| Virgin Islands |
Flag:
 |
Map:
 |
| 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. |
| Geography and Environmental |
Capital: name: Charlotte Amalie
geographic coordinates: 18 21 N, 64 56 W
time difference: UTC-4 (1 hour ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) |
| Area Total: 1,910 sq km |
| Area Land: 346 sq km |
| Area Water: 1,564 sq km |
| Area Comparative: twice the size of Washington, DC |
| Coastline: 188 km |
| Climate: subtropical, tempered by easterly trade winds, relatively low humidity, little seasonal temperature variation; rainy season September to November |
| Terrain: mostly hilly to rugged and mountainous with little level land |
| Elevation Extremes Lowest Point: Caribbean Sea 0 m |
| Elevation Extremes Highest Point: Crown Mountain 475 m |
| Natural Resources: sun, sand, sea, surf |
| Land Use Arable Land: 5.71% |
| Land Use Permanent Crops: 2.86% |
| Land Use Other: 91.43% (2005) |
| Irrigated Land: NA |
| 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 |
| Population: 108,448 (July 2007 est.) |
| Age Structure 0 to 14 Years: 21.8% (male 11,897/female 11,696) |
| Age Structure 15 to 64 Years: 66.5% (male 34,204/female 37,911) |
| Age Structure 65 Years And Over: 11.7% (male 5,642/female 7,098) (2007 est.) |
| Median Age Total: 37.7 years |
| Median Age Male: 36.7 years |
| Median Age Female: 38.5 years (2007 est.) |
| Population Growth Rate: -0.171% (2007 est.) |
| Birth Rate: 13.68 births/1,000 population (2007 est.) |
| Death Rate: 6.59 deaths/1,000 population (2007 est.) |
| Sex Ratio At Birth: 1.06 male(s)/female |
| Sex Ratio Under 15 Years: 1.017 male(s)/female |
| Sex Ratio 15 to 64 Years: 0.902 male(s)/female |
| Sex Ratio 65 Years And Over: 0.795 male(s)/female |
| Sex Ratio Total Population: 0.912 male(s)/female (2007 est.) |
| Infant Mortality Rate Total: 7.69 deaths/1,000 live births |
| Infant Mortality Rate Male: 8.75 deaths/1,000 live births |
| Infant Mortality Rate Female: 6.58 deaths/1,000 live births (2007 est.) |
| Life Expectancy At BirthTotalPopulation: 79.2 years |
| Life Expectancy At Birth Male: 75.4 years |
| Life Expectancy At Birth Female: 83.22 years (2007 est.) |
| Total Fertility Rate: 2.16 children born/woman (2007 est.) |
| HIV AIDS Adult Prevalence Rate: NA |
| HIV AIDS People Living With HIV AIDS: NA |
| HIV AIDS Deaths: NA |
| Religions: Baptist 42%, Roman Catholic 34%, Episcopalian 17%, other 7% |
| Languages: English 74.7%, Spanish or Spanish Creole 16.8%, French or French Creole 6.6%, other 1.9% (2000 census) |
| Literacy Definition: age 15 and over can read and write |
| Literacy Total Population: 90-95% est. |
| Literacy Male: NA% |
| Literacy Female: NA% (2005 est.) |
| 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 |
| Legal System: based on US laws |
| Economy |
| Overview: Tourism is the primary economic activity, accounting for 80% of GDP and employment. The islands hosted 2.6 million visitors in 2005. The manufacturing sector consists of petroleum refining, textiles, electronics, pharmaceuticals, and watch assembly. One of the world's largest petroleum refineries is at Saint Croix. The agricultural sector is small, with most food being imported. International business and financial services are small but growing components of the economy. The islands are vulnerable to substantial damage from storms. The government is working to improve fiscal discipline, to support construction projects in the private sector, to expand tourist facilities, to reduce crime, and to protect the environment. |
| GDP Purchasing Power Parity: $1.577 billion (2004 est.) |
| GDP Real Growth Rate: 2% (2002 est.) |
| GDP Composition By Sector Agriculture: 1% |
| GDP Composition By Sector Industry: 19% |
| GDP Composition By Sector Services: 80% (2003 est.) |
| Labor Force: 43,980 (2004 est.) |
Labor Force By Occupation: agriculture: 1%
industry: 19%
services: 80% (2003 est.) |
| Unemployment Rate: 6.2% (2004) |
Household Income Or Consumption By Percentage Share: lowest 10%: NA%
highest 10%: NA% |
| Inflation Rate Consumer Prices: 2.2% (2003) |
| Industries: tourism, petroleum refining, watch assembly, rum distilling, construction, pharmaceuticals, textiles, electronics |
| Industrial Production Growth Rate: NA% |
| Energy |
| Electricity Production: 980 million kWh (2004) |
| Electricity Production By Source Fossil Fuel: 100% |
| Electricity Production By Source Hydro: 0% |
| Electricity Production By Source Nuclear: 0% |
| Electricity Production By Source Other: 0% (2001) |
| Electricity Consumption: 911.4 million kWh (2004) |
| Electricity Exports: 0 kWh (2004) |
| Electricity Imports: 0 kWh (2004) |
| Oil Production: 17,110 bbl/day (2004 est.) |
| Oil Consumption: 115,000 bbl/day (2004 est.) |
| Natural Gas Production: 0 cu m (2004 est.) |
| Natural Gas Consumption: 0 cu m (2004 est.) |
| Exports: $4.234 billion (2001) |
| Exports Commodities: refined petroleum products |
| Exports Partners: US, Puerto Rico (2004) |
| Imports: $4.609 billion (2001) |
| Imports Commodities: crude oil, foodstuffs, consumer goods, building materials |
| Imports Partners: US, Puerto Rico (2004) |
| Debt External: $NA |
| Economic Aid Recipient: $NA |
| Communications |
| Telephones Main Lines In Use: 70,900 (2004) |
| TelephonesMobileCellular: 64,200 (2004) |
| Telephone System General Assessment: modern system with total digital switching, uses fiber-optic cable and microwave radio relay |
| Telephone System Domestic: full range of services available |
| Telephone System International: country code - 1-340; 2 submarine cable connections (Taino Carib, Americas-1); satellite earth stations - NA |
| Radio Broadcast Stations: AM 6, FM 16, shortwave 0 (2006) |
| Radios: 107,000 (1997) |
| Television Broadcast Stations: 5 (2006) |
| Televisions: 68,000 (1997) |
| Internet Service Providers-ISPs: 50 (2000) |
| Internet Users: 30,000 (2002) |
| Transportation |
| Airports: 2 (2006) |
| Disputes International: none |