washington, DC) and comprises 16 inhabited and more than 20 uninhabited islands; includes the
Geography of the British Virgin Islands
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of multiple basins and ridges. The Anegada Trough or Virgin Islands Basin was the likely site of the 1867 Virgin Islands earthquake and subsequent tsunami.. Anegada Passage Anegada Passage is a strait in the Caribbean, at . It separates the British Virgin Islands and the British ruled Sombrero Island of Anguilla, and connects the Caribbean and the Atlantic Ocean. It is 2300 m deep. Because the threshold depths are 1800 and 1600 m, Atlantic deep water from 1600 m level may flow into the deep areas in the Caribbean Sea. The Anegada Passage is a key shipping lane for the
Anegada Passage
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in 4 phases. Antilles Crossing Antilles Crossing is an underwater 20 gigabit per second (Gbit/s) fiber optics ring network connecting several nations and overseas territories of the Caribbean Sea. It was built by TeleBarbados, and is one of the newer important network connections to the Internet for Caribbean countries in the Windward and Leeward Islands. The company is a joint venture between Leucadia National Corporation and Barbados Light & Power Holdings Limited. It currently extends from Needham's Point, Saint Michael, Barbados to Saint Croix in the U.S. Virgin Islands where it interconnects with Global Crossing's worldwide telecommunications network. The network
Antilles Crossing
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Antilles Crossing Antilles Crossing is an underwater 20 gigabit per second (Gbit/s) fiber optics ring network connecting several nations and overseas territories of the Caribbean Sea. It was built by TeleBarbados, and is one of the newer important network connections to the Internet for Caribbean countries in the Windward and Leeward Islands. The company is a joint venture between Leucadia National Corporation and Barbados Light & Power Holdings Limited. It currently extends from Needham's Point, Saint Michael, Barbados to Saint Croix in the U.S. Virgin Islands where it interconnects with Global Crossing's worldwide telecommunications network. The network is being built
Antilles Crossing
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Great Camanoe Great Camanoe is a small island just north of Beef Island and northeast of Tortola in the British Virgin Islands, a group of islands that forms part of the archipelago of the Virgin Islands, in the Atlantic Ocean and Caribbean Sea. Great Camanoe is primarily a residential island, divided into two communities, Indigo Plantation and The Privateers, on the southern half of the island. Access to the island is by boat only. Visitors often anchor at Lee Bay or Cam Bay, a national park and good snorkeling site. A 1793 Spanish map of the Virgin Islands refers to
Great Camanoe
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the East Caribbean Fibre System (ECFS) submarine cable provides connectivity to 13 other islands in the eastern Caribbean (2007) Radio broadcast stations: AM 1, FM 5, shortwave 0 (2004) Television broadcast stations: 1 (ZBTV), (plus one cable company) (1997) Internet service providers (ISPs): 1 (1999) Internet country code: VG Internet hosts: 465 (2008) Internet users: 4,000 (2002) In 2006, the British Virgin Islands government undertook a deregulation of the telephone industry. Prior to 2006, in common with many other Caribbean countries, Cable & Wireless (Caribbean) had a statutory monopoly on telephone and other electronic communications services. However, in the 1990s,
Telecommunications in the British Virgin Islands
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States. Migration has altered the social landscape of both countries to the extent that in the British Virgin Islands, half of the population is of foreign (mostly Caribbean) origin and in the U.S. Virgin Islands, most native-born residents can trace their ancestry to other Caribbean islands. Traditional food tends to be spicy and hearty. Many of the foods are imported due to an acquired taste for foreign foods. Local farmers grow fruits and vegetables along with the rearing of animals. Their goods are sold in local open-air markets, while supermarkets tend to carry only imported foods. Upscale restaurants often cater
Culture of the Virgin Islands
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independent states: Antigua and Barbuda, Dominica, Grenada, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, and Saint Vincent and the Grenadines. The other two are British overseas territories: Anguilla and Montserrat. These states are all members of the Eastern Caribbean Currency Union. The other two associate members of the OECS do not use the Eastern Caribbean dollar as their official currency: the British Virgin Islands and Martinique. The British Virgin Islands were always problematic for currency purposes due to their proximity to the Danish West Indies which became the US Virgin Islands in 1917. Officially, the British Virgin Islands used to use
Eastern Caribbean dollar
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Women in the British Virgin Islands Women in the British Virgin Islands are women who were born in, who live in, and are from the British Virgin Islands, a British overseas territory located in the Caribbean. According to "Countries and Their Culture", women of the British Virgin Islands are characteristically with "strong independent and entrepreneurial spirit". Traditionally, women share household responsibilities with their male counterparts. In general, BVI women take care of chores such as "gardening, cooking, sewing, and keeping household accounts". In modern-day British Virgin Islands, women occupy major positions in the fields of education and civil service. Some
Women in the British Virgin Islands
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and intervention programs" that handle issues related to "women's health and domestic violence". Women in the British Virgin Islands Women in the British Virgin Islands are women who were born in, who live in, and are from the British Virgin Islands, a British overseas territory located in the Caribbean. According to "Countries and Their Culture", women of the British Virgin Islands are characteristically with "strong independent and entrepreneurial spirit". Traditionally, women share household responsibilities with their male counterparts. In general, BVI women take care of chores such as "gardening, cooking, sewing, and keeping household accounts". In modern-day British Virgin Islands,
Women in the British Virgin Islands
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In the Spanish Virgin Islands, vehicles are driven on the right-hand side of the road. Virgin Islands The Virgin Islands are geologically and biogeographically the easternmost part of the Greater Antilles, the northern islands belonging to the Puerto Rican Bank and St. Croix being a displaced part of the 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
Virgin Islands
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settlement is constrained to the north. Montserrat has two islets, Little Redonda and Virgin, as well as Statue Rock. Montserrat has a tropical climate, with little daily or seasonal temperature variation. Location: Caribbean, island in the Caribbean Sea, about 500 km south-east of Puerto Rico Geographic coordinates: Map references: Central America and the Caribbean Area: <br>"Total:" 102 km² <br>"Land:" 102 km² <br>"Water:" 0 km² Land boundaries: 0 km Coastline: 40 km Maritime claims: <br>"Territorial sea:" <br>"Exclusive fishing zone:" Terrain: Volcanic islands, mostly mountainous, with small coastal lowland Elevation extremes: <br>"Lowest point:" Caribbean Sea 0 m <br>"Highest point:" Prior to 1995,
Geography of Montserrat
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to their ruined and insolvent estates. Realistically, from that point in time, the Territory was almost solely populated by the former slaves who then made up the vast bulk of the population. By 1893, a mere 40 years after the revolts, there were only two white people resident on Tortola - the deputy Governor and the island's doctor. Slavery in the British Virgin Islands In common with most Caribbean countries, slavery in the British Virgin Islands forms a major part of the history of the Territory. One commentator has gone so far as to say: "One of the most important
Slavery in the British Virgin Islands
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Virgin Islands The Virgin Islands are geologically and biogeographically the easternmost part of the Greater Antilles, the northern islands belonging to the Puerto Rican Bank and St. Croix being a displaced part of the 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.
Virgin Islands
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Slavery in the British Virgin Islands In common with most Caribbean countries, slavery in the British Virgin Islands forms a major part of the history of the Territory. One commentator has gone so far as to say: "One of the most important aspects of the History of the British Virgin Islands is slavery." In 1563, before there had been any European settlement in the British Virgin Islands, Sir John Hawkins visited the islands with a cargo of slaves bound for Hispaniola. In 1665 the Dutch settlers on Tortola were attacked by a British privateer, John Wentworth, who is recorded as
Slavery in the British Virgin Islands
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French and the Danish also contributed elements to the islands’ culture, as have immigrants from the Arab world, India, and other Caribbean islands. The single largest influence on modern Virgin Islander culture, however, comes from the Africans enslaved to work in canefields from the 17th to the mid-19th century. These African slaves brought with them traditions from across a wide swathe of Africa, including what is now Nigeria, Senegal, both Congos, Gambia and Ghana. Virgin Islands culture continues to undergo creolization, the result of inter-Caribbean migration and cultural contact with other islands in the region, as well as the United
Culture of the Virgin Islands
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a few miles east of the US Virgin Islands. The North Atlantic Ocean lies to the east of the islands, and the Caribbean Sea lies to the west. Most of the islands are volcanic in origin and have a hilly, rugged terrain. Anegada is geologically distinct from the rest of the group and is a flat island composed of limestone and coral. In addition to the four main islands of Tortola, Virgin Gorda, Anegada, and Jost Van Dyke, other islands include (see also ): The British Virgin Islands have a tropical rainforest climate, moderated by trade winds. Temperatures vary little
British Virgin Islands
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attracted pirates such as Samuel Bellamy and Blackbeard. The International Hydrographic Organization defines the limits of the Caribbean Sea as follows: Note that, although Barbados is an island on the same continental shelf, it is considered to be in the Atlantic Ocean rather than the Caribbean Sea. The Caribbean Sea is an oceanic sea largely situated on the Caribbean Plate. The Caribbean Sea is separated from the ocean by several island arcs of various ages. The youngest stretches from the Lesser Antilles to the Virgin Islands to the north east of Trinidad and Tobago off the coast of Venezuela. This
Caribbean Sea
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has a smaller set of pronouns than English, and conjugations occur less often. For example, the English phrase "I gave it to her" would translate to "Ah gi'e it toh she" in Virgin Islands Creole. Another common pattern found in Virgin Islands Creole is the absence of the letter "s" in the plural, possessive and third person present tense. For example, "my eyes" would translate to "ma eye dem." The pronunciation differs from Standard English in various ways. Virgin Islands and "SSS islands" accents are somewhat similar to those of other Caribbean countries, especially Guyana, the Cayman Islands, Belize and
Virgin Islands Creole
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in Venezuela, Florida International University, the University of the Virgin Islands, the University of Central Florida, the University of South Florida, the University of Florida, and WIDECAST (the Wider Caribbean Sea Turtle Conservation Network). The Digital Library of the Caribbean received a US Department of Education Technological Innovation and Cooperation for Foreign Information Access (TICFIA) grant in 2004, which is administered by Florida International University, the University of Florida Libraries, and the University of the Virgin Islands. The technical infrastructure is provided by the University of Florida Digital Collections. Collections include books, photographs, archives of Caribbean leaders and governments, legal
Digital Library of the Caribbean
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of Caribbean hurricane belt and are rarely threatened; Sint Maarten, Saba, and Sint Eustatius are subject to hurricanes from July to October. Environment - current issues: NA Geography of the Netherlands Antilles The Netherlands Antilles was a constituent country in the Caribbean Sea. It consisted of two island groups, the ABC islands Curaçao, Bonaire and (until 1986) Aruba just north of Venezuela, and the SSS islands east of the Virgin Islands. The Netherlands Antilles had 960 km² (1153 km² before 1986) of land, which included no major lakes or other bodies of water. Territory included the islands of Aruba until
Geography of the Netherlands Antilles
99366
other by underwater ridges and mountain ranges. Atlantic Ocean water enters the Caribbean through the "Anegada Passage" lying between the Lesser Antilles and Virgin Islands and the "Windward Passage" located between Cuba and Haiti. The Yucatán Channel between Mexico and Cuba links the Gulf of Mexico with the Caribbean. The deepest points of the sea lie in Cayman Trough with depths reaching approximately . Despite this, the Caribbean Sea is considered a relatively shallow sea in comparison to other bodies of water. The pressure of the South American Plate to the east of the Caribbean causes the region of the
Caribbean Sea
37000
from the adoption of US currency in the Territory in 1959, and the references to US currency on the stamps of the Territory. The Virgin Islands were first settled by the Arawak from South America around 100 BC (though there is some evidence of Amerindian presence on the islands as far back as 1500 BC). The Arawaks inhabited the islands until the 15th century when they were displaced by the more aggressive Caribs, a tribe from the Lesser Antilles islands, after whom the Caribbean Sea is named. The first European sighting of the Virgin Islands was by Christopher Columbus in
British Virgin Islands
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Coast. It is a predatory carnivorous species, as is the case in other Volutidae. It feeds on invertebrates, bivalves, other gastropods and on decayed material. Embryos develop into free-swimming planktonic marine larvae (trocophore) and later into juvenile veligers. Voluta musica Voluta musica, common name the music volute, is a species of sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Volutidae, the volutes. The species occurs on the mainland Caribbean coast in Colombia and Venezuela, and in the West Indies from the following islands or countries: Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico, Virgin Islands, St. Lucia, Barbados, St. Vincent & the Grenadines,
Voluta musica
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Voluta musica Voluta musica, common name the music volute, is a species of sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Volutidae, the volutes. The species occurs on the mainland Caribbean coast in Colombia and Venezuela, and in the West Indies from the following islands or countries: Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico, Virgin Islands, St. Lucia, Barbados, St. Vincent & the Grenadines, Grenada, and Trinidad & Tobago. The maximum reported size of the shell is 115 mm. These medium-sized, very solid, axially ribbed shells are characterized by delicate blackish to reddish brown markings on a creamy background color, with a
Voluta musica
37594
Economy of the British Virgin Islands The economy of the British Virgin Islands is one of the most prosperous in the Caribbean. Although tiny in absolute terms, because of the very small population of the British Virgin Islands, in 2010 the Territory had the 19th highest GDP per capita in the world according to the CIA World factbook. In global terms the size of the Territory's GDP measured in terms of purchasing power is ranked as 215th out of a total of 229 countries. The economy of the Territory is based upon the "twin pillars" of financial services, which generates
Economy of the British Virgin Islands
37610
Telecommunications in the British Virgin Islands Country Code: +1284<br> International Call Prefix: 011 (outside NANP)<br> Calls from the British Virgin Islands to the US, Canada, and other NANP Caribbean nations, are dialled as 1 + NANP area code + 7-digit number. Calls from the British Virgin Islands to non-NANP countries are dialled as 011 + country code + phone number with local area code. Number Format: nxx-xxxx Telephones - main lines in use: 11,700 (2002) Telephones - mobile cellular: 8,000 (2002) Telephone system: worldwide telephone service <br>"general assessment:" worldwide telephone service <br>"domestic:" NA <br>"international:" Connected via submarine cable to Bermuda;
Telecommunications in the British Virgin Islands
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Pelican Island (British Virgin Islands) Pelican Island is an uninhabited island in the southwestern corner of the British Virgin Islands in the Caribbean. It is located immediately north of Norman Island, southwest of Peter Island. It is east of Flanagan Island in the southeastern corner of the US Virgin Islands. The rocky cliffs on the south-western face of the island plunge into the sea, The National Park moorings make it a popular snorkeling and dive site. It is perfectly possible to land a boat on the other sides of the island, although there is not much to see. In some
Pelican Island (British Virgin Islands)
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of the Caribbean Sea. The Caribbean islands, consisting of the Greater Antilles on the north and the Lesser Antilles on the south and east (including the Leeward Antilles), are part of the somewhat larger West Indies grouping, which also includes the Lucayan Archipelago (comprising the Bahamas and Turks and Caicos Islands). The Lucayans and, less commonly, Bermuda, are also sometimes considered Caribbean despite the fact that none of these islands border the Caribbean Sea. In a wider sense, the mainland countries, regions, and territories of Belize, the Caribbean region of Colombia, Cozumel, the Yucatán Peninsula, Margarita Island, the Guyanas (Guyana,
Caribbean
440059
Monument. More than half of Saint John and nearly all of Hassel Island are owned by the U.S. National Park Service. Crown Mountain, on Saint Thomas, is the highest point in the U.S. Virgin Islands. Sea level is the lowest. Geographic coordinates (capital Charlotte Amalie): Map references: Central America and the Caribbean Islands: Saint Croix, Saint Thomas, Saint John, Water Island, many other islands Area: Land boundaries: 0 mi (0 km) Coastline: Maritime claims: Terrain: Elevation extremes: Natural resources: sun, sand, sea, surf Land use: Irrigated land: 1 km² Natural hazards: several hurricanes in recent years; frequent and severe droughts
Geography of the United States Virgin Islands
528933
was common at the time, plantation owners were expected to fortify their own holdings, and Fort Purcell and Fort Hodge were erected on this basis. In common with most Caribbean countries, slavery in the British Virgin Islands forms a major part of the history of the Territory. One commentator has gone so far as to say: "One of the most important aspects of the History of the British Virgin Islands is slavery." As Tortola, and to a lesser extent Virgin Gorda, came to be settled by plantation owners, slave labour became economically essential, and there was an exponential growth in
History of the British Virgin Islands
5090292
1962, there was a short-lived federation between several Anglophone Caribbean countries, called the West Indies Federation. The Anglophone Caribbean makes up a composite cricket team. The West Indies cricket team also includes Guyana, as another former British colony. Bermuda, the U.S. and British Virgin Islands, and the English-speaking Dutch West Indies also participate in Anglophone Caribbean-related sports activities such as 20/20 Cricket. In addition to these formally recognized countries, there are substantial communities of Anglo-Caribbean origin along the Atlantic or Caribbean coast of Central America, as a part of the Western Caribbean Zone. These communities, which began forming in the
Commonwealth Caribbean
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2009, the BVI have made a name for themselves as a host of international basketball events. The BVI hosted three of the last four events of the Caribbean Basketball Championship ("FIBA CBC Championship"). British Virgin Islands The British Virgin Islands (BVI), officially simply the Virgin Islands, are a British Overseas Territory in the Caribbean, to the east of Puerto Rico. The islands are geographically part of the Virgin Islands archipelago and are located in the Leeward Islands of the Lesser Antilles. The British Virgin Islands consist of the main islands of Tortola, Virgin Gorda, Anegada, and Jost Van Dyke, along
British Virgin Islands
14529426
Caribbean Netherlands The Caribbean Netherlands (, ) are the three special municipalities of the Netherlands that are located in the Caribbean Sea. They consist of the islands of Bonaire, Sint Eustatius and Saba, although the term "Caribbean Netherlands" is sometimes used to refer to all of the islands in the Dutch Caribbean. In legislation, the three islands are also known as the BES islands (an acronym of their names). The islands are currently classified as "public bodies" in the Netherlands and as overseas countries and territories of the European Union; thus, EU law does not automatically apply. Bonaire (including the
Caribbean Netherlands
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Resort, Spa & Marina is a luxury private island resort built in 2010 and was the first resort development to be built in the British Virgin Islands in more than 15 years. It has 52 guest accommodations as well as a collection of two-, three- and four-bedroom villas, Ixora Spa, restaurants, three private beaches and a 55-slip marina. The master planned resort was designed by architecture firm OBM International USA for Mainsail Development International. Scrub Island is fringed by three beaches that shelve into the Caribbean Sea. It features protected coves, nature trails and scenery. The island is virtually vehicle-free
Scrub Island (British Virgin Islands)
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and leader training are conducted with the help of British and nearby Caribbean Scout associations. BVI Scouts participate in numerous Caribbean camps and events. The British Virgin Islands Girl Guide Association is a Guiding organisation in the British Virgin Islands. It is one of the nine branch associations of Girlguiding UK. It is represented by Girlguiding UK at World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts (WAGGGS) level and Girlguiding UK's Chief Guide is also Chief Guide for British Virgin Islands Girlguiding. British Virgin Islands Girlguiding is part of the Caribbean Link for Guiding. The program is a modified form
Scouting and Guiding in the British Virgin Islands
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Barbuda, St. Kitts, Nevis, Anguilla, St. Martin and Saint Barthélemy. The following day, all of the watches were upgraded to tropical storm warnings as Erika neared the Lesser Antilles. When the storm entered the Caribbean Sea, a tropical storm warning was issued for Dominica and tropical storm watches were for Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands and the British Virgin Islands. Early on September 3, the tropical storm watches were upgraded to warnings as Erika drifted through the eastern Caribbean. Later that day, the warnings for Dominica and Guadeloupe were discontinued. Shortly thereafter, all remaining warnings were canceled. Exports from
Tropical Storm Erika (2009)
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from Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic. Christianity is the leading religion with a large Roman Catholic contingent along with various Protestant denominations. Like many other Caribbean islands, there is a significant Rastafari presence. A small number of practicing Muslims and Jews can also be found in the islands. Culture of the Virgin Islands Virgin Islander culture reflects the various peoples that have inhabited the present-day British Virgin Islands and U.S. Virgin Islands throughout history. Although the territories are politically separate, they maintain close cultural ties. Like much of the English speaking Caribbean, Virgin Islands culture is syncretic, deriving chiefly
Culture of the Virgin Islands
4666950
Jost Van Dyke Jost Van Dyke (sometimes colloquially referred to as JVD or Jost) is the smallest of the four main islands of the British Virgin Islands, measuring roughly . It rests in the northern portion of the archipelago of the Virgin Islands, located in the Atlantic Ocean and Caribbean Sea. Jost Van Dyke lies about to the northwest of Tortola and to the north of Saint John. Little Jost Van Dyke lies off its eastern end. Like many of the neighboring islands, it is volcanic in origin and mountainous. The highest point on the island is Majohnny Hill at
Jost Van Dyke
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Dutch Caribbean The Dutch Caribbean (historically known as the Dutch West Indies) are the territories, colonies, and countries, both former and current, of the Dutch Empire and the Kingdom of the Netherlands that are located in the Lesser Antilles archipelago of the Caribbean Sea. Currently the Dutch Caribbean comprises the islands of Aruba, Curaçao, Sint Maarten, Bonaire, Sint Eustatius, and Saba. The contemporary term is sometimes also used for the Caribbean Netherlands, an entity since 2010 consisting of the three islands of Bonaire, Sint Eustatius and Saba, which are special municipalities of the Netherlands. The islands in the Dutch Caribbean
Dutch Caribbean
67816
a coastline of . The Cayman Islands make a maritime claim of a exclusive fishing zone and a territorial sea of . The islands are located on the Cayman Rise which forms the northern margin of the Cayman Trough. The trough is the deepest point in the Caribbean Sea and forms part of the tectonic boundary between the North American Plate and the Caribbean Plate. The Cayman Rise extends from southeastern Cuba along the northern margin of the Cayman Trough toward Costa Rica and resulted from Paleocene to Eocene island arc formation with associated volcanism along an extinct subduction zone.
Geography of the Cayman Islands
5347120
Panama, but are also unique in many ways. As in most Anglophone Caribbean dialects, in Virgin Islands Creole, dental fricatives (the "-th" sound) are often omitted from speech, and replaced by dental stops (the "-t" sound). The vowel pronunciation of Virgin Islands Creole can widely differ from Standard English. For example, in Virgin Islands Creole (as well as most other Anglophone Caribbean creoles), the suffix "er" in English, in Standard English, is pronounced (for example: "computer" is pronounced ("computah"), and "never" is pronounced ("nevah")). Not all words ending in "er" however, are pronounced in this way. Like many other Caribbean
Virgin Islands Creole
14814900
nations made full claims, and dozens more made preliminary submissions. Two of the submissions made to the CLCS addressed claims in the South China Sea (SCS) – one by Vietnam for a claim over the northern portion of the SCS (which included the Paracel Islands), and another jointly by Vietnam and Malaysia for a joint claim over a "defined area" in the middle of the SCS between the two countries, which included part of the Spratly Islands. Brunei made a preliminary submission notifying of its intention to claim a continental shelf beyond 200 nautical miles from its shores. China (PRC)
Spratly Islands dispute
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Saba. Collectively, these special municipalities of the Netherlands are also known as the "BES islands" or the Caribbean Netherlands. The islands have also been informally grouped in the following ways: Dutch Caribbean The Dutch Caribbean (historically known as the Dutch West Indies) are the territories, colonies, and countries, both former and current, of the Dutch Empire and the Kingdom of the Netherlands that are located in the Lesser Antilles archipelago of the Caribbean Sea. Currently the Dutch Caribbean comprises the islands of Aruba, Curaçao, Sint Maarten, Bonaire, Sint Eustatius, and Saba. The contemporary term is sometimes also used for the
Dutch Caribbean
628645
Islands) in the late 17th and early 18th centuries. Denmark started colonies on St. Thomas in 1665 and St. John in 1683 (though control of the latter was disputed with Great Britain until 1718), and purchased St. Croix from France in 1733. During the 18th century, the Virgin Islands in the Caribbean Sea were divided into two territorial units, one British and the other Dano-Norwegian. The Dano-Norwegian islands were run by the Danish West India and Guinea Company until 1755, when the Dano-Norwegian king bought them out. Sugar cane, produced by slave labor, drove the islands' economy during the 18th
Danish colonization of the Americas
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Islands, often still abbreviated locally to "LegCo"), and is headed by the Monarch. The Legislative Council consists of 13 elected members; nine tied to electoral districts, and four "at large" seats. Belonger status is a requirement to be elected to the Legislative Council. Low level disputes and petty crimes in the British Virgin Islands are resolved in the magistrates' court. More serious matters are dealt with in the high court. The British Virgin Islands is part of the Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court circuit. Unusually for its size, the British Virgin Islands has two permanent judges. The British Virgin Islands hosts
Law of the British Virgin Islands
16140697
accession agreement apart from some exceptions granted under the Treaty of Chaguaramas and a few others negotiated by Suriname upon entry. In 2007, the U.S. Virgin Islands government announced it would begin seeking ties with CARICOM. At the time it was not clear what membership status the USVI would obtain should they join CARICOM with the most likely possibility being observer status, considering fellow U.S. Caribbean territory Puerto Rico's current observer status. In 2012, it was confirmed by the USVI Commissioner of Tourism, Beverly Nicholson-Doty, that the U.S. Virgin Islands government has been lobbying for observer status within CARICOM. At
Member states of the Caribbean Community
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commercial air services to Aguadilla and easier access to nearby Quebradillas. The 1970s, as it is widely known, were difficult times for airlines because of the oil crisis (1973 and 1979) and deregulation of the industry in the U.S. In addition, another competitor, Aero Virgin Islands from the U.S. Virgin Islands, proved an impossible obstacle to overcome for Air Caribbean. In 1979, the airline had its last flight. Aero Virgin Islands also outlasted Prinair; out of the aforementioned Caribbean airlines, the only one still providing service is Vieques Air Link. Air Caribbean (Puerto Rico) Air Caribbean was an airline that
Air Caribbean (Puerto Rico)
282672
Geography of the Netherlands Antilles The Netherlands Antilles was a constituent country in the Caribbean Sea. It consisted of two island groups, the ABC islands Curaçao, Bonaire and (until 1986) Aruba just north of Venezuela, and the SSS islands east of the Virgin Islands. The Netherlands Antilles had 960 km² (1153 km² before 1986) of land, which included no major lakes or other bodies of water. Territory included the islands of Aruba until 1986 and Curaçao, Bonaire, Saba, Sint Eustatius, Sint Maarten (which is the Dutch part of the island of Saint Martin) until 2010 when the Netherlands Antilles was
Geography of the Netherlands Antilles
11179351
a proportion of GDP. In terms of employment, 11.3% of the region's jobs depend on tourism either directly or indirectly. It is often described as "the most tourism-dependent region in the world". Caribbean islands now depend on tourism for their economy, it being referred to as "the engine of their growth". Tourism is a huge contributor to the economies of all Caribbean countries and the biggest contributor to many of them such as Antigua and Barbuda, Bahamas and the Virgin Islands. It provides a steady revenue stream, with temporary blips due to hurricanes or recessions in the Western world and
Tourism in the Caribbean
18035508
is predominately from the British Virgin Islands. The minimum value for a claim to be brought in the Commercial Court is US$500,000, although most cases are considerably larger than that. Civil procedure in the High Court and its appellate courts is regulated by the Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court Rules (usually referred to as the CPR). The CPR do not apply to various types of action, including family proceedings, insolvency, non-contentious probate, and where the High Court is acting as a prize court. Appeals from both the Supreme Court and Magistrate's Court are heard by the Court of Appeal of the
Judiciary of the British Virgin Islands
5347110
Virgin Islands, the Queen's English in the British Virgin Islands, both Dutch and English on Saba, Sint Eustatius and the Dutch side of Saint Martin, and French on the French side of Saint Martin. Like most Anglophone Caribbean islands, a post-creole speech continuum exists, in which there are two extremes — standard English (known as the "acrolect") and the creole in its most distinct, or "raw", form (known as the "basilect"). Due to the constant contact between standard English and Virgin Islands Creole in local society, there are many in-between speech varieties as well (known as "mesolects"). Most native Virgin
Virgin Islands Creole
11033444
Sun – Contemporary Poetry in The Virgin Islands (Tortola, Virgin Gorda, Anegada, Jost Van Dyke)", an anthology edited by Lasana M. Sekou in 2016. "Ti Koko and Kush Kush" by Patricia G. Turnbull, has been called a "magically" illustrated storybook contribution to Caribbean children's literature. In contemporary Virgin Islands society, there are various dance traditions, given its history of migration. The dances most commonly associated with indigenous Virgin Islander culture are the quadrille, which is also performed in many other Caribbean islands, and the bamboula. Other dances include bachata, meringue and salsa, which were brought to the islands by immigrants
Culture of the Virgin Islands
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include: The British Virgin Islands is a member state of the Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court. Judges in the British Virgin Islands are appointed rather than elected politically. By convention, judges on the Eastern Caribbean are always appointed to sit outside of the jurisdiction they are from to minimise the possibility of political interference with the judiciary. Caricom (associate), CDB, ECLAC (associate), Interpol (subbureau), IOC, OECS (associate), UNESCO (associate) Politics of the British Virgin Islands Politics of the British Virgin Islands takes place in a framework of a parliamentary representative democratic dependency, whereby the Premier is the head of government, and
Politics of the British Virgin Islands
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British dominions in the Caribbean but, tellingly, the British Virgin Islands was not represented by a member. The Executive Council was formally abolished in 1902. When democracy was reintroduced into the British Virgin Islands in 1950 following the 1950 general election there was no Executive Council to accompany the new Legislative Council. However, after the 1957 general election an Executive Council was formed by the Administrator of the British Virgin Islands, two other "Ministers" appointed by the Administrator, and two "ex officio" members, the Financial Secretary and "Attorney General". Those terms did not exactly exist in their present form at
Cabinet of the British Virgin Islands
11618576
Fuel. The oiler plied the Atlantic from Nova Scotia to the Virgin Islands in 1971, supporting NATO and Atlantic Fleet operations. She participated in Exercise "Rough Ride" in June. After that 10-day NATO exercise involving ships from five countries, she supported a NATO sea power demonstration off Norfolk in September. February 1972 found "Truckee" again underway, via the Caribbean, for the Mediterranean. At the end of this deployment with the 6th Fleet, she returned to the east coast in November and, at year's end, had pumped a total of 189 million litres (50 mio. US gal) of fuel. On deployment
USS Truckee (AO-147)
3116591
petroleum products, watches and watch parts). The CBTPA authorized the President to designate individual countries as being "Beneficiary Countries" in order to receive the enhanced trade benefits available under the Act. The twenty-four current beneficiaries of the Caribbean Basin Economic Recovery Act (CBERA) were potentially eligible to be declared CBTPA Beneficiary Countries. These countries are: Antigua and Barbuda, Aruba, Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Costa Rica, Dominica, Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Grenada, Guatemala, Guyana, Haiti, Honduras, Jamaica, Montserrat, Netherlands Antilles, Nicaragua, Panama, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Trinidad and Tobago, and British Virgin Islands. Through the
Caribbean Basin Trade and Partnership Act
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Rugby union in the British Virgin Islands Rugby union in the British Virgin Islands is a minor but growing sport. They currently have around 440 registered players. The governing body is BVI Rugby Football Union, which is affiliated to the IRB and the North America Caribbean Rugby Association. The British first introduced the game to the islands, and for a number of years it was mainly played by expatriates. Now it has some uptake by the local population. Games against visiting ships, and touring sides are common, as well as against neighbouring Caribbean islands. The British Virgin Islands compete in
Rugby union in the British Virgin Islands
10847810
of the mission of the Evangelical Brethren on the Caribbean islands of St. Tomas, St. Croix, and St. John. Edited and translated by A.R. Highfield and Vladimir Barac. Ann Arbor: Karoma. Putley, Julian. “A Glimpse of BVI History”. The British Virgin Island Tourism Directory 2007: 9. "Christopher Columbus," Microsoft Encarta Online Encyclopedia 2007 Scrub Island (British Virgin Islands) Scrub Island of the British Virgin Islands in the Caribbean is a part of the Lesser Antilles, a group of islands that are young volcanic or coral islands. It is home to the Scrub Island Resort Marina and Spa. In late 2013
Scrub Island (British Virgin Islands)
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Central American and Caribbean Cross Country Championships The Central American and Caribbean Cross Country Championships ("Spanish: Campeonato Centroamericano y del Caribe de Campo Traviesa") was an annual Cross country running competition organized by the CACAC for athletes representing the countries of its member associations. The competition was established in 1983 following a proposal of Wallace Williams from the Virgin Islands, then secretary of the CACAC. The rationale was that also smaller countries without adequate athletics' facilities could host such an event. The approval for the competitions' implementation was given during the 1982 CACAC meeting in Havana. The first championships were
Central American and Caribbean Cross Country Championships
15573664
Two British dependencies also use the U.S. dollar: the British Virgin Islands (1959) and Turks and Caicos Islands (1973). The islands Bonaire, Sint Eustatius and Saba, now collectively known as the Caribbean Netherlands, adopted the dollar on January 1, 2011, as a result of the dissolution of the Netherlands Antilles. The U.S. dollar is an official currency in Zimbabwe, along with the Euro, the Pound Sterling, the Pula, the Rand, and several other currencies. Some countries that have adopted the U.S. dollar issue their own coins: See Ecuadorian centavo coins, Panamanian Balboa and East Timor centavo coins. A series of
International use of the U.S. dollar
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where 19 European Union (EU) member states have adopted the euro (€) as their common currency (euroization). Their exchange rates are effectively fixed to each other. There are similar examples of countries adopting the U.S. dollar as their domestic currency (dollarization): British Virgin Islands, Caribbean Netherlands, East Timor, Ecuador, El Salvador, Marshall Islands, Federated States of Micronesia, Palau, Panama, Turks and Caicos Islands and Zimbabwe. Monetary co-operation is the mechanism in which two or more monetary policies or exchange rates are linked, and can happen at regional or international level. The monetary co-operation does not necessarily need to be a
Fixed exchange-rate system
37589
sea and exclusive a fishing zone. It has a tropical, humid climate, with temperatures moderated by trade winds. Its terrain consists of coral islands, and is relatively flat. It has volcanic islands and is steep and hilly. Its lowest point is the Caribbean Sea and its highest point is Mount Sage at above sea level. Its natural resources are negligible. In terms of land use, it is 20% arable land, 6.67% permanent crops and 73.33% other as of a 2005 figure. Its natural hazards consist of hurricanes and tropical storms from July to October. There is limited natural fresh water
Geography of the British Virgin Islands
19553756
Our Lady of Mount Carmel Church, Cruz Bay The Our Lady of Mount Carmel Church is the name given to a religious building belonging to the Catholic Church and is located in the town of Cruz Bay, Saint John the smallest of the three main islands of the US Virgin Islands in the Caribbean Sea. The temple was opened and blessed in 1962, follows the Roman or Latin rite and is under the jurisdiction of the Diocese of St. Thomas in the Virgin Islands ("Dioecesis Sancti Thomae in Insulis Virgineis"). It has its origins in the donation of land that
Our Lady of Mount Carmel Church, Cruz Bay