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Virgin Islands (USA

Origin

Likelihood is that the Arawacks formerly inhabited the islands, but shortly before the 15th Century the Caribe people took them over. The only gold on the islands were the glitter decorations worn by its inhabitants, therefore there was little economic and trade interest focused on the islands. However, after the coming of Christopher Columbus in 1493, the rampant massacre of the local population began until all the original inhabitants had been killed off by the second half of the 16th Century. The western side of the archipelago was disputed by other nations after the departure of the Spaniards. The Dutch wound up seizing the islands in the 18th Century and organized the first crops to be grown on the land, beginning with sugar cane and then cotton. For that purpose, the Dutch imported African slaves as in many other countries of Latin America and the Caribbean. During the pinnacle of the Dutch colonization some 40,000 slaves inhabited the islands.


Constitution

Constitution in place: the 1936 Organic Act, revised in 1954, 1970 and 1973


Government

Roy Schneider (independent) was elected governor of that U.S. territory to succeed Alexander Farrelly. The On May 1995, the Parliament authorized the building of five casinos on St. Croix Island. Political parties: There are local partisan affiliates for both the Republican and Democratic Parties in the U.S., and there is an Independent Citizens Movement (ICM). The islanders are American citizens, but have no voting rights in U.S. presidential elections. Executive system: Governor and Lieutenant Governor (elected by voting for four-year terms)Legislative system: Senate (15 members elected in office for two-year terms. They send a representative to the federal House of Representatives)Judicial system: District courts and territorial courts.


General History

If you are looking for a perfect vacation, a visit to the American Virgin Islands and enjoys the tourist destinations is the best choice. The islands of St John, St. Croix, and St. Thomas offers many hotels located mainly in the strip coastal of the islands and there are also restaurants with a diverse and excellent gastronomy closely together to stores and entertainment centers where it can be listened to good music or dance until the day come. There are many interesting places that frame the history and culture of the virgin islands like the Christiansted Fort, Church Frederik, one of the older Lutherans churches, the Castle of Barbanegra, centers to practice golf, museums, and centers for diving which reunite all the supplies of diving in the Caribbean like the located ones in Salt River, CaneBay, Bay Davis and the Buck Island. These islands have a great natural beauty and they are visited by different lines of cruises that have favored to a great extent the tourism, offering programmed visits to important sites.