Area Analysis 9 A mild tropical climate, scenic beauty, and status as a U.S. territory make Virgin Islands appealing for vacationers from United States and Europe. The islands host over 2.5 million visitors per year, most of ‘ whom arrive by cruise ship, and tourism is the dominant economic engine of the islands, accounting for roughly 70 percent of the total gross territorial product. | Each district has its own distinct landscape, mix and intensity of land uses, cultural identity, and ; prospects for future development. St Thomas is home to the capital and the territory’s largest city, Charlotte Amalie, which has an estimated population of roughly 19,000 persons. St Thomas is the : primary center for resort tourism, government, finance, trade, and commerce, but its rugged ; landscape limits the land available for agriculture and other types of land-intensive development. | Charlotte Amalie is also home to a major deepwater harbor that is along major shipping routes to the : Panama Canal, and it is just east of the Cyril E King International Airport — one of the busiest airports in Caribbean. St. Thomas has two cruise ship docks, and is the most frequented cruise ship port in the Caribbean. The island of St John is just under 3 miles to the east of St Thomas. Cruz Bay is located on the western i coast of the island and serves as its primary port and link to St Thomas. Nearly two thirds of St John is | owned by the National Park Service and is off-limits to commercial development. i St Croix is largest of the three islands, in both land area and population. It is roughly 45 miles to the : south of St Thomas. Its primary towns are Christiansted and Frederiksted. Overall the island is flatter and has more land available for additional agricultural, commercial and residential development than : St Thomas. St Croix is also the primary manufacturing center for the Virgin Islands, with rum / distilleries, a major watch-assembly plant, and; until February 2012, one of the