Central America and the Caribbean > Virgin Islands > Government

View full size

Administrative divisions none (territory of the US); there are no first-order administrative divisions as defined by the US Government, but there are three islands at the second order; Saint Croix, Saint John, Saint Thomas
Capital city	Charlotte Amalie
Capital city > Geographic coordinates	18 21 N, 64 56 W
Constitution Revised Organic Act of 22 July 1954
Executive branch > Chief of state President George W. BUSH of the US (since 20 January 2001); Vice President Richard B. CHENEY (since 20 January 2001)
Executive branch > Election results John DeJONGH elected governor; percent of vote - John DeJONGH 57.3%, Kenneth MAPP 42.7%
Executive branch > Elections under the US Constitution, residents of unincorporated territories, such as the Virgin Islands, do not vote in elections for US president and vice president; however, they may vote in the Democratic and Republican presidential primary elections; governor and lieutenant governor elected on the same ticket by popular vote for four-year terms (eligible for a second term); election last held 7 and 21 November 2006 (next to be held November 2010)
Executive branch > Head of government Governor John DeJONGH (since 1 January 2007)
Flag description white field with a modified US coat of arms in the center between the large blue initials V and I; the coat of arms shows a yellow eagle holding an olive branch in one talon and three arrows in the other with a superimposed shield of vertical red and white stripes below a blue panel
Independence none (territory of the US)
International organization participation	IOC, UPU, WFTU
Judicial branch US District Court of the Virgin Islands (under Third Circuit jurisdiction); Superior Court of the Virgin Islands (judges appointed by the governor for 10-year terms)
Legal system	based on US laws
Legislative branch unicameral Senate (15 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve two-year terms)
Legislative branch > Elections last held 7 November 2006 (next to be held November 2008)
National holiday Transfer Day (from Denmark to the US), 31 March
Political parties and leaders Democratic Party [Arturo WATLINGTON]; Independent Citizens' Movement or ICM [Usie RICHARDS]; Republican Party [Gary SPRAUVE]
Status dependent democracy
Suffrage 18 years of age; universal; island residents are US citizens but do not vote in US presidential elections
Transnational Issues > Disputes > International	none

Related links:

• Forum discussion > Government
• Looking for Stats on the American Government? Check out StateMaster
• Stay updated with current stat feeds! Subscribe to the Government RSS / Atom feeds
•  Subscribe to our popular Government factoids RSS / Atom feeds
• Save this page on  del.icio.us / furl / your bookmarks

More facts and figures on Virgin Islands