Lesser Antilles

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—  Region of the Caribbean  —
Location within the Caribbean.
Region Caribbean
Island States
Area
 • Total 13,012 km2 (5,024 sq mi)
Population (2009)
 • Total 3,735,636
 • Density 287.09/km2 (743.6/sq mi)
Demonym Lesser Antillean
Time zone AST (UTC−4)
 • Summer (DST) ADT (UTC−3)

The Lesser Antilles (also known as the Caribbees) are a long, partly volcanic island arc in the Caribbean Sea.[1] Most of its islands form the eastern boundary of the Caribbean Sea with the Atlantic Ocean, with the remainder located in the southern Caribbean just north of South America. The Lesser Antilles and the Greater Antilles compose the Antilles (or the Caribbean in its narrowest definition), which together with the Lucayan Archipelago comprise the West Indies.

Contents

Regional terminology[edit]

The islands of the Lesser Antilles are divided into three groups. The two main groups are the Windward Islands in the south and the Leeward Islands in the north. The Windward Islands are called such because they were more windward to sailing ships arriving in the New World than the Leeward Islands, given that the prevailing trade winds blow east to west. The trans-Atlantic currents and winds that provided the fastest route across the ocean brought these ships to the rough dividing line between the Windward and Leeward Islands.

The third group is the Leeward Antilles in the west. These consist of the Dutch ABC islands just off the coast of Venezuela, plus a group of Venezuelan islands.

Geology[edit]

The Lesser Antilles more or less coincide with the outer edge of the Caribbean Plate. Many of the islands were formed as a result of the subduction of oceanic crust of the South American Plate under the Caribbean Plate in the Lesser Antilles subduction zone. This process is ongoing and is responsible not only for many of the islands, but also for volcanic and earthquake activity in the region. The islands along the South American coast are largely the result of the interaction of the South American Plate and the Caribbean Plate which is mainly strike-slip, but includes a component of compression.

Political divisions[edit]

The Lesser Antilles are divided into eight independent nations and numerous dependent and non-sovereign states (which are politically associated with the United Kingdom, France, the Netherlands, and the United States). Over one third of the total area and population of the Lesser Antilles lies within Trinidad and Tobago, a sovereign nation comprising the two southernmost islands of the Windward Island chain.

Sovereign states[edit]

Massive 2008 Hurricane Ike off the Lesser Antilles.
Name Subdivisions Area
(km²)		 Population
(1 July 2005 est.)		 Population density
(per km²)		 Capital
 Antigua and Barbuda Parishes 7002440000000000000440 700485632000000000085,632 195 St. John's
Barbuda 7002161000000000000161 70031370000000000001,370 9.65 Codrington
Redonda 70002000000000000002 50000000000000000000 0 n/a
 Barbados Parishes 7002431000000000000431 7005284589000000000284,589 660 Bridgetown
 Dominica Parishes 7002754000000000000754 700472660000000000072,660 96.3 Roseau
 Grenada Parishes 7002344000000000000344 7005110000000000000110,000 319.8 St. George’s
 Saint Kitts and Nevis Parishes 7002261000000000000261 700442696000000000042,696 163.5 Basseterre
 Nevis 700193000000000000093 700412106000000000012,106 130.1 Charlestown
 Saint Lucia Quarters 7002616000000000000616 7005173765000000000173,765 282 Castries
 Saint Vincent and the Grenadines Parishes 7002389000000000000389 7005120000000000000120,000 308.4 Kingstown
 Trinidad and Tobago Regional corporations 70035131000000000005,131 70061299953000000001,299,953 253.3 Port of Spain
Tobago 7002300000000000000300 700454000000000000054,000 180 Scarborough

Non-sovereign territories[edit]

Name Subdivisions Area
(km²)		 Population
(1 July 2005 est.)		 Population density
(per km²)		 Capital
 Aruba (Netherlands) none 7002193000000000000193 7005103065000000000103,065 534 Oranjestad
 Anguilla (UK) 700191000000000000091 700413600000000000013,600 132 The Valley
 Bonaire (Netherlands) none 7002288000000000000288 700414006000000000014,006 246.3 Kralendijk
 British Virgin Islands (UK) Districts 7002153000000000000153 700427000000000000027,000 260 Road Town
 Curaçao (Netherlands) none 7002444000000000000444 7005180592000000000180,592 406.7 Willemstad
 Guadeloupe (France) Arrondissements 70031780000000000001,780 7005440000000000000440,000 249.1 Basse-Terre
 Martinique (France) Arrondissements 70031128000000000001,128 7005400000000000000400,000 7002132000000000000132 Fort-de-France
 Montserrat (UK) 7002120000000000000120 70034655000000000004,655 38.8 Brades
 Saba (Netherlands) none 700113000000000000013 70031424000000000001,424 109.5 The Bottom
 Saint Barthélemy (France) none 700121000000000000021 70037448000000000007,448 354.6 Gustavia
 Saint Martin (France) none 700153000000000000053 700435000000000000035,000 675 Marigot
 Sint Eustatius (Netherlands) none 700134000000000000034 70033100000000000003,100 147.6 Oranjestad
 Sint Maarten (Netherlands) none 700134000000000000034 700440917000000000040,917 1,704 Philipsburg
 United States Virgin Islands (US) Districts 7002346000000000000346 7005108448000000000108,448 313.1 Charlotte Amalie

Several islands along the north coast of Venezuela and politically part of that country are also occasionally considered part of the Lesser Antilles. These are listed in the section immediately below.

Islands[edit]

The main Lesser Antilles are (from north to south to west):

Map of the Leeward Islands
SVG Map of the Lesser Antilles with names

Leeward Islands:

Windward Islands:

Map of the Leeward Antilles

Leeward Antilles – islands north of the Venezuelan coast (from west to east):

See also[edit]

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References[edit]

  1. ^ a b "West Indies." Merriam-Webster's Geographical Dictionary, 3rd ed. 2001. (ISBN 0-87779-546-0) Springfield, MA: Merriam-Webster Inc., p. 1298.
  2. ^ Encyclopædia Britannica: The Windward Islands
  3. ^ United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) | The Scotland District of Barbados
  4. ^ CountryStudies.us | The Windward Islands and Barbados
  5. ^ Cohen, Saul B., ed. "West Indies" The Columbia Gazetteer of North America. New York: Columbia University Press – Bartleby. Accessed: 19 September 2006
  6. ^ ARBITRAL TRIBUNAL CONSTITUTED PURSUANT TO ARTICLE 287, AND IN ACCORDANCE WITH ANNEX VII, OF THE UNITED NATIONS CONVENTION ON THE LAW OF THE SEA IN THE MATTER OF AN ARBITRATION BETWEEN: BARBADOS - AND - THE REPUBLIC OF TRINIDAD AND TOBAGO - The Hague, 11 April 2006 (Pages 15-16)
  • Rogonzinski, Jan. A Brief History of the Caribbean. New York: Facts on File, 1992.

Coordinates: 14°14′N 61°21′W / 14.233°N 61.350°W / 14.233; -61.350

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