British Virgin Islands

Back in December, Déa sent me a wonderful envelope full with caribbean cards. These two are my 1st from the British Virgin Islands. 

 The British Virgin Islands (BVI), is a British overseas territory located in the Caribbean to the east of Puerto Rico. It consist of the main islands of Tortola, Virgin Gorda, Anegada, and Jost Van Dyke, along with over fifty other smaller islands and cays. These cards are from Tortola and Virgin Gorda.

© Kimagic Photo & Design

 Tortola is the largest and most populated of the BVI.

The card shows Long Bay Beach, a mile-long stretch of white sand beach fringed with palms and sea grapes, perfect for a tranquil sunset walk.  The eastern portion is lined with a resort and guest houses, while the western end offers peaceful solitude and ideal swimming. - in: http://www.bvitourism.com/wtd/long-bay-beach

© Kimagic Photo & Design

Virgin Gorda is the third-largest (after Tortola and Anegada) and second most populous of the British Virgin Islands.  

The most notable ruin on Virgin Gorda is the old Copper Mine, a National Park containing the ruins of an abandoned 19th-century copper mine.

Copper was first discovered on Virgin Gorda. Local legends also suggest the shafts were originally dug by Spanish adventurers to mine silver in the late fifteenth century, but no documentary evidence can be found to support this theory, and no firm evidence of Spanish occupation of the islands prior to the Dutch settlement exists, much less the size of settlement which would be needed to sink shafts.

After the islands came under British control, the Copper Mine was constructed in 1837 and its first shaft was sunk in 1838. In two separate periods over the next 24 years, 36 Cornish miners extracted ore from this site with the aid of some 140 British Virgin Islands workmen. The ore which was extracted was sent first by road to Spanish Town (the largest settlement and harbour on Virgin Gorda) along coppermine road (originally built by the miners), and then by ship to Wales and; on the return trip the ships would carry provisions, wood for construction, wages for the workers, and coal with which to power their steam engine.

The mine was finally abandoned in 1862 and was never reopened. Parts of the original stack, the engine house, and the main building are all that remain. Several of the Cornish miners started families with native women and there are descendants living in the Virgin Islands to this day. - in: wikipedia