British Virgin Islands: ° Anegada ° Tortola ° Virgin Gorda
U.S. Virgin Islands: ° St. Croix ° St. John ° St. Thomas
St. Thomas, St. John, Tortola, and Virgin Gorda are the four main islands of the US Virgin Islands and British Virgin Islands, but there are hundreds of islands, cays and some that are not much more than large above-the-water rocks; many uninhabited.
Coral reefs fringe the islands in many locations and appear as very light shades of blue.
The islands were first inhabited by Arawak and later by Carib Indians, who participated in a popular activity that has lasted throughout Tortola's history: sailing.
The Virgin Islands were settled by the Dutch in 1648 and then annexed by the English in 1672. The islands were part of the British colony of the Leeward Islands from 1872-1960; they were granted autonomy in 1967. The economy is closely tied to the larger and more populous US Virgin Islands to the west; the US dollar is the legal currency.
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.
The Gleaner, September 7, 1883
Kingston, Jamaica
St. Thomas, Sept 5th--A cyclone is reported to have passed over Martinique during Wednesday night, 7 large vessels, steamer and numbers of small craft and wharves totally destroyed; loss of life not yet known. The cyclone appears to have passed to the south of Saint Kitts and Saint Croix, considerable damage to shipping at former place.
