Kim Anderson, age 14, of Orlando, Fla., for her question:
HOW DID THE UNITED STATES GET THE VIRGIN ISLANDS?
The Virgin Islands of the United States is a group of three islands that can be found east of Puerto Rico between the Caribbean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean. Control of the islands was transferred to the United States on March 31, 1917, when the United States paid Denmark $25 for the land. The three islands are St. Croix, St. Thomas and St. John.
Christopher Columbus sighted the Virgin Islands during his second voyage to the Americas in 1493. At that time, cannibalistic Carib Indians lived on the islands.
King Charles I of Spain ordered his soldiers to kill the Indians and take their lands in the mid 1500s. By the early 1600s, all the Indians had died or left the Virgin Islands.
No Europeans attempted settlements until 1652, when Dutch and English settlers landed on St. Croix. They lived there until the mid 1600s, when Spaniards from Puerto Rico drove them out. Within 20 years, the Spaniards were driven out by the French. The French controlled the island until 1733 when they sold it to the Danes for $150,000.
The Danes formally claimed St. Thomas in 1666 by establishing a settlement on the island. And then in 1717, the Danes also settled on St. John Island.
The Danish West Indies, as the islands were called, remained under Danish control during most of the years until 1917.
On August 4, 1916, Denmark and the United states signed a treaty transferring control of the Virgin Islands to the United States. The treaty was ratified on January 17, 1917, and the actual control was transferred in March.
In 1927, Congress passed a law making the people of the Virgin Islands citizens of the United States. In 1936, persons who could read and write English were granted the right to vote in local elections.
In 1958, John Merwin became the first native born governor of the Virgin islands.
Miami, Fla., lies about 1,100 miles to the northwest of the Virgin Islands and Panama is about 1,200 miles to the southwest. The Virgin Islands cover 133 square miles. Rhode Island, the smallest state in the Union, is over nine times as large.
Natural resources of the Virgin Islands cannot support the people, who must depend on the United States for most of their products. But the excellent climate, the beautiful beaches and the spectacular scenery make the islands a favorite with vacationers. Tourism is the chief industry.
Tropical flowers and trees flourish, including bougainvillea, flame tree and hibiscus. And the sea provides lots of fish, although not the right variety for commercial fishing.
More than 1 million tourists visit the islands each year and they add more than $110 million to the economy of the islands annually.
Children must attend school between the ages of 5 1/2 and 16.
Trade winds blow over the islands most of the year and there are no extremes of heat or cold. The average temperature is 78 degrees Fahrenheit although temperatures range from 70 degrees to 90 degrees.