U.S. VIRGIN ISLANDS

Overview

Office of the Governor, U.S. Virgin Islands

History

Denmark chartered the Danish West Indian Company and began colonizing St. Thomas in 1671 and St. John in 1684. Denmark later purchased St. Croix from France in 1733. Except for a brief period of English occupation during the Napoleonic Wars, the Virgin Islands remained under Danish control until 1917. Denmark then sold all three islands to the United States for $25 million by Treaty. Water Island was transferred to the Virgin Islands by the Department of the Interior on December 12, 1996.

The islands were under the jurisdiction of the Department of the Navy until they were transferred to the Department of the Interior in 1931.

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Political Status

The U.S. Virgin Islands, an unincorporated territory of the United States, was placed under the administration of the Secretary of the Interior pursuant to Executive Order 5566 in 1931. These islands are under the sovereignty of the United States.

The Organic Act of 1936 established local government under the control of the Secretary of Interior.  The Revised Organic Act of 1954 is the Virgin Islands analogue of a state constitution, replacing the makeshift Organic Act of 1936.

Under the territory's 1954 Revised Organic Act, the Governor of the Virgin Islands was appointed by the President of the United States and reported to the Secretary of the Interior

Under legislation passed in 1968, the Virgin Islands has had a democratically elected form of government since 1970.

In 1980, the Virgin Islands Commission on Status and Federal Relations was created to educate the public on various political status options. A referendum was held in 1993 with only 10,710 or 31.4 percent of the 39,038 eligible voters participating which was below the 50 percent plus one needed. As a result, the Commission was disbanded on December 31, 1993.

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Government

The Government of the Virgin Islands is headed by a popularly elected governor and lieutenant governor for four-year terms. Current leaderships is Governor John de Jongh and Lieutenant Governor Gregory R. Francis. The lawmaking body of the Virgin Islands is a 15-member unicameral legislature. Its members are called Senator and are elected by popular vote. The judicial power of the Virgin Islands resides with the Territorial Court and the U.S. District Court. The U.S.District Court is headed by Chief Judge Thomas K. Moore and Judge Raymond Finch. The Territorial Court is headed by Judge Verne Hodge.

The Member of Congress from the U.S. Virgin Islands, the Honorable Donna Christian-Christensen, possesses the same powers and privileges as Representatives from the States, with the exception of voting on the House floor.

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Geography

The Virgin Islands are located approximately 1,000 miles southeast of Miami in the Caribbean Sea. The islands are of volcanic origin and all are mountainous, with many beaches and caves. Total land mass is 135 square miles.

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Population

The estimated 2004 population of the Virgin Islands is approximately 111,000, with the majority living on St. Croix and St. Thomas. A person born in the Virgin Islands is a U.S. citizen at birth. Major Indicators.

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Culture

The inhabitants of the Virgin Islands represent a variety of races and cultural heritages. The occupants of the islands visited by Columbus were Caribe Indians, whose resistance to being conquered discouraged settlement of the islands for many years. Today's inhabitants are of many backgrounds--including African, Puerto Rican, American mainland, French, Danish, Scots, Portuguese, and Asians. English is spoken throughout the territory.

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Economy

In Fiscal Year 1995, the U.S. Virgin Islands Government had an annual operating budget of about $500 million, of which about $342 million were local revenues and $158 million were federal grants.

The principal industries of the Virgin Islands are tourism and manufacturing (rum, oil refining, watch assembly, and pharmaceuticals).

In 1995, tourist expenditures were estimated to be over $800 million.

A tax incentive program is conducted by the government of the Virgin Islands to encourage new industries to locate there and special tax incentives on worldwide exports have enticed over 2,500 foreign sales corporations to be established. This has helped spur a related growth in financial service industries taking advantage of the Virgin Islands' good infrastructure, modern communications, excellent transportation links, U.S. currency and postage, and generous tax benefits.

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Travel Requirements

A passport and visa (if applicable) is required for travel to the U.S. Virgin Islands.

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Focus

Island Business Opportunities Reports

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News Items

Please check later for updates on this section.

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» » » Photos by Shanna-Gloriana O'Reilly, Office of U.S. Congresswoman Donna Christian-Christensen« « «