The US Virgin Islands came into America’s possession in 1917 after Denmark sold the Danish West Indies to it for $25m in gold. At the time, the USA was worried that the Germans would gain control of the islands and use them as a base from which to launch attacks on America.

The status of the US Virgin Islands is one of an organized, unincorporated territory of the United States. This means the residents of the US Virgin Islands are US citizens, but cannot vote in US presidential elections. Therefore, US citizens do not need a passport to visit the US Virgin Islands.

The US Virgin Islands are part virgin Islands archipelago and are located in the Leeward islands of the Lesser Antilles along with the British Virgin Islands. The three main islands of this American territory are called Saint Croix, Saint John and Saint Thomas. There is also a much smaller island called Water Island. All together, there are about 60 islands with a total surface area of 133.73 square miles, although most of the islands are uninhabited.

The four main islands of the US Virgin Islands are known to their residents by nicknames. These are ‘Twin City’ (St. Croix); ‘Rock City’ (St. Thomas); ‘Love City’ (St. John) and ‘Small City’ (Water Island) and their total population was 108,612 in the 2000 census.

Since the 1960’s, the islands turned their focus from agriculture to heavy industry and tourism and the US Virgin Islands are a very popular destination for American tourists and honeymooners. It is very easy for Americans to get there because a passport is not required, the islands are only 1,730 miles east south-east of Miami, the currency is the US dollar and everybody speaks English.

The islands enjoy an arid, pleasant climate. The average temperature in the capital, Charlotte Amelie, is 33c in the summer and 30c in the winter. September to November are the wettest months and February and March are the driest. The USVI are subject to hurricanes. Hurricane Hugo in 1989 was particularly devastating, but the islands were also hit in 1998, 1999 and 2008.

Tourism is the industry that most of the islanders are engaged in and about 2,000,000 people visit every year, many of them on cruise liners. St Thomas and St Croix are the best equipped to deal with tourists offering hotels and resorts along with lovely beaches and fine restaurants. Water sports are the main activity, although tourists can also hire horses or jeeps to discover the interior of the US Virgin Islands.

Owen Jones, the author of this piece, writes on many subjects, but is currently involved with St Croix Virgin Islands. If you are interested in St Croix Vacation Rentals in the US Virgin Islands, please click through to our site.

The large number of wedding planning books that have flooded the market is the speaking proof of the fact that people consider the wedding day the most important moment of their lives and a first official step on the way of making a family. How can wedding planning books actually help you organize the big event? Well, first of all, remember that when you embark on this experience you may know little or nothing at all about what you have to do. Therefore, wedding planning books together with sites such For More free tips amazing-wedding-planning.info could be your best friends in terms of support for the big day.

What can one expect from a wedding planning book? First of all, you’ll learn lots about the etiquette, you’ll find great tips for the before wedding shower as well as information on how to create the perfect ceremony atmosphere. There may be cases when you want to be as original as possible and wedding planning books give you the pieces of the puzzle that may have been missing. For instance, you can organize the ceremony at twenty minutes to six pm, to mark the exact moment when you proposed or were proposed. That should have a nice impact on your guests, together with other tricks you may find in wedding planning books.

There are also common mistakes that you’ll find in wedding planning books, hence, you’ll know how to avoid some embarrassing situations. Some of the mistakes discussed in wedding planning books may seem common sense, but even for the best educated person, there will still be something further to learn. For instance, the table seating is largely dealt with in wedding planning books, since it is the element around which lots of mistakes are made. Carefully seat the young and the elder relatives and friends, so that they can well communicate and relate to each other. Remember that this is not just a party, but a most important social event for everyone.

Wedding planning books are quite cheap and useful; you can either order them online or buy them at the book shop. A nice and very accessible variant comes with the wedding planning books that can be downloaded from specialized sites; some of them are free of charge, some others require only a few dollars fee. Many of the wedding planning books come together with some extra materials, such as planning sheets and invitation patterns. Also read some reviews before you decide to turn to any of these, so that you make sure you don’t waste your money.