Virgin islands
The Virgin Islands, made up of more than 100 islands, jut out of the Virgin Strait, 80 kilometers east of Puerto Rico, forming a wrinkled green skirt that stretches out over the northeast corner of the Caribbean Sea. Only a few are inhabited, the rest are either Robinsonian desolate islands, once pirate-infested hideouts, rocky beaches inhabited by seabirds and coral reefs washed by the sea. Every morning and dusk, layers of overlapping contours miraculously appear on the vast horizon of the Virgin Islands. Just a 40-minute ferry ride from the British Virgin Islands, everything here is a relaxing and relaxing place to explore. The island is full of traditional West Indian village life, and almost every local is so unhurried and relaxed.
●1. St. Thomas ●
As early as the 70s of the 17th century, the merchants of the Dutch West India Company laid the foundation for the future prosperity of St. Thomas. The neighborhoods of Charlotte Amalia became a good place for merchants and pirates in the Caribbean, including the American pirate Edward Titch, nicknamed "Blackbeard". To this day, there is still a rough and spicy style on the busy island of St. Thomas, which is the first Caribbean style that the islanders let those who come across the ocean experience.
●2. St. Croix ●
With an area of 212 square kilometers, St. Croix is the largest island in the U.S. Virgin Islands, located 64 kilometers south of St. Thomas and the Virgin Islands. The western part is mountainous, and the central part is a plain suitable for agriculture, which used to be rich in sugar cane, but now it is almost uncultivated. But the island isn't entirely dependent on tourism either, with a huge refinery near the airport and locally produced St. Croix brand rum a popular tourist souvenir.
●3. St. John's Island ●
Separated from St. Thomas by the 3,000-meter-wide Strait of Fort Pierce, St. John's and St. Thomas are unspoilt for nature and are a pure virgin land in the U.S. Virgin Islands. Two-thirds of the island is a national park established under the patronage of Rockefeller. Rockefeller donated his first land in 1956. The remaining 1/3 of the island's land remains undeveloped. Dense forests cover the rolling hills.
Turks and Caicos Islands
The Turks and Caicos Islands are located 926 kilometers southeast of Miami and consist of two island groups separated by the 35-kilometer-wide Turks Island Strait. To the west are the Caicos Islands, which include West Caicos, Providenciales, North Caicos, Grand Caicos, East Caicos and South Caicos. To the east are the Turks Islands, including Grand Turk and Salt Island. The total area of these 8 islands and 40 reefs is only 430 square kilometers. Tourism has only recently visited this low-key island nation. The Turks and Caicos Islands, which have large sea areas and small land areas, are located on two shallow limestone sandbars equivalent to 13 times the land area. These two vast sandbars provide a very important habitat for marine life. Many places on the sandbar are overgrown with seagrass, which is a breeding ground for sea urchins, sea cucumbers, bivalves and molluscs. The sandbar is also a rich fishing ground, and the products are represented by conch, and the conch shells that fill the valley on the island show how popular this seafood is. On average, locals eat 1.5 million conch a year, with another 2.5 million exported. Lobster is also an important export here.
●1. Grand Turk Island ●
Grand Turk Island has an area of only 18 square kilometers and 4,000 inhabitants because it is the seat of the country's government. As with the other islands in the archipelago, the vegetation here is dominated by low jungle and cacti, with some abandoned shallow salt lakes in between. Occasionally you can see a few scattered windmills in the wild, homeless donkeys and horses wandering around. These unfortunate windmills and donkeys are relics of the bankruptcy of the salt industry, which flourished here until the 60s of the 20th century. Grand Turk's lack of natural beauty due to its small land area is fully compensated for by its vast and lush coral reef world. Just a stone's throw from the shore on the west side of the island, a reef screen stretches vertically down from 12 metres to 2,134 metres, making it one of the most exciting diving spots in the Caribbean.
●2. North Caicos Island ●
Most of the Turks and Caicos Islands are arid and bare, except for North Caicos, which is considered a garden within a country due to its blushing springs and trees. It receives more rainfall annually than on other islands, and the soil is fertile and abundant, with tomatoes, corn, papaya, yams, pumpkins, limes, avocados, etc. grown on farms in the interior. Like its sister islands, Grand Caicos and East Caicos, the southern part of North Caicos is mostly mangrove lagoons and swamps. There are patches of fine sand along the northern coast with sparkling lagoons outside. The lagoon stretches out as waves lap on the reef offshore.
●3. Grand Caicos Island ●
With an area of 124 square kilometers, Grand Caicos Island is the largest of the Turks and Caicos Islands. There are 300 inhabitants on the island, mostly in the three settlements of Konciba, Rorimus and Bambara, who make a living from fishing and small-scale tourism. The northwest coast of the island is dotted with abrupt limestone cliffs and many beautiful but untouched beaches. There is a small road along the coastline called Ferry Road, which used to be the main road on the island, and in the 80s of the 20th century, King's Road was built directly to the interior, connecting the three settlements. The ferry road ends at the ferry port to North Caicos Island, hence the name. As the trail crosses some of the archipelago's finest attractions, the National Trust is building centres for hiking and mountain biking in these places.
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