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Caribbean Sea, arm of the Atlantic Ocean, partially enclosed on the north and east by the islands of the West Indies, and bounded on the south by South America and Panama, and on the west by Central America. The name of the sea is derived from the Carib people, who inhabited the area when Spanish explorers arrived there in the 15th century. The Caribbean is 2,400 km (1,500 mi) long east and west and 640 to 1,400 km (400 to 1,400 mi) wide. It has an area of 2,718,000 sq km (1,049,000 sq mi). At the northwestern extremity it is connected with the Gulf of Mexico by the Yucatán Channel, a passage 190 km (120 mi) wide between Cuba and the Yucatán Peninsula. The Windward Passage between Cuba and Haiti is a major shipping route between the United States and the Panama Canal. Buy Caribbean Calling Cards securely online with your credit card and receive your PINs instantly! Many gulfs and bays indent the coastline of South America, notably the Gulf of Venezuela, which carries tidal waters to Lake Maracaibo in Venezuela. With a few exceptions the entire Caribbean Basin is more than 1,830 m (more than 6,000 ft) deep. Large areas of the sea exceed 3,660 m (12,000 ft) in depth; the greatest depth measured thus far is Cayman Trench (7,686 m/25,220 ft) between Jamaica and Cayman Islands. Navigation is open and clear, making the Caribbean a major trade route for Latin American countries. The main oceanic current in the Caribbean Sea is an extension of the North Equatorial and South Equatorial currents, which enter the sea at the southeastern extremity and flow in a generally northwestern direction. A popular resort area, the Caribbean Sea is noted for its mild tropical climate.
West Indies, an archipelago, or group of islands, that extends in an arc from near southern Florida to the coast of Venezuela. The West Indies archipelago, which includes thousands of tiny islands, forms a breakwater 3,200-km (2,000-mi) long against the Atlantic Ocean, separating it from the Caribbean Sea.
The West Indies archipelago is known by a variety of names
. The earliest name, and the one most frequently used, is West Indies. European explorer Christopher Columbus gave the region that name in error when he arrived in 1492. He assumed that the islands were near the coast of India.
With the passage of time, other names came into use. Spain and France called the islands the Antilles, named after the mythological Atlantic island of Antilia, or Antilla. The larger islands (Cuba, Jamaica, Hispaniola, and Puerto Rico) came to be known as the Greater Antilles, while the remaining smaller islands were called the Lesser Antilles.
Carib Info Com
Caribbean Home Page, West Indies directory of Business, Education, Entertainment, Weather, News, Travel and Accommodation web sites. Covering Barbados, Jamaica, Trinidad, Tobago, Anguilla, Antigua, Barbuda, Aruba, Bahamas, Bermuda, Bonaire, British Virgin, Cayman Islands, Cuba, Curacao, caribbean, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Grenada, Guadeloupe, Guyana, Haiti, Martinique, Monserrat, Puerto Rico, St. Kitts, Nevis, St. Lucia, St. Vincent, Grenadines, Turks, Caicos, US Virgin Islands.
Caribbean News
Caribbean news every day - links to dozens of Caribbean newspapers - the fastest way to find out what's happening in the Caribbean from anywhere in the world. Also Caribbean Internet radio stations.
Map of Caribbean Islands
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