# Caribbean

Map of the Caribbean
The **Caribbean** or **Caribbean Area** (Dutch: *Cariben* or *Caraiben*, French: *Caraïbe* or more commonly *Antilles*; Spanish: *Caribe*) is a region of the Americas. It includes the Caribbean Sea, its islands (more than 7,000 islands, small islands and cays, most of them surrounding the sea), and the coastal islands of north South America and east Central America.

## Geography

The Caribbean is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to its east and north, the coast of South America to its south, the coast of Central America to its southwest, and by the Gulf of Mexico to its northwest.

The **West Indies** is the name for the group of the islands of The Bahamas and the *Antilles*. The Antilles are divided into two groups: the larger *Greater Antilles*, on the north limit of the Caribbean Sea, and the *Lesser Antilles*, on the east and south.

The Caribbean islands have many different types of land. Because of this, the islands have many different kinds of plants and animals, even uncommon ones.

Famous islands in the Caribbean include: Cuba, Hispaniola, Jamaica, and Puerto Rico. The countries of Dominican Republic, and Haiti are on Hispaniola.
There is also a lot of white sandy beaches and hot sun there.

## Countries and territories by island group

| Name | Area (km2) | Population | Density (inhab./km2) | Capital city | Oficial language |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| **Greater Antilles** |
|  Cayman Islands | 264 | 53,737 | 204 | George Town | English |
|  Cuba | 110,860 | 11,061,886 | 100 | Havana | Spanish |
| Hispaniola | 76,420 | 20,113,564 | 263 |  |
|    Dominican Republic | 48,670 | 10,219,630 | 210 | Santo Domingo | Spanish |
|    Haiti | 27,750 | 9,893,934 | 357 | Port-au-Prince | French |
|  Jamaica | 10,991 | 2,909,714 | 265 | Kingston | English |
|  Puerto Rico | 13,790 | 3,674,209 | 266 | San Juan | Spanish |
| **Lesser Antilles** |
| *Leeward Antilles* |
|  ABC Islands | 76,420 | 20,113,564 | 263 |  |
|    Aruba | 180 | 109,153 | 606 | Oranjestad | Dutch |
|    Bonaire | 294 | 16,541 | 56 | Kralendijk | Dutch |
|    Curaçao | 444 | 146,836 | 331 | Willemstad | Dutch |
|  Federal Dependencies |  |  |  |  | Spanish |
|  Nueva Esparta |  |  |  |  | Spanish |
| *Leeward Islands* |
|  Anguilla | 91 | 15,754 | 173 | The Valley | English |
|  Antigua and Barbuda | 443 | 90,156 | 204 | Saint John's | English |
|  British Virgin Islands | 151 | 31,912 | 211 | Road Town | English |
|  Guadeloupe | 1,628 | 405,500 | 249 | Basse-Terre | French |
|  Montserrat | 102 | 5,189 | 51 | Plymouth | English |
|  Saba | 13 | 1,971 | 152 | The Bottom | Dutch |
|  Saint Barthélemy | 22 | 7,298 | 332 | Gustavia | French |
|  Saint Kitts and Nevis | 261 | 51,134 | 196 | Basseterre | English |
| Saint Martin | 88 | 70,953 | 806 |  |
|    Saint Martin | 54 | 31,264 | 579 | Marigot | French |
|    Sint Maarten | 34 | 39,689 | 1167 | Philipsburg | Dutch |
|  Sint Eustatius | 21 | 3,791 | 181 | Oranjestad | Dutch |
|  United States Virgin Islands | 1,910 | 104,737 | 55 | Charlotte Amalie | English |
| *Windward Islands* |
|  Barbados | 430 | 288,725 | 671 | Bridgetown | English |
|  Dominica | 751 | 73,286 | 98 | Roseau | English |
|  Grenada | 344 | 109,590 | 319 | St. George's | English |
|  Martinique | 1,128 | 403,795 | 358 | Fort-de-France | French |
|  Saint Lucia | 616 | 162,781 | 264 | Castries | English |
|  Saint Vincent and the Grenadines | 389 | 103,220 | 265 | Kingstown | English |
|  Trinidad and Tobago | 5,128 | 1,225,225 | 239 | Port of Spain | English |
| **Lucayan Archipelago** |
|  Bahamas | 13,880 | 319,031 | 23 | Nassau | English |
|  Turks and Caicos Islands | 948 | 47,754 | 50 | Grand Turk (Cockburn Town) | English |

## Name

The name Caribbean comes from *Carib*, Indigenous people living in the Lesser Antilles and north South America when the Europeans came to the Americas.

## History

The 18th century saw many countries trying to colonize the islands. Because of this, Caribbean culture is very similar to those of Africa, India, and many countries in Europe.