These green, hilly islands, some governed by the United States and some by Great Britain, number about 100 in all. Most are tiny and virtually uninhabited, except for a few birds or an adventurous boating party stopping off for a little snorkeling or swimming. For an ultimate tropical getaway, it's even possible to rent an entire island for yourself. In addition, both the U.S. Virgin Islands and British Virgin Islands report lower humidity levels than many of the other Caribbean isles, making them a quintessential vacation paradise in both summer and winter. On nearly any day of the year, you can count on sunshine for at least part of the day.
Rain showers do come, but they're usually a welcome relief and pass quickly.
The islands are part of the larger archipelago known as the Lesser Antilles, located where the Atlantic Ocean meets the calmer Caribbean Sea. Coral reefs shield many of the island's northern beaches from the wicked surf of the Atlantic. The islands' southern coasts border the usually calmer waters of the Caribbean. St. Croix, south of St. Thomas and St. John, is entirely in the Caribbean Sea. Today, most Virgin Islands natives are descendants of African slaves who worked the sugarcane plantations.