什麼是美屬維爾京群島

美國未建制的島嶼領土，位於大安地列斯（Greater Antilles）群島東端，加勒比海東北部。由聖克洛伊、聖約翰和聖湯瑪斯三個大島，以及五十餘個小島和沙洲組成。面積352平方公里。人口約122,000（2001）。首府：沙羅特阿馬利亞。近80%的人口為黑人和黑白混血種人，其餘多數為西班牙人（主要是波多黎各人）或新近來的白人移民。島上居民為美國公民，可選舉一名無投票權的代表參加美國眾議院，但不參加美國大選。語言：英語（官方語）、法語和西班牙語。宗教：新教和正統派猶太教。島上多丘陵，為珊瑚礁所環繞。旅遊業支配著經濟。

島上最早的居民可能是阿拉瓦克印第安人，但當哥倫布於1493年登陸聖克洛伊島時，島上卻住著加勒比人。聖克洛伊島曾被荷蘭人、英國人、法國人和西班牙人佔領，一度為馬爾他騎士團所擁有。丹麥人曾佔領聖湯瑪斯島、聖約翰島和聖克洛伊島，1754年並把它們合建為一個丹麥殖民地。1917年美國以2,500萬美元購買了丹麥屬西印度群島，並改名為維爾京群島。1931年由美國內政部管轄。1954年維爾京群島組織法經修改，建立了現行的政府結構。1970年第一位民選總督就職。該島在1995年的颶風中，遭到巨大破壞。

Virgin Islands of the U.S.

Unincorporated U.S. island territory, at the eastern end of the Greater Antilles, northeastern Caribbean Sea. It consists of the islands of St. Croix, St. John, and St. Thomas and about 50 small islets. Area: 136 sq mi (352 sq km). Population, 1990 est.: 102,000. Capital: Charlotte Amalie. About 80% of the population is black or mulatto; most of the remainder are Hispanic (mainly Puerto Rican) or recent white immigrants. The people are U.S. citizens and elect a nonvoting representative to the U.S. House of Representatives, but they do not vote in U.S. national elections. Languages: English (official), French, Spanish. Religions: Protestantism, Orthodox Judaism. The islands are hilly and surrounded by coral reefs. Tourism dominates the economy. They probably were originally settled by Arawak Indians, but they were inhabited by the Caribs when Christopher Columbus landed on St. Croix in 1493. St. Croix was occupied by the Dutch, English, French, and Spanish, and at one time owned by the Knights of Malta. Denmark occupied St. Thomas, St. John, and St. Croix and established them as a Danish colony in 1754. The U.S. purchased the Danish West Indies in 1917 for $25 million and changed the name to the Virgin Islands. They were administered by the U.S. Department of the Interior from 1931. In 1954 the Organic Act of the Virgin Islands created the current governmental structure, and in 1970 the first popularly elected governor took office. The area suffered extensive damage by hurricane in 1995.