Location of the Greater Antilles (green) in relation to the rest of the Caribbean

The islands of the Caribbean Sea, collectively known as the West Indies are sorted by size and location into the Bahamas (or Lucayan archipelago), the Lesser Antilles and the Greater Antilles. The Greater Antilles are Cuba, Jamaica, Hispaniola (composed of Haiti on the west side and the Dominican Republic on the east side) and Puerto Rico. The smaller islands in the vicinity of these four major islands are sometimes also treated as part of the group. The Greater Antilles are made up of continental rock, distinct from the Lesser Antilles, which are mostly young volcanic or coral islands. Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Map of Central America and the Caribbean The Caribbean Sea (pronounced or ) is a tropical sea in the Western Hemisphere, part of the Atlantic Ocean, southeast of the Gulf of Mexico. ... The Caribbean or the West Indies is a group of islands in the Caribbean Sea. ... The Lucayan archipelago is an archipelago in the Atlantic Ocean. ... Location of the Lesser Antilles (green) in relation to the rest of the Caribbean Islands of the Lesser Antilles The Lesser Antilles, also known as the Caribbees,[1] are part of the Antilles, which together with the Bahamas and Greater Antilles form the West Indies. ... Early map of Hispaniola Hispaniola (from Spanish, La Española) is the second-largest and most populous island of the Antilles, lying between the islands of Cuba to the west, and Puerto Rico to the east. ... Continental may refer to: The adjective of continent, such as in continental Europe, continental breakfast, or continental climate, or Continental Glacier; The culture of the continental nation states of Europe, inasmuch as it contrasts with the culture of Anglo-Saxon England; The Lincoln Continental, a car made by Lincoln division... Location of the Lesser Antilles (green) in relation to the rest of the Caribbean Islands of the Lesser Antilles The Lesser Antilles, also known as the Caribbees,[1] are part of the Antilles, which together with the Bahamas and Greater Antilles form the West Indies. ... This article is about volcanoes in geology. ... Extant Subclasses and Orders Alcyonaria    Alcyonacea    Helioporacea Zoantharia    Antipatharia    Corallimorpharia    Scleractinia    Zoanthidea [1][2]  See Anthozoa for details For other uses, see Coral (disambiguation). ...

The Greater Antilles had a clear strategic importance as a gateway to the Americas and during the years when sea power defined a country's might, they were the battlegrounds for several imperial powers, mainly Spain, France, and the United Kingdom. First exploited for their own resources, they were later utilized as the principal landing points for ships traveling between Europe and the New World. With the advent of commercial airlines, their strategic importance has diminished with time.

Islands of the Greater Antilles

They can be contrasted with the Lesser Antilles. Image File history File links Size of this preview: 800 × 431 pixelsFull resolution‎ (1,300 × 700 pixels, file size: 316 KB, MIME type: image/png) (All user names refer to en. ... Image File history File links Size of this preview: 800 × 431 pixelsFull resolution‎ (1,300 × 700 pixels, file size: 316 KB, MIME type: image/png) (All user names refer to en. ... Location of the Lesser Antilles (green) in relation to the rest of the Caribbean Islands of the Lesser Antilles The Lesser Antilles, also known as the Caribbees,[1] are part of the Antilles, which together with the Bahamas and Greater Antilles form the West Indies. ...

See also

• Antilles

The Antilles (the same in French; Antillas in Spanish; Antillen in Dutch) refers to the islands forming the greater part of the West Indies in the Caribbean Sea. ...

References

Rogonzinski, Jan. A Brief History of the Caribbean. New York: Facts on File, 1992.