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About
the Caribbean:
from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
" The Caribbean or the West Indies is a group of islands in the Caribbean
Sea. These islands curve southward from the bottom tip of Florida to the Northwest
of Venezuela in South America. There are at least 7000 islands, islets, reefs
and cayes in the region. They are organized into twenty-five territories including
sovereign states, overseas departments and dependencies.
The name "West Indies" originates from
Christopher Columbus' idea that he had landed in India when he had
in fact reached the Americas.
The Caribbean consists of the Antilles and the Bahamas and is 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.
Historical groupings
Most islands at some point were, or still are, colonies of European nations:
British West Indies - 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 - the French overseas departements of Guadeloupe and Martinique
Spain - Cuba, Hispaniola (present-day Dominican Republic and Haiti), Puerto
Rico
The British West Indies, formerly united in the West Indies Federation, still
make up a composite cricket team that successfully competes in test matches
and one-day internationals. The West Indies cricket team also includes the
South American nation of Guyana, a former British colony....".
- For more details click countries in the Caribbean
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