Caribbean Sea

Caribbean From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

Central America and the Caribbean (detailed pdf map) The Caribbean, (Spanish: Caribe) or the West Indies is a group of countries and islands in the Caribbean Sea. These countries or islands are located from the southeastern areas of Mexico to the northwest of Venezuela in 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 the English-speaking Caribbean islands 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.

Contents [hide] 1 Historical groupings 2 Present-day island territories of the Caribbean 3 Continental countries with Caribbean coastlines 4 Indigenous Tribes 5 See also 5.1 Regional Institutions

[edit] 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, 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 - Haiti and the French overseas départements of Guadeloupe and Martinique 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.

[edit] Present-day island territories of the Caribbean

Detail of tectonic plates from: Tectonic plates of the world.See also: Caribbean South America, Caribbean_basin

Anguilla (British dependency) 
Antigua and Barbuda

Antigua Barbuda Redonda

Aruba (part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands) 
Bahamas

Abaco Andros Cat Island Eleuthera

Barbados

Barbados Culpepper Island Pelican Island (now absorbed into Barbados)

British Virgin Islands (British dependency, shares the Virgin Islands with the U.S. Virgin Islands.)

Anegada Beef Island Bellamy Cay Cooper Island Great Camanoe Guana Island Jost Van Dyke Little Thatch Marina Cay Mosquito Island Nanny Cay Necker Island Norman Island Peter Island Prickly Pear Island Saba Rock Salt Cay Tortola Virgin Gorda

Cayman Islands (British dependency)

Cayman Brac Grand Cayman (with the capital George Town) Little Cayman

Cuba

Cuba Isla de la Juventud

Dominica

Bird Island (disputed territory with Venezuela located about 110 km (70 mi) west of the island of Dominica)

Grenada (shares the Grenadines group with Saint Vincent and the Grenadines)

Carriacou Grenada Petite Martinique

Guadeloupe (overseas department of France)

Basse-Terre La Désirade Grande-Terre Marie-Galante Iles de la Petite Terre Saint-Barthélemy (also Saint Barts) Saint-Martin (part of the island Saint Martin shared with the Netherlands Antilles; note the dash) Iles des Saintes Terre de Haut Terre de Bas Hispaniola

Dominican Republic 
Haiti 
Jamaica 
Martinique (overseas department of France) 
Montserrat (British dependency)

Navassa Island (U.S. insular area)

Netherlands Antilles (part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands)

Bonaire Curaçao Saba Sint Eustatius Sint Maarten (part of the island Saint Martin shared with Guadeloupe)

Puerto Rico (U.S. commonwealth)

Culebra Mona Puerto Rico Vieques

Saint Kitts and Nevis

Nevis Saint Kitts

Saint Lucia 
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines (shares the Grenadines group with Grenada)

Bequia Canouan Island Mayreau Mustique Palm Island Petit Saint Vincent Saint Vincent Union Island Young Island

Trinidad and Tobago

Tobago Little Tobago Trinidad Chacachacare Gaspar Grande Huevos Monos

Turks and Caicos Islands (British dependency)

Grand Turk Middle Caicos North Caicos Parrot Cay Pine Cay Providenciales Salt Cay South Caicos

United States Virgin Islands (U.S. territory, shares the Virgin Islands with the British Virgin Islands)

Saint Croix Buck Island Saint John Saint Thomas Hassel Island Thatch Cay Water Island [edit] Continental countries with Caribbean coastlines

Belize

Ambergris Caye Caye Caulker Glover's Reef Hicks Cays Lighthouse Reef South Water Caye Turneffe Islands

Colombia

San Andres and Providencia

Costa Rica 
French Guiana 
Guatemala 
Guyana 
Honduras

Islas de la Bahía Department Guanaja Roatán Útila Cayos Cochinos Swan Islands Swan Islands

Mexico

Cancún Isla Contoy Isla Cozumel Isla Mujeres

Nicaragua

Corn Islands Cayos Miskitos

Panama

San Blas Islands Bocas del Toro

Suriname 
Venezuela

Isla Margarita Los Monjes Archipelago Las Aves Archipelago Isla de Aves Los Hermanos Island Los Frailes Island Los Roques Archipelago La Sola Island La Tortuga Island La Orchila Island Los Testigos Island La Blanquilla Island Isla de Patos The nations of Belize and Guyana, although on the mainland of Central America and South America respectively, were former British colonies and maintain many cultural ties to the Caribbean and are members of CARICOM. The Turneffe Islands (and many other islands and reefs) are part of Belize and lie in the Caribbean Sea.

The USA, Canada, China and the European Union play a large role in the Caribbean economy and politics. It is rare for any part of the US coastline to be considered part of the Caribbean as they are located in parts of the Gulf of Mexico.

[edit] Indigenous Tribes Arawak Carib Ciboney Garifuna Lucayan Taino [edit] See also

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African diaspora British Afro-Caribbean community Caribbean English Caribbean medical education CONCACAF Council on Hemispheric Affairs History of the Caribbean Indo-Caribbean Music of the Caribbean Politics of the Caribbean Tourism in Caribbean West Indies Federation [edit] Regional Institutions Here are some of the bodies that several islands share in collaboration:

African, Caribbean and Pacific states (ACP) Association of Caribbean States (ACS), Trinidad and Tobago Caribbean Association of Industry and Commerce (CAIC), Trinidad and Tobago [1] Caribbean Community (CARICOM), Guyana Caribbean Development Bank (CDB), Barbados Caribbean Disaster Emergency Response Agency (CDERA), Barbados Caribbean Examinations Council (CXC), Barbados and Jamaica Caribbean Hotel Association (CHA), Puerto Rico [2] Caribbean Programme For Economic Competitiveness (CPEC), Saint Lucia [3] Caribbean Regional Fisheries Mechanism (CRFM), Belize [4] Caribbean Regional Negotiating Machinery (CRNM), Barbados and Dominican Republic [5] Caribbean Tourism Organisation (CTO), Barbados Inter-American Economic Council (IAEC), Washington, D.C. Latin American and Caribbean Internet Addresses Registry (LACNIC), Brazil and Uruguay Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS), Saint Lucia United Nations - Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC), Costa Rica and Trinidad and Tobago Many of the nations in the Caribbean play international cricket as one team called the West Indies.

Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caribbean" Categories: Caribbean | Americas

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