The Danish West Indies (Danish: Dansk Vestindien or De dansk-vestindiske øer) or Danish Antilles were a Danish colony in the Caribbean, first under the united kingdoms of Denmark-Norway and later, after the 1814 Treaty of Kiel, Denmark alone. The islands were sold to the United States in 1916 under the terms of the Treaty of the Danish West Indies and were organized as the United States Virgin Islands in 1917. The Danish geographical name for the...
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The Danish West Indies (Danish: Dansk Vestindien or De dansk-vestindiske øer) or Danish Antilles were a Danish colony in the Caribbean, first under the united kingdoms of Denmark-Norway and later, after the 1814 Treaty of Kiel, Denmark alone. The islands were sold to the United States in 1916 under the terms of the Treaty of the Danish West Indies and were organized as the United States Virgin Islands in 1917. The Danish geographical name for the constituent islands is Jomfruøerne (lit. "Virgin Islands").
The Danish West Indies covered a total area of 185 square miles (480 km) and in the 1850s consisted of three islands: Sankt Thomas with 43 square miles (110 km); Sankt Jan with 42 square miles (110 km); and Sankt Croix of 100 square miles (260 km).
The Danish West India and Guinea Company settled on St. Thomas island first in 1672, expanding to St. John in 1683 (a move disputed with the British until 1718), and purchasing St. Croix from the French West Indies Company in 1733. In 1754...
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