Summary of Findings
The Physical Setting
The Human Element
The Historical Background
Land Use and Land Ownership
Production
Invisible Exports
Imports and Commercial Enterprises
Outlook and Recommendations
Notes, Sources and Acknowledgements
Adminstrator’s Office, Tortola, British Virgin Islands.
In this … study, the authors have set out to tell the story of the islands from their discovery by Christopher Columbus, during his second voyage to the West Indies in 1493, up to the present. Their history reflects the special nature and traditions of the area, and brings together the past and present within the framework of a comprehensive analysis.
This book makes no pretense at being another in a series of detailed writings on the islands. It is a compendium dealing only with geographical description and the statement of significant fact in chronological order for which we see a place as a “ready reference.” And we have departed from the traditional manner of writing about the islands in purely political terms; thinking of the archipelago as a unit, we have described them and highlighted their history as such. We hope this is merely the beginning of a recognition of the eco-system which the islands form.
A request from the Supervisor of Primary Schools that the pageant material be made available for use in schools led us to the decision to release the ‘bare bones’ of the research we have completed. A friend who saw the manuscript suggested that our efforts could have a wider circulation. This booklet is intended to give interested persons a “bird’s-eye” view of the islands and a familiarization with the highlights of Virgin Islands history. Pending, however, our larger effort, the bibliography provides some sources for those who would find more detail.
