At roughly 8 square kilometers, Jost Van Dyke is the smallest of the four main islands of the The British Virgin Islands are a group of over 50 islands and Cays located in the northeast Caribbean. ...British Virgin Islands, the northern portion of the archipelago of the Map of the Virgin Islands The Virgin Islands are an archipelago in the Caribbean Sea. ...Virgin Islands, located in the The Atlantic Ocean is Earths second_largest ocean, covering approximately one_fifth of its surface. ...Atlantic Ocean and Central America and the Caribbean The Caribbean Sea is a body of water adjacent to the Atlantic Ocean, south of the Gulf of Mexico. ...Caribbean Sea. Jost Van Dyke lies about 5 miles to the northwest of Tortola and 5 miles to the north of Saint John is one of the three main U.S. Virgin Islands in the Caribbean, though smaller than Saint Thomas or Saint Croix. ...Saint John.

Like many of the neighboring islands, it is This article is about volcanoes in geology. ...volcanic in origin and mountainous. The highest point on the island is Roach Hill at 321 meters (1054 feet).

History

Jost Van Dyke was likely first spotted by No authentic contemporary portrait of Columbus has been found; this late 19th_century engraving is one of many conjectural images For information about the director, see the article on Chris Columbus. ...Christopher Columbus and his crew on their second voyage in Events January 4 _ Christopher Columbus leaves the New World, ending his first journey. ...1493. The island's name comes from that of a Netherlands (disambiguation). ...Dutch This article is about sea pirates. ...pirate. Although the island is small, Jost Van Dyke boasts several notable natives, including William Thornton (May 20, 1759 _ 28 March 1828) was the original architect of the United States Capitol. ...William Thornton, architect of the United States Capitol The United States Capitol is the building which serves as home for the legislative branch of the United States government. ...U.S. Capitol Building, and John C. Lettsome (of Little Jost), founder of the London Medical Society.

Demographics and tourism

Only a few hundred people live on Jost Van Dyke. (The recorded population in 1991 is a common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar. ...1991 was 140; however, the population increased in the late Events and trends Technology Explosive growth of the Internet; decrease in the cost of computers and other technology Reduction in size and cost of mobile phones leads to a massive surge in their popularity Year 2000 problem (commonly known as Y2K) Microsoft Windows operating system becomes virtually ubiquitous on IBM...1990s with the advent of electricity and paved roads.)

Jost Van Dyke receives numerous visitors. The island is accessible by private A boat is a watercraft, usually smaller than most ships. ...boats and The Pride of Burgundy, a P&O Ferries car ferry on the Dover_Calais route A ferry is a boat or a ship carrying passengers, and possibly their vehicles, on a relatively short_distance, regularly_scheduled service. ...ferry service from Tortola and Saint Thomas is an island in the United States Virgin Islands (USVI), a United States territory, in the Caribbean Sea. ...Saint Thomas (via Saint John).

The most frequent mooring destination is Great Harbor (or Great Harbour). The beach strip around the harbor is lined with small bars and restaurants. Since the late Centuries: 19th century _ 20th century _ 21st century Decades: 1900s 1910s 1920s 1930s 1940s 1950s _ 1960s _ 1970s 1980s 1990s 2000s 2010s Years: 1960 1961 1962 1963 1964 1965 1966 1967 1968 1969 Events and trends The 1960s was a turbulent decade of change around the world. ...1960s, Foxy's Bar (http://www.foxysbar.com) in Great Harbor has been a popular stop for The Caribbean or the West Indies is a group of islands in the Caribbean Sea. ...Caribbean boaters. Foxy's and the other bars in Great Harbor now host a modest crowd year_round and are filled with thousands of partiers on New Years Eve is a celebration held the day before New Years Day, on December 31, the final day of the year. ...New Year's Eve (locally known as "Old Year's Night").

Located in nearby White Bay is the Soggy Dollar,another famous beach bar on the island. Soggy Dollar is reputedly the birthplace of the popular drink known as the Painkiller (http://www.pussers.com/rum/pop-pkr).

You can find a map of Jost Van Dyke (http://www.caribbean_on_line.com/bv/jvmap.shtml) at Caribbean_On_Line.com.