U.S. Virgin Islands
Three islands in the Caribbean. It depicts the islands' outline, a bananaquit bird, and a yellow cedar flower.
The U.S. Virgin Islands consist of three main islands located in the Caribbean Sea—St. Thomas, St. John, and St. Croix. This place, too, is not a U.S. state but a U.S. territory with the status of a “territory (unincorporated territory).” It refers to islands that belong to the United States yet have not yet been incorporated as a state.
The reverse of the coin depicts the outline of the three islands together with a small bird called the bananaquit (bananaquit), a yellow cedar (yellow cedar) flower, and a palm tree. Beside them are the words “United in Pride and Hope.”
The bananaquit is a bird commonly seen in this region, and the yellow cedar flower is the flower that represents this place. The image of the three islands lined up side by side, with the region’s bird and flower brought together above them, holds the spirit of separate islands living in harmony as one community.
The story of how these islands became a U.S. territory is a little special. In 1917, the United States purchased these islands from Denmark. They became American land through a purchase rather than a war. That is why a distinctive atmosphere blending European and Caribbean cultures remains here.
Within the small coin, the three islands together with their bird and flower are held, conveying the nature of the Caribbean and the hearts of its people. Just as the words “United in Pride and Hope” suggest, the coin quietly tells of a single dream held by these scattered islands.