Saint Croix (redirected from Saint Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands)

Saint Croix, island, Virgin Islands

Saint Croix (sānt kroi), island (2000 pop. 53,234), 80 sq mi (207 sq km), the largest of the U.S. Virgin Islands, in the West Indies. Christiansted, on the northeast coast, is the island's leading town. Buck Island Reef National Monument is off the island's NE coast.

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Saint Croix, rivers, North America

Saint Croix.

1 River, 75 mi (121 km) long, rising in the Chiputneticook Lakes and flowing SE to Passamaquoddy Bay, forming part of the U.S.-Canada border; navigable to Calais, Maine. The river is used for power and to float logs downstream. In 1604, French explorer Samuel de Champlain helped establish a colony on St. Croix (Dochet) Island (now an international historic site) near the river's mouth; it was abandoned in 1605.

2 River, 164 mi (264 km) long, rising in the lake district of NW Wis. and flowing generally S to the Mississippi River at Prescott, Wis.; forms part of the Wis.–Minn. line. The Dalles, a scenic gorge, is located in Interstate Park. A hydroelectric plant at St. Croix Falls supplies power to the Minneapolis–St. Paul metropolitan area.

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Saint Croix

Largest island (pop., 1990: 50,000) of the U.S. Virgin Islands. Located south of Saint Thomas, it has an area of 84 sq mi (218 sq km). Its capital is Christiansted; the town of Frederiksted is the commercial centre. In 1493 it was visited by Christopher Columbus, who named it Santa Cruz. In the mid-17th century it was colonized in turn by the Dutch, English, Spanish, and French. It was purchased by Denmark in 1733 and sold to the U.S. in 1917. In 1989 it was devastated by a hurricane but recovered with U.S. aid. Tourism is the main industry; rum is distilled and exported.

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Saint Croix

an island in the Caribbean, the largest of the Virgin Islands of the US: purchased from Denmark by the US in 1917. Chief town: Christiansted. Pop.: 53 234 (2000). Area: 207 sq. km (80 sq. miles)