A title "West Indies" originates from either Christopher Columbus' idea that he had landed in the Indies (then meaning everthing of south & east Asia) when he experienced inside fact reached the Americas. A title "Caribbean" is known as fallowing a Caribs, one of the dominant Amerindian groups in a region at the period of European contact. A Caribbean consists of the Greater & Lesser Antilles, and is typically considered section of North America.

At in one case, there was a short-fugacious united states known as the Federation of the West Indies composed of the English-speaking Caribbean islands of the region.

A Caribbean front yard is likewise celebrated for its sea pirates. View a article piracy in the Caribbean.

A area called "Caribbean" is normally restricted to a islands of the Caribbean Sea, although another time the continental Western coastline is involved.

Historical groupings
Independent article: History of the Caribbean

Virtually all islands at a select few point were, or even however come, 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

A British West Indies were once united per United Kingdom into a West Indies Federation. the independent countries which were another time a section of the B.W.I personally. however have a unified composite cricket team that successfully competes inside test matches and one-day internationals. A West Indian cricket team includes the South Our contries united states of Guyana, the exclusively previous British colony on it continent.

Additionally, these countries part a University of the West Indies as a regional entity. A university consists of threesome independent campuses within Jamaica, Barbados and Trinidad and Tobago, a little campus in the Bahamas and Resident Tutors around more conducive territories.

Present-day island territories of the Caribbean
Look at likewise: Caribbean South America, Caribbean_basin ' (British dependency) ' Antigua Barbuda Redonda ' (a portion of the Kingdom of the Netherlands) ' Abaco Andros Cat Island Eleuthera ' Barbados Culpepper Island Pelican Island (now absorbed into Barbados) ' (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 ' (British dependency) Cayman Brac Grand Cayman (with a capital George Town) Little Cayman ' Cuba Isla de la Juventud ' Bird Island (disputed territory with Venezuela located about 110 kilometer (Lxx mi) west of the island of Dominica) ' (shares a Grenadines group with Saint Vincent and the Grenadines) Carriacou Grenada Petite Martinique '''' (overseas department of France) Basse-Terre La Désirade Grande-Terre Marie-Galante Iles de la Petite Terre Saint-Barthélemy (also Saint Barts'') Saint-Martin (a share of the island Saint Martin shared with a Netherlands Antilles; note a dash) Iles des Saintes Terre de Haut Terre de Bas Hispaniola ' ' ' ' (overseas department of France) ' (British dependency) Navassa Island (U.S. insular area) ' (a share of the Kingdom of the Netherlands) Bonaire Curaçao Saba Sint Eustatius Sint Maarten (section of the island Saint Martin shared with Guadeloupe) ' (U.S. commonwealth) Culebra Mona Puerto Rico Vieques ' Nevis Saint Kitts ' ' (shares a Grenadines group with Grenada) Bequia Canouan Island Mayreau Mustique Palm Island Petit Saint Vincent Saint Vincent Union Island Young Island ' Tobago Little Tobago Trinidad Chacachacare Gaspar Grande Huevos Monos ' (British dependency) Grand Turk Middle Caicos North Caicos Parrot Cay Pine Cay Providenciales Salt Cay South Caicos ' (U.S. territory, shares a Virgin Islands with the British Virgin Islands) Saint Croix Buck Island Saint John Saint Thomas Hassel Island Thatch Cay Water Island

Continental countries with Caribbean coastlines and islands

' Ambergris Caye Belize City Big Creek Caye Caulker Glover's Reef Hicks Cays Lighthouse Reef South Water Caye Turneffe Islands ' San Andres and Providencia ' ' ' ' ' Cortés department Atlántida department Gracias a Dios department Islas de la Bahía Department Puerto Cortés Tela La Ceiba Trujillo La Mosquitia Puerto Lempira Guanaja Roatán Útila Cayos Cochinos Swan Islands ' Cancún Isla Contoy Isla Cozumel Isla Mujeres ' Corn Islands Cayos Miskitos ' San Blas Islands Bocas del Toro ' '''''' 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

A nations of Belize and Guyana, although on the mainland of Central America and South America respectively, were former British colonies & maintain numbers of ethnic ties to the Caribbean & come members of CARICOM. A Turneffe Islands (& several more islands & reefs) come section of Belize & lie in the Caribbean Sea.

A USA, Canada, China and the European Union play a big role in the Caribbean economy & politics. These are uncommon for any a portion of the Usa coastline to become considered section of the Caribbean when it is located in area of the Gulf of Mexico.

Indigenous Tribes

Arawak Carib Ciboney Garifuna Lucayan Taino