The United States Virgin Islands, often abbreviated USVI, is a group of islands and cays located in the Lesser Antilles of the Eastern Caribbean. Consisting of three larger islands (Saint Croix, Saint John, and Saint Thomas) plus fifty smaller islets and cays. Like many of its Caribbean neighbors, its history includes native Amerindian settlement, European colonization, and the Atlantic slave trade. Before the colonial period, the islands were inhabited at different times by the Arawak, Ciboney, and Kalinago peoples. Europeans are first known to have encountered the islands during Columbus' second voyage. Over the next century, settlers from across western Europe laid claim to the land and the majority of indigenous peoples either perished or were displaced. The islands initially profited from the triangular trade, and many enslaved peoples were brought to the island, beginning in 1673. The islands were acquired by the Danish West India Company between 1672 and 1733, eventually becoming known as the Danish West Indies. Following a slave rebellion in 1848, slavery was abolished in the Danish territories, and the plantation economy of the islands collapsed. Faced with mounting deficits, the Danish Government then engaged in several attempts to sell the islands. After decades of negotiations, the United States purchased the islands in 1917. They officially became an unincorporated U.S. territory in 1927. (en)
Les îles Vierges sont restés pendant deux siècles sous le contrôle du Danemark, avant d'être achetées en 1917 par le gouvernement américain. (fr)
Os mais antigos habitantes das Ilhas Virgens Americanas foram as tribos Ciboneis, Aruaques e Caraíbas, e o primeiro europeu a visitar o arquipélago foi Cristóvão Colombo. As ilhas foram ocupadas por diversos países no século XVI, entre as quais a Inglaterra, Países Baixos, França e Dinamarca. Em 1733, a comprou a ilha de Santa Cruz aos franceses e estabeleceu as Índias Ocidentais Dinamarquesas como São Tomás, São João e na própria Santa Cruz. As ilhas foram compradas à Dinamarca pelos Estados Unidos em 1917. Nas ilhas estabeleceram-se postos de comércio de escravos, e milhares deles trabalharam nas plantações de cana-de-açúcar. A escravatura terminou em 1848, após uma rebelião. (pt)
Les îles Vierges sont restés pendant deux siècles sous le contrôle du Danemark, avant d'être achetées en 1917 par le gouvernement américain. (fr)
The United States Virgin Islands, often abbreviated USVI, is a group of islands and cays located in the Lesser Antilles of the Eastern Caribbean. Consisting of three larger islands (Saint Croix, Saint John, and Saint Thomas) plus fifty smaller islets and cays. Like many of its Caribbean neighbors, its history includes native Amerindian settlement, European colonization, and the Atlantic slave trade. (en)
Os mais antigos habitantes das Ilhas Virgens Americanas foram as tribos Ciboneis, Aruaques e Caraíbas, e o primeiro europeu a visitar o arquipélago foi Cristóvão Colombo. As ilhas foram ocupadas por diversos países no século XVI, entre as quais a Inglaterra, Países Baixos, França e Dinamarca. Em 1733, a comprou a ilha de Santa Cruz aos franceses e estabeleceu as Índias Ocidentais Dinamarquesas como São Tomás, São João e na própria Santa Cruz. As ilhas foram compradas à Dinamarca pelos Estados Unidos em 1917. (pt)