3/9/2016 WestIndies|History&Map|Britannica.

com

SCHOOL AND LIBRARY SUBSCRIBERS JOIN LOGIN Activate Your Free Trial!

West Indies
Island group, Atlantic Ocean
Written by: Colin Graham Clarke
0
READ VIEW ALL MEDIA (20) VIEW HISTORY EDIT FEEDBACK

Alternative titles: Indes Occidentales; Indias Occidentales; West-Indi

West Indies,Spanish Indias Occidentales, French Indes Occidentales, Dutch West-Indi,

crescent-shaped group of islands more than 2,000 miles (3,200 km) long separating
the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea, to the west and south, from the Atlantic
Ocean, to the east and north. From the peninsula of Florida on the mainland of the
United States, the islands stretch 1,200 miles (1,900 km) southeastward, then 500
miles (800 km) south, then west along the north coast of Venezuela on the South
American mainland.

IMAGES VIDEOS QUIZZES LISTS

Three major physiographic divisions constitute the West Indies: the Greater Antilles,
comprising the islands of Cuba, Jamaica, Hispaniola (Haiti and the Dominican
Republic), and Puerto Rico; the Lesser Antilles, including the Virgin Islands, Anguilla,
Saint Kitts and Nevis, Antigua and Barbuda, Montserrat, Guadeloupe, Dominica,
Martinique, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Barbados, and Grenada;
and the isolated island groups of the North American continental shelfThe
Bahamas and the Turks and Caicos Islandsand those of the South American shelf,
including Trinidad and Tobago, Aruba, Curaao, and Bonaire. (Bermuda, although
physiographically not a part of the West Indies, has common historical and cultural
ties with the other islands and is often included in definitions of the region.)

The shape and alignment of the Greater Antilles are determined by an ancient chain
of folded and faulted mountains that in Cretaceous times extended from Central
America through the Caribbean. Running west-east, this system is now mostly
submerged by the Atlantic and the Caribbean, but remnants of it are visible in the
Blue Mountains of Jamaica and in the Sierra de los rganos and the Sierra Maestra in
Cuba. Duarte Peak, in the Dominican Republic, another component of this range,
rises to 10,417 feet (3,175 metres) and is the highest point in the Caribbean. Besides
interior mountain peaks, each Greater Antillean island has an encircling coastal
plain.

http://www.britannica.com/place/WestIndiesislandgroupAtlanticOcean 1/7
3/9/2016 WestIndies|History&Map|Britannica.com

Trending north-south, another mostly submerged chain of mountains forms the

double arc of small islands that make up the Lesser Antilles. Stretching from Saint
Kitts to Grenada, the mountainous inner arc consists of volcanic cones, some still
active. The outer arcrunning from Anguilla to Barbadosis made up of low, flat
islands whose limestone surfaces overlie older volcanic or crystalline rocks.

The West Indies have a tropical maritime climate. Daily maximum temperatures over
most of the region range from the mid-80s F (upper 20s C) from December to April to
the upper 80s F (low 30s C) from May to November. Nighttime temperatures are
about 10 F (6 C) cooler. Most islands experience a wet and a dry season; annual
rainfall totals range from 30 to 80 inches (800 to 2,000 mm) but reach more than 200
inches (5,000 mm) on the highest peaks. The regions moisture-laden trade winds
produce heavy rainfall on the windward sides of the higher islands. Tropical cyclones
(called hurricanes locally) frequently occur between August and October, and
relative humidity is high throughout the year.

The forests that once covered most of the West Indies were cut down in many areas
by sugar-plantation owners for firewood to heat their refining vats. This practice
resulted in soil impoverishment and erosion. Destruction of primeval forest has also
occurred as a result of slash-and-burn agriculture. Some countries have recognized
the importance of the forests, however, and have passed laws to prevent
deforestation. Surviving types of forest include mangrove swamps, which thrive
along some coasts; semi-deciduous woodland, found in the Leeward Islands (the
northern group of the Lesser Antilles; the southern group is called the Windward
Islands) and other areas of prolonged drought; tropical rainforest of the wet
lowlands; montane forest, occurring in wet highlands; and elfin woodland, which
occurs on exposed peaks.

A large number of plant species in the Caribbean are indigenous to the region. At
high elevations in the Greater Antilles, species more typical of midlatitude and
subarctic flora are found. Land fauna is an impoverished version of the fauna found
on the nearby South American mainland. There are many rodents, including the
rabbitlike agouti, and numerous species of bats and lizards. Bird species include
several parrots, hummingbirds, ibis, and flamingos. The coastal seas are rich in
marine life, including turtles, shellfish, caiman, dolphin, red snapper, bonito, and
flying fish. Marine life is largely unexploited for food.

The population of the West Indies is ethnically heterogeneous and largely the legacy
of an early plantation society based on slave labour. Most of the population is
descended from African slaves or from Spanish, French, British, or Dutch colonists or

http://www.britannica.com/place/WestIndiesislandgroupAtlanticOcean 2/7
3/9/2016 WestIndies|History&Map|Britannica.com

is of mixed ethnicity. The West Indies creole languages, evolved from pidgin variants
of European languages, have become the common languages of many of the people.
The French and English creoles are a blend of these languages with African and West
Indian languages. By contrast, the major Spanish-language communitiesCuba,
Puerto Rico, and the Dominican Republicspeak pure Spanish. Papiamentu, a
Spanish-Dutch (Netherlandic)-Portuguese-English creole, is widely spoken on Aruba,
Curaao, and Bonaire. South Asians constitute a substantial minority in the region,
especially in Trinidad and Tobago, where they make up almost four-tenths of the
population. Chinese constitute a smaller minority, and people of European
(principally Spanish) descent account for some seven-tenths of the population of
Puerto Rico. Roman Catholicism is the predominant religion in the Spanish- and
French-speaking islands, while Protestantism is the norm in the English-speaking and
Dutch territories.

The regions birth rate historically has been low in comparison with those of other
less-developed countries. Emigration, moreover, has played a more significant role in
the West Indies than in most other regions, having the effect of dampening
population growth even more. Emigration was substantial throughout the 20th
century, and more than half of the natural increase in the region was lost owing to
emigration. On the other hand, the death rate also declined steadily in the second
half of the century, primarily because of reductions in the rate of infant mortality,
and remained comparatively low for a less-developed region of the world. About
three-fifths of the West Indies population is urban, and the rural population has
dwindled on many islands because of considerable rural-to-urban migration.

With the exception of Cuba, which has a centrally planned economy, the West Indies
can be characterized as a predominantly free-enterprise market region. The
economies of the region are marked by dependence on the export of a few
commodities, commonly agricultural, and consequently are extremely vulnerable to
external economic events. Weak and unstable foreign markets have contributed to
the generally unfavourable international-trade accounts of many West Indian
countries.

The per capita gross national product (GNP) of the countries in the region ranged in
the early 21st century from less than $400 in Haiti (well below the world average) to
more than $30,000 in Cuba (comparable to the per capita GNP of many western
European countries) and more than $24,000 in the U.S. Virgin Islands. A number of
international trade agreements, including the Caribbean Basin Initiative (CBI), have
been established to stimulate the West Indian economy, particularly manufacturing.
The CBI was begun by the United States in 1984 to provide duty-free access to the
U.S. market for a wide range of products.

http://www.britannica.com/place/WestIndiesislandgroupAtlanticOcean 3/7
 3/9/2016 WestIndies|History&Map|Britannica.com

Agriculture is the traditional basis of the economies of the West Indies, but
production and employment in agriculture have been declining. Most countries are
not self-sufficient in food production, and cereals, primarily wheat, are the chief food
imports. Sugar, bananas, citrus, cocoa, and spices are the principal exports and the
major source of foreign exchange for a number of countries. To reduce vulnerability
to external markets, many countries have diversified their agricultural production.

Manufacturing in the West Indies accounts for a minor part of overall economic
activity. Several countries, including Barbados, Cuba, the Dominican Republic,
Jamaica, and Trinidad and Tobago, have developed significant mineral industries,
with the chief mineral exports being bauxite from Jamaica and petroleum from
Trinidad.

Among the dependent states, foreign subsidies and remittances provide a major
source of income. Tourism has become the major industry on some islands and a
major source of foreign exchange. Often, however, it raises the local cost of living
without producing much employment. It is also quick to decline during times of
economic recession.

Cuba has endeavoured to break the usual pattern of economic dependence on one
or two main cash crops so common in the West Indies. Traditionally dependent on
the sugar industry, it has attempted to diversify its economy by increasing its imports
of capital goods to use as the basis for new industries.

In an attempt to overcome problems of small size and dependence on a few export

items, the Caribbean countries have formed economic unions, including the Central
American Common Market, which established a regional free-trade zone; the
Caribbean Community and Common Market (Caricom), which promotes cooperation
between English-speaking countries; and the African, Caribbean and Pacific Group of
States, whose members, as signatories of the Lom Convention of 1975, receive
preferential tariffs from the European Union.

The governmental forms of the independent states of the West Indies range from the
socialist republic of Cuba to republics such as Dominica and the Dominican Republic
and to constitutional monarchies such as Jamaica and Saint Lucia; the majority of
these countries have gained their independence from colonial powers since the early
1960s. Dependent states include those in free association with the United States,
internally self-governing states within the Kingdom of the Netherlands, dependent
territories of the United Kingdom, and overseas dpartements of France. In most of
the region, political parties openly express opposition views. Notable exceptions
include Cuba and Haiti. In countries with parliamentary governments, the two-party
system is common.

The independent states of the West Indies tend to be aligned with Western countries.
STORIES QUIZZES
The GALLERIES
United Kingdom, France, and the United StatesLISTS Search
are responsible for Britannica...
the defense of
their overseas lands in the West Indies. The United Kingdom and France also
TABLE OF CONTENTS
generally maintain close relations with former dependencies, supplying military
Introduction training, arms, and, in some cases, defense. Moreover, they maintain military bases
The Pre-Columbian on several of these strategically important islands.
period
European exploration Standards of living, relative to other less-developed countries, are generally high,
and colonialism, 1492
1800 particularly in the dependent states that receive large subsidies from central

http://www.britannica.com/place/WestIndiesislandgroupAtlanticOcean 4/7
3/9/2016 WestIndies|History&Map|Britannica.com

The West Indies since governments. Social welfare programs, particularly in the dependent states, are
the 1790s
comprehensive and have contributed to an improvement in health conditions in the
region. Health services, however, remain generally inadequate, and, partly because
of the high rate of emigration, shortages of medical personnel are common. The
main health problems are those associated with the supply and improvement of
drinking water and with the disposal of sewage. Diseases of the circulatory system
and cancer are major causes of death, while gastroenteritis, influenza, pneumonia,
malaria, tuberculosis, and childhood diseases are also major health problems. In the
least-developed countries, children and women commonly suffer from nutritional-
deficiency diseases. Housing is often substandard, and shortages are chronic
throughout the region.

Educational systems are generally well developed, and the great majority of
countries have literacy rates exceeding 80 percent. Higher education is available at a
number of colleges and universities, including the University of the West Indies,
which has campuses and distance-education centres in more than a dozen countries
in the region.

In spite of their diversity in ancestry and language, the countries of the West Indies
share a largely common culture, the result of their somewhat parallel experiences as
plantation colonies. The culture of the Caribbean people is a blend of African,
American Indian, European, and, in some cases, Asian influences. The islands take
pride in their lively cultural scenes, with dances, parties, and festivals, notably annual
carnival celebrations. Reggae music, now world-renowned, originated in Jamaica.
Modern Caribbean literature owes much to writers and philosophers of the West
Indies, including those who emigrated elsewhere; some notable names include Aim
Csaire (Martinique), V.S. Naipaul (Trinidad), Jean Price-Mars and Edwidge Danticat
(Haiti), and C.L.R. James and Derek Walcott, who spoke to themes important to
African descendants in the West Indies.

Press and broadcast media are best developed in Cuba, the Dominican Republic,
Haiti, Jamaica, and Trinidad and Tobago, but they are present at least minimally in
all of the political units. The extent of government control varies considerably within
the region.

The remainder of this article covers the history of the region. For more detailed
discussion of the land and people of individual island groups and states, see Anguilla;
Antigua and Barbuda; Aruba; The Bahamas; Barbados; Bonaire; British Virgin Islands;
Cuba; Curaao; Dominica; Dominican Republic; Grenada; Guadeloupe; Haiti; Jamaica;
Martinique; Montserrat; Netherlands Antilles; Puerto Rico; Saba; Saint Kitts and Nevis;
Saint Lucia; Saint Vincent and the Grenadines; Sint Eustatius; Sint Maarten; Trinidad
and Tobago; Turks and Caicos Islands; United States Virgin Islands. Area 90,339
square miles (233,976 square km). Pop. (2009 est.) 41,116,200.

1 2 3 4 Next Page

You may also be interested in...

Atlantic Ocean

http://www.britannica.com/place/WestIndiesislandgroupAtlanticOcean 5/7
3/9/2016 WestIndies|History&Map|Britannica.com
North America

Caribbean Sea

The Bahamas

Lesser Antilles

Leeward Islands

Greater Antilles

British Empire

United States Virgin Islands

Windward Islands

Puerto Rico

Saint Vincent and the Grenadines

Keep exploring

Hit the Road Quiz Its All in the Name World Tour

What made you want to look up West Indies?

Login

Shareyourthoughts

0Comments Subscribe RSS

BRITANNICA STORIES

BEHIND THE NEWS / SCIENCE

Mercury's Dark Surface
Explained

BEHIND THE NEWS / HISTORY

First Lady Nancy Reagan
Dies

SPOTLIGHT / SOCIETY
National Womens History
Month 2016

See More Stories

FEATURED QUIZZES
Vocabulary Quiz

True or False

http://www.britannica.com/place/WestIndiesislandgroupAtlanticOcean 6/7
3/9/2016 WestIndies|History&Map|Britannica.com

Spell It
See More Quizzes

About Us About Our Ads Partner Program Contact Us Privacy Policy Terms of Use
2016 Encyclopdia Britannica, Inc.

http://www.britannica.com/place/WestIndiesislandgroupAtlanticOcean 7/7