| Background: |
During the 17th
century, the archipelago was divided into two territorial
units, one English and the other Danish. Sugarcane, produced
by slave labor, drove the islands' economy during the 18th
and early 19th centuries. In 1917, the US purchased the
Danish portion, which had been in economic decline since the
abolition of slavery in 1848. |
| Location: |
Caribbean,
islands between the Caribbean Sea and the North Atlantic
Ocean, east of Puerto Rico |
| Geographic
coordinates: |
18 20 N, 64 50 W |
| Map
references: |
Central America
and the Caribbean |
| Area: |
total:
352 sq km
land: 349 sq km
water: 3 sq km |
| Area
- comparative: |
twice the size of
Washington, DC |
| Maritime
claims: |
exclusive
economic zone: 200 NM
territorial sea: 12 NM |
| Climate: |
subtropical,
tempered by easterly trade winds, relatively low humidity,
little seasonal temperature variation; rainy season May to
November |
| Terrain: |
mostly hilly to
rugged and mountainous with little level land |
| Elevation
extremes: |
lowest point:
Caribbean Sea 0 m
highest point: Crown Mountain 474 m |
| Natural
resources: |
sun, sand, sea,
surf |
| Land
use: |
arable land:
15%
permanent crops: 6%
permanent pastures: 26%
forests and woodland: 6%
other: 47% (1993 est.) |
| Natural
hazards: |
several
hurricanes in recent years; frequent and severe droughts and
floods; occasional earthquakes |
| Environment
- current issues: |
lack of natural
freshwater resources |
| Geography
- note: |
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 |
| Population: |
122,211 (July
2001 est.) |
| Age
structure: |
0-14 years:
27.27% (male 17,121; female 16,204)
15-64 years: 63.92% (male 35,391; female
42,727)
65 years and over: 8.81% (male 4,638; female
6,130) (2001 est.) |
| Population
growth rate: |
1.06% (2001 est.) |
| Birth
rate: |
15.9 births/1,000
population (2001 est.) |
| Death
rate: |
5.47 deaths/1,000
population (2001 est.) |
| Net
migration rate: |
0.12 migrant(s)/1,000
population (2001 est.) |
| Sex
ratio: |
at birth:
1.06 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.06 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.83 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.76 male(s)/female
total population: 0.88 male(s)/female (2001
est.) |
| Infant
mortality rate: |
9.43 deaths/1,000
live births (2001 est.) |
| Life
expectancy at birth: |
total
population: 78.27 years
male: 74.38 years
female: 82.39 years (2001 est.) |
| Total
fertility rate: |
2.25 children
born/woman (2001 est.) |
| HIV/AIDS
- adult prevalence rate: |
NA% |
| HIV/AIDS
- people living with HIV/AIDS: |
NA |
| Nationality: |
noun:
Virgin Islander(s)
adjective: Virgin Islander |
| Ethnic
groups: |
black 80%, white
15%, other 5%
note: West Indian (45% born in the Virgin
Islands and 29% born elsewhere in the West Indies) 74%, US
mainland 13%, Puerto Rican 5%, other 8% |
| Religions: |
Baptist 42%,
Roman Catholic 34%, Episcopalian 17%, other 7% |
| Languages: |
English
(official), Spanish, Creole |
| Literacy: |
definition:
NA
total population: NA%
male: NA%
female: NA% |
| Country
name: |
conventional
long form: United States Virgin Islands
conventional short form: Virgin Islands
former: Danish West Indies |
| Dependency
status: |
organized,
unincorporated territory of the US with policy relations
between the Virgin Islands and the US under the jurisdiction
of the Office of Insular Affairs, US Department of the
Interior |
| Capital: |
Charlotte Amalie |
| Administrative
divisions: |
none (territory
of the US); there are no first-order administrative
divisions as defined by the US Government, but there are
three islands at the second order; Saint Croix, Saint John,
Saint Thomas |
| National
holiday: |
Transfer Day
(from Denmark to the US), 27 March (1917) |
| Constitution: |
Revised Organic
Act of 22 July 1954 |
| Legal
system: |
based on US laws |
| Suffrage: |
18 years of age;
universal; note - indigenous inhabitants are US citizens but
do not vote in US presidential elections |
| Executive
branch: |
chief of
state: President George W. BUSH of the US (since
20 January 2001); Vice President Richard B. CHENEY (Since 20
January 2001)
head of government: Governor Dr. Charles Wesley
TURNBULL (since 5 January 1999) and Lieutenant Governor
Gererd LUZ James II (since 5 January 1999)
cabinet: NA
elections: US president and vice president
elected on the same ticket for four-year terms; governor and
lieutenant governor elected on the same ticket by popular
vote for four-year terms; election last held 3 November 1998
(next to be held NA November 2002)
election results: Dr. Charles Wesley TURNBULL
elected governor; percent of vote - Dr. Charles W. TURNBULL
(Democrat) 58.9%, former Governor Roy L. SCHNEIDER (ICM)
41.1% |
| Legislative
branch: |
unicameral Senate
(15 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve
two-year terms)
elections: last held 7 November 2000 (next to
be held NA November 2002)
election results: percent of vote by party -
NA%; seats by party - Democratic Party 6, ICM 2,
independents 7
note: the Virgin Islands elects one non-voting
representative to the US House of Representatives; election
last held 7 November 2000 (next to be held NA November
2002); results - Donna M. CHRISTIAN-CHRISTENSON (Democrat)
elected |
| Judicial
branch: |
US District Court
of the Virgin Islands (under Third Circuit jurisdiction);
Territorial Court (judges appointed by the governor for
10-year terms) |
| Political
parties and leaders: |
Democratic Party
[Arturo WATLINGTON]; Independent Citizens' Movement or ICM [Usie
RICHON]; Republican Party [Gary SCROUVE] |
| Political
pressure groups and leaders: |
NA |
| International
organization participation: |
ECLAC
(associate), Interpol (subbureau), IOC |
| Diplomatic
representation in the US: |
none (territory
of the US) |
| Diplomatic
representation from the US: |
none (territory
of the US) |
| Flag
description: |
white, 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 one talon and three arrows in the
other with a superimposed shield of vertical red and white
stripes below a blue panel |
| Economy
- overview: |
Tourism is the
primary economic activity, accounting for more than 70% of
GDP and 70% of employment. The islands normally host 2
million visitors a year. The manufacturing sector consists
of petroleum refining, textiles, electronics,
pharmaceuticals, and watch assembly. The agricultural sector
is small, with most food being imported. International
business and financial services are a small but growing
component of the economy. One of the world's largest
petroleum refineries is at Saint Croix. The islands are
subject to substantial damage from storms. The government is
working to improve fiscal discipline, support construction
projects in the private sector, expand tourist facilities,
and protect the environment. |
| GDP: |
purchasing power
parity - $1.8 billion (2000 est.) |
| GDP
- real growth rate: |
NA% |
| GDP
- per capita: |
purchasing power
parity - $15,000 (2000 est.) |
| GDP
- composition by sector: |
agriculture:
NA%
industry: NA%
services: NA% |
| Population
below poverty line: |
NA% |
| Household
income or consumption by percentage share: |
lowest 10%:
NA%
highest 10%: NA% |
| Inflation
rate (consumer prices): |
NA% |
| Labor
force: |
47,443 (1990
est.) |
| Labor
force - by occupation: |
agriculture 1%,
industry 20%, services 79% (1990 est.) |
| Unemployment
rate: |
4.9% (March 1999) |
| Budget: |
revenues:
$364.4 million
expenditures: $364.4 million, including capital
expenditures of $NA (1990 est.) |
| Industries: |
tourism,
petroleum refining, watch assembly, rum distilling,
construction, pharmaceuticals, textiles, electronics |
| Industrial
production growth rate: |
NA% |
| Electricity
- production: |
1.02 billion kWh
(1999) |
| Electricity
- production by source: |
fossil fuel:
100%
hydro: 0%
nuclear: 0%
other: 0% (1999) |
| Electricity
- consumption: |
948.6 million kWh
(1999) |
| Electricity
- exports: |
0 kWh (1999) |
| Electricity
- imports: |
0 kWh (1999) |
| Agriculture
- products: |
fruit,
vegetables, sorghum; Senepol cattle |
| Exports
- commodities: |
refined petroleum
products |
| Exports
- partners: |
US, Puerto Rico |
| Imports
- commodities: |
crude oil,
foodstuffs, consumer goods, building materials |
| Imports
- partners: |
US, Puerto Rico |
| Economic
aid - recipient: |
$NA |
| Currency: |
US dollar (USD) |
| Exchange
rates: |
the US dollar is
used |
| Fiscal
year: |
1 October - 30
September |
| Telephones
- main lines in use: |
62,000 (1997) |
| Telephones
- mobile cellular: |
2,000 (1992) |
| Telephone
system: |
general
assessment: NA
domestic: modern, uses fiber-optic cable and
microwave radio relay
international: submarine cable and satellite
communications; satellite earth stations - NA |
| Radio
broadcast stations: |
AM 5, FM 11,
shortwave 0 (1998) |
| Television
broadcast stations: |
2 (1997) |
| Televisions: |
68,000 (1997) |
| Internet
country code: |
.vi |
| Internet
Service Providers (ISPs): |
50 (2000) |
| Internet
users: |
12,000 (2000) |
| Highways: |
total:
856 km
paved: NA km
unpaved: NA km (2000) |
| Ports
and harbors: |
Charlotte Amalie,
Christiansted, Cruz Bay, Port Alucroix |
| Merchant
marine: |
none (2000 est.) |
| Airports: |
2
note: international airports on Saint Thomas
and Saint Croix (2000 est.) |
| Airports
- with paved runways: |
total:
2
1,524 to 2,437 m: 2 (2000 est.) |
| Military
- note: |
defense is the
responsibility of the US |
| Disputes
- international: |
none |
|
