Leeward Islands

:This article is about the Caribbean island group. For the western Society Islands in French Polynesia, see Leeward Islands (Society Islands); The Northwestern Hawaiian Islands are also sometimes called the Leeward Islands.

Related Topics:
Society Islands - French Polynesia - Leeward Islands (Society Islands) - Northwestern Hawaiian Islands

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The Leeward Islands are the northern islands of the Lesser Antilles. They are called "leeward" because the prevailing winds in the area blow from south to north. Thus, the Leeward Islands are downwind, on the backside, or leeward from the Windward Islands, the group of islands that first meet the Trade Winds coming from the south.

Related Topics:
Lesser Antilles - Leeward - Windward Islands

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The Leeward Islands also refers to a British colony in these islands, consisting of Antigua, Barbuda, the British Virgin Islands, Montserrat, Saint Kitts, Nevis, Anguilla and (to 1940) Dominica, from 1671 to 1816 and again from 1833 to 1960. The colony was known as the Federal Colony of the Leeward Islands from 1871 to 1956 and the Territory of the Leeward Islands from 1956 to 1960.

Related Topics:
Antigua - Barbuda - British Virgin Islands - Montserrat - Saint Kitts - Nevis - Anguilla - 1940 - Dominica - 1671 - 1816 - 1833 - 1960 - 1871 - 1956

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The Leeward Islands:

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• The Virgin Islands
• Anguilla
• Saint Martin (Guadeloupe (north part) and Netherlands Antilles (south part))
• Saba (Netherlands Antilles)
• Sint Eustatius (Netherlands Antilles)
• Saint Barthélemy
• Antigua
• Barbuda
• Saint Kitts
• Nevis
• Montserrat
• Guadeloupe
• Dominica

The tiny and remote Isla Aves may perhaps be included with this group for convenience.

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However, the Netherlands Antilles are divided into the groups in the northeast and the southwest, with different naming conventions, see Netherlands Antilles.

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Leeward Islands: Postage stamps ►