Live webcams St. Thomas - landscapes of the Virgin Islands

Webcams of St. Thomas, which can be viewed online on the site, allow you to enjoy the views of the most picturesque island in the Caribbean. It is one of the US Virgin Islands. Here is the capital of this territory - the port of Charlotte Amalie. Almost half of the entire population of the islands lives on St. Thomas. Therefore, it is considered one of the most developed in the American part of the land. The island is located directly in the Anegada Strait. It is bordered by the Caribbean Sea on one side and the Atlantic Ocean on the other. Its area is slightly more than 80 km2.

Tourists are offered holidays for every taste and, of course, all marine activities are available: kayaking, diving, snorkeling, fishing, windsurfing, etc.

Especially for those who love shopping here. There are duty-free shops on the islands, which allows you to make purchases with great benefits. You can come here for one day if you are traveling on a cruise ship, but it is better to stay longer to enjoy your Caribbean holidays and feel the atmosphere of the island.
The history of St. Thomas is quite long. The first people, or to be more precise, the Siboney people, settled here around 1500 BC. Then they were replaced by Arawaks and Caribs. Many centuries later, in 1493, the island was noticed by Christopher Columbus during his second trip to the New World.
In 1657 the Dutch West India Company of merchants and investors established a post here. The main reason for establishing a colony here was that it lay strategically between the Dutch colonies in the south and New Netherland. In 1665, for the first time, Denmark and Norway tried to capture the islands. Despite the fact that the attempt was unsuccessful, they still managed to move their reformed church of St. Thomas here, which later became part of the Danish West Indies campaign.

The main direction in the economy of St. Thomas was the production of sugar cane.

Slaves were brought in to work on the plantations, turning the island, among other things, into a slave market. In the 17th century the largest slave auctions in the world were held here. Although sugar production brought prosperity to free citizens, by the beginning of the 19th century. St. Thomas was in decline anyway. Plantations were often damaged by hurricanes, drought, and intense competition from American growers. Given that slavery was abolished in 1848, labor costs also increased, which further weakened the position of sugar producers on the island.
A new page in the history of the island began from the moment it was acquired by the United States. In 1917, America bought it, along with the rest of the Virgin Islands, for $25 million in gold, which is $505 million in today's money. The authorities did this as part of a defensive strategy to maintain control of the Caribbean and the Panama Canal.

Webcams of St. Thomas, which can be watched online, also allow you to plunge into the atmosphere of the pirate past.

After all, the most famous attraction is Blackbeard's castle. It is located in the capital of the island. It was originally erected in 1679 by the Danes as a defensive tower to protect the harbor and called it Skitsborg (protective castle). At the same time, at the beginning of the XVIII century. English pirate Edward Teach, better known as Blackbeard, sailed through Caribbean waters and used this tower for his own purposes as an observation post. It is possible that he received such a name precisely for this reason, although at what point he began to be called that is unknown. The tower was private property for many years. At some point in history, there was a hotel here, but now it is closed to the public.
Another interesting place to visit is the Coral Ocean Park. It is located near Koki Beach in the eastern part of St. Thomas. It was opened in 1978. It features a signature underwater observatory that descends 20 feet into the ocean. Over time, the park has developed a large reservoir that houses native fish species and other marine animals, as well as an aviary for South American sea lions. Among the inhabitants of the park are sea turtles, young sharks, starfish, iguanas and lorikeets. Many animals are rescued from the wild and eventually released back. There are several tragic pages in the history of the park: twice it was completely and partially destroyed by hurricanes, after which it had to be restored. The peculiarity of this place is that visitors can interact and communicate with animals: feed, swim, go down to the bottom of the ocean.

St. Thomas webcams make it possible to watch online the hills covered with greenery, the azure sea and the gentle sun.

It is for these components that the island fell in love with travelers. This is truly a heavenly place, the impressions from which will remain for a long time.