] The Caribbean (Spanish: Caribe; French: Caraïbe; Dutch: Caraïben; Portuguese: Caribe or Caraíbas) is a region of the Americas consisting of the Caribbean Sea, its islands (most of which enclose the sea), and the surrounding coasts. Located southeast of Northern America, east of Central America, and to the north and west of South America, the Caribbean is usually considered a subregion of North America.

Situated largely on the Caribbean Plate, the area comprises more than 7,000 islands, islets, reefs, and cayes. The West Indies, in contrast to the East Indies in southeast Asia, consist of the Antilles, divided into the larger Greater Antilles which bound the sea on the north and the Lesser Antilles on the east, and the Bahamas which are northeast of the sea. Bermuda lies much further to the north in the Atlantic Ocean and is sometimes included in the West Indies. Geopolitically, the West Indies are organized into 28 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.

The name "Caribbean" is named after the Caribs, one of the dominant Amerindian groups in the region at the time of European contact during the late 15th century. The analogous "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 actually reached the Americas. The Spanish term Antillas was commonly assigned to the newly discovered lands; stemming from this, "Sea of the Antilles" is a common alternate name for the Caribbean Sea in various European languages.

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BBCCaribbean.com | News | News Index

Beijing 2008
http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/caribbean/ Thu, 07 Aug 2008 17:48:07 -0000
BBC Caribbean's look at regional athletes at the Olympics. Includes 'The Ones to watch', background facts, and BBC archive material.
BBC Caribbean News in Brief
http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/caribbean/ Fri, 08 Aug 2008 09:44:31 -0000
Guyana's parliament votes in favour of a ban on music in hire cars and mini buses - and more stories.
Feeding the Caribbean
http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/caribbean/ Fri, 01 Aug 2008 11:13:28 -0000
Listen again to the BBC Caribbean interactive special on the food crisis. Also the debate continues online.
Trouble in paradise
http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/caribbean/ Sat, 02 Aug 2008 09:23:02 -0000
Antiguans mark an uneasy carnival weekend following the murder of a British tourist on her honeymoon.
Music to make a difference
http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/caribbean/ Thu, 03 Apr 2008 17:17:01 -0000
BBC Caribbean looks at some of today's musicians in the western Caribbean using their art to make a difference.
Dom Rep's role in Alzheimer research
Thu, 31 Jul 2008 12:03:34 -0000


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