Situated in the Leeward Islands of the Lesser Antiles, the US Virgin Islands are made up of the three main land masses of Saint Croix, Saint John and Saint Thomas, along with many smaller, minor islands that make up a total land area of just over 130 square miles.

Discovered by Christopher Columbus at the end of the 15th century, the islands changed hands several times over the next 300 years between Spain, Britain, France and the Netherlands before Denmark took over control in 1754 and it was from the Danes during World War I that the USA purchased the islands.

Tourism is the main economic activity of the islands, with nearly 3 million people arriving annually by plane or cruise ship and there are three 18-hole courses for visitors to play on; Mahogany Run on St Thomas, Bucaneer and Carambola on Saint Croix.

Our Caribbean and Atlantic Islands rankings were last updated in February 2020. Click the link to read the story.