GEOGRAPHY CONNECTIONS This year-long series is presented in collaboration

with the Connecticut Geographic Alliance.

NIE ACTIVITY

Welcome To
The Virgin Islands

Take
COUNTRY VIEW
Maddie Sedor, William J. Johnston Middle School
Virgin Islands
As you sit in your chair on the beach you can feel the
ocean breeze blowing against your face. The Virgin Islands
are a wonderful place to relax, have fun, and explore the
Islands, including the islands of St. Thomas, St. Croix, St.
John, Water Island and some 50 other water inlets and
cays.
Many visitors go to the Virgin Islands for vacation, and
some believe it’s the best place to vacation on earth. Most
of the Islanders are of African descent; many residents are
the descendants of former slaves who historically worked
on plantations here. Other island residents include people
from other Caribbean islands, Americans from both the
continental USA and Puerto Rico.
LOCATION: The Virgin Islands are
5 located at 18.3358° N, 64.8963° W
PLACE: The islands have many bays and
inlets that shelter a variety of animal and plant
life. Tropical flowers and trees flourish, including
bougainvillea, poinciana and hibiscus.
HUMAN-ENVIRONMENT INTERACTION:
Many houses on the Islands are two or three stories
tall and have exterior staircases, window shutters,
and low roofs with sloping ends and sides.
MOVEMENT: Cruise ships, ferries and naval
vessels dock on the Islands. Airlines carry people to
the Virgin Islands. The Islands have paved roads for
cars and buses to travel on.

There are many islands to explore in the Virgin Islands. REGION: The temperature ranges from 70 to 90 °F
One of the most beautiful is St. Thomas. The beaches (21 to 32 °C) and averages 80 °F (27 °C). Approximately
40 to 60 inches of rainfall each year!
are beautiful and the temperature is warm and tropical; it’s nearly perfect. If you visit the Virgin Islands, be sure to
explore the St. Thomas’ old town and go to other neighboring islands.

On St. John, Caneel Bay is a wonderful place to visit. Exploring the Islands can be so much fun, and the iguanas
are huge! Although, Hurricane Irma affected the island, it’s beautiful and its people make this place so unique.

DID YOU KNOW?

• St. Croix is home to the oldest Baobab tree in the Caribbean. These trees MAPPING ACTIVITY
can grow up to 25 meters high and live for thousands of years.
• The US Virgin Islands are the only place in the USA where you drive on the Hurricane Irma badly damaged the Virgin Islands.
left side of the road. These driving patterns date back to when the Islands The storm hit the Islands in early September of 2017
were under European rule. as a category 5 hurricane. The map shows the areas
• At 737 square miles, the US Virgin Islands are double the size of the city of
of the Islands that received severe damage, moderate
Washington, DC. and minimal damage. Read the map, which places,
cities or towns, received the most damage? Which
• Some islanders also practice Bbeah, a traditional African religion with
places received the least amount of damage?
elements of sorcery and witchcraft.
• Although the Islands are part of the USA, the residents are not allowed to
vote in the presidential elections.

GLOBAL GOALS
Hurricane Irma, a category 5 hurricane nearly destroyed the Virgin Islands. This caused
the Islands to experience a lack of decent work and economy growth. This affected the
factories in Caneel Bay, as they had to shut down for a long period of time, and 300 workers
were laid off or let go. Without a job people were unable to provide for their families. The storm also affected local
restaurants and stores, as they were badly damaged and unable to reopen. As a result, many people stopped earning
money and the economy could not grow. Use the Hartford Courant to research and find out how places like the Virgin
Islands have come back from natural disasters.
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-41175312

Online Resources:
http://www.worldbookonline.com/student/article?id=ar586420&st=virgin+islands#tab=homepage
Common Core Curricular Connections
https://www.nytimes.com/2017/11/10/us/virgin-islands-hurricanes.html CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RI4.4 CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RH6—8.4
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RI5.7 CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RI5.4
For students who are blind, learning disabled or print challenged, visit CRIS Radio at http://www.chrisradio.org CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RI4.7 CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RH6—8.
and click Kids On-Demand for a free audio version of Geography Connections. CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RI5.9 CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RH6—8.10
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RI4.9