British Virgin Islands

In 1493, Christopher Columbus was so struck by the more than 60 emerald gems he found scattered under an azure sky that he named them after one of the medieval era’s most popular saints, St. Ursula and her retinue of 11,000 Virgins. Originally settled by the Ciboneys thousands of years before, the Virgin Islands passed into English hands in the late 1600s and have remained there ever since. Now an Overseas Territory of the United Kingdom, the Virgin Islands supports a population of 28,000 (2008 estimate), a thriving society with a robust economy and a vibrant culture.