Julianne Whitten, age 12, of St. Augustine, Fla., for her question:
WHO OWNS THE VIRGIN ISLANDS?
Virgin Islands is the name of two groups of small islands that are located south and east of Florida near Puerto Rico. They lie between the Caribbean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean. One group is called the Virgin Islands of the United States. It is the easternmost possession of the United States. The other group is called the British Virgin Islands.
Christopher Columbus discovered the Virgin Islands on his second voyage to the Americas in 1493. He named the group the Virgin Islands in memory of St. Ursula and her 11,000 maidens.
Columbus claimed the islands for Spain but the Spaniards did not settle there. The British Virgin Islands, which include Anegada, Jost Van Dyke, Tortola and Virgin Gorda islands, have been under the British flag since 1672.
The United States' group are St. Croix, St. John and St. Thomas islands. Denmark established a permanent settlement on St. Thomas in about 1672. The Danes then took possession of St. John in 1717 and bought St. Croix from France in 1733.
In 1917, the United States purchased Denmark's West Indies possessions for $25 million or about $295 an acre. They then became the Virgin Islands of the United States.
With the exceptions of St. Croix and Anegada, all the Virgin Islands are rugged and hilly. A few good harbors in the group make it an important trade center. Petroleum products and refined bauxite are among the major exports of the American islands.
The soil is fertile but the land has not been intensively cultivated. The land does produce limited amounts of beef cattle and some fruits and vegetables.
Largest of the islands is St. Croix, which is pronounced "sant kroy."
Excellent beaches, beautiful scenery and mild climate make the islands a favorite for vacationers. Tropical flowers and trees grow thickly. There are lots of bougainvillea, hibiscus and flame trees.
Virgin Islanders speak and read English. They speak in a soft drawl.
The tropical climate of the Virgin Islands is wonderful year round. There are no extremes of heat or cold and the temperature ranges from 70 to 90 degrees Fahrenheit. The islands receive between 40 and 70 inches of warm rain each year, and this helps to make the land very green. The heaviest rains generally fall in the spring and fall.
The capital and the largest city in the Virgin Islands is named Charlotte Amalie. It serves as the tourist center of St. Thomas. The city has a population of about 25,000.
More than 1 million tourists visit the islands each year.
Most of the food Virgin Islanders eat must be imported.
All of the children living on the islands must go to school between the ages of 5 and 16. Some go on to the College of the Virgin Islands, the only institution of higher education on the islands. It has campuses on both St. Thomas and St. Croix.