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CHARLOTTE AMALIE sweeps around St Thomas Harbour in a striking combination of red-roofed whitewashed buildings backed by lush green villa-dotted hills. At any one time there can be up to eleven cruise ships scattered around the harbour. Add to that the hundreds of ferries and yachts that pass through and you get a feel for this vibrant, cosmopolitan, often congested port town whose 12,500 population is swelled daily by bargain-hunting tourists. Many of them head straight for the famous shopping district whose renovated merchant warehouses contain shops selling everything from cut-rate diamonds, perfume and fine textiles to monstrous Cuban cigars. But there's much more to Charlotte Amalie than shopping - the town is full of historic sites like the 99 Steps, Fort Christian and the St Thomas Synagogue , the world's second oldest Jewish house of worship. Named Charlotte Amalie in honour of the wife of Danish King Christian V, the Danish influence here is strong - much of the historic colonial architecture is still standing and streets are commonly referred to by the Danish word gades . On the peninsula due west of Charlotte Amalie, the smaller, quieter neighbourhood of FRENCHTOWN has been home to most of St Thomas's French descendants for centuries, and some fantastic restaurants.
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