The Caribbean is easier to picture than it is to define. There are the islands, the beaches, and the turquoise water. But where does the Caribbean actually begin and end? The answer depends partly on whether you are talking about geography, history, or Caribbean culture. Some places that are geographically part of Central or South America are deeply connected to the Caribbean, while the islands themselves all have histories and identities that are far from interchangeable.
Geographically, the Caribbean islands are commonly discussed in three main groups. The Greater Antilles include Cuba, Jamaica, Hispaniola, and Puerto Rico. The Lesser Antilles form an arc of smaller islands along the eastern edge of the Caribbean, including places such as Antigua and Barbuda, Saint Lucia, Dominica, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, and Grenada. Farther north, the Lucayan Archipelago includes The Bahamas and Turks and Caicos. Together, these island groups are often referred to as the West Indies, although the Bahamas and Turks and Caicos are technically in the Atlantic rather than the Caribbean Sea.
The region’s history is one of repeated movement. Indigenous peoples lived throughout the Caribbean long before European colonization. Spanish, British, French, and Dutch powers later claimed different territories, leaving lasting marks on the region. The transatlantic slave trade brought millions of Africans to the Caribbean, and their descendants shaped the region’s cultures in profound ways. After emancipation, indentured workers arrived from India and other parts of Asia, particularly in the British Caribbean.
The United States entered the region’s history as well, most notably through Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Spain ceded Puerto Rico to the United States after the Spanish-American War in 1898. In 1917, the United States purchased the former Danish West Indies for $25 million. The location of the islands mattered. St. Thomas had a valuable natural harbor, and the United States wanted to protect the approaches to the Panama Canal and prevent a European power, particularly Germany, from establishing a naval foothold in the Caribbean.
The connections between these places are complicated, and that is part of what makes the Caribbean so interesting. A country can be independent while sharing a currency with its neighbors. An island can have a distinctly Caribbean identity while maintaining constitutional ties to a country thousands of miles away. And two places separated by only a short stretch of water can have very different histories. How much do you know about the Caribbean? Let’s find out!
