Caribbean
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The '''Caribbean''', (Spanish language|Spanish: ''Caribe'') 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 Sovereignty|sovereign states, overseas departments, and dependent area|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 Americas|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.
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, 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 Département d'outre-mer|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 cricket|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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Anguillita Island
Dog Island
East Cay
Little Scrub Island
Prickly Pear Cays
Sandy Island, Anguilla|Sandy Island
Scrub Island
Seal Island
Sombrero, Anguilla|Sombrero
West Cay
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Antigua
Barbuda
Redonda
'''''' (part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands)
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Barbados
Culpepper Island
Pelican Island (now absorbed into Barbados)
'''''' (United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland|British dependency, shares the Virgin Islands with the U.S. Virgin Islands.)
Anegada
Beef Island
Bellamy Cay
Carvel Rock
Cockroach Island
Cooper Island
Dead Chest Cay
Diamond Cay
Dog Islands
Drowned Island
East Seal Dog Island
Eustatia Island
Fallen Jerusalem Island
Frenchmans Cay
Grouge Dog Island
Ginger Island
Great Camanoe
Great Dog Island
Great Thatch
Great Tobago Island
Green Cay
Guana Island
Jost Van Dyke
Key Cay
Little Anegada
Little Camanoe
Little Cay
Little Jost Van Dyke
Little Seal Dog Island
Little Thatch
Little Tobago
Little Wickmans Cay
Marina Cay
Mosquito Island
Nanny Cay
Necker Island
Norman Island
Old Jerusalem Island
Oyster Rock, British Virgin Islands|Oyster Rock
Pelican Island
Peter Island
Prickly Pear Island
Saba Rock
Salt Cay
Sandy Cay
Scrub Island
Spanish Island
Tortola
Virgin Gorda
West Dog Island
'''''' (United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland|British dependency)
Cayman Brac
Grand Cayman (with the capital George Town, Cayman Islands|George Town)
Little Cayman
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Cuba
Isla de la Juventud
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Isla Aves|Bird Island (disputed territory with Venezuela located about 110 km (70 mi) west of the island of Dominica)
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Carriacou
Grenada
Petit Martinique
Ronde Island
Petite Martinique
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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
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'''''' (United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland|British dependency)
Navassa Island (United States|U.S. insular area)
'''''' (part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands)
Bonaire
Curaçao
Saba
Sint Eustatius
Sint Maarten (part of the island Saint Martin shared with Guadeloupe)
'''''' (Commonwealth (U.S. insular area)|U.S. commonwealth)
Culebra, Puerto Rico|Culebra
Mona, Puerto Rico|Mona
Puerto Rico
Vieques, Puerto Rico|Vieques
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Nevis
Saint Kitts
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'''''' (shares the Grenadines group with Grenada)
Baliceaux Island
Bequia
Canouan Island
Mayreau
Mustique
Palm Island
Petit Mustique
Petit Saint Vincent
Saint Vincent (island)|Saint Vincent
Tobago Cays
Union Island
Young Island
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Tobago
Little Tobago
Trinidad
Chacachacare
Gaspar Grande
Huevos
Monos
'''''' (U.S. territory, shares the Virgin Islands with the British Virgin Islands)
Birsk Island
Buck Island Reef National Monument|Buck Island
Capella Island
Cas Cay
Cow And Calf Island
Dog Island
Dry Rock
Fish Cay
Flat Cay
Grass Cay
Great Saint James Island
Green Cay
Hassel Island, United States Virgin Islands|Hassel Island
Inner Brass Island
Johnsons Reef
Leduck Island
Little Saint James Island
Lovango Cay
Ningo Island
Outer Brass Island
Packet Rock
Patricia Cay
Saba Island, United States Virgin Islands|Saba Island
Saint Croix
Saint John, United States Virgin Islands|Saint John
Saint Thomas, United States Virgin Islands|Saint Thomas
South-West Rock
Stranglers Island
Thatch Cay, United States Virgin Islands|Thatch Cay
Turtledove Cay
Water Island, United States Virgin Islands|Water Island
Welk Rock
Continental countries with Caribbean coastlines and islands
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Ambergris Caye
Belize City
Big Creek, Belize|Big Creek
Caye Caulker
Glover's Reef
Hicks Cays
Lighthouse Reef
South Water Caye
Turneffe Islands
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San Andres and Providencia
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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
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Cancún
Isla Contoy
Isla Cozumel
Isla Mujeres
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Corn Islands
Cayos Miskitos
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San Blas Islands
Bocas del Toro
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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 Caribbean_Community|CARICOM. The Turneffe Islands (and many other islands and reefs) are part of Belize and lie in the Caribbean Sea.
Island territories near the Caribbean
Though not technically in the Caribbean Sea, the nearby Bahaman Archipelago is sometimes considered to be part of the Caribbean.
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Abaco
Acklins Island
Andros, Bahamas|Andros
Bimini|Bimini Islands
Cat Island, Bahamas|Cat Island
Crooked Island, Bahamas|Crooked Island
Eleuthera
Grand Bahama
Great Abaco
Great Exuma
Great Inaco
Long Island, Bahamas|Long Island
Mayaguana
New Providence
Ragged Island
San Salvador Island
'''''' (United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland|British dependency)
Grand Turk Island|Grand Turk
Middle Caicos
North Caicos
Parrot Cay
Pine Cay
Providenciales
Salt Cay
South Caicos
Arawak
Carib
Ciboney
Garifuna
Lucayan
Taino
See also
African diaspora
British Afro-Caribbean community
Caribbean English
CONCACAF
Council on Hemispheric Affairs
History of the Caribbean
Indo-Caribbean
Music of the Caribbean
Politics of the Caribbean
Tongue of the Ocean
List_of_popular_tourist_regions#Tourism_in_Caribbean|Tourism in Caribbean
West Indies Federation
ACP countries|African, Caribbean and Pacific states (ACP)
Association of Caribbean States (ACS), Trinidad and Tobago
Caribbean Association of Industry and Commerce (CAIC), Trinidad and Tobago http://www.caic.org.tt/ Caribbean Community (CARICOM), Guyana
Caribbean Development Bank (CDB), Barbados
CDERA|Caribbean Disaster Emergency Response Agency (CDERA), Barbados
Caribbean Examinations Council (CXC), Barbados and Jamaica
Caribbean Hotel Association (CHA), Puerto Rico http://www.caribbeanhotels.org/ Caribbean Programme for Economic Competitiveness (CPEC), Saint Lucia http://www.cpechrd.org/ Caribbean Regional Fisheries Mechanism (CRFM), Belize http://www.caricom-fisheries.com/ Caribbean Regional Negotiating Machinery (CRNM), Barbados and Dominican Republic http://www.crnm.org/ 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
ECLAC|United Nations - Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC), Chile and Trinidad and Tobago
Many of the nations in the Caribbean play international cricket as one team called the West Indian cricket team|West Indies.
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