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U.S.
Virgin Islands, Caribbean : With its
sea-swept landscapes, historic towns, duty-free shopping
and luxurious resorts, the UNITED STATES VIRGIN ISLANDS
bask in the combination of familiar yet exotic that
makes them one of the most popular cruise-ship destinations
in the Caribbean. America aside, it's the Danes who
have had the most influence on the islands. Successful
sugarcane exporters and slave dealers, they built most
of the major towns, and there are plentiful reminders
of their presence in the colonial architecture of the
historic cities of Charlotte Amalie and Christiansted
and in the ruins of sugar plantations scattered across
the green mountainous slopes.
Of
the sixty islands, islets and cays (most of which
are uninhabited) that make up the USVI, the biggest
and busiest are St Thomas, St Croix and St John. Each
has a distinctive mood and culture, and you haven't
really seen the USVI until you've checked out all
three. St Thomas , with its picturesque capital, Charlotte
Amalie, is the most American of the islands - hip
and stylish (at least compared to the rest of the
Caribbean) with upmarket shops and restaurants and
a history born of trade rather than sugar. St Croix
, the largest of the islands, is the most distant
so sees little of the hordes that flock to St Thomas
and St John, though the cruise-ship ports of Christiansted
and Frederiksted still attract visitors with their
mix of historic sights and good shopping and restaurants.
St John , the smallest of the islands is virtually
all wilderness, its National Park, part on land, part
underwater, the major attraction for its miles of
hiking trails and quiet beaches.
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