Saint Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands
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- A separate article treats the several rivers known as the St. Croix River in North America.
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.
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[edit] History
The island has flown seven different flags. It has been colonized by Spain, Great Britain, the Netherlands, France, the Knights of Malta, Denmark, and the United States.
Arawaks and Caribs inhabited Saint Croix prior to European colonization. Christopher Columbus visited there on November 14, 1493 at the Salt River. Columbus called the island Santa Cruz ("Holy Cross"). His initial visit led to a battle in which one Spaniard and one Carib were killed. This heralded warfare between the Spaniards and Caribs which lasted for over a century, until the Spanish abandoned the island. In the seventeenth century, Dutch and English settlers, who soon came in conflict with one another, settled the island. Eventually the Dutch abandoned their settlement. Next, the English settlement was destroyed by the Spanish, who retook the island in 1650. However, they in turn were immediately ousted by the French.
The island was owned by the Knights of Malta after being bequeathed by Phillippe de Longvilliers de Poincy, governor of the French colony of St Kitts in 1660. However, they sold it to the French West India Company five years later. Under Governor Dubois, the colony became profitable with over 90 plantations established, growing such crops as tobacco, cotton, sugar cane, and indigo. After Dubois's death, the colony declined and Europeans abandoned the island until 1733 when it was sold to the Danish West India and Guinea Company. This company placed no national restrictions on colonists and soon attracted Spanish Sephardic Jews, Huguenots, and English settlers, the last of which came to dominate the island. Sugar became the major crop. Eventually, however, the development of the sugar beet in Europe undermined the economy of the colony.
Slavery was abolished in 1848, but in 1862, St. Croix received a shipload of East Indians that were indentured on the island for five years. There was a revolt by former slaves in 1878 when much of Frederiksted, one of the island's two towns, was burnt.
In 1917, the Virgin Islands were sold by Denmark to the United States of America for $25 million in gold. United States interest in the island resulted from both U.S. and Danish involvement in World War I[citation needed]. The U.S. feared the island would fall into German hands and be used as a base for attacks against the United States and its interests in the western hemisphere. In return, the United States backed Denmark's claim to Greenland.
St. Croix suffered major devastation in September 1989 when Hurricane Hugo struck it. The island then suffered a fair amount of damage during Hurricane Marilyn in September 1995. Hurricanes Georges and Lenny also struck the island in 1998 and 1999, but damage was minimal in comparison. There are still many buildings, especially on the outskirts of Christiansted, that still lie in ruins as a result of hurricanes.
Although the U.S. Virgin Islands remain under the U.S. flag, the islands are an unincorporated territory with a non-voting delegate to the United States House of Representatives. Residents are U.S. citizens, but have no vote in national elections and generally do not pay taxes to the U.S. Internal Revenue Service, though taxes are paid, using U.S. law, to the Virgin Islands Bureau of Internal Revenue.
[edit] Geography
There are two towns on the island; Christiansted with a 2004 population of 3,000 and Frederiksted with a 2004 population of 830. The total population of the island is about 60,000. The official 2000 census count was 53,234 [1], living on a land area of 214.66 km² (82.88 sq mi). Inhabitants are called Crucians and English is the most common language. Spanish is spoken by the large Puerto Rican and smaller Dominican (Dominican Republic) populations, and a French Creole is spoken by the large St. Lucian and Dominican (Dominica) populations. A native English-based dialect known on the island as Crucian, but formally known as Virgin Islands Creole, is also spoken by the majority of the population in informal situations.
Fort Christiansvaern built in 1749 and other buildings are maintained by the National Park Service as the Christiansted National Historic Site.
Buck Island Reef National Monument preserves a 176 acre (71 ha) island just north of Saint Croix and the surrounding reefs. This is a popular destination for snorkelers, and it is the only underwater national park in the United States.
There are several scuba diving companies operating from Christiansted. Off the north coast of the island, there are many good destinations for diving, featuring scenic coral reefs, clear water, and abundant tropical fish. Prominent among these are Cane and Divi bays along with Long reef which encompasses a large portion of the northern side of the island. The reef also serves as a natural barrier against sharks and jellyfish. However around other portions of the island, notably Frederiksted, hammerhead and tiger sharks can be seen. Shark attacks on the island are very rare.
Point Udall on the island is proclaimed as the easternmost and westernmost point in the United States. (However, that distinction actually belongs to Saipan, the largest of the Northern Mariana Islands in the Pacific Ocean)[citation needed]
St. Croix lies at , the western and easternmost point in the United States. The island has an area of a little over eighty square miles (207 km²). The terrain is rugged, though not extremely so. The highest point on the island, Mount Eagle, is 1,165 feet (355 m) high. Most of the east end is quite hilly and steep, as is the north side from Christiansted west. From the north side hills a fairly even plain slopes down to the south coast: this was the prime sugar land on the island. The trade wind blows more or less along the length of the island, and the hills of the western part of the island receive a good deal more rain than the east end; annual rainfall is on the whole extremely variable, averaging perhaps forty inches (1000 mm) a year. Fairly severe and extended drought has always been a problem, particularly considering the lack of fresh ground water and lack of freshwater streams, rivers, or bays on the island. The island does have a desalination plant, however most residential homes and businesses have a built-in cistern used to collect rainwater.
 Christiansted, looking northeast |
 Downtown Christiansted and harbor |
 Old Danish Customs House, Christiansted |
 Scuba diver and sponges, Cane Bay wall |
 Scuba diver and sponges, Cane Bay wall |
 Scuba diver and blackbar soldierfish, Salt River wall |
[edit] Economy
St. Croix, like many other Caribbean islands, has tourism as one of its main sources of revenue. However, there are a number of other industries on the island to help support the economy.
St. Croix is home to HOVENSA, one of the world's largest oil refineries. HOVENSA is a limited liability company owned and operated by Hess Oil Virgin Islands Corp. (HOVIC), a division of U.S.-based Hess Corporation, and Petroleos de Venezuela, SA, the national oil company of Venezuela. Because of the presence of the oil refinery, gas prices have customarily been 50 cents cheaper than gas prices in the continental United States and the other Virgin Islands.
St. Croix is also home to the Cruzan Rum Distillery, makers of Cruzan Rum. The Cruzan Rum Distillery was founded in 1760, and for many years used locally grown sugar cane to produce a single "dark" style rum. The distillery now imports sugar cane molasses from other Caribbean islands, primarily from the Dominican Republic. In recent years Cruzan Rum, along with Bacardi from Puerto Rico and Gosling's from Bermuda, has also contributed to the resurgence of "single barrel" super-premium rum. Examples of this are Cruzan Estate Diamond Rum (aged 5 years in American oak barrels) and Cruzan Single Barrel Estate Rum (aged 12 years in American oak barrels).
[edit] Population
While locals call themselves "Crucians" or "Cruzans" (pronounced 'Croo-shan'), there is much debate as to what constitutes a "real" Crucian. Most people feel that as long as you were "bahn ya" ("born here", on the island) you can claim to be Crucian. Because of heavy migration from the other islands in the Lesser Antilles and Puerto Rico, most Crucians can trace their ancestry to other Caribbean islands.
In the late 1990s an attempt was made to legislate the definition of a Virgin Islander as anyone who could trace their ancestry to 1927, the year in which Virgin Islanders were given U.S. citizenship. This effort, by a select group of nationalist senators, eventually failed after much public outcry.
Christianity is the dominant religion on St. Croix. Protestant denominations are the most prevalent, but there is also a significant Roman Catholic presence due to St. Croix's large Hispanic population as well as Irish influence during the Danish colonial times. Like many other Caribbean islands, various strains of Rastafarianism are prominent on the island. Islam is prevalent among the small local Arab population, and there is a small Jewish presence, as well.
[edit] Transportation
The Henry E. Rohlsen International Airport services St. Croix, with regular flights from the U.S. mainland, Puerto Rico, and the rest of the Eastern Caribbean. Seaplanes, operated by Seaborne Airlines, also service the island, taking off and landing in Christiansted Harbor. Although St. Croix is a U.S. territory, travelers do need to go through Customs and present a passport or proof of U.S. citizenship/nationality before returning to the continental United States or Puerto Rico. Persons traveling into St. Croix are not required to carry a passport, although carrying photo identification and a copy of a birth certificate (in lieu of a U.S. passport) is suggested.
Island roads tend to be narrow, poorly surfaced, and often take sharp turns. Roads are very poorly maintained. It is often said that major maintenance only occurs right before local elections. Cars drive on the left hand side of the road, creating a particularly hazardous situation, as virtually all the automobiles on the island have left side steering columns. The result is very poor visibility for drivers on the island's curvy, hilly and narrow roads. Disoriented tourist/drivers can easily end up in the oncoming lane of traffic, especially upon entering the roads or turning at intersections.
There are automobile rental agencies on the island. There is a public bus service, but this can be unreliable at times. Taxis are a more common means of transport, particularly for tourists and are required by law to charge a flat rate, no matter the destination.
In addition to taxis and buses, St. Croix has shared taxis, locally known as "taxi buses" (these may also be found on other U.S. Virgin Islands). Taxi buses are full-sized vans which follow a more-or-less predefined route from one end of the island to the other. These taxi buses are generally privately owned and operated; they do not follow a regular schedule, and there are no pre-specified stops. Instead, people simply wait by the side of the road until a taxi bus approaches, then flag the driver down by waving. Likewise, when a rider is approaching his or her destination, a simple, "Stop up here at the next intersection!" will suffice. While often less costly than a public bus or regular taxi (most taxi buses charge a flat rate for the trip, regardless of where a rider gets on and off), this informal system of transportation may be confusing or intimidating for someone unfamiliar with local customs.
[edit] Famous Crucians
- Joe Aska, former professional American football running back
- Raja Bell, professional basketball player, Phoenix Suns
- Bennie Benjamin, musician, songwriter
- Tim Duncan, professional basketball player, San Antonio Spurs
- Alexander Hamilton, American statesman, first United States Secretary of the Treasury (born on Nevis)
- Hubert Harrison, Harlem Renaissance intellectual
- Casper Holstein, Harlem Renaissance philanthropist
- Roy Innis, civil rights advocate, chairman, Congress of Racial Equality (CORE)
- Hanik Milligan, professional American football player, San Diego Chargers
- Jim Simpson, Hall of Fame sportscaster
- Jasmin St. Claire, porn star
- Peter Jackson, Boxer
- Livingstone Bramble, Boxer (Raised on St. Croix)
- Jimmy Hamilton (Jazz Musician)
Kraig and Kristan Singleton, Olympic Swimmers
[edit] Points of interest
- Buck Island Reef National Monument
- Christiansted National Historic Site
- St. George Village Botanical Garden
[edit] Events of interest
- Along with other nearby islands (notably Tortola), locals celebrate what is known as a full-moon party at the end of every month when there is a full moon in the sky.
- Carnival is celebrated on St. Croix throughout late December and early January.
- Several times a year, there is a nighttime festival in Christiansted called "Jump-Up".
- There is a monthly event called "Sunset Jazz" in Frederiksted where local jazz musicians play along the Frederiksted waterfront.
[edit] See also
- Danish West Indies
- Danish colonization of the Americas
- History of Denmark
- Danish India
- Virgin Islands Creole
[edit] References
[edit] External links
[edit] Official sites
- St. Croix - United States Virgin Islands Department of Tourism
[edit] Map
- St. Croix Map - US Virgin Islands Map / St. Croix Maps and Driving Directions
[edit] News and media
- WTJX-TV St. Croix - Virgin Island Public Television
- St. Croix Source - Daily news from St. Croix
