Information AboutSaint Croix |
| CATEGORIES ABOUT SAINT CROIX, U.S. VIRGIN ISLANDS | |
| islands of the united states virgin islands | |
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Saint Croix is an Island in the Caribbean Sea and a constituent of the United States Virgin Islands (USVI), an unincorporated territory of the United States . It is the largest of the U.S. Virgin Islands, being 28 by 7 miles (45 by 11 km). However, the territory's capital, Charlotte Amalie , is located on Saint Thomas . HISTORY It was inhabited by Arawak s and Carib s prior to European Colonization Of The Americas . Christopher Columbus visited there on November 14 , 1493 giving it the name ''Santa Cruz''. His initial visit led to a battle in which one Spaniard and one Carib were killed. This heralded warfare between the Spaniards and Caribs which lasted for over one hundred years until the Spanish abandoned their colony. In the seventeenth century the island was colonised by Dutch and English settlers, who were soon in conflict with one another. Eventually the Dutch abandoned their settlement, and then the English settlement was destroyed by the Spanish who retook the island in 1650 . However they, in turn, were immediately ousted by the French . The island was owned by the Knights Of St John after being bequeathed by Phillippe De Longvilliers De Poincy , Governor of the French Colony of St Kitts in 1660 . However they sold it to the French West India Company in 1665 . Under Governor Dubois the colony became profitable with over 90 plantations growing such crops as Tobacco , Cotton , Sugar Cane , and Indigo . After Dubois' death the colony declined and the island was abandoned by Europeans until 1733 when it was sold to the Danish West India And Guinea Company . This company placed no national restrictions on colonists and soon attracted Spanish Sephardic Jew s, Huguenot s, and English settlers, the last of which came to dominate the Island. Sugar became the major crop. However the development of the Sugar Beet in Europe undermined the economy of the colony. Slavery was abolished in 1848 , but in 1862 , St. Croix received a shipload of East Indians that were indentured on the island for five years. There was a revolt by former slaves in 1878 when much of Frederiksted , the major town was burnt. In 1917 , the Virgin Islands were sold by Denmark to the United States of America for $25 million. In return, the United States backed Denmark's claim to Greenland . The island suffered major damage in September 1989 when it was struck by Hurricane Hugo . Although the U.S. Virgin Islands remain under the U.S. flag, the islands are an Unincorporated Territory with a non-voting delegate to the United States House Of Representatives . Although citizens, residents of the islands do not pay federal taxes and have no vote in national elections. GEOGRAPHY Danish map of the island]] There are two towns on the island; Christiansted with a 2004 population of 3,000 and Frederiksted with a 2004 population of 830. The total population of the island is about 50,000. Inhabitants are called "Crucians" and English is the most common language with some Creole and Spanish also spoken. Fort Christiansvaern built in 1749 and other buildings are maintained by the National Park Service as the Christiansted National Historic Site . Buck Island Reef National Monument preserves a 176 acre (71 ha) island just north of Saint Croix and the surrounding reefs. This is a popular destination for snorkelers, and it is the only underwater national park in the United States. There are several scuba diving companies operating from Christiansted. Off the north coast of the island, there are many good destinations for diving, featuring scenic coral reefs, clear water, and abundant tropical fish. Point Udall on the island is proclaimed as the easternmost point in the United States. (However, that distinction actually belongs to Saipan, the largest of the Northern Mariana Islands in the Pacific Ocean) St. Croix lies at . The island has an area of a little over eighty square miles (207 km&2). The terrain is rugged, though not extremely so. The highest point on the island, Mount Eagle, is 1,165 feet (355 m) high. Most of the east end is quite hilly and steep, as is the north side from Christiansted west. From the north side hills a fairly even plain slopes down to the south coast: this was the prime sugar land on the island. The trade wind blows more or less along the length of the island, and the hills of the western part of the island receive a good deal more rain than the east end: annual rainfall is on the whole extremely variable, averaging perhaps forty inches (1000 mm) a year. Fairly severe and extended drought has always been a problem, particularly considering the lack of fresh ground water. Desalination is an option, however most residential homes have a built-in Cistern used to collect rain water. |
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