The Caribbean, (Spanish: Caribe; French: Caraïbe or more commonly
Antilles; Dutch: Cariben or Caraïben, or more
commonly Antillen) or the West Indies, is a
group of islands and countries which are in or
border the Caribbean Sea which lies on the
Caribbean Plate. The countries and islands of
the Caribbean are located to the south and east
of Mexico and to the north and west of
Venezuela, South America. There are at least
7,000 islands, islets, reefs, and cayes in the
region. They are organized into 25 territories
including sovereign states, overseas
departments, and dependencies.
The name "West Indies" originates from
Christopher Columbus' idea that he had landed in
the Indies (then meaning all of south and east
Asia) when he had in fact reached the Americas.
The name "Caribbean" is named after the Caribs,
one of the dominant Amerindian groups in the
region at the time of European contact. The
Caribbean consists of the Greater and Lesser
Antilles, and is often considered part of North
America.
At one time, there was a short-lived country
called the Federation of the West Indies
composed of ten of the English-speaking
Caribbean territories of the region.
The Caribbean area is also famous for its sea
pirates. See the article piracy in the
Caribbean.
The region known as "Caribbean" is usually
restricted to the islands of the Caribbean Sea,
although sometimes the continental American
coastline is included.
Historical groupings
Main article: History of the Caribbean
Most islands at some point were, or still are,
colonies of European nations:
British West Indies / Anglophone_Caribbean -
Anguilla, Antigua and Barbuda, Barbados, British
Virgin Islands, Cayman Islands, Dominica (also
French speaking), Grenada, Jamaica, Montserrat,
Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia (also French
speaking), 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 - Anguilla (briefly), Antigua
and Barbuda (briefly), Dominica, Dominican
Republic, Grenada, Haiti, Montserrat (briefly),
Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines,
Sint Eustatius (briefly), St Kitts and Nevis (St
Kitts, but not Nevis), Trinidad and Tobago
(Tobago only), present-day US Virgin Islands
(Saint Croix only), and the current French
overseas départements of Martinique and
Guadeloupe (including Saint-Barthélemy and
northern half of Saint Martin)
Spain - Cuba, Hispaniola (present-day Dominican
Republic and Haiti), Puerto Rico
The British West Indies were formerly united by
the United Kingdom into a West Indies
Federation. The independent countries which were
once a part of the B.W.I. still have a unified
composite cricket team that successfully
competes in test matches and one-day
internationals. The West Indian cricket team
includes the South American nation of Guyana,
the only former British colony on that
continent.
In addition, these countries share the
University of the West Indies as a regional
entity. The university consists of three main
campuses in Jamaica, Barbados and Trinidad and
Tobago, a smaller campus in the Bahamas and
Resident Tutors in other contributing
territories.
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