United States Virgin Islands

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United States Virgin Islands

The United States Virgin Islands (USVI; also called the US Virgin Islands or American Virgin Islands), officially the Virgin Islands of the United States, is a group of islands in the Caribbean that is an unincorporated and organized territory of the United States.

Pronunciation

  • United States Virgin Islands: /juːˈnaɪ.tɪd ˈsteɪts ˈvɝː.dʒɪn ˈaɪ.ləndz/

Etymology

The name "Virgin Islands" comes from the translation of the name given to the islands by Christopher Columbus in honor of Saint Ursula and her virgin followers. The "United States" part of the name was added after the islands were purchased by the U.S. from Denmark in 1917.

Related Terms

  • Caribbean: A region of the Americas that consists of the Caribbean Sea, its islands, and the surrounding coasts.
  • Unincorporated territories of the United States: Areas controlled by the United States government which are not part of the fifty U.S. states or the U.S. federal district of Washington, D.C.
  • Organized territory: A type of United States territory that has an organic act, a constitution, and a government established by the U.S. Congress.
  • Denmark: A country in Northern Europe, the former colonial power of the Virgin Islands.
  • Christopher Columbus: An Italian explorer who completed four voyages across the Atlantic Ocean, opening the way for widespread European exploration and the eventual conquest of the Americas by Europeans.
  • Saint Ursula: A legendary Romano-British Christian saint, in whose honor the Virgin Islands were named.

External links

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