Caribbean

The Caribbean or the West Indies is a group of countries and islands in the Caribbean Sea. These countries or islands are located from the southeastern areas of Mexico to the northwest of Venezuela in South America. There are at least 7,000 islands, islets, reefs, and cayes in the region. They are organized into 25 territories including sovereign states, overseas departments, and dependencies.

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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 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.

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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.

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The Caribbean area is also famous for its sea pirates. See the article piracy in the Caribbean.

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The region known as "Caribbean" is usually restricted to the islands of the Caribbean Sea, although sometimes the continental American coastline is included.

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Islands: REDIRECT Island...

Caribbean Sea: The Caribbean Sea is a tropical body of water adjacent to the Atlantic Ocean and southeast of the Gulf of Mexico. It covers most of the Caribbean Plate and is bounded on the south by Venezuela, Colombia, and Panama, to the west by Costa Rica, Nicaragua, Honduras, Guatemala, Belize, and the Yucatan p...

Mexico: The United Mexican States or Mexico (Spanish: Estados Unidos Mexicanos or M?xico; regarding the use of the variant spelling M?jico, see section The name below) is a country located in North America, bordered by the United States to the north, and Belize and Guatemala to the southeast. It is the nort...

Caribbean related Images and Photos (experimental)

Caribbean	Caribbean Tan	Caribbean Blue	Caribbean Dreams
Caribbean Waters	Caribbean Medley (Triptych)	Caribbean Peonies	Caribbean Day II
Caribbean Day II	Caribbean Flower I	Caribbean Seascape I	Caribbean Textures I