Renewable and Sustainable Information Center: United States Virgin Islands

Virgin Islands of the United States (commonly called the United States Virgin Islands) is a group of islands in the Caribbean that are an insular area 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 U.S. Virgin Islands consist of the main islands of Saint Croix, Saint John and Saint Thomas, along with the much smaller but historically distinct Water Island, and many other surrounding minor islands. The main islands have nicknames often used by locals: "Twin City" (St. Croix), "Rock City" (St. Thomas) and "Love City" (St. John).

Map of the U.S. Virgin Islands

Districts and sub-districts of the United States Virgin Islands

The districts are:

1. St. Croix
2. St. Thomas
3. St. John

Saint Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands

Saint Croix is an island in the Caribbean Sea, and a county and constituent district 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.

Saint Croix

National protected areas

Buck Island Reef National Monument

Buck Island Reef National Monument

Buck Island fire coral

Buck Island seen from the East

Turtle beach

Fire coral and jack fish

Acanthurus coeruleus

Parrot fish

Christiansted National Historic Site

Christiansted looking northeast

Downtown Christiansted and harbor

Old Danish Customs House, Christiansted

Christiansted, the largest town on St. Croix

Scuba diver and sponges, Cane Bay wall

Crucian Christmas Festival

A costumed carnival dancer

Saint Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands

Saint Thomas is an island in the Caribbean Sea and with the smaller islands of Saint John and Water Island, a county and constituent district of the United States Virgin Islands (USVI), an unincorporated territory of the United States. Located on the island is the territorial capital and port of Charlotte Amalie.

Charlotte Amalie

Water Island: Honeymoon beach

St. Thomas Harbor

Blackbeard Castle

Fort Christian

View of Magens Bay from Mountain Top

The beach at Magens Bay

Megens Beach

Saint John, U.S. Virgin Islands

Saint John is an island in the Caribbean Sea and a constituent district of the United States Virgin Islands (USVI), an unincorporated territory of the United States. St. John is located about 4 miles east of Saint Thomas, the location of the territory's capital, Charlotte Amalie, and 4 miles south and west of Tortola, part of the British Virgin Islands. Because there are no airports on St. John, the only access to the island is by boat. The ferry service runs hourly from St. Thomas and daily from Tortola; regular ferries also operate from Virgin Gorda, Jost Van Dyke and Anegada.