Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Island Landscapes
THE ARCHIPELAGO
The Virgin Islands sit 1100 miles southeast of Miami and 40 miles east of Puerto Rico. Ap-
proximately 90 hilly islands comprise the archipelago. The USVI contributes three large
landmasses and close to 50 little islets and cays, while the BVI adds four main islands and
32 smaller ones.
Islands by Area
» St Croix: 84 sq mi
» St Thomas: 32 sq mi
» Tortola: 21 sq mi
» St John: 19 sq mi
» Anegada: 15 sq mi
St Croix is far and away the largest island, followed by (in order) St Thomas, Tortola, St
John, Anegada, Virgin Gorda and Jost Van Dyke. In all, the Virgins have a total coastline of
166 miles and represent an area about twice the size of Washington, DC.
As throughout the Caribbean Basin, the Virgin Islands owe their existence to a series of
volcanic events that took place along the dividing line between the North American and
Caribbean Plates. These eruptions built up layers of lava and igneous rock, creating islands
with three geographical zones: the coastal plain, coastal dry forests and the central moun-
tains. For all of the Virgins except St Croix, the coastal plain is a narrow fringe, and for all
of the islands except easternmost Anegada (a pancake-flat atoll), a ridge of mountains of
1000ft or more run west to east across the landscape and dominate their interiors.
Sage Mountain on Tortola is the highest point in the islands at 1780ft. Except where
houses have encroached, the mountain slopes are dense subtropical forests. All of the timber
is second- or third-growth: the islands were stripped for sugar, cotton and tobacco planta-
tions in the colonial era. Today, less than 7% of island land supports agriculture. The Virgins
have no rivers and very few freshwater streams. Coral reefs thrive in the shallow waters near
the shores of all the islands. The shores also host a few pockets of mangrove swamps, in-
cluding Salt River Bay on St Croix.
