U.S. Virgin Islands - The places of your holidays on a sailing yacht and catamaran

The U.S. Virgin Islands are an archipelago made up of 53 volcanic islands belonging to the United States. A good portion of the population, composed of mixed ethnic groups, lives in the islands of St.Croix, St.Thomas and St.John. The capital city is Charlotte Amalie.

They are located in the Atlantic Ocean, west of the British Virgin Islands.Four are the main islands: St. Thomas, St. John, St. Croix and Water Island. The U.S. Virgin Islands are famous for the white beaches and the ports in Christiansted and Charlotte Amalie. The highest peak on the islands is Crown Mountain (474 m) on the island of St.Thomas. Since the archipelago is situated on the border between the North American plate and the Caribbean plate, the islands are often subject to earthquakes, tropical cyclones and hurricanes.

The climate is tropical, with few differences from season to season. The rainiest months are those from May to October. The environment of the archipelago is protected by several natural parks. The presence of the coral reef is also to be mentioned. Vegetation includes bananas and plantains (slightly smaller bananas), coconut, papaya, hibiscus, bougainville, palms and mangroves. Fauna inlcudes white-tailed deer, mongoose, iguana, crab, dark pelican, frigatebird, heron, kestrel and grey flycatcher.

Tourism on the islands still remains the predominant economic activity and most of the visitors come here on cruise ships. Quite developed is also craft rum distilling, while agriculture plays a marginal role and most of the food is imported, just as petroleum, used to produce energy.

During a holiday in these islands, besides the splendid beaches, you shouldn't absolutely miss the natural parks and countless activities, from snorkelling to scuba diving, that can be practised here.