St. Thomas, USVI

St. Thomas is a leeward island in the lesser Antilles of the Northern Carribean. On a map, it's located just east of San Juan, Puerto Rico. St. Thomas has been a possesion of the United States since 1917. At just over 31 square miles, St. Thomas is the second largest island in the US Virgin Islands, (St. Croix is the largest).

The main town on St. Thomas is Charlotte Amalie. It has a population of around 54,000 and along with being the capitol city of the US Virgin Islands, it is also the main shopping district for not only the Virgin Islands, but arguably, for the rest of the Carribbean as well.

A lone palm tree on St. Thomas, US Virgin Islands
photo by Ariane Middel used under the Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic License (CC BY 2.0)

Just outside the main business district is an International Airport named Cyril E. King Airport. It serves St Thomas, St John and most of the British Virgin Islands as well (note: St Croix has the Henry E. Rohlsen Airport). It only has one runway, but with 20+ commercial flights every day, it ranks as one of the busiest airports in the Eastern Carribbean!

If you're looking for some tropical sun, you'll notice that there are some pretty cool beaches on St Thomas. Magens Bay, on St Thomas' north coast, is one of the most beautiful beaches in all the world. It has everything you would expect of a tropical beach: White sand, palm trees and clear, blue water. But be advised: it's one of the most popular tourist destinations on the island, and will cost a few dollars to gain access!