From 3 January 1958, to 31 May 1962, there was also a political union called the West Indies Federation composed of ten English-speaking Caribbean territories, all of which were then British dependencies.
Caribbean.
| Area | 275,400 km2 (106,300 sq mi) |
|---|---|
| Demonym | Caribbean, West Indian |
| Countries | show 16 |
| Dependencies | show 24 |
Contents
When did the Caribbean get its name?
The name “Caribbean” is derived from the Caribs, one of the dominant American Indian groups in the region at the time of European contact during the late 15th century.
What did the Caribbean used to be called?
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.
Why is Caribbean called Caribbean?
The name “Caribbean” derives from the Caribs, one of the region’s dominant Native American groups at the time of European contact during the late 15th century.During the first century of development, Spanish dominance in the region remained undisputed.
What did the Spanish call the Caribbean?
The Spanish West Indies or the Spanish Antilles (also known as “Las Antillas Occidentales” or simply “Las Antillas Españolas” in Spanish) were Spanish colonies in the Caribbean.
What are the 7 Caribbean islands?
The Caribbean Islands
- Greater Antilles. the most-visited region in the Caribbean.
- Haiti. Port-au-Prince, capital city of Haiti.
- Leeward Islands. the northern islands of the Lesser Antilles chain.
- Guadeloupe. Basse-Terre, capital city of Guadeloupe.
- Saint Barthélemy.
- Sint Eustatius.
- Windward Islands.
- Martinique.
How West Indies got its name?
The islands in the Caribbean are also sometimes referred to as the West Indies. Christopher Columbus thought he had reached the Indies (Asia) on his voyage to find another route there.The Caribbean was named the West Indies to account for Columbus’ mistake.
What was the Caribbean like before 1492?
The history of the Caribbean did not begin in 1492 when Christopher Columbus landed in the Bahamas. The islands were already inhabited by the Ciboney, Arawak and Carib peoples from mainland America. The Ciboney were a food-gathering and hunting people who may have migrated from Florida in southern North America.
When did the French came to the Caribbean?
Pierre Belain d’Esnambuc was a French trader and adventurer in the Caribbean, who established the first permanent French colony, Saint-Pierre, on the island of Martinique in 1635. Belain sailed to the Caribbean in 1625, hoping to establish a French settlement on the island of St. Christopher (St. Kitts).
When did the English came to Jamaica?
1655
In 1655 a British expedition under Admiral Sir William Penn and General Robert Venables captured Jamaica and began expelling the Spanish, a task that was accomplished within five years.
How old are the Caribbean islands?
The geologic age of the Caribbean is not known with certainty. As part of the Central American Sea, it is presumed to have been connected with the Mediterranean during Paleozoic times (i.e., about 541 to 252 million years ago) and then gradually to have separated from it as the Atlantic Ocean was formed.
What was the first Caribbean island discovered?
On October 12, 1492, Italian explorer Christopher Columbus made landfall in what is now the Bahamas. Columbus and his ships landed on an island that the native Lucayan people called Guanahani. Columbus renamed it San Salvador.
Is Caribbean and Jamaican the same?
listen); Jamaican Patois: Jumieka) is an island country situated in the Caribbean Sea. Spanning 10,990 square kilometres (4,240 sq mi) in area, it is the third-largest island of the Greater Antilles and the Caribbean (after Cuba and Hispaniola).
What are the Indies in 1492?
Hispanic control of the West Indies began in 1492 with Christopher Columbus’s first landing in the New World and was followed by the partitioning of the region by the Spanish, French, British, Dutch, and Danish during the 17th and 18th centuries.—and spread from South America to Trinidad and the Greater Antilles.
What islands in the Caribbean speak Spanish?
Spanish (official language of Cuba, Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico, Bay Islands (Honduras), Corn Islands (Nicaragua), Isla Cozumel, Isla Mujeres (Mexico), Nueva Esparta (Venezuela) the Federal Dependencies of Venezuela and San Andrés, Providencia and Santa Catalina (Colombia)
Did the Spanish take over the Caribbean?
Although Spain claimed the entire Caribbean, they settled only the larger islands of Hispaniola (1493), Puerto Rico (1508), Jamaica (1509), Cuba (1511), and Trinidad (1530) and the small ‘pearl islands’ of Cubagua and Margarita off the Venezuelan coast because of their valuable pearl beds, which were worked extensively
What are the 13 different Caribbean islands?
The boundary nations of the Caribbean Sea are Antigua and Barbuda, Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, Dominica, Dominican Republic, United States, Grenada, Guatemala, Guyana, Haiti, Honduras, Jamaica, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, St. Kitts and Nevis, St. Lucia, St.
Which is the prettiest Caribbean island?
Caribbean: the most beautiful islands
- Saint Vincent and the Grenadines.
- Trinidad and Tobago.
- St. Lucia.
- Grenada.
- Grand Cayman.
- Aruba.
- Anguilla.
- Cuba.
What is the closest Caribbean island to the United States?
Bimini
Bimini is the closest island to the U.S. coast, just 50 miles east of Miami.
How many islands are in the Caribbean?
700 islands
The region, situated largely on the Caribbean Plate, has more than 700 islands, islets, reefs and cays (see the list of Caribbean islands).
What is the difference between the West Indies and the Caribbean?
West Indies epitomises all that made cricket such a wonderful way of life (till T20 cut it short).Caribbean is the term most politically correct social scientists and historians would use to denote the 7,000-odd islands that lie in the Caribbean Sea area — West Indies was a term coined by colonising European powers.
