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What is the difference between the Caribbean and the West Indies? The West Indies includes the Bahamas and Turks and Caicos. The Caribbean does not. Both regions, however, include a series of islands defined by the Caribbean Sea and, for that reason, are often referred to interchangeably. Culturally, the two regions have a lot in common as well. List of Caribbean islands List of Caribbean islands by area 
Caribbean Description The Caribbean, long referred to as the West Indies, includes more than 7,000 islands; of those, 13 are independent island ______ (shown in red on the map), and some are dependencies or overseas territories of other _______. In addition, that large number includes islets ( very small rocky islands); cay's (small, low islands composed largely of coral or sand) and a few inhabited reefs: See Belize. In geographical terms the Caribbean area includes the Caribbean Sea and all of the islands located to the southeast of the Gulf of Mexico, east of Central America and Mexico, and to the north of South America. Some of its counted cay's, islands, islets and inhabited reefs front the handful of countries that border the region. The Bahamas and Turks and Caicos are not considered a part of the Caribbean, however, we show them here because of their cultural, geographical and political associations with the Greater Antilles and other Caribbean Islands. 
Haiti location on the North America map   Last Updated: October 1, 2016 |