Virgin Islands - US Overview Country Overview The islands are situated 64km (40 miles) east of Puerto Rico and comprise some 50 islands covered with lush tropical vegetation and fringed by iridescent shores. St Thomas is long and narrow, rising abruptly to a ridge with an excellent deep-water harbour. St John is covered partly in bay forests. St Croix consists of 215 sq km (83 sq miles) of rolling ex-plantation land. St Croix is the largest of the US Virgin Islands. Christiansted is one of the two major towns showing early-Danish influence. Fort Christiansværn (dating from 1774) and the Old Custom House are among its historic sites. St Thomas is the second-largest and the most cosmopolitan of this chain of islands. Like St Croix, it has many associations with the Danes and retains much Danish influence. The main town, Charlotte Amalie, is the group’s capital. Cobblestone alleys with numerous boutiques lead down to the waterfront. St John is the most ‘unspoilt’ of the islands. It has no airport, and two-thirds of the island’s deep valleys and most of its shoreline have been set aside as a National Park. Island specialities include fresh fish and lobster. Steel bands, folk singing, calypso and limbo dancing are popular. General Information Area: 347.1 sq km (134 sq miles). Population: 101,809 (1990). Population Density: 293 per sq km. Capital: Charlotte Amalie (St Thomas). Population: 12,331 (1990). GEOGRAPHY: The islands are situated 64km (40 miles) east of Puerto Rico and comprise some 50 islands covered with lush tropical vegetation. St Thomas is long and narrow, rising abruptly to a ridge with an excellent deep-water harbour. St John is covered partly in bay forests. St Croix consists of 215 sq km (83 sq miles) of rolling ex-plantation land. Government: US External Territory (Unincorporated). Gained a measure of self-government in 1954. Head of State: President George W Bush since 2001. Head of Government: Governor Charles Wesley Turnbull since 1999. Language: English is the official language. Spanish and Creole are also widely spoken. Religion: Christian, mainly Protestant. Time: GMT - 4. Electricity: 120 volts AC, 60Hz. Communications:   Telephone IDD is available. Country code: 1 340. There are no area codes. Outgoing international code: 001. The USA (including most toll-free numbers) can be dialled directly from the islands. Efficient overseas cable and telephone services are in operation. Mobile telephone GSM 1900 network. Operators include BlueSky Communications (website: www.bluskypcs.com). Fax Services are available. Internet ISPs include VIAccess (website: www.viaccess.net). Internet cafes exist on St Thomas. Post Airmail to Europe takes up to one week. The postage is the same as in the USA. First-class post to the USA automatically travels by air through the US postal service. Post office hours: Mon-Fri 0900-1700, Sat 0900-1200. Press The daily newspapers are Virgin Islands Daily News and St Croix Avis. BBC World Service and Voice of America frequencies: From time to time these change. BBC (website: www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice): MHz 15.19 12.10 6.195 5.975 Voice of America (website: www.voa.gov): MHz 13.79 9.455 6.130 5.995 Passport/Visa Immigration requirements for the US Virgin Islands are the same as for the USA. See the USA section. Money Currency: US Dollar (US$) = 100 cents. See the USA section for information on currency exchange, exchange rates, credit and debit cards and so on. Travellers cheques: To avoid additional exchange rate charges, travellers are advised to take travellers cheques in US Dollars. Currency restrictions: Import and export of amounts in excess of US$10,000 must be declared. Banking hours: Mon-Thurs 0900-1430, Fri 0900-1400 and 1530-1700. Duty Free Duty must be paid on all gifts and alcohol brought in from abroad. Other customs regulations, duty-free exemptions and prohibitions are as for the USA. See Duty Free in the USA section. Public Holidays Jan 1 2003 New Year’s Day. Jan 6 Three Kings’ Day. Jan 20 Martin Luther King Day. Feb 17 Presidents’ Day. Mar 31 Transfer Day. Apr 17 Holy Thursday. Apr 18 Good Friday. Apr 21 Easter Monday. May 26 Memorial Day. Jun 20 Organic Act Day. Jul 3 Danish West Indies Emancipation Day. Jul 4 US Independence Day. Jul 25 Hurricane Supplication Day. Sep 1 Labor Day. Oct 13 Columbus Day. Oct 17 Virgin Islands Thanksgiving Day. Nov 1 D Hamilton Jackson Day. Nov 11 Veterans’ Day. Nov 27 US Thanksgiving Day. Dec 25 Christmas Day. Jan 1 2004 New Year’s Day. Jan 6 Three Kings’ Day. Jan 19 Martin Luther King Day. Feb 16 Presidents’ Day. Mar 31 Transfer Day. Apr 8 Holy Thursday. Apr 9 Good Friday. Apr 12 Easter Monday. May 24 Memorial Day. Jun 20 Organic Act Day. Jul 3 Danish West Indies Emancipation Day. Jul 4 US Independence Day. Jul 25 Hurricane Supplication Day. Sep 6 Labor Day. Oct 11 Columbus Day. Oct 17 Virgin Islands Thanksgiving Day. Nov 1 D Hamilton Jackson Day. Nov 11 Veterans’ Day. Nov 25 US Thanksgiving Day. Dec 25 Christmas Day. Health   Special Precautions Certificate Required Yellow Fever No No Cholera No No Typhoid and Polio 1 N/A Malaria No N/A 1: Vaccination against typhoid and poliomyelitis is advised. Food & drink: Water precautions are advised outside the main centres. Tap water is considered safe to drink. Milk is pasteurised and dairy products are safe for consumption. Local meat, poultry, seafood, fruit and vegetables are generally considered safe to eat. Other risks: Bilharzia (schistosomiasis) may be present in some fresh water. Swimming pools that are well chlorinated and maintained are safe. Visitors should enquire locally. Immunisation against hepatitis A should be considered. Health care: Medical costs are very high and health insurance is essential. Medical facilities are of a similar standard to those in the USA. There are hospitals on St Croix and St Thomas; a clinic is located on St John. Travel - International AIR: US Airways (US) has daily direct flights to St Thomas and St Croix. American Airlines (AA) offers daily, direct services from New York (JFK) and Miami to St Thomas and St Croix. Delta flies daily from Atlanta and New York to St Thomas. Continental Airlines flies daily from Houston to San Juan. Britannia Airways operates direct flights from London Gatwick. Services from the US mainland to the Virgin Islands are available through Cape Air, American Eagle and Air Sunshine. Seaplanes connect St Thomas and St Croix several times a day. For schedules of these and other operators’ routes to the US Virgin Islands, contact the airlines directly. Approximate flight times: From St Croix to London is 14 hours (including stopover), to New York is 3 hours 45 minutes, to Miami is 2 hours 30 minutes, to St Maarten is 45 minutes, to St Thomas is 30 minutes and to San Juan is 30 minutes. International airports: St Thomas (STT) (Cyril E King) is 5km (3 miles) west of Charlotte Amalie. St Croix (STX) (Henry E Rohlsen) is about 14km (9 miles) southwest of Christiansted. Departure tax: None. SEA: The main passenger ports are Charlotte Amalie (St Thomas) and Frederiksted on St Croix. Regular ferries sail between St Thomas and St John and the British Virgin Islands and Fajardo (Puerto Rico). Ferries leave from Charlotte Amalie and Red Hook Dock on St Thomas, for Cruz Bay on St John. A number of cruise lines operating out of Miami and San Juan includes the US Virgin Islands in their itineraries around the Caribbean. Cruise lines include Princess, Royal Caribbean, Carnival, Celebrity and Norwegian Cruise Lines. For more information on cruise ships to the US Virgin Islands, contact the US Virgin Islands Department of Tourism (see Contact Addresses section) or consult the ‘Cruise Ship Schedules’ online (website: www.ships.vi). ROAD: Well-maintained roads connect all main towns. Speed limit is 35kph (20mph) in towns and 55kph (35mph) elsewhere. Driving is on the left. Bus: Public services operate on St Thomas from Charlotte Amalie to Red Hook and Bordeaux, and St Croix has a taxi-van service between Christiansted and Frederiksted. St John has a bus service running from Cruz Bay to Salt Pond. Taxi: Available on all the islands. These follow standard routes between various points, and the fares for these are published. Sharing taxis is a common practice. Car hire: There are several international car hire agencies at the airports and in the main towns on St Thomas, St Croix and St John. Jeeps or mini-mokes are popular modes of travel and these too can be hired. Documentation: National licences are accepted; an International Driving Permit is not required. TRAVEL TIMES: The following chart gives approximate travel times (in hours and minutes) from Charlotte Amalie to other major cities/towns in the US Virgin Islands. Air Road Sea Chris’sted, SC 0.25 - - Cruz Bay, SJ - - 0.45 Magens Bay - 0.20 - Coral World - 0.40 - Note: SC = St Croix; SJ = St John. Accommodation HOTELS: The islands have more hotels per square mile than anywhere in the Caribbean. Costs vary according to standard, but are generally quite high compared to other Caribbean islands. The islands’ hotel association has a counter at the airport to assist with reservations. The following organisations can give further information: St Thomas & St John Hotel Association, PO Box 2300, St Thomas, VI 00803 (tel: 774 6835; fax: 774 4993; e-mail: stha@viaccess.net; website: www.sttsjhta.com); or St Croix Hotel Association, PO Box 24238, Gallows Bay, St Croix, VI 00824 (tel: 773 7117; fax: 773 5883). A variety of guest-houses, condominiums and villas are also available in St John and St Thomas. CAMPING: There are two main campsites, all on the island of St John. One of the main sites, Cinnamon Bay Camp, is located inside the 11,560-acre St John National Park. Inexpensive bare plots, plots with tents already set up and cottages are available for a maximum stay of two weeks. The site is very popular, so reservations should be made well in advance by contacting Cinnamon Bay Camp, PO Box 720, St John, VI 00830 (tel: 776 6330; fax: 776 6458). The other campsite is at Maho Bay near a beautiful beach. Contact Maho Bay Camp, PO Box 310, Cruz Bay, St John, VI 00830 (tel: 776 6226; fax: 693 7226; e-mail: mahobay@maho.org; website: www.maho.org). So-called ‘eco-tents’, which are part of the tourist authorities’ wish to encourage ‘sustainable tourism’ and rustic cabins are also available. Introduction ST CROIX: St Croix is the largest of the US Virgin Islands. Christiansted is one of the two major towns showing early Danish influence. Fort Christiansværn (dating from 1774), Government House, the Old Custom House and Art Gallery and the wharf area are among its historic sites. Outside of Christiansted, on West Airport Road, is the Cruz Rum Distillery where visitors can taste the islands’ rum and watch it being made. On the way to Frederiksted is Whim Greathouse, portraying plantation life in the 1700s. Frederiksted is also of Danish origin and has a 15-acre tropical rainforest nearby. Excursions: The much smaller Buck Island can easily be reached by sailing the 10km (6 mile) channel that separates it from Christiansted. Offshore is one of the world’s most impressive marine gardens, maintained by the National Park Service as an underwater protected reef. ST THOMAS: St Thomas is the second-largest and the most cosmopolitan of this chain of islands. Like St Croix, it has many associations with the Danes and retains much Danish influence. The main town, Charlotte Amalie, is the group’s capital. Imported goods from all over the world make it a marvellous shopping centre and stores tucked into remodelled Danish warehouses line each side of the picturesque Main Street. Cobblestone alleys with numerous boutiques lead down to the waterfront. Blackbeard’s Castle is the earliest fortification in the US Virgin Islands. Other attractions include Fort Christian, built in 1672; the Coral World Observatory; the Frederick Lutheran Church of 1850; Government House on Government Hill (1866); Venus Pillar on Magnolia Hill; Bluebeard’s Tower, the 19th-century pirate’s one-time abode; and the Synagogue on Crystal Gade, one of the oldest in the western hemisphere. On the northern coast is Magens Bay, claimed to be one of the world’s top ten beaches. ST JOHN: St John is the most ‘unspoilt’ of the islands. It has no airport, and two-thirds of the island’s deep valleys and most of its shoreline have been set aside as the Virgin Islands National Park. Cruz Bay is a small town offering excellent gift shops and dive centres. Trunk Bay is a beautiful beach, and the diving is very good. Accommodation on the island is limited. Caneel Bay is a luxurious resort. Cinnamon Bay and Maho Bay have campsites. Cottages can also be rented. Sport & Activities Sailing: Enthusiasts wishing to explore the myriad islands scattered around the territory can hire sailing boats or powerboats, with or without a skipper, either for afternoon or evening trips or for an all-inclusive week on a charter yacht. A list of operators can be obtained from the US Virgin Islands Department of Tourism (see Contact Addresses section). Boat races take place all year round, including the Rolex Cup Regatta (on St Thomas) and the Mumm’s Cup Regatta (on St Croix). Guided kayak tours through St Thomas’ Marine Sanctuary and Mangrove Lagoon provide the opportunity to see egrets, herons and other wildlife. Watersports: The US Virgin Islands are an established diving and snorkelling destination with well-developed facilities. Coral reefs, warm and calm seas, a rich marine life and excellent visibility are the main attractions for divers of all abilities. Beginners without certification may enrol on an open-water training course (usually completed in three days). However, local instructors recommend learners to complete basic pool work at home and finish their four open-water dives after arrival. The diving season is busiest from December through April, when advance booking on dive packages is recommended. Some of the best dive sites include Buck Island Reef National Monument (a protected area on St Croix with markers describing marine life); Salt River Canyon (one of the most popular sites, also on St Croix); Carval Rock (for advanced divers, on St John); Andreas Reef (on St Thomas, known for its variety of tropical fish); and Submarine Alley (an advanced dive site, also on St Thomas, with large coral islands). Fishing: Sport fishing is excellent, particularly for blue and white marlin, sailfish and wahoo, with the North Drop (accessible from St Thomas or St John) being the best-known spot. Sport fishing charters with experienced skippers are widely available. Local fishermen are keen to encourage the ‘catch-and-release’ method in order to preserve fish species. Fishing competitions, such as the Bastille Day Kingfish Tournament or the Open Atlantic Blue Marlin Tournament attract amateurs and professionals from all over the world. Other: There are two 18-hole golf courses on St Croix, at Carambola Resort and at Buccaneer Hotel. A 9-hole course is located at the Reef. St Thomas has an excellent 18-hole course at Mahogany Run. There are many tennis courts available on St Croix and St Thomas and a few on St John. Horseriding is available in Frederiksted and Christiansted on St Croix. Social Profile Food & Drink: High-quality restaurants serve everything from French and Italian to Chinese cuisine. Island specialities include fresh fish and lobster. Dining out is casual and there is an increasing number of eateries on the main islands offering seafood, burgers, steaks and local fare. Cruzan rum is strong and distinctive. Nightlife: Steel bands, folk singing, calypso and limbo dancing are popular. Discos are also available. St Thomas has several nightclubs; many hotels also offer entertainment. Cinemas on St Croix and St Thomas show English-language films. Shopping: All luxury items up to US$1200 are cheap as they are duty free. Charlotte Amalie on St Thomas is the best shopping centre. Best buys include watches, cameras, fine jewellery, china, leather goods, perfume, spirits and designer clothing. Shopping hours: Mon-Sat 0900-1700. When cruise ships are in port, some shops open on Sunday. Special Events: For a full list contact the US Virgin Islands Department of Tourism (see Contact Addresses). The following is a list of special events in the US Virgin Islands during 2003: Jan 1 Second Annual St Croix International Marathon, St Croix. Jan 6 Festival Village Grand Finale (fireworks to mark the end of the Crucian Christmas Festival), St Croix. Feb 15-17 Agriculture and Food Fair, St Croix; St Croix International Regatta. Feb 22 P’Your Passion Calypso, St Thomas. Mar 28-30 Rolex Cup Regatta, St Thomas. Mar 29 Koresh Dance Company, St Thomas. May 10-11 STARfest 9, St Thomas. Jul 3-13 St Croix Center Stage Event, St Croix. Aug 8-13 USVI Open Atlantic Blue Marlin Tournament (angling event), St Thomas. Aug 14-18 Pro International Billfish Tour (angling event), St Thomas. Oct/Nov Eighth Annual Coral Reef Swim (five-mile swim), St Croix. Dec Crucian Christmas Festival, throughout the islands. Social Conventions: The US Virgin Islanders are overwhelmingly friendly and helpful and the pace of life is very relaxed. Shaking hands is the normal form of greeting and the appropriate time of day (good morning/afternoon/evening) is usually uttered at every encounter. Politeness and courtesy is expected. Dress is informal for most occasions apart from the formal requirements of some hotels. Tipping: All hotels add eight per cent room tax and ten to 15 per cent service charge. Restaurants will either add a ten to 15 per cent service charge or expect the equivalent tip. Business Profile Economy: When Denmark sold the islands to the US government in 1917, they insisted that the existing privileges of the inhabitants be respected. A result of this is that the Virgin Islands are not part of the Federal Customs Area, a state of affairs which affords various advantages. This in turn has allowed the islands to support a high standard of living which they are naturally reluctant to relinquish. Tourism is a key industry, contributing over US$1 billion annually to the economy. The manufacturing industry is relatively new and thriving, with operations covering pharmaceuticals, electronics and textiles. In addition, the islands have one of the world’s largest oil refineries and a thriving trade in rum. Agriculture is confined to producing for local consumption; there are no significant natural resources. Transhipment and financial services are the islands’ other main sources of revenue. Commercial Information: The following organisations can offer advice: St Croix Chamber of Commerce, PO Box 4369, Kingshill, St Croix, VI 00851 (tel: 773 1435; fax: 773 8172; e-mail: kjackson@viaccess.net); or St Thomas–St John Chamber of Commerce, PO Box 324, 6-7 Main Street, St Thomas, VI 00804 (tel: 776 0100; fax: 776 0588; e-mail: chamber@islands.vi; website: www.usvichamber.com). Conferences/Conventions: The US Virgin Islands are an idyllic place to hold a conference or convention. In St Croix, facilities are available in four major hotels for up to 200 people and in two beach resorts for up to 125. In St John, facilities are available at the Hyatt Regency for up to 350 persons and in the National Park for 50 persons. St Thomas has meeting facilities in two hotels for up to 300 persons and in seven beach resorts for up to 850 persons. For further information on conference/convention facilities in the US Virgin Islands, contact the US Virgin Islands Department of Tourism (see Contact Addresses section). Climate Hot throughout the year, cooled by the eastern trade winds. Lowland areas have fairly evenly distributed rainfall, with August to October being the wettest time. Required clothing: Lightweight clothes throughout the year. Umbrella or light waterproof clothing is useful. History and Government History: The islands were first inhabited by Carib and Arawak Indians but, in common with the rest of the Caribbean, they endured various waves of European invasion and settlement from the 1490s onwards, finally becoming part of the Danish West Indies. The US government purchased the Islands in 1917 and they are now an unincorporated territory of the USA. A measure of self-government was introduced in 1954, along with the introduction of an elected senate. Politics on the islands follow the Republican-Democrat division of the USA itself. From the evidence of gubernatorial elections, the political complexion of the islands was distinctly Republican from 1970 until 1982. This is when the Governorship passed to the Democrats, who held the post until the present incumbent, Roy Schneider, representing the Independent Citizens’ Movement, was elected in 1994. Despite the fact that the Republicans did not even put up a candidate, Schneider’s efforts to secure a second term failed when he was defeated by Democrat Charles Turnbul at the November 1998 poll. At the most recent elections in November 2002, Turnbul secured a second term of office, while simultaneous elections for the senate returned the Democrats with a majority of a single seat. Government: Although US Virgin Islands residents are US citizens, they cannot vote in presidential elections – one elected delegate represents the islands in the US House of Representatives. The 1954 Organic Act created an elected 15-member senate for the islands. Since 1970, executive authority has been vested in an elected governor who serves a four-year term. Copyright © 2003 Columbus Publishing Ltd.