Definition of: Virgin Islands

A group of islands in the West Indies, east of Puerto Rico; divided into the Virgin Islands of the United States, an unincorporated territory comprising the islands of St. Thomas, St. John, and St. Croix, and adjacent islets, purchased from Denmark in 1917; 133 square miles; capital, Charlotte Amalie, on St. Thomas: formerly Danish West Indies; and the BRITISH VIRGIN ISLANDS; total area, 200 square miles.