The earliest settlements in the Virgin Islands date back to about 1500 BC though there's evidence of human habitation going back another thousand years. Three known groups of Indians predated European arrival: the Ciboneys, the Arawaks and the Caribs. The latter had only secured the islands a few decades before Columbus arrived in 1493 and disrupted them.

Columbus, perhaps feeling the lack of female company shipboard, called the islands Las Vírgenes in a somewhat obscure reference to St Ursula and her 11,000 virgins. The next 150 years were typified by unsuccessful attempts by the English, French, Spanish and the Knights of Malta to establish permanent settlements on the islands, punctuated by the naughty activities of pirates and buccaneers. In 1672, the Danish West India Company firmly established its presence on St Thomas, and in 1694 on St John. In 1733 the company purchased St Croix from the French, united all three islands under Danish rule and transformed the islands, then known as the Danish West Indies, into one of the major sugar producers in the region.

The sugar industry was entirely dependant on slavery and the largest slave auctions in the world took place in Charlotte Amalie on St Thomas. In 1797, 25,500 slaves worked on the islands out of a total population of 30,000. After emancipation in 1848, higher labor costs combined with drought, hurricane and an increase in beet sugar supplies from US and European growers to bring about the decline of the Danish West Indies.

The US first recognized the strategic importance of the islands' fortresses and deep-water harbors during the American Civil War, but the senate failed to approve a US$7.5 million purchase of St Thomas and St John from Denmark. At the outbreak of WWI, when the islands became critical to US control of the Caribbean basin and the Panama Canal, the purchase was finally consummated for US$25 million in gold, the highest price the US had ever paid for land.

The US Virgin Islands remained under the jurisdiction of the US Navy for the next 14 years, when the US Department of the Interior assumed responsibility for them. Home rule was granted in 1970 and today the islands are an unincorporated territory under the US flag. In the 1950s and 1960s, inexpensive air travel and the US embargo against Cuba brought an influx of tourists to the islands, significantly altering the basis of their economy. Tourism remains the most dominant feature of the islands, and development of infrastructure continues. Despite their prominence in Caribbean tourist brochures, the islands only seem to come to international attention when a hurricane wreaks havoc, Hurricane Hugo did in 1989 and Hurricanes Luis and Marilyn did in 1995.

The US Virgin Islands have a hybrid heritage. There's no trace of the original Indian population; the islands' inhabitants are mostly descended from slaves or from slave owners. The European legacy comes predominantly from the Danes, who owned the islands for over 250 years, plus traces from English and Dutch plantation owners. A French presence stems from the French Huguenots, who came to escape Catholic France in the mid-19th century or arrived when the French owned St Croix. The former have contributed to a community of people referred to as Frenchies who live, predictably, in Frenchtown, just west of Charlotte Amalie. Recent arrivals include a number of American and European expats and a handful of immigrants from nearby Puerto Rico. Today the dominant culture overlaying all these is distinctly American, the result of 80 years of US strategic and commercial interest in the islands.

English is the main language on all the islands but it has Creole influences, which means you can say 'mon' with impunity. Puerto Rican emigrants speak Spanish, while some of the Frenchies still speak French. A lot of islanders of African descent retain a strong belief in the spirit world: ghosts (jumbis) often get blamed for bad things and credited for good things on the islands. Jumbi stories were an important part of slave culture, used not only as spine-tingling entertainment on moonlit nights but also as cautionary tales for children. The inspirational tales of Bru Nansi, a wily spidery man who prevailed in adverse circumstances, were transported to the Caribbean from West Africa. Storytelling traditions persist today though often in more structured settings such as community halls and festival gatherings.

Virgin Islanders are suckers for a beat. Local fungi bands play scratch instruments such as gourds and washboards and sing songs that often comment on local social and political issues. The music of the moment is 'mix,' a rollicking blend of calypso, reggae and hip-hop that you'll hear blaring from cruising cars. Steel drum bands are enjoying something of a revival at the moment - it's a rare festival that doesn't have one on the program. The islands' European heritage is evident in quadrille dances which pop up with a witty French emphasis on St Croix and a sedate Prussian flavor on St Thomas.

The granddaddy of the Impressionists, Camille Pissarro, was born on St Thomas in 1830. Though he spent most of his life in Paris he's still thought of fondly as a native son. The Dronningens Gade house where he was born is open to the public but paying a visit is a vibe thing - there isn't much to see. These days the epicenter of Virgin Islands art is the Tillet Gardens Arts Center, a complex of studios, classrooms and galleries in a lovely setting northeast of Charlotte Amalie. There's also an active community of woodcarvers on St Croix working in mahogany and other rainforest timber.

Politeness goes a long way in the Virgin Islands. Islanders say good morning, afternoon and night as though it were a tic - you'll do well to do the same. As if to compensate for increased crime, the vast majority of residents are overwhelmingly helpful and friendly, especially once you get away from the understandably jaded folk in the shopping centers.