page_title: Charlotte Amalie, U.S. Virgin Islands
section_title: Etymology
hierarchical_section_title: Charlotte Amalie, U.S. Virgin Islands / Etymology
caption_attribution_description: Deutsch: Charlotte Amalie, Prinzessin von Hessen-Kassel und durch Heirat Königin von Dänemark und Norwegen (1650–1714). English: Margravine Charlotte Amalie of Hesse-Kassel, queen consort of Denmark and Norway. Svenska: Lantgrevinnan Charlotta Amalia av Hesse-Kassel, okrönt drottning av Danmark och Norge.
context_page_description: Charlotte Amalie, located on the island of St. Thomas, is the capital and the largest city of the United States Virgin Islands, founded in 1666 as Taphus. In 1691, the town was renamed to Charlotte Amalie after Charlotte Amalie of Hesse-Kassel, queen consort to King Christian V of Denmark-Norway. It has a deep-water harbor that was once a haven for pirates and is now one of the busiest ports of call for cruise ships in the Caribbean, with about 1.5 million/plus cruise ship passengers landing there annually. Protected by Hassel Island, the harbor has docking and fueling facilities, machine shops, and shipyards and was a U.S. submarine base until 1966. The Town has been inhabited for centuries. When Christopher Columbus arrived in 1493, the area was inhabited by Caribs, Arawaks, Ciboney and Taíno native peoples. It is on the southern shore at the head of Saint Thomas Harbor. In 2010 the City had a population of 18,481, which makes it the largest city in the Virgin Islands Archipelago. Hundreds of ferries and yachts pass by the Town each week.
  The City is known for its Danish colonial architecture, building structure and history.
context_section_description: Before the time of the Danish West Indies (1754–1917), the City was known as Taphus for its many beer halls. Taphus is Danish and directly translates to "beer house", "beer hall", or (most literally) "tap house". In 1691 the Town received a more respectable name by being named Charlotte Amalie in honor of Danish King Christian V's wife, Charlotte Amalie of Hesse-Kassel (1650–1714). Between 1921 and 1936, the Island was called St. Thomas by the United States. In 1936 the capital was recognized as Charlotte Amalie.
caption: The City was named Charlotte Amalie in honor of Charlotte Amalie of Hesse-Kassel in 1691.