| GEOGRAPHY |
| Country name: |
conventional long form: United States Virgin Islands
conventional short form: Virgin Islands
former: Danish West Indies |
| Capital: |
Charlotte Amalie |
| Location: |
Caribbean, islands between the Caribbean Sea and the North Atlantic Ocean, east of Puerto Rico |
| Geographic
Coordinates: |
18 20 N, 64 50 W |
| Area: |
total: 352 sq km
land: 349 sq km
water: 3 sq km |
| Area
Comparative: |
twice the size of Washington, DC |
| Land
Boundaries: |
0 km |
| Coastline: |
188 km |
| Maritime
Claims: |
territorial sea: 12 nm
exclusive economic zone: 200 nm |
| 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 |
| Elavation
Extremes: |
lowest point: Caribbean Sea 0 m
highest point: Crown Mountain 474 m |
| Natural
Resources: |
sun, sand, sea, surf |
| GOVERNEMENT |
| Governement
Type: |
NA |
| Administratives
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 ( 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 ) |
| Independence |
|
| 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 - island residents 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)
head of government: Governor Dr. Charles Wesley TURNBULL (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 5 November 2002 (next to be held November 2006)
election results: Dr. Charles Wesley TURNBULL reelected governor; percent of vote - Dr. Charles Wesley TURNBULL (Democrat) 50.5%, John de JONGH 24.4% |
| Legislative
Branch: |
unicameral Senate (15 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve two-year terms)
elections: last held 6 November 2002 (next to be held 2 November 2004)
election results: percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - Democratic Party 10, ICM 2, independent 3
note: the Virgin Islands elects one non-voting representative to the US House of Representatives; election last held 6 November 2002 (next to be held 2 November 2004); results - Donna M. CHRISTIAN-CHRISTENSON (Democrat) reelected |
| 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 RICHARDS]; Republican Party [Gary SPRAUVE] |
| PEOPLE |
| Population: |
108,708 (July 2005 est.) |
| Age structure: |
0-14 years: 23.1% (male 12,676/female 12,421)
15-64 years: 66.2% (male 34,069/female 37,918)
65 years and over: 10.7% (male 5,125/female 6,499) (2005 est.) |
| Median age: |
total: 36.52 years
male: 35.6 years
female: 37.33 years (2005 est.) |
| Nationality: |
noun: Virgin Islander(s)
adjective: Virgin Islander |
| Ethnic groups: |
black 78%, white 10%, other 12%
note: West Indian 81% (49% born in the Virgin Islands and 32% born elsewhere in the West Indies), US mainland 13%, Puerto Rican 4%, other 2% |
| Religions: |
Baptist 42%, Roman Catholic 34%, Episcopalian 17%, other 7% |
| Languages: |
English (official), Spanish, Creole |
| COMUNICATIONS |
| Telephones - main
lines in use: |
69,400 (2002) |
| Telephones - mobile
cellular: |
41,000 (2002) |
| Telephone system: |
general assessment: modern system with total digital switching, uses fiber-optic cable and microwave radio relay
domestic: full range of services available
international: country code - 1-340; 2 submarine cable connections (Taino Carib, Americas-1); satellite earth stations - NA |
| Radio broadcast
stations: |
AM 6, FM 17, shortwave 0 (2004) |
| Television broadcast
stations: |
16 (2004) |
| Internet country
code: |
.vi |
| Internet hosts: |
|
| Internet users: |
30,000 (2002) |
| TRANSPORT |
| Railways: |
|
| Highways: |
total: 1,257 km
paved: 1,192 km
unpaved: 65 km
note: the only US possession where driving on the left side of the road is practiced (2003) |
| Waterways: |
|
| Pipelines: |
|
| Ports and harbors: |
Charlotte Amalie, Christiansted, Cruz Bay, Port Alucroix |
| Merchant marine: |
|
| Airports: |
2 (2004 est.) |
| Airports - with
paved runways: |
total: 2
1,524 to 2,437 m: 2 (2004 est.) |
| Airports - with
unpaved runways: |
|
| Heliports: |
|
