Map of United States Virgin Islands
United States Virgin Islands is a country in North America with its capital at Charlotte Amalie, home to about 103,792 people across 346 km². The interactive map below plots 1 cities and towns, 1 mountain summits and 3 ports recorded for United States Virgin Islands in YearMaps.
- Population
- 103,792
- Area
- 346 km²
- Capital
- Charlotte Amalie
- Continent
- North America
Interactive Map of United States Virgin Islands
Centred on Charlotte Amalie at 17.7504° N, 64.7500° W. Use the layer panel to switch on rivers, dams, ports, peaks and historical borders.
About United States Virgin Islands
The United States Virgin Islands, officially the Virgin Islands of the United States, is a Caribbean unincorporated territory of the United States. The islands are geographically part of the Virgin Islands archipelago and are located in the Leeward Islands of the Lesser Antilles. The islands have a tropical climate.
The U.S. Virgin Islands consist of the main islands of Saint Croix, Saint John, and Saint Thomas and 50 other surrounding minor islands and cays. The total land area of the territory is 133.73 square miles (346.36 km2). The territory's capital is Charlotte Amalie on the island of St. Thomas.
Previously known as the Danish West Indies, controlled by Denmark–Norway (from 1754 to 1814) and the Kingdom of Denmark (from 1814 to 1917), they were sold to the United States by Denmark for $25 million ($628 million in 2025) in the 1917 Treaty of the Danish West Indies and have since been an organized, unincorporated United States territory. The U.S. Virgin Islands are organized under the 1954 Revised Organic Act of the Virgin Islands and have held five constitutional conventions. Like other territories of the United States, the U.S. Virgin Islands elects a delegate who can participate in debates in the House of Representatives but cannot vote.
The primary economic activities on the islands are tourism and services.
Summary adapted from Wikipedia: United States Virgin Islands (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Geography and Climate of United States Virgin Islands
The Danes secured control over the southern Virgin Islands of Saint Thomas, Saint John, and Saint Croix during the 17th and early 18th centuries. Sugarcane, produced by African slave labor, drove the islands' economy during the 18th and early 19th centuries. In 1917, the US purchased the Danish holdings, which had been in economic decline since the abolition of slavery in 1848. In 2017, Hurricane Irma passed over the northern Virgin Islands of Saint Thomas and Saint John and inflicted severe damage to structures, roads, the airport on Saint Thomas, communications, and electricity. Less than two weeks later, Hurricane Maria passed over the island of Saint Croix in the southern Virgin Islands, inflicting considerable damage with heavy winds and flooding rains.
- Location
- Caribbean, islands between the Caribbean Sea and the North Atlantic Ocean, east of Puerto Rico.
- Climate
- Subtropical, tempered by easterly trade winds, relatively low humidity, little seasonal temperature variation; rainy season September to November.
- Terrain
- Mostly hilly to rugged and mountainous with little flat land.
- Highest point
- Crown Mountain 474 m.
- Lowest point
- Caribbean Sea 0 m.
- Coastline
- 188 km.
- Land borders
- Total: 0 km.
- Natural resources
- Pleasant climate, beaches foster tourism.
- Land use
- Agricultural land: 9.4% (2023 est.); arable land: 2.6% (2023 est.); permanent crops: 0.6% (2023 est.); permanent pasture: 6.3% (2023 est.); forest: 58.2% (2023 est.); other: 32.4% (2023 est.)
- Natural hazards
- Several hurricanes in recent years; frequent and severe droughts and floods; occasional earthquakes.
- Geographic note
- Important location along the Anegada Passage, a key shipping lane for the Panama Canal; Saint Thomas has one of the best natural deepwater harbors in the Caribbean.
- Languages
- English 71.6%, Spanish or Spanish Creole 17.2%, French or French Creole 8.6%, other 2.5% (2010 est.)
- Religions
- Protestant 65.5%, Roman Catholic 27.1%, other Christians 2.2%, other 1.5%, none 3.7% (2010 est.)
- Ethnic groups
- African-American or African descent 71.4%, White 13.3%, Indigenous 0.4%, Native Hawaiian and other Pacific Islander 0.1%, other 6.3%, mixed 7.5% (2020 est.)
- Economy
- High-income, tourism-based American territorial economy; severe COVID-19 economic disruptions; major rum distillery; high public debt; sluggish reopening of large oil refinery; environmentally susceptible to hurricanes; many informal industries.
From the CIA World Factbook (public domain), archived edition of 2026-01-22. The Factbook is no longer updated, so figures reflect that edition.
United States Virgin Islands in Numbers
- Population
- 103,792
- GDP
- US$4.7 billion
- GDP per person
- US$44,321
- Life expectancy
- 80.8 years
- Population growth
- -0.56% a year
- Population density
- 300 per km²
- Urban population
- 95.4%
- Surface area
- 348 km²
- Forest cover
- 58.9%
- Arable land
- 2.2%
- Access to electricity
- 100.0%
- Internet users
- 64.4%
Indicators from World Bank Open Data (CC BY 4.0). The year under each figure is its reference year.
United States Virgin Islands in Depth
History
The U.S. Virgin Islands were originally inhabited by Arawakan-speaking peoples, with some scholars thinking that the islands were inhabited from as early as 1000 BC. The Kalinago (Island Caribs) arrived around the mid-15th century AD.
Christopher Columbus, on his second voyage in 1493, is thought to have been the first European to see the islands, giving them their current name. The Spanish later settled in 1555, with English and French settlers arriving on St. Croix from 1625. There followed a complex period in which the islands were disputed among Spain, France, Great Britain, and the Netherlands.
Denmark–Norway also took an interest in the islands, and the Danish West India Company settled on St. Thomas in 1672 and St. John in 1694, later buying St. Croix from France in 1733.
Geography
The U.S. Virgin Islands are in the Atlantic Ocean, about 40 miles (64 km) east of Puerto Rico and immediately west of the British Virgin Islands. They share the Virgin Islands archipelago with the Puerto Rican Virgin Islands of Vieques and Culebra (administered by Puerto Rico), and the British Virgin Islands.
The territory consists of three main islands: St. Thomas, St. John, and St. Croix, as well as several dozen smaller islands. The main islands have nicknames often used by locals: "Twin City" (St. Croix), "Rock City" (St. Thomas), and "Love City" (St. John). The combined land area of the islands is roughly twice the size of Washington, D.C.
Economy
Tourism is the Islands' biggest industry; with 2.5–3 million annual visitors, the sector is responsible for about 60% of the GDP. Other major sectors are the public sector, some limited agriculture, and small scale manufacturing, most notably rum production.
A 2012 economic report from the U.S. Census Bureau indicated a total of 2,414 business establishments generating $6.8 billion in sales, employing 32,465 people and paying $1.1 billion in payroll per year. Between 2007 and 2012, sales declined by $12.6 billion, or 64.9 percent. (In 2007, total sales were $19.5 billion and the number employed was 35,300.)
According to a report on the first half of 2016 by the VI Bureau of Economic Research, the unemployment rate was 11.5 percent.
Demographics
In 2020, the census put the population of the U.S. Virgin Islands at 87,146, a decline of 18,989 (-18.1%) from 2010.
In 2020, there were 39,642 households, out of which 24.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 27.8% were married couples living together, 20.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 45.1% were non-families. 40.1% of all households were made up of individuals, and 16.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.14 and the average family size was 2.98.
Sections adapted from Wikipedia: United States Virgin Islands (CC BY-SA 4.0).
United States Virgin Islands: Key Facts
| Currency | United States dollar |
|---|---|
| Official language | English |
| Head of government | Albert Bryan Jr. |
| Calling code | +1340 |
| Internet domain | .vi |
| Highest point | Crown Mountain |
| Lowest point | Caribbean Sea |
| Established | 31 March 1917 |
Facts from Wikidata Q11703 (CC0).
History of United States Virgin Islands: Empires and States
The atlas records 7 polities whose mapped territory included part of United States Virgin Islands, from Kingdom of England in 1626 CE to 2024 CE. They are listed in the order they first appear.
| Polity | Period here | Extent |
|---|---|---|
| Kingdom of England | 1626–1705 CE | Nearly all |
| English Colonial Empire | 1626–1712 CE | Nearly all |
| Kingdom of France | 1691–1712 CE | Nearly all |
| New France | 1691–1712 CE | Nearly all |
| British Colonial Empire | 1713–1968 CE | Nearly all |
| The British Empire | 1713–1968 CE | Nearly all |
| Saint Kitts | 1967–2024 CE | Nearly all |
Historical Maps of United States Virgin Islands
United States Virgin Islands on the world map in each year one of these states held it:
Derived by testing mapped cities against dated territorial polygons. Dates are when the polygons cover this place, not the polity's whole lifespan, and polities absent from the source dataset are not listed.
Largest Cities in United States Virgin Islands
1 city recorded. Ranked by metropolitan population. A port city's harbour is written up on the page of its sea.
| # | Name | Population | Region | Role |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Christiansted | 32,543 | — | Populated place |
Highest Mountains in United States Virgin Islands
1 mountain recorded. Ranked by summit elevation above sea level. A summit on a border is listed under both countries.
| # | Name | Elevation | Feet | Region |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Crown Mountain | 473 m | 1,552 ft | North America |
Ports in United States Virgin Islands
3 ports recorded. Ranked by approach channel depth, the figure that limits which ships can call. Harbours link to their write-up on the page of the sea or coast they lie on.
| # | Name | Channel Depth | Class | Sea | Max Vessel |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cruz Bay | 53 m | Small | Caribbean Sea | point_of_interest |
| 2 | Charlotte Amalie | 38.4 m | Small | Caribbean Sea | large vessels |
| 3 | Frederiksted | 34.7 m | Small | Caribbean Sea | large vessels |
Largest Islands of United States Virgin Islands
1 island recorded. Ranked by mapped area. An island divided between countries is listed under each, with the area of the whole island.
| # | Name | Area | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lesser Antilles | 7,847 km² | Island group |
Countries Bordering United States Virgin Islands
Land and maritime neighbours.
More Maps in North America
United States Virgin Islands: Quick Answers
- What is the capital of United States Virgin Islands?
- The capital of United States Virgin Islands is Charlotte Amalie.
- What is the population of United States Virgin Islands?
- United States Virgin Islands has a population of about 103,792, the #197 largest of 225 countries in YearMaps. Source: World Bank, 2025.
- How big is United States Virgin Islands?
- United States Virgin Islands covers 346 km², ranking #209 by area, with about 300 people per square kilometre.
- Which continent is United States Virgin Islands in?
- United States Virgin Islands is in North America.
- Which countries border United States Virgin Islands?
- United States Virgin Islands shares a land or maritime border with Puerto Rico.
- What is the largest city in United States Virgin Islands?
- Christiansted is the largest city in United States Virgin Islands, with a metropolitan population of about 32,543.
- What is the highest mountain in United States Virgin Islands?
- The highest summit recorded for United States Virgin Islands in YearMaps is Crown Mountain at 473 m (1,552 ft). Summits on a border are counted for both countries.