U.S. VIRGIN ISLANDS

Overview

Office of the Governor, U.S. Virgin Islands

History

Denmark chartered the Danish West Indian Company and began colonizing St. Thomas in 1671 and St. John in 1684. Denmark later purchased St. Croix from France in 1733. Except for a brief period of English occupation during the Napoleonic Wars, the Virgin Islands remained under Danish control until 1917. Denmark then sold all three islands to the United States for $25 million by Treaty. Water Island was transferred to the Virgin Islands by the Department of the Interior on December 12, 1996.

The islands were under the jurisdiction of the Department of the Navy until they were transferred to the Department of the Interior in 1931.

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Political Status

The U.S. Virgin Islands, an unincorporated territory of the United States, was placed under the administration of the Secretary of the Interior pursuant to Executive Order 5566 in 1931. These islands are under the sovereignty of the United States.

The Organic Act of 1936 established local government under the control of the Secretary of Interior.  The Revised Organic Act of 1954 is the Virgin Islands analogue of a state constitution, replacing the makeshift Organic Act of 1936.

Under the territory's 1954 Revised Organic Act, the Governor of the Virgin Islands was appointed by the President of the United States and reported to the Secretary of the Interior

Under legislation passed in 1968, the Virgin Islands has had a democratically elected form of government since 1970.

In 1980, the Virgin Islands Commission on Status and Federal Relations was created to educate the public on various political status options. A referendum was held in 1993 with only 10,710 or 31.4 percent of the 39,038 eligible voters participating which was below the 50 percent plus one needed. As a result, the Commission was disbanded on December 31, 1993.

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Government

The Government of the Virgin Islands is headed by a popularly elected governor and lieutenant governor for four-year terms. Current leaderships is Governor John de Jongh and Lieutenant Governor Gregory R. Francis. The lawmaking body of the Virgin Islands is a 15-member unicameral legislature. Its members are called Senator and are elected by popular vote. The judicial power of the Virgin Islands resides with the Territorial Court and the U.S. District Court. The U.S.District Court is headed by Chief Judge Thomas K. Moore and Judge Raymond Finch. The Territorial Court is headed by Judge Verne Hodge.

The Member of Congress from the U.S. Virgin Islands, the Honorable Donna Christian-Christensen, possesses the same powers and privileges as Representatives from the States, with the exception of voting on the House floor.

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Population

The estimated 2004 population of the Virgin Islands is approximately 111,000, with the majority living on St. Croix and St. Thomas. A person born in the Virgin Islands is a U.S. citizen at birth. Major Indicators.

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Travel Requirements

As a United States Territory, travel to the U.S. Virgin Islands does not require a passport for U.S. citizens arriving from Puerto Rico or the U.S. mainland. Entry requirements for non-U.S. citizens are the same as for entering the United States from any foreign destination. Upon departure, a passport is required for all but U.S. citizens.

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Focus

Island Business Opportunities Reports

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News Items

Please check later for updates on this section.

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» » » Photos by Shanna-Gloriana O'Reilly, Office of U.S. Congresswoman Donna Christian-Christensen« « «