The Virgin Islands are

an archipelago (map) in the

Leeward Islands in the

Caribbean Sea. The

islands are politically

divided into two parts,

one of which, the

north, is an overseas

territory of the United

Kingdom. The other,

the U.S. Virgin Islands

to the west and south,

is an unincorporated 

and organized United

States territory. The

latter islands (map) were

purchased by the USA

from the Danish (which

bought them from France

in 1773) during the First

World War (1917) as a

base for protecting the

shipping from German

submarines. The US

Virgin Islands have

more than double the

land area of the BVI

but more than four

times the population.

The BVI have a total

population of some

23,000 (2006 est.).

The Virgin Islands,

like other parts of

the Caribbean, were

once settled by the

Arawak (pictured), and later

by Carib Indians (pictured)

before the arrival of the

Europeans. The Virgin

Islands were sighted

and named by Christopher

following of 11,000 virgin

maids (Santa Ursula y las

Once Mil Virgines). The

Dutch established a

permanent settlement on 

Tortola in 1648. In 1672,

the English arrived in the

region and annexed the

Islands, removing the

Dutch populations from

Tortola in 1672, and from

Anegada and Virgin Gorda

in 1680. However, Dutch 

influence, particularly in