Which countries are in West Indies?

Which countries are in West Indies?

Three major physiographic divisions constitute the West Indies: the Greater Antilles, comprising the islands of Cuba, Jamaica, Hispaniola (Haiti and the Dominican Republic), and Puerto Rico; the Lesser Antilles, including the Virgin Islands, Anguilla, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Antigua and Barbuda, Montserrat, Guadeloupe.

Where are British West Indies?

Caribbean islands
The British West Indies encompassed all of the Caribbean islands and coastal nations once ruled by the British Empire. This includes the Leeward Islands, comprised of the British Virgin Islands, Antigua and Barbuda, Anguilla, Dominica, Montserrat, and St. Kitts and Nevis.

Why is it called British West Indies?

Along with a number of colonies in North America, the Caribbean formed the heart of England’s first overseas empire. The region was also known as the ‘West Indies’ because when the explorer Christopher Columbus first arrived there in 1492, he believed that he had sailed to the ‘Indies’, as Asia was then known.

Is the West Indies the same as the Caribbean?

Nowadays, the term West Indies is often interchangeable with the term Caribbean, although the latter may also include some Central and South American mainland countries which have Caribbean coastlines, such as Belize, Guyana, Suriname and French Guiana, and the Atlantic island nations of Trinidad and Tobago and Bermuda …

Is the British West Indies the same as West Indies?

The British West Indies (BWI) were the British territories in the West Indies: Anguilla, the Cayman Islands, Turks and Caicos Islands, Montserrat, the British Virgin Islands, Antigua and Barbuda, The Bahamas, Barbados, Dominica, Grenada, Jamaica, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines.

What islands does the UK own?

The British overseas territories (formerly known as British dependent territories or Crown colonies) are: Anguilla; Bermuda; British Antarctic Territory; British Indian Ocean Territory; British Virgin Islands; Cayman Islands; Falkland Islands; Gibraltar; Montserrat; Pitcairn, Henderson, Ducie and Oeno Islands; St …

What are the West Indies?

The West Indies are a chain of islands in the Caribbean Sea and Atlantic Ocean. Some of the West Indies are coral islands, while others are volcanic in origin. The West Indies are divided into three groups: The Bahamas, the Greater Antilles, and the Lesser Antilles.

What are the 12 colonies of the British West Indies?

In 1912, the British West Indies were divided into different colonies: The Bahamas, Barbados, Guiana, British Honduras, Jamaica (with its dependencies the Turks and Caicos Islands and the Cayman Islands), Trinidad and Tobago, the Windward Islands, and the Leeward Islands.

When did the West Indies break away from the British Empire?

In 1884 it finally broke all administrative ties with Jamaica and wanted self governance, as did Cayman Islands and the Turks and Caicos Islands. The West Indies Federation was a short-lived federation that existed from 3 January 1958 to 31 May 1962. It consisted of several Caribbean colonies of the United Kingdom.

What is the most westerly Caribbean island?

The Greater Antilles are the large islands in the west and center of the Caribbean Sea. The most westerly island is Cuba, which is also the largest island in the West Indies. Cuba is an island composed mostly of limestone. In fact, about 65% of the island contains limestone.