LJ user naz-saparova writes in his blog: The great discoverer Christopher Columbus spent a very long time at sea on his ship Maria Galante in search of new lands for the Spanish crown and new discoveries for mankind. He was sick, tired and in great need of care and affection. He began to see women everywhere. So in November 1493, plowing the expanses of the Caribbean Sea, he saw a magnificent woman reclining lazily on the horizon. Virgin Gorda! - exclaimed Columbus, putting on his ceremonial uniform. Coming closer, Christoforushka discovered only a beautiful island, with its huge round granite boulders, crowded on the shore, resembling a female silhouette. Not salty slurping, Columbus sailed on, and the island was named Virgin Gorda - Fat Virgin.

1. An archipelago in the Caribbean Sea of ​​60 amazing islands with white beaches, secret caves, turquoise water and emerald forests today is called the Virgin Islands - Virgin Islands.

2. But in Russian they are called Virgin, which is not entirely reliable, so the whole meaning of the name of these paradise islands is lost. They are really virgin - and the idyll of pristine nature has survived to this day.

3. The Virgin Islands are divided according to their affiliation: British and American. Today I invite you to plunge with me into the fabulous atmosphere of the British Virgin Islands. This is an overseas dependency of the UK: the locals are British citizens, but the local currency is the US dollar. We will visit Tortola and that same Fat Virgin - Virgin Gorda.

4. Tortola is not much different from an ordinary Caribbean island - the same colored houses, many kilometers of white sandy beaches, palm trees, unhurried life. Ordinary paradise. Relaxing under the gentle breeze, on the gentle white sands with the oncoming turquoise wave, in the company of friendly islanders and nimble iguanas, it is hard to imagine that smugglers were hiding here and menacing pirates lurked and raided rich merchant ships. Dangerous islands have become places of comfortable and safe rest. Crime rates are among the lowest in the Western Hemisphere, and violent crimes are virtually unheard of.

9. Reuters has published a list of the best Caribbean islands, not affected by the influx of travelers. The second place was taken by the beautiful green island of Virgin Gorda, which can only be reached by water. Ready? Then - all aboard!

13. Welcome to Virgin Gorda!

14. The island stretched out as a strip of land between two manifestations of the same element: the raging Atlantic Ocean on one side and the expanse of the Caribbean Sea on the other. And the island itself is not uniform. Its northeast was born by an underwater volcano, the rocky slopes of which formed numerous ledges, reefs, capes, protruding peninsulas far into the sea.

15. We will take a walk with you in The Baths National Park, the name that it received because of the numerous pools hidden in the caves. This is a very unique natural structure. Huge boulders are piled on top of each other on snow-white sand framed by sprawling palm trees and form whole labyrinths of secluded caves, grottoes, tunnels. The high tide from the Caribbean Sea floods the pits and ravines - and all these mysterious pools of sea water are formed. Hundreds of giant boulders and rocks are undermined by water and rain, so they are sloping and smooth. In such labyrinths, you can wander for hours, swim, climb and discover more and more hidden places.

28. You can wander through the caves for hours, in some places it becomes completely dark, chilly and scary.

31. But then the stones part and you can see the bright horizon of the sea and clouds.

39. Life on the islands is calm and serene, so here you can spend hours wandering along the countless beaches, admiring the picturesque landscapes.

But you can not only splash in the water and sunbathe in the sun on these paradise islands - the British Virgin Islands are number one among all known offshore and tax havens in the world. The number of registered companies on the islands has exceeded 700 thousand, while the population of the islands is only about 30 thousand people. It turns out that for every inhabitant there are 23 companies.

This offshore jurisdiction is currently one of the most frequently used by Russian entrepreneurs. Companies registered in the British Virgin Islands are not subject to taxation, in addition, companies are not required to submit annual returns. Information about the shareholders and beneficiaries of the company is protected by law, a closed register of shareholders and directors is maintained. However, this information may be disclosed only by a court decision.
That is why among Russian companies that do not hide the fact that they conduct their business through offshore companies in the British Virgin Islands, there are real giants of Russian business: Alfa Group by Mikhail Fridman and Petr Aven (Alfa-Bank, Alfa-Insurance, TNK-BP, Megafon ”, VimpelCom, Pyaterochka retail chain) is registered to companies from Gibraltar, Luxembourg, the British Virgin Islands and the Netherlands. Oleg Deripaska’s “Basic Element” (RUSAL, GAZ Group, Ingosstrakh) is registered with a company from the island of Jersey, which, in turn, belongs to a company from the British Virgin Islands, Sergei Polonsky’s Mirax Group is registered with Dutch and Virginia offshore companies. Offshore jurisdictions are able to support the shadow economy as part of the money laundering process. This is such a successful combination of business and leisure - the islands attract attention with their reliability and stability, a high level of financial and environmental security.

But let's not talk about the economy anymore, we go to the British Virgin Islands not to launder money, but to get acquainted with new places. Next time we will visit the US Virgin Islands.

Virgin Islands. They are divided into three territories: the British Virgin Islands, the US Virgin Islands and the Spanish Virgin Islands. Very few people know Spanish at all, since they belong to Puerto Rico. The Virgin Islands are famous all over the world for their offshore companies. This is the merit of the British part, it is often called the offshore capital of the world, because up to 40% of offshore companies are registered here. The American part of the islands is the most populated, they sell diamonds and are engaged in oil refining.

I’m sailing on (BVO, the locals call it BVI for short, after the first letters of the English name of the territory). Citizens of Russia to visit the BVI need a separate visa, which is issued by the British Consulate.

The islands are all with a steep terrain, on which there are houses. 25,000 people live in the BVI. Such a big village.

The Virgin Islands are well known to us. This is the largest offshore company in the world. The British Virgin Islands has no corporate income tax and personal income tax, and there is no VAT and sales tax.

40% of all offshore companies in the world are registered in the BVI. Why here? Here you can open a company in 1 day, no one finds fault with the documents, and most importantly - confidentiality: there is no single register of beneficiaries in the British Virgin Islands. However, more recently, the authorities of this British overseas jurisdiction began discussing the possibility of creating a single open register of owners. So soon the shop, maybe they will close it.

Let's see what the offshore capital of the world looks like. So, Road Town is the capital of the British Virgin Islands.

The directory says that 10,000 people live here. I don't know where they live here. The whole city can be bypassed in 10 minutes. We would be ashamed to call it a city. A large village, probably: 4 streets, 2 shops.

This is the island administration:

In order to somehow brighten up the impressions of visiting tourists, all the houses in the center were painted in acid colors. The brighter the better:

At the same time, not a single local resident paints his house like that.

There is nothing at all in the city. I am not exaggerating this. Several streets with colored sheds, in which there are cafes and souvenir shops.

Several junk shops:

The main supermarket in the country. There is no public transport: only taxis and rental cars:

I have no idea why tourists come here.

Local:

In 10 minutes the city ends, the forest begins:

The city is one of the main yacht charter centers in the Caribbean.

On the outskirts there are old houses:

On the right is the oldest building in the city. This is the former royal prison on Main Street, built in the 1840s:

Now I understand why it takes only 1 day in the BVI to register a company. No one else can stand to be here.

A great place to come for an hour on business and quickly leave back.

Business center of the offshore capital:

The remaining islands of the BVI are sparsely populated.

We sail to the neighboring state - (AVO, or simply the Virgin Islands). In English, Virgin Islands of the United States, but when Americans say "Virgin Islands", they mean exactly the American ones. We often say "Virgin Islands", meaning British, where offshore. There are no offshore companies on the American islands. So it’s more correct to say “British Virgin Islands” about an offshore paradise, and just “Virgin Islands” about a tourist one.

Unlike the British Isles, the American ones are much more interesting. Firstly, there are old English double-decker buses here. Secondly, 4 times more people live here - 100,000. Everyone here lives at the expense of tourists. Like Puerto Rico or Guam, it is "an unincorporated organized territory of the United States." That is, the local American citizenship, but their own laws.

Streets of the capital, Charlotte Amalie. By the way, the Americans bought the Virgin Islands from Denmark in 1917:

These are local taxi-buses-minibuses. It is difficult to imagine an uglier car. Taxi fares are fixed and are written on a special plate.

Tourist centre:

Baby dolls are being transported:

Tourists in the Virgin Islands are fine.

Beaches, yachts, sun.

But the main thing is shopping. The whole main street in jewelry stores. All famous brands are represented here. Americans go to the Virgin Islands for diamonds.

Shops do not know how to attract tourists, they even offer free Wi-Fi. Why do you need free internet in a jewelry store?

In the evening, all jewelry stores are closed and you can even walk around the city.

In general, it is strange why all the shops close at 6 o'clock? Restaurants are open until 9. Locks on the jewelry:

The main street:

Vladimir Dergachev

US Virgin Islands (AVO) are located 60 km east of Puerto Rico. The islands of St. Thomas, St. John's and Santa Cruz stand out. AVO have the status of an unincorporated organized territory of the United States, in other words, an American colony. They are part of the Virgin Islands, which also includes the British Virgin Islands.

The population of AVO is 106.4 thousand people (2010). Residents have the status of citizens of the United States.

***
The Virgin Islands were discovered by Christopher Columbus in 1493. The islands were successively owned by Great Britain, Spain, France and the Order of Malta. Subsequently, Denmark took possession of the island of St. Thomas, captured the island of St. John's and bought the island of St. Croix from France. However, the local sugarcane plantations, with the exception of Santa Cruz Island, did not generate income, so the slave and rum trade flourished. The port of St. Thomas became the base of the Caribbean pirates. After the decline of the slave trade and sugar production, the Danish West India Company sold the islands to the United States in 1917 for $25 million, which was equal to the half-year budget of the Danish state.

The Russian Empire also considered the issue of buying St. John's Island to accommodate a naval base; Russian warships entered the local harbor. But, probably, in St. Petersburg they thought for a long time, unlike the Americans.

Left its mark on the history of the West Indies, the world's oldest order of chivalry of the Roman Catholic Church. In 1651, the Hospitallers acquired several islands, including St. Martin's, and later received possession from a private owner of the island of Santa Cruz. But in 1665 the Order sold its possessions to the French West India Company.

***
The US Virgin Islands consist of three counties of Santa Cruz (50.6 thousand inhabitants) with the administrative center of Christiansted County, Ment Thomas (51.6 thousand inhabitants) with the administrative center of the possession and the county of Charlotte Amalie, and St. John's ( 4.2 thousand inhabitants).

The population is 76% black and 13% white. The language is predominantly English (75%). Baptists (42%) and Catholics (34%) predominate. The average life expectancy under the tropical sun for women is 82 years, for men - 76 years.

AVO President Barack Obmana, head of executive power - governor. Three parties are vying for a seat in the Senate.
The basis of the territory's economy is tourism (80% of GDP), revenues exceed over $600 million. More than 2 million tourists visit AVO every year. St. Thomas and its beaches are included in the world TOP 10 of the most beautiful islands and beaches in the world. The island is one of the main tropical resorts in the United States, where Americans escape from the winter.

Information about the main disadvantage of Caribbean cruises. Many tourists go to the islands of the West Indies to meet the virgin nature face to face. But when two or three cruise superliners moor to the island every day, the local beaches turn into overpopulated ghettos or psychodromes.

One of the largest oil refineries in the Western Hemisphere of the American company Amerada Hess, with a capacity of 23 million tons per year, was located on Santa Cruz Island. The refinery worked on Venezuelan oil. Despite Hugo Chavez's confrontation with the United States, Venezuela sold oil to the United States. An agreement was reached with US President Bill Clinton on a price corridor for Venezuelan oil. Subsequently, a law was passed that transnational corporations should keep 30% of the profits from the sale of oil (instead of 16%). By 2007, the nationalization of oil companies was completed.
Losses, a joint venture between the American corporation Hess and the Venezuelan state oil company (Hovensa) amounted to over the period 2009/11. $1.3 billion. This was due to the nationalization of US oil companies in Venezuela, as well as reduced demand due to the global crisis and increased production in emerging markets. The refinery is being converted into a storage tank for petroleum products.

US Virgin Islands- a group of islands in the Caribbean Sea, 60 km east of Puerto Rico; autonomous territory of the United States. The largest islands are St. Thomas, St. John, Santa Cruz. There are also many small islands. The area is 344 km².

The US Virgin Islands is a territory purchased by the United States from Denmark on January 17, 1917 (all formalities were completed on March 31 of the same year). Managed by the US Department of the Interior. Residents have the status of citizens of the United States.

Geographically, the US Virgin Islands are part of the Virgin Islands (which also includes the British Virgin Islands).

The islands are hilly (the highest point is 475 m), composed mainly of limestone, there are outcrops of ancient crystalline or volcanic rocks.

The absence of rivers and lakes, as well as the deep occurrence of groundwater, for a long time greatly complicated the problem of water supply, despite the rather large amount of precipitation. Rain water was collected in special tanks. After the construction of desalination plants, this problem has been largely solved.

The flora and fauna of the islands are largely destroyed by people. The remains of evergreen tropical forests are preserved mainly on the island of St. John, two-thirds of the territory of which is occupied by a national park. On the island of St. Thomas there are woodlands and shrubs on the site of former plantations. Sea waters near the islands are rich in fish, crustaceans and molluscs.

Climate of the US Virgin Islands

Climate in the US Virgin Islands- tropical, trade winds, hot and humid with two dry seasons. The average monthly temperature fluctuates slightly throughout the year - from +22-24 °C in winter to +28-29 °C in summer. Diurnal temperature changes are also weakly traced.

Precipitation is up to 1300 mm per year, and there are two dry (winter and summer) and two rainy (spring and autumn) seasons. The maximum amount of rain falls in the period from September to November-December, although even at this time it is rainy no more than five or six days a month. Between July and October, tropical hurricanes are likely to pass over the territory of the islands, although here they are recorded much less frequently than over the nearby Windward Islands.

The most favorable time for a trip to the islands is from mid-December to the end of April, however, the peak tourist season falls on the same period, so prices are much higher than, for example, from May to August, when weather conditions are also excellent for sea holidays.

Last changes: 15.05.2013

Population

Population of the US Virgin Islands- 109.8 thousand people (2010).

The average life expectancy is 76 years for men, 82 years for women.

Ethno-racial composition: blacks 76.2%, whites 13.1%, mulattoes 3.5%, Asians 1.1%, other 6.1% (according to the 2000 census).

Religions: Baptist 42%, Roman Catholic 34%, Episcopalian 17%, other 7%.

The official language is English. Also popular are Spanish or Spanish-Creole 16.8%, French or Franco-Creole 6.6%, others 1.9%.

Last changes: 15.05.2013

About money

Monetary unit of the US Virgin Islands: US dollar ($ or USD), in 1 dollar 100 cents. In circulation are banknotes in denominations of 1, 2, 5, 10, 20, 50 and 100 dollars, coins - pennies (1 cent), nickel (5 cents), dime (10 cents), quarter (25 cents), half-dollar (50 cents) and 1 dollar.

Banks are usually open from Monday to Thursday, from 09.00 to 14.30, on Fridays - 09.00 to 14.00 and from 15.30 to 17.00.

Foreign currency can be exchanged at banks and specialized exchange offices. The islands have branches of almost all major international banking systems.

Credit cards are widely accepted on the larger islands, but can be difficult to use on the smaller islands. Traveler's checks can be cashed at almost any bank office. To avoid additional costs associated with exchange rate fluctuations, it is recommended to bring checks in US dollars.

Last changes: 15.05.2013

Communication and communications

Telephone code: 1 - 340

Internet domain: .vi

Phone codes of cities

Area codes are not used.

How to call

To call from Russia to the US Virgin Islands, you need to dial: 8 - beep - 10 - 1 - 340 - subscriber's number.

To call from the US Virgin Islands to Russia, you need to dial: 011 - 7 - area code - subscriber number.

Fixed line

All payphones on the islands are included in the general telephone system of the United States and work with telephone cards that are sold at post offices, newspaper and tobacco kiosks. Almost all payphones have direct access to international automatic telephone communication and some of them accept ATT cards and credit cards for international calls.

cellular

The cellular communication system in the US Virgin Islands is excellently developed and integrated into a single network with US operators.

Internet

The Internet on the islands is developing at a rapid pace - almost all telephone and cellular companies provide their customers with Internet access. Internet cafes are concentrated in large settlements and resort areas.

Last changes: 15.05.2013

shopping

Shops are usually open from Monday to Saturday, from 09.00 to 17.00, but on Thursday many of them close quite early - usually around 15.00-16.00. Many large retail outlets are usually open on Sundays, from 10.00 to 17.00, shops in the port also often open their doors on Sunday, but only during the stay of cruise ships. Bargaining in local trading establishments is not accepted, but in the markets it is possible and necessary.

Popular souvenirs: rum, jewelry, paintings (there are many art galleries on Santa Cruz Island).

Last changes: 15.05.2013

Where to stay

The cost of living in local hotels is quite high compared to many Caribbean countries.

Last changes: 19.08.2010

Sea and beaches

The islands attract numerous beach lovers with their clean beaches with white fine sand.

Almost all beaches are open to the public, only private areas and some large resort complexes have limited access (permit required).

Some local beaches are natural breeding grounds for endangered sea turtles, so most of them are protected and access to such areas is prohibited at certain times.

Last changes: 15.05.2013

Story

The Virgin Islands were discovered by Christopher Columbus in 1493.

In 1625, English and French colonists settled on the islands, taking up agriculture. Then the islands were successively owned by England, Spain, France and the Order of Malta.

In 1666, Denmark took possession of the island of St. Thomas, which soon captured the island of St. John, and in 1733 Denmark bought the island of Santa Cruz from France. The Danes tried to establish a plantation economy on St. Thomas, but it was not successful due to the low fertility of the land, and the island became one of the centers of the rum and slave trade. The port of St. Thomas became a base for pirates. Santa Cruz Island had more fertile land, and after the transition to Denmark, about 200 sugar cane plantations were established there.

However, by the beginning of the 20th century, sugar production on Santa Cruz had declined, and the islands of the Danish West Indies were sold to the United States in 1917 for $25 million.

Last changes: 15.05.2013

Helpful information

The most favorable time for a trip to the islands is from mid-December to mid-May, however, the peak tourist season falls on the same period, so prices are much higher than, for example, from May to August, when weather conditions are also excellent for sea holidays. An additional argument in favor of visiting the islands in the summer is the much greater transparency of sea water at this time, which provides better conditions for diving.

Local tap water is chlorinated and safe to drink, but bottled water is still recommended.

Catching any marine organisms (including surfacing and even collecting shells and corals washed ashore) in the waters of the US Virgin Islands is prohibited, as is the use of harpoon weapons for spearfishing (license required). Sport fishing is possible only with the permission of the regional authorities (usually included in the package of licenses provided by the organizer of the fishing tour). Mooring of ships and boats in the area of ​​protected areas managed by the National Parks Fund is prohibited. The rise to the surface of any objects and things from sunken ships located in the territorial waters of the islands is allowed only with a special permit from the government of the country.

Last changes: 15.05.2013

How to get there

There are no direct flights from Russia to the US Virgin Islands. The easiest way to get here from Russia is with one change in the USA. From American cities (New York, Miami, Boston, Atlanta, Washington and others) there are direct flights to the islands of St. Thomas and Santa Cruz.

The flight with Aeroflot + American Airlines is quite convenient: Moscow - New York - St. Thomas. The duration of the flight from Moscow to New York is about 10 hours, from New York to St. Thomas Island - 4 hours 10 minutes.

The US Virgin Islands can also be reached via Puerto Rico (64 km away). And from there you can get by water (ferries or boats) or by air (small planes) to the US Virgin Islands.

Last changes: 15.05.2013

Where the emerald wave of the Atlantic hospitably embraces the blue waves of the Caribbean Sea, the Virgin Islands are scattered like grains framed in corals, part of which with a total area of ​​​​about three hundred and fifty square meters belongs to the United States. About sixty islands, most of them uninhabited, were discovered by Columbus at the end of the fifteenth century. And only in the middle of the seventeenth, the first colonists got here - the British and French, who became the founders of the first settlements. Since then, the islands have not belonged to anyone - the Spaniards and the French, the British and the Order of Malta.

But perhaps the most significant owner for the Virgin Islands was Denmark, which at the end of the eighteenth century declared them its colony. During the ownership of one of the largest islands - St. Thomas became the center of the slave trade, and the sugar plantations of St. John, processed by thousands of Negro slaves, brought huge incomes to Denmark. Only at the beginning of the twentieth century, the islands were sold to the United States for $ 25 million.

Since then, a century has passed, which decisively changed the way of life of the population of the islands, who were the descendants of those 28 thousand Negro slaves brought here by the Danes. At the same time, the visual appeal of the Virgin Islands has not suffered, despite the fact that the US military base has been located here for more than fifty years.

The humid tropical climate of the islands determines the best time to travel, calling the peak tourist season from January to April. Although for those who prefer snorkeling (from English snorkeling) - diving with a mask and snorkel, the best time is the beginning of summer, when there are almost no storms, and hotels are much cheaper. This independent type of diving involves swimming and diving to a shallow depth does not require serious training and expensive equipment, therefore it is always popular with tourists of all ages.

However, every tourist who comes to the islands finds something special for himself that you will not find anywhere else. Someone will freeze in admiration at the sight of beautiful beaches, and take away with them the warmth of a tan that gilded their skin and the spicy aroma of the Atlantic, someone will rest their soul in the solitude of the bays, surrounded by the purest corals. Someone will enthusiastically perceive the virgin rainforests. And someone will like the original music, cuisine and culture of the people, friendly and hospitable to tourists in the Virgin Islands. The chic of hotels and the comfort of small hotels, the abundance of wonderful restaurants and world-class shopping will satisfy the needs of the most fastidious tourists.

And certainly everyone will like original bright festivals and holidays. The fireworks of thrills from the colorful St. Thomas Carnival at the end of April, filled with masquerade parades and dance competitions, flow smoothly into the June St. John Festival with a week of parades and various celebrations for Independence Day. And also unforgettable impressions from the two-week Karasei festival on Santa Cruz, from the international Rolex regatta, which gathers yachtsmen on St. Thomas ... And nowhere else can you see dancing fairy-tale heroes and many Santa Clauses on Summer Christmas! The islanders consider March 31 to be the most important official holiday - the day when the Virgin Islands were transferred by Denmark to the United States.

Take with you the feeling of a holiday and the delight of the picturesque National Park, which occupies most of the island of St. John, see the Cruzan wineries and bring your friends a gift - an extraordinary taste of rum that glorified Santa Cruz. The coral reefs of tiny Buck, the huge Aquarium of Cock and Bay, the Uim sugar plantations on Santa Cruz can not only enrich the knowledge of the history of the islands and development, but also leave a feeling of belonging to the events of centuries ago.

By the way, Santa Cruz is known not only for diving and snorkeling, rum and festival processions by the famous Carambola Golf Club, which was designed by Robert Trent Jones. It is here that the annual LPGA Golf Tournament is held, attracting crowds of fans of this sport from all over the world.

But there is a charm in those islands that are sparsely populated. When Reuters published a rating of the Caribbean islands that were least affected by civilization, it was named St. John. to everyone who decides to come here for a relaxing holiday away from the bustle of the city.