About Us

The U.S. Virgin Islands (USVI) consists of four main islands, St. Croix, St. John, St. Thomas and Water Island. the territory also consists of many surrounding minor islands and cays. The capital sits in Charlotte Amalie St. Thomas (aka ROCK CITY). 

The Virgin Islands have a rich and exciting history that is full of intrigue, adventure, and some of history’s most colorful characters.  The first human inhabitants of the Virgin Islands were the Arawak Indians. The Arawaks were descendants of coastal Indians from what is now Venezuela and Guyana who were forced out of that area by more aggressive tribes. They island hopped up the Antillean chain until they reached the Virgin Islands sometime around 300 AD. The Arawaks lived peacefully here, fishing and farming, until the fierce and cannibalistic Carib Indians moved into the area about 100 years before the arrival of Columbus. Christopher Columbus landed on Salt River St. Croix Virgin Islands on his second voyage to the Caribbean in 1493. Because the islands were sited around the time of the feast of St. Ursula, he named them “Once Mil Virgins” after the eleven thousand virgins that were martyred with St. Ursula.  

St. Thomas was settled in 1672 by agents of the Danish West India and Guinea Company. Early governors approved of St. Thomas becoming a pirates’ safe haven, recognizing that an influx of pirates would benefit local merchants. Because of its excellent harbor and the Dane’s willingness to trade with them, Charlotte Amalie in St. Thomas was originally name Taphus (meaning "beer house" or "beer hall"). In 1691, the town was renamed to Charlotte Amalie after Charlotte Amalie of Hesse-Kassel (1650–1714), queen consort to King Christian V of Denmark-Norway.  In 1867 a treaty to sell St. Thomas and St. John to the United States was agreed upon, but never effected. A second draft treaty to sell the islands to the U.S. was negotiated in 1902 but was narrowly defeated in the Danish parliament. During the submarine warfare phases of World War I and fearing that the Virgin Islands would be seized by Germany as a submarine base, the United States once again approached Denmark to purchase the islands. A negotiated selling price of $25 million was reached, and the U.S. took possession of the islands on March 31, 1917. The territory was officially renamed the Virgin Islands of the United States. 

After the US purchased the islands from Denmark in 1917, the situation began to improve, though very slowly. By 1970, the economy had been boosted due to tourism and manufacturing. Tourism started to increase more significantly in the 1990s. New hotels, restaurants, and shops began to be built; this led to more jobs and an influx of immigrants which increased the population. The tourism industry is the main industry, generating a substantial portion of the GDP and much of the islands' employment. Nearly 3 million tourists per year visit (2013 data), most arriving on cruise ships.

US Virgin Island Flag 

     The flag was officially adopted May 17, 1921, after Rear Admiral Summer E.W. Kitelle was sworn in as governor, he approached his chief of staff, William Russell White, about designing an official flag. White tasked Percival W. Sparks, a yeoman and artist, with the design. Sparks took inspiration from the United States coat of arms and created a sketch. His wife Grace and her sister, Blanche Sasso, completed the flag’s embroidery.