St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands
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Geography | |
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Location | Caribbean Sea |
Coordinates | 18°20′N 64°55′W / 18.333°N 64.917°WCoordinates: 18°20′N 64°55′W / 18.333°N 64.917°W |
Archipelago | Virgin Islands, Leeward Islands |
Area | 32 sq mi (83 km2) |
Highest elevation | 1,555 ft (474 m) |
Highest point | Crown Mountain |
Administration | |
Insular area | Virgin Islands |
Largest settlement | Charlotte Amalie (pop. 18,481) |
Demographics | |
Demonym | Saint Thomian |
Population | 51,634 (2010) |
Pop. density | 638.17 /km2 (1,652.85 /sq mi) |
Ethnic groups | Afro-Caribbean, Hispanic, Caucasian |
Saint Thomas (Spanish: Santo Tomás; Dutch: Sint-Thomas; Danish: Sankt Thomas) is one of the Virgin Islands in the Caribbean Sea and, together with Saint John, Water Island and Saint Croix, form a county and constituent district of the United States Virgin Islands (USVI), an unincorporated territory of the United States. Located on the island is the territorial capital and port of Charlotte Amalie. As of the 2010 census, the population of Saint Thomas was 51,634 about 48.5% of the US Virgin Islands total. The district has a land area of 32 square miles (83 km2).
The island was originally settled around 1500 BC by the Ciboney people. They were later replaced by the Arawaks and then the Caribs. Christopher Columbus sighted the island in 1493 on his second voyage to the "New World".
The Dutch West India Company established a post on Saint Thomas in 1657. The first congregation was the St. Thomas Reformed Church, which was established in 1660 and was associated with the Dutch Reformed Church.