"Stunningly Beautiful" are the words I
would use to describe the British Virgin Islands. They are less
cosmopolitan and more unspoiled then the U.S. Virgin Islands (St. John
being the exception.) However, there is also a lot less to do and the
B.V.I.'s are much more expensive to boot. I
traveled to the British Virgin Islands on a NCL cruise with family in
late March of 2010. It's definitely a place worth returning to for rest
and relaxation.
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The Islands were originally
inhabited by an Arwak Indian tribe know as the Ciboney Indians.
Christopher Columbus was the first European to set foot on the island
of Tortola in 1493. It is widely believed that he called the island
"Land of the Turtle Dove." However the reality was that he called it
Santa Ana. Columbus gave the whole islands chain the name "Santa Ursula
y las Once Mil Virgeness" or (Saint Ursula and her 11,000 Virgins.) The
name was later shortened to the Virgins. The Spanish made
the initial claim. However, the Dutch were the first to settle the
island of Tortola in 1615, and they gave it the name "Ter Tholen,"
after the name of an island off the coast of Holland. When the British
captured Tortola in 1672, the name was shortened to it's current name.
The eastern islands have remained in British hands since.
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The United States Virgin Islands
Images from Tortola, BVI 2010
Road Town and Tortola
The Natural Wonders of the British Virgin Islands
Mountains of Green and Seas of Blue 2010
