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 Christiansvrn (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.
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