Charlotte Amalie is the capital and largest city of the U.S. Virgin Islands. It is located on the island of Saint Thomas and as of 2004 had an estimated population of 19,000 (the 2000 U.S. Census found a population of 18,914).
The city is named after Charlotte Amalie of Hesse-Kassel (or Hesse-Cassel) (1650-1714), queen consort to King Christian V of Denmark. It is famous as a deep-water harbor that was once a haven for pirates and is now a famed cruise ship port of call, with about 1.5 million cruise ship passengers landing there in 2004. Charlotte Amalie has many buildings of historical importance and is home to the second-oldest synagogue in the Western Hemisphere.
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