VIRGIN ISLANDS OF THE UNITED STATES

organized unincorporated island territory of the United States, at the eastern end of the Greater Antilles, about 40 miles (64 km) east of Puerto Rico, in the northeastern Caribbean Sea. Composed of three large islands, St. Croix, St. John, and St. Thomas, and about 50 small islets and cays, the islands cover 136 square miles (352 square km). The population in 1990 was estimated at 105,000, and the capital is Charlotte Amalie on St. Thomas. For information about regional aspects of the Virgin Islands of the United States, see West Indies: Virgin Islands. For current history and for statistics on society and economy, see Britannica Book Of The Year.