The United States Virgin Islands are a group of islands in the Caribbean Sea. They are currently owned and under the authority of the United States Government. They used to be owned by Denmark (and called "Danish West Indies"). They were sold to the U.S on January 17, 1917, because of fear that the Germans would capture them and use them as a submarine base in World War I. They are the only part of the U.S. where vehicles drive on the left hand side of the road.