Caribbean : West Indies

The Caribbean or the West Indies are a group of island states in the Caribbean Sea. The name West Indies originates from the thought that the American continent was in fact India.

Present-day territories of the Caribbean

• Anguilla (British dependency)
• Antigua and Barbuda
  • Antigua
  • Barbuda
• Aruba (part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands)
• Bahamas
  • Andros[?]
  • Cat Island[?]
  • Eleuthera[?]
  • Grand Bahama[?]
  • New Providence[?], with the capital Nassau.
• Barbados
• Bermuda (British dependency)
• British Virgin Islands (British dependency, shares the Virgin Islands with the U.S. Virgin Islands.)
• Cayman Islands (British dependency)
  • Cayman Brac[?]
  • Grand Cayman[?], with the capital George Town[?]
  • Little Cayman[?]
• Cuba
• Dominica
• Dominican Republic
  • Hispaniola (an island shared with Haiti)
• Grenada (shares the Grenadines group with Saint Vincent and the Grenadines)
• Guadeloupe (overseas department of France)
  • Basse-Terre[?]
  • La Desirade[?]
  • Grande-Terre[?]
  • Marie-Galante[?]
  • Iles de la Petite Terre[?]
  • Iles des Saintes[?] (2 islands)
  • Saint Barthélemy, also Saint Barts
  • Saint Martin (part of an island shared with the Netherlands Antilles)
• Haiti
  • Hispaniola (an island shared with the Dominican Republic)
• Jamaica
• Martinique (overseas department of France)
• Mexico isn't a Caribbean nation, but has some islands in the Caribbean sea:
  • Isla Cancún[?], part of Cancún[?] city, possibly not a genuine island.
  • Isla Mujeres, near Cancún.
  • Cozumel Island, Cozumel or Isla Cozumel
• Montserrat (British dependency)
• Netherlands Antilles (part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands)
  • Bonaire
  • Curaçao
  • Saba[?]
  • Sint Eustatius[?]
  • Sint Maarten (part of an island shared with Guadeloupe)
• Puerto Rico (U.S. free associated state)
• Saint Kitts and Nevis
  • Saint Kitts
  • Nevis
• Saint Lucia
• Saint Vincent and the Grenadines (shares the Grenadines group with Grenada)
  • Bequia[?]
  • Mustique[?]
  • Palm Island[?]
  • Saint Vincent
  • Young Island[?]
• Trinidad and Tobago
  • Tobago
  • Trinidad
• Turks and Caicos Islands (British dependency)
  • Grand Turk[?]
  • Providenciales[?]
• U.S. Virgin Islands (territory of the USA, shares the Virgin Islands with the British Virgin Islands)

Historical groupings

Most islands at some point were, or still are, colonies of European nations:

• British West Indies[?] - Anguilla, Antigua and Barbuda, Bahamas, Barbados, British Virgin Islands, Cayman Islands, Dominica, Grenada, Jamaica, Montserrat, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Trinidad and Tobago and the Turks and Caicos Islands
• Danish West Indies - present-day United States Virgin Islands
• Dutch West Indies[?] - present-day Netherlands Antilles and Aruba
• French West Indies[?] - the French overseas départements of Guadeloupe and Martinique
• Spanish ...

The British West Indies, formerly united in the West Indies Federation, still make up a composite cricket team that successfully competes in test matches and one-day internationals.

Native American Tribes

• Arawak
• Carib
• Ciboney[?]

See also: History of the Caribbean, African diaspora, British Afro-Caribbean community[?]