History of the British Virgin Islands
This is the history of the British Virgin Islands. See also the history of the U.S. Virgin Islands, history of the Caribbean, history of present-day nations and states.
First settled by the Dutch in 1648, the British Virgin Islands were soon after (1672) annexed by the English. At the end of World War I "British" was incorporated in its name as the United States purchased the adjacent Danish West Indies from Denmark, renamimg them the U.S. Virgin Islands. The economy is closely tied to the larger and more populous U.S. Virgin Islands to the west; the US dollar is the legal currency.
See also:
- List of Presidents of the British Virgin Islands (1741-1887)
- List of Administrators of the British Virgin Islands (1887-1971)
- List of Governors of the British Virgin Islands (1971-present)
| Former Dutch colonies |
|---|
| Aruba (current) | Berbice | Brazil (part) | Cape Colony | Ceylon | Demerara | Deshima | Dutch East Indies | Dutch Guiana | Essequibo | Dutch West Indies or Netherlands Antilles (current) | Netherlands New Guinea | New Netherland (New Amsterdam, New Sweden) | New Zealand (part) | Smeerenburg | Taiwan | Tobago | Travancore | Virgin Islands (part) |
| See also: Dutch colonisation of the Americas | Dutch East India Company | Dutch West India Company | New Holland |