Caribbean
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THE CARIBBEAN CRUISING GUIDE
An online cruising guide for sailing around the islands in the Caribbean.
Map by kind permission and copyright of Paradise Islands (Click for larger detailed view)
Background
Photo: Yacht Lynx (Click for larger view)
The Caribbean (Dutch: Cariben or Caraïben; French: Caraïbe or more commonly Antilles; Spanish: Caribe) is a region of the Americas consisting of the Caribbean Sea, its islands (most of which enclose the sea), and the surrounding coasts. The region is located southeast of North America, east of Central America, and to the north of South America.
Situated largely on the Caribbean Plate, the region comprises more than 7,000 islands, islets, reefs, and cays. Also called the West Indies, since Christopher Columbus landed here in 1492 believing he was in India, the region consists of the Antilles, divided into the larger Greater Antilles which bound the sea on the north and the Lesser Antilles on the south and east (including the Leeward Antilles), and the Bahamas. Geopolitically, the West Indies are usually reckoned as a subregion of North America and are organised into 27 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 Caribbean islands are an island chain 4,020 kilometres (2,500 mi) long and no more than 257 kilometres (160 mi) wide at any given point. They enclose the Caribbean Sea.
The region takes its name from that of the Carib, an ethnic group present in the Lesser Antilles and parts of adjacent South America at the time of European contact. In the English-speaking Caribbean, someone from the Caribbean is usually referred to as a "West Indian," although the phrase "Caribbean person" is sometimes used.
General Cruising/Sailing in the Caribbean
About cruising/sailing in the region?
The Caribbean Islands/Groups
- Bermuda (Has data)
- Bahamas (Has data)
- Abacos (Has data)
- Exumas (Has data)
- Cuba
- Turks & Caicos
- Spanish Virgin Islands
- British Virgin Islands (BVI's) (Has data)
- Haiti
- Dominican Republic (Has data)
- Puerto Rico (US) (Has data)
- Virgins (US) (Has data)
- Antigua & Barbuda (Has data)
- St Martin (Has data)
- Sint Maarten (Has data)
- St Barts (Has data)
- Montserrat
- St Kitts & Nevis (Has data)
- Guadeloupe (Has data)
- Dominica
- Martinique (Has data)
- St Lucia (Has data)
- St Vincent & The Grenadines (Has data)
- Barbados (Has data)
- Grenada (Has data)
- Trinidad & Tobago (Has data)
- Antilles (Neth)
- Aruba (Neth)
- Jamaica (Has data)
- Cayman Isles
Caribbean Climate and Weather
Climate & general weather in the region?
Sources of weather forecasting information:
Popular Caribbean Cruising Circuits
References
Books, Guides, etc.
Forum Discussions
Links to discussions on the CruiserLog Forum
External Links
Links to relative websites
Personal Notes
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