The Virgin Islands are 100 islands in the Caribbean at the eastern extremity of the Greater Antilles. They have a total area of 352 km2. The climate is subtropical, tempered by easterly trade-winds, relatively low humidity, little seasonal temperature variation; rainy season May to November. The terrain is mostly hilly to rugged and mountainous with little level land. The Virgin Islands have no natural resources other than tourism. The religion is 42% Baptist, 34% Roman Catholic, 17% Episcopalian, 7% other. The official language is English but Spanish and Creole are widely spoken.
The Virgin Islands were discovered by Christopher Columbus in 1493. They are divided between British and American administration. About 42 of the islands are a British dependency, the rest constitute an overseas territory of the USA, these were purchased from Denmark in 1917 for strategic reasons. Research Virgin islands
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Abbreviations
Gazetteer
Research Virgin islands
