Countries of Central America and West India list. Geographic location of the West Indies. Haiti - a fabulous island in the West Indies

Directly translated into Russian, it means Western India, but this Latin American subregion should not be confused with western part peninsulas of Hindustan. The West Indies got its name in memory of how the ships of Christopher Columbus, moving to discover India, moored to the shores western islands. As you know, these islands did not belong to India at all, but the name "West Indies" remained unchanged.

It is the smallest, both in terms of area and population, subregion Latin America. A bunch of island states located in the Caribbean Sea, and some of these states have gained independence quite recently. For many years, most of them remained colonies of European maritime powers such as Spain, Holland, France, Great Britain. On the territory of the West Indies, there were even Danish colonies, which later came under the protectorate of the United States of America. The influence of the former metropolises in the West Indies has survived to this day. This is expressed not only in architectural monuments, religious preferences, but also in official language and the percentage of tourists visiting a particular state Caribbean.

The largest income of the states of this subregion is travel business and banking activities. Moreover, the first source of income extends to almost all countries of the West Indies. The largest number of tourists arrive in such countries and regions as Cuba, Jamaica, Bahamas, Lesser Antilles and Greater Antilles.

No doubt the most unusual country Cuba has been the West Indies for many years. This is a state where the socialist regime has been maintained for half a century. The policy of the Castro brothers continues to be the only correct one for ordinary Cubans. Perhaps this position of the people has developed due to the non-interference of the state in religious affairs. That is why, despite the communist principles of development, Catholicism is the official religion in Cuba. Today Cuba is one of the most developed countries in the region in terms of education, but in terms of economic development seriously inferior to many Latin American countries. Thanks to the climate great beaches and low prices, several million tourists visit Cuba every year.

In the Lesser Antilles group of the West Indies, there are states that rely on the banking sector in their development. One such state is Barbados. This is the main offshore zone of the entire sub-region. Barbados is an independent state, however, like a number of other countries, it considers its head the British Queen. That is why in all information brochures Barbados is called a constitutional monarchy. This state has a very high standard of living compared to many other countries of the West Indies. Thanks to its unique location in the Caribbean, where sea ​​waves reach several meters, Barbados is a favorite place active rest for surfers from all over the world.

Former French colony, and now the parliamentary republic of Dominica is one of the poorest states in the subregion. According to the UN, it is in 209th place in the world in terms of WFP. However, agriculture and the principle of non-taxation of foreign companies in last years began to improve the situation in the country's economy.

It remains the sub-region of Latin America, which has the richest potential, which, unfortunately, remains unrealized. There is a large outflow of capital and human resources from the region to the United States and EU countries.

See also:

Central America

Seven states belong to continental Central America: from Guatemala and Belize in the north to Panama in the south. It is a geographical link between South and North America.

Middle America

The northernmost sub-region of Latin America is the so-called Middle America. This is a collection of both mainland and island states, predominantly with Spanish as the official language.

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West Indies(English West-Indies, Dutch West-Indië - "Western India" or "Western Indies") - the traditional historical name of the islands of the Caribbean, including Caribbean(see list), the Bahamas and the islands adjacent to them Gulf of Mexico And Atlantic Ocean(including some continental islands - off the coast of the continent). Contrasted with the East Indies (" East India"") - to the countries of South and Southeast Asia.

Name

The name of the West Indies region was given by the first European navigators, who mistakenly believed that they got to India, moving westward from Europe. Hence the name of the native inhabitants of America - the Indians. It is necessary to distinguish the West Indies from the West Indies - this is completely different regions, although "West Indies" literally translates to "Western Indies".

There is an opinion that it is correct to say "West Indies" (eng. West indies, "Western Indies"), since the West Indies include the Spanish West Indies, Portuguese, British, French and other West Indies - the lands of each states of Europe in this region since the end of the 15th century. Some of these West Indies are referred to as the Antilles: for example, the English use the term "English West Indies", while the French say both "French West Indies" and "French Antilles". When the majority European countries occupied the lands of the New Continent, the term West Indies appeared. So the West Indies and the West Indies to some extent different concepts. The first concept means the entire region, and the second - political and economic (trade) formations in this region.

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West Indies(eng. West-Indies, Dutch. West-Indië - "Western India" or "Western Indies") - the traditional historical name of the islands of the Caribbean, including the Caribbean Islands (see list), the Bahamas and islands adjacent to waters of the Gulf of Mexico and the Atlantic Ocean (including some continental islands - off the coast of the continent). It is opposed to the East Indies ("Eastern India") - to the countries and.

Name

The name of the West Indies region was given by the first European navigators, who mistakenly believed that they got to India, moving westward from Europe. Hence the name of the native inhabitants of America - the Indians. The West Indies should be distinguished from the West Indies - they are completely different regions, although "West Indies" literally translates as "Western Indies".

There is an opinion that it is correct to say "West Indies" (eng. West indies, "Western Indies"), since the West Indies include the Spanish West Indies, Portuguese, British, French and other West Indies - the lands of each states of Europe in this region since the end of the 15th century. Some of these West Indies are referred to as the Antilles: for example, the English use the term "English West Indies", while the French say both "French West Indies" and "French Antilles". When most European countries occupied the lands of the New Continent, the term West Indies appeared. Thus, the West Indies and the West Indies are to some extent different concepts. The first concept means the entire region, and the second - political and economic (trade) formations in this region.

Geography

The West Indies is located between the Americas, between 10° and 28° north latitude and 59° and 85° west longitude, from the mouth of the Orinoco to the Florida and Yucatan peninsulas. The Great Soviet Encyclopedia classifies the West Indies as, however, all the islands, except for Cuba, Jamaica, Huventud, and are located closer to the coast than to the coast of the North.

The West Indies consists of several groups of islands, namely: the Greater Antilles, the Lesser Antilles and the Bahamas. The area of ​​​​all the islands is 244,890 km² (Great Antilles - 216,260, Lesser Antilles - 14,095 and Bahamas - 14,535). All the Antilles rise significantly above sea level. The Bahamas are formed by coral reefs. Most high mountains are located in the western part of Haiti (Duarte Peak, 3087 m), in the eastern part of Cuba (2375 m) and in the northern part of Jamaica (2341 m); eastern shores The Lesser Antilles are covered with plains; mountains descend steeply into valleys. Numerous bays of the islands provide convenient harbors. Cuba, and Bahamas surrounded by huge coral reefs, protruding to the surface of the sea and covered with palm trees. Many islands (especially the Lesser Antilles) bear traces of volcanic origin.

The following states and territories are located on the territory of the archipelago:

Climate

West Indies

The climate of the West Indies is fairly even. The hot and damp season, spring, begins in May; in the middle of the month the first periodic rain falls, then repeating daily around noon. After two weeks of rain, a dry tropical summer begins. The heat is somewhat softened by sea coastal winds and easterly trade winds, blowing throughout the whole year; however, despite extreme heat, the climate is damp, which contributes to the development of yellow fevers and other diseases characteristic of tropical countries. Cleaner and healthier air - in the mountains. In July, the rains are stronger, especially in the Greater Antilles, while in the Lesser Islands, the most rain falls in August and October; at the same time, large floods of rivers occur. Hurricanes rage from August to October, often causing severe devastation. From the end of November, winter begins (a relatively dry time), lasting until May - the best and most pleasant time of the year.

Flora and fauna

Tobago beach

The islands are covered with lush American vegetation; grow in the lowlands tropical plants, In The Mountains - European Fruit Trees. Inner areas big islands occupied by vast meadow spaces (savannas). The main obtained vegetable wealth of the islands is the products of processing of industrial crops; vanilla grows wild in the forests of Jamaica, agave in Cuba and the Bahamas; many islands grow indigo, cocoa, coconut palms, tobacco, and cotton. In Jamaica, breadfruit is cultivated, brought from Tahiti. Of the grain crops, corn is widely cultivated, while wheat is very little. The main exports are sugar and coffee. Sugar cane, which grows in the West Indies, was brought here with the Spaniards in the 16th century, and the coffee tree was brought here by the Dutch and French from Arabia.

Before the arrival of Europeans, there were very few native species of four-legged animals on the islands: agoutis, peccaries (Mexican pig), opossums and breeds of small monkeys, but quite a lot of scorpions, snakes. To this day in still waters caimans live, turtles are caught in Jamaica. Island birds are distinguished by their brilliant plumage: parrots, hummingbirds. All domestic animals have been transported from Europe for agricultural purposes, but now cattle and horses are also found in the wild, just as they do in the savannahs. South America.

The Caribbean waters are full of life. coastal Coral reefs give shelter to a huge number of living beings. Various types of invertebrates, cartilaginous and bony fish. Of the large predators found here different kinds sharks, including bull shark, tiger shark, silky shark and Caribbean reef shark.

Historical information

Historical map of the West Indies

Columbus in 1492 discovered the Bahama, Cuba, Haiti and; on these islands, as well as on the Bahamas and on, there lived two different tribes who spoke different languages: the Caraibs, a warlike tribe, and the Arawaks ( arrowaks, Arawaks) is peaceful. By the end of the 19th century, the smallest number of Caribs remained on the shores, where the Spaniards resettled them.

The Danish West Indies (Danish colonies) (359 km²) consisted of the islands of the Holy Cross (Santa Cruz), St. John (St. John) and St. Thomas (St. Thomas). Later they moved to. From 1784 to 1878. there was a colony on the island of St. Barthelemy (21 km²).

The black population appeared on the islands from the time of the importation of African slaves here (about 1511). In the British colonies, slavery was abolished from 1834; in Haiti, slavery ceased from the time of the Negro uprising at the end of the 18th century; in the Danish colonies, from 1847;

At present, most of the West Indies are occupied by independent states.

Assistance to the countries of the Caribbean is actively provided by Great Britain within the framework of the Commonwealth. In 1999, the Caribbean Forum was established. He launched several programs, among which is the creation of the General Caribbean Department of Inland Investment. Currently, London maintains close ties with the countries of the region, which are provided with financial assistance, including to combat drug trafficking and epidemics.

see also

• Western India
• List of Caribbean islands by area
• List of volcanoes in the West Indies
• Danish West Indies
• University of the West Indies

Notes

1. West Indies // Great Soviet Encyclopedia: [in 30 volumes] / ch. ed. A. M. Prokhorov. - 3rd ed. - M.: Soviet Encyclopedia, 1969-1978.
2. Al. Gromyko Great Britain era of reforms, M., 2007

Literature

• West Indies

West India(English West Indies, literally - Western India), common name the islands of the Atlantic Ocean between the continents of North and South America; elongated in the form of an arc about 3500 long km. In V.-I. are included Bahamas, Greater Antilles And Lesser Antilles. The islands belong to North America. The total area is about 240 thousand sq. km 2. The population is over 24 million people. (1968). The relief of the islands is strongly dissected, mostly mountainous; height up to 3175 m(on the island of Haiti). Many active and extinct volcanoes; frequent earthquakes. Deposits of manganese ore, chromites, iron ore, asphalt, oil, bauxites, phosphorites. The climate is tropical trade wind. In the lowlands, the vegetation is mainly cultivated, in the mountains - laurel and coniferous forests.

On the islands of V.-I. the states of Cuba, Haiti, Dominican Republic, Trinidad and Tobago, Jamaica, Barbados, as well as a number of possessions of Great Britain, the Netherlands, France and the USA.

The victory of the Cuban Revolution of 1959 led to the emergence of the first socialist state in America and contributed to a new upsurge in the liberation movement in VI. In 1962 the West Indies Federation broke up; independent states were formed - Jamaica (1962), Trinidad and Tobago (1962), Barbados (1966). The English colonies of Antigua, Dominica, Grenada, St. Lucia, St. Kitts - Nevis - Anguilla (1967) and St. Vincent (1969) received internal self-government and were declared "states associated with the United Kingdom."

Political division West Indies

* In brackets is the date of declaration of independence.

Lit.: Peoples of America, vol. 2, M., 1959; Latin American countries in modern international relations, M., 1967, Ch. 9.

E. L. Rovinskaya.