Virgin Islands

Virgin Islands, westernmost group of the Lesser Antilles in the West Indies, east of Puerto Rico. The western islands belong to the United States and the eastern group to Britain. Discovered and claimed for Spain by Christopher Columbus (1493), the Virgin Islands were settled chiefly by English and Danes in the 1600s. England secured the British Virgin Islands in 1666. The Danish West Indies were acquired by the United States for strategic reasons in 1917 and became the U.S. Virgin Islands. The economy of both groups now depends on tourism, but farming (food crops, livestock) and fishing are also important. The Virgin Islands of the United States, a U.S. territory covering 133 sq mi (344.5 sq km) include St. Thomas, St. John, St. Croix, and some 65 islets. Charlotte Amalie, the capital and only city, stands on St. Thomas. The British Virgin Islands are separated from the American islands by a strait called The Narrows. Covering 59 sq mi (153 sq km), the group consists of about 30 mainly uninhabited islands. The largest island is Tortola, which has the capital and chief port, Road Town.