Danish West Indies

Danish West Indies
Dansk Vestindien
1672–1917
StatusColony of Denmark–Norway (1672–1814)
Colony of Denmark
CapitalCharlotte Amalie (1672–1754,1871–1917)
Christiansted (1754–1871)
Common languagesDanish (official)
English
Virgin Islands Creole
Negerhollands
Other Languages
Governor-General 
• 1756–66
Christian Leberecht von Prøck (first)
• 1916–17
Henri Konow (last)
History 
• Danish West India Company takes possession of Saint Thomas
1672
1685–1754
• Saint John colonized and claimed
1717–1718
• Danish West India Company purchases Saint Croix from French West India Company
1733
31 March 1917
Area
400 km2 (150 sq mi)
Population
• 1911
27,000
CurrencyDanish rigsdaler until 1875
Rigsdaler (1754–1849)
Daler (1849–1917)
From 1905, the currency of the Latin Coin Union was used
Danish krone-DKK (1875–1917)
Succeeded by
United States Virgin Islands

The Danish West Indies (Danish: Dansk Vestindien) or Danish Virgin Islands (Danish: Danske Jomfruøer) or Danish Antilles were a Danish colony in the Caribbean, consisting of the islands of Saint Thomas with 83 square kilometres (32 sq mi), Saint John (Danish: St. Jan) with 49 square kilometres (19 sq mi), Saint Croix with 220 square kilometres (85 sq mi), and Water Island.

The islands of St Thomas, St John, and St Croix were purchased by United States in 1917 and became known as the United States Virgin Islands. Water Island was sold in 1905 to the Danish East Asiatic Company and bought by the U.S. Government in 1944. In 1996, it also became part of the U.S. Virgin Islands.

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