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The United States of America The Virgin Islands, formally the Virgin Islands of the United States, are a series of Caribbean islands as well as a US unorganized and organized territory. The islands are part of the Virgin Islands archipelago and are located in the Lesser Antilles' Leeward Islands, east of Puerto Rico and west of the British Virgin Islands.

The United States Virgin Islands are made up of three main islands: Saint Croix, Saint John, and Saint Thomas, as well as 50 smaller islands and cays. The territory has a total land area of 133.73 square miles. Charlotte Amalie, on the island of St. Thomas, serves as the territory's capital.

Tourist Attractions in the US Virgin Islands

Charlotte Amalie has one of the most beautiful harbors in the Caribbean. The town center begins with Fort Christian, which is now a museum (tel: 340-776 4566). It is the oldest building in continuous use on the island, having been built by the Danes in 1680. Although Charlotte Amalie is richer in stores than in traditional attractions — the main retail district has countless lanes, each with its own mini-shopping mall – the town does contain a few historical sites. 

Among them are Blackbeard's Castle, built by the Danish government but allegedly used as a lookout by Blackbeard – the pirate, Edward Teach – the Seven Arches Museum (tel: 304-774 9295; sevenarchesmuseum), a 19th-century Danish artisan's house that is now a private museum and art gallery housing artifacts from that era; and St Thomas Synagogue (1796), the Caribbean's second oldest synagogue In the midst of the retail bustle on Main Street, an unexpected treasure awaits: No. 14 is the birthplace of artist Camille Pisarro in 1830, with an art gallery upstairs.

On the island's northeast coast, near Coki Point. The park's centerpiece is a three-level underwater observatory from which to view a vast array of marine life. The highlight, though, is seeing the divers from the observatory come in to feed the sharks, moray eels, and stingrays in the predator tank. There's also a Nautilus semi-submersible – an improved glass-bottomed boat tour – and Sea Trek, which involves donning a special helmet and following a trail along the seafloor.

The Danish influence may be seen across St Croix, particularly in the major town of Christiansted, in the northeast, where the cream-colored buildings are built of bricks carried ashore as ballast by Danish ships. Christiansted is a tropical village with overhanging balconies and cool arcades. Many of the red-roofed houses built by affluent merchants during the golden years of the 18th century have been restored, and the whole historic district, including the port area, is preserved by the US National Park Service. Government House (1747; tel: 340-773 1404), Steeple Building (1753), Danish West India & Genia Company Warehouse (1749), Custom House, Scale House (1856), and Fort Christiansvaern (1738; tel: 340-773 1460; www.nps.gov/chri) are the six historic structures at Christiansted National Historic Site.

Boats depart from Christiansted towards the 850-acre (344-hectare) Buck Island Reef National Monument. This underwater national park has its own defined underwater paths, 12ft (3 meters) down amid the coral reefs, filled with unique fish such as the dusky damselfish, yellowhead wrasses, and lookdown moonfish, as well as other marine life.

The St Croix Landmarks Society offers guided walks and tours of plantation houses and ruins on a regular basis. One of these is the Estate Whim Plantation Museum, the Virgin Islands' oldest sugar plantation museum and a fascinating look into the lives of the people who lived and worked there, as well as the economics and technology of sugar production. The estate is typical of the plantations established by the Danish West Indian Company in the early 18th century, with cotton being produced first, then sugar, and lastly cattle being raised.

St John, located 5 miles (8 kilometers) east of St Thomas, is a small, green atoll that is worlds apart from its overcrowded neighbor. The Virgin Islands National Park (www.nps.gov/viis) was established in 1956 and today encompasses approximately two-thirds of the island, while some area inside the park remains privately owned. Cruz Bay, the main town, is the kind of place where people come to meet a friend at the ferry, pick up their mail, get some groceries, and then head back into the woods. There are taxi drivers everywhere, as well as T-shirt shops, moped rental shops, open food stands, bars, and restaurants.