Caribbean

Caribbean

Size	An archipelago, 4,020 kilometres (2,500 mi) in length, and up to 257 kilometres (160 mi) wide; region contains more than 7,000 islands, islets, reefs, and cays
Population (2000)	37.5 million
Ethnic groups	Black African, Native American (Arawak, Caribs, Taino), European (Spanish, French, English, Portuguese,Dutch), Asian (Chinese, Indian)
Demonym	West Indian, Caribbean
Government	13 sovereign states; also, 2 overseas departments and 14 dependent territories, tied to the European Union or to the United States
Internet TLD	Multiple
Calling code	Multiple

The Caribbean (pronounced /ËŒkÃ¦rÉ™Ë¡bi:É™n/, kÃ¦'rÉªbi:É™n; Dutch: Cariben or CaraÃ¯ben; French: CaraÃ¯be or more commonly Antilles; Spanish: Caribe) is a region consisting of the Caribbean Sea, its islands (most of which enclose the sea), and the surrounding coasts. The region is located southeast of Northern America, east of Central America, and to the north of South America.

Situated largely on the Caribbean Plate, the region comprises more than 7,000 islands, islets, reefs, and cays. These islands, called the West Indies, generally form island arcs that delineate the eastern and northern edges of the Caribbean Sea. These islands are called the West Indies because when Christopher Columbus landed here in 1492 he believed that he had reached the Indies (in Asia).

The region consists of the Antilles, divided into the larger Greater Antilles which bound the sea on the north and the Lesser Antilles on the south and east (including the Leeward Antilles), and the Bahamas which are in fact in the Atlantic Ocean, not in the Caribbean Sea.

Geopolitically, the West Indies are usually reckoned as a subregion of North America and are organised into 27 territories including sovereign states, overseas departments, and dependencies. At one time, there was a short-lived country called the Federation of the West Indies composed of ten English-speaking Caribbean territories, all of which were then UK dependencies.

The region takes its name from that of the Carib, an ethnic group present in the Lesser Antilles and parts of adjacent South America at the time of European contact. In the English-speaking Caribbean, someone from the Caribbean is usually referred to as a "West Indian," although the phrase "Caribbean person" is sometimes used.

About Caribbean

CaribbeanSizeAn archipelago, 4,020 kilometres (2,500 mi) in length, and up to 257 kilometres (160 mi) wide; region contains more than 7,000 islands, islets, reefs, and caysPopulation (2000)37.5 millionEthnic groupsBlack African, ... Read more

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