| Virgin Islands | |
| —pl n | |
| a group of about 100 small islands (14 inhabited) in the Caribbean, east of Puerto Rico: discovered by Columbus (1493); consists of the British Virgin Islands in the east and the Virgin Islands of the United States in the west and south. Pop: 132 000 (2004 est). Area: 497 sq km (192 sq miles) | |
Islands in the Caribbean Sea, east of Puerto Rico, owned by the United States and Britain.
Note: Christopher Columbus discovered the Virgin Islands in 1493.
Virgin Islands
group of about 90 small islands, islets, cays, and rocks in the West Indies, situated some 40 to 50 miles (64 to 80 kilometres) east of Puerto Rico. The islands extend from west to east for about 60 miles and are located west of the Anegada Passage, a major channel connecting the Atlantic Ocean and the Caribbean Sea. Their combined land area is about 195 square miles (505 square kilometres).
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