Which islands are part of the US Virgin Islands?
The U.S. Virgin Islands consists of the main islands of Saint Croix, Saint John, and Saint Thomas, and 50 other surrounding minor islands and cays. The total land area of the territory is 133.73 square miles (346.36 km2). The territory’s capital is Charlotte Amalie on the island of St. Thomas.
How many islands are in the Virgin Islands?
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.
What is the Windward and Leeward Islands?
An island’s windward side faces the prevailing, or trade, winds, whereas the island’s leeward side faces away from the wind, sheltered from prevailing winds by hills and mountains. Thus, an island’s windward side is wetter and more verdant than its drier leeward side.
Why are they called Windward Islands?
The Windward Islands comprise Barbados, Grenada, the Grenadines, Martinique, St. Lucia, St. Vincent, Tobago and Trinidad, which are among the larger of the Lesser Antilles islands. They are referred to as the Windward Islands due to their location on the path of Northeastern trade winds.
What is the largest Windward Island?
The Windward Islands, in the West Indies, was made up of the British possessions of Grenada, St Vincent and St Lucia. Grenada, the smallest, is the southernmost island and St Lucia, the largest, is the northernmost island.
What direction is leeward?
Leeward (/ˈliːwərd, ˈljuːərd/) is the direction downwind from the point of reference, i.e. along the direction towards which the wind is going. The leeward region of mountains generally remains dry as compared to the windward region. The side of a ship that is towards the leeward is its “lee side”.
Is Kona on the leeward side?
The sunny Kona Districts expand for approximately 60 miles along the west shore from Kona International Airport to south of Kealakekua Bay. This historical region boasts everything from important landmarks to famous coffee farms. Kona means ‘Leeward’ side.
Is Leeward left or right?
The leeward side is the left side and windward is the right side. The leeward side of the boat is the side opposite the wind. The direction to which the wind is going. The wind first hits the boat on the windward side ( the direction from which the wind is coming) crossing the boat to the leeward side.
Which side of the Big Island is the windward side?
In general, the north and/or east sides of each Hawaiian Island tend to have the windward climate. In contrast, the south and/or west sides of the islands are leeward. The following satellite map of Hawaii’s Big Island illustrates this climate trend.
Which side of the Big Island has the least rainfall?
The Kona side of the Big Island is dry and sunny on most days of the year. That’s why most hotels and resorts on the island are located here because visitors prefer sunshine. The Kohala area (located north of Kailua-Kona) is the driest area on the island, receiving just about 10 inches (254 mm) of rain per year.