The Danish West Indies or "Danish Antilles", (DWI, Dansk Vest Indien) are a former colony of Denmark in the Caribbean, now known as the U.S. Virgin Islands. Jomfruøerne ("Virgin Islands") was the Danish geographic name for the Virgin Islands. The Caribbean, (Spanish: Caribe; French: Caraïbe or more commonly Antilles; Dutch: Cariben or Caraïben, or more commonly Antillen) or the West Indies, is a group of islands and countries which are in or border the Caribbean Sea which lies on the Caribbean Plate. ...

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, the islands were sold to the Danish king, becoming royal Danish colonies. Saint Thomas is an island in the Caribbean Sea and a constituent of the United States Virgin Islands (USVI). ... Events England, France, Munster and Cologne invade the United Provinces, therefore this name is know as ´het rampjaar´ (the disaster year) in the Netherlands. ... Saint John is the smallest of the three main United States Virgin Islands (USVI), a United States territory. ... Events June 6 - The Ashmolean Museum opens as the worlds first university museum. ... // Events July 21 - Treaty of Passarowitz signed November 22 - Off the coast of Virginia, English pirate Edward Teach (best known as Blackbeard) is killed in battle when a British boarding party cornered and then shot and stabbed him more than 25 times. ... Saint Croix from space, January 1993 Saint Croix is one of the United States Virgin Islands, a United States territory, in the Caribbean. ... Events February 12 - British colonist James Oglethorpe founds Savannah, Georgia. ... 1754 was a common year starting on Tuesday (see link for calendar). ...

At times during the Napoleonic Wars, the islands were occupied by the British; first from March 1801 to 27 March 1802, and then again from December 1807 to 20 November 1815, when they were returned to Denmark. The Napoleonic Wars were a series of wars fought during Napoleon Bonapartes rule over France. ... The Union Jack, flag of the newly formed United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland. ... March 27 is the 86th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (87th in Leap years). ... --69. ... 1807 was a common year starting on Thursday (see link for calendar). ... November 20 is the 324th day of the year (325th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar. ... The Battle of New Orleans 1815 was a common year starting on Sunday (see link for calendar). ...

On 12 December 1916, the islands were sold to the United States, which was interested because of their strategic position near the approach to the Panama Canal. Danish administration officially ended 31 March 1917. December 12 is the 346th day (347th in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian calendar, with 19 days remaining. ... 1916 (MCMXVI) is a leap year starting on Saturday (link will take you to calendar) // Events January-February January 1 - The Royal Army Medical Corps first successful blood transfusion using blood that had been stored and cooled. ... A canal tug making its way down to the Caribbean end of the canal waits to be joined by a ship in the uppermost chamber of the Gatun Locks. ... March 31 is the 90th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (91st in Leap years), with 275 days remaining. ... 1917 (MCMXVII) was a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar (see link for calendar) or a common year starting on Tuesday of the 13-day slower Julian calendar. ...

Postage stamps

3 cents, 1866

The first postage stamp of the Danish West Indies was issued in 1856. It had the same square coat of arms design as the contemporary stamps of Denmark, but it was denominated 3 cents and of a dark carmine color on yellowish paper. A yellow burelage of wavy lines covered the stamp. (In the illustration at right, it is most easily seen along the bottom edge of the larger version.) An 1866 printing was on white paper, with the direction of the burelage lines changed, and in 1872 the stamps were perforated. In 1873 a 4c value in dull blue was issued. Image File history File linksMetadata Stamp_Danish_West_Indies_1866_3c. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Stamp_Danish_West_Indies_1866_3c. ... This 1974 stamp from Japan depicts a Class 8620 steam locomotive. ... 1856 was a leap year starting on Tuesday (see link for calendar). ... A modern coat of arms is derived from the medi val practice of painting designs onto the shield and outer clothing of knights to enable them to be identified in battle, and later in tournaments. ... Carmine is a pigment of a bright red color obtained from the carminic acid produced by the cochineal insect, and is used as a general term for a particularly deep red color. ... 1866 (MDCCCLXVI) is a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar or a common year starting on Wednesday of the 12-day-slower Julian calendar. ... 1872 (MDCCCLXXII) was a leap year starting on Monday (see link for calendar) of the Gregorian calendar or a leap year starting on Wednesday of the 12-day-slower Julian calendar. ... A perforation is a hole made by puncturing a surface. ... 1873 was a common year starting on Wednesday (see link for calaber). ...

1874 saw the first numeral issues of the same sort as used in Denmark. Values ranged from 1c to 50c; all were bi-colored. Inverted frames are common for several of the lower values. 1874 (MDCCCLXXIV) was a common year starting on Thursday (see link for calendar). ...

As usual for small colonies far away, DWI ran out of popular values periodically, and the colonial administration had to improvise. A 1c surcharge was printed on 7c stamps in 1887, and a 10c surcharge on 50c in 1895. An additional supply of numeral types in new colors came out between 1896 and 1901. An overprint is the addition of text (and sometimes graphics) to the face of a postage stamp after it has been printed. ... 1887 (MDCCCLXXXVII) is a common year starting on Saturday (click on link for calendar). ... 1895 (MDCCCXCV) was a common year starting on Tuesday (see link for calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Thursday of the 12-day-slower Julian calendar). ... 1896 (MDCCCXCVI) was a leap year starting on Wednesday (see link for calendar). ... 1901 (MCMI) was a common year starting on Tuesday (see link for calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Wednesday of the 13-day-slower Julian calendar). ...

Single-color 1c and 5c stamps were issued in 1900 to meet UPU regulations. Shortages of 2c and 8c values led to more surcharges in 1902, rectified in the following year by an issue of those values using the arms design of 1900. Postage due stamps first appeared in 1902 also. 1900 (MCM) is a common year starting on Monday. ... The Universal Postal Union (UPU) is a international organization that coordinates postal policies between member nations, and hence the world-wide postal system. ... 1902 (MCMII) was a common year starting on Wednesday (see link for calendar). ... Postage due is the term used for mail sent with insufficient postage. ...

20 bits, 1905

Until 1904, there was no official currency for the Danish West Indies, which had led first to the Spanish milled dollar and then the United States dollar to be used as the local currency. In 1904, the Danish-West Indian Nationalbank was established to provide an official currency. Rather than continue with the existing U.S. denominations or introducing the Danish kroner, the bank opted to use the Latin Monetary Union standard with francs and bits. As a result, in 1905, new stamps were issued. Values from 5b to 50b had a silhouette of King Christian IX, while 1fr, 2fr, and 5fr depicted the sailing ship Ingolf in St. Thomas harbor. New postage dues were required as well. Additional 5b stamps were produced by surcharging older stamps. Image File history File linksMetadata Stamp_Danish_West_Indies_1905_20b. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Stamp_Danish_West_Indies_1905_20b. ... 1904 (MCMIV) is a leap year starting on a Friday (link will take you to calendar). ... Krone can mean: Krone - the former currency of the Austro-Hungarian Empire from 1892. ... The Latin Monetary Union (1865-1927) was a 19th century attempt to unify several European currencies into a single currency that could be used in all the member states, at a time when most national currencies were still made out of gold and silver. ... The bit is a unit of money worth 1/8 of a Spanish dollar. ... 1905 (MCMV) was a common year starting on Sunday (see link for calendar). ... A silhouette is a view of an object or scene consisting of the outline and a featureless interior. ... Christian IX of Denmark (April 8, 1818 – January 29, 1906) was King of Denmark from November 15, 1863 to January 29, 1906. ... Traditional wooden cutter beating. ...

A definitive series of 1907 depicted Frederick VIII, followed in 1915 by a series for Christian X. A definitive postage stamp is a regular issue stamp that is part of a definitive issue or definitive series consisting of a range of denominations sufficient to cover all postal rates usefully. ... 1907 (MCMVII) was a common year starting on Tuesday (see link for calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Wednesday of the 13-day-slower Julian calendar). ... Frederik VIII (June 3, 1843 – May 14, 1912), was King of Denmark from 1906–1912. ... 1915 (MCMXV) was a common year starting on Friday (see link for calendar). ... Christian X of Denmark (Christian Carl Frederik Albert Alexander Vilhelm) (September 26, 1870 – April 20, 1947) was King of Denmark from 1912 to 1947 and of Iceland between 1918 and 1944. ...

A few types are cheaply available today, such as the low values of the 1907 issue, but most fall into the US$10-20 range. Because the letter-writing population was very small, perhaps just a few hundred persons, used copies are often valued more highly by collectors, and both forged and favor cancellations are known to have been made.

See also

• Danish colonization of the Americas
• U.S. Virgin Islands
• History of Denmark
• Greenland
• Danish India.

Denmark had a colonial empire from the 18th century until the 20th. ... This is a history of the Kingdom of Denmark and the areas comprising modern day Denmark. ... Tranquebar, 1600. ...

External link

• List of DWI governors