French Caribbean

The term French Caribbean varies in meaning with its usage and frame of reference. This ambiguity makes it very different from the term French West Indies, which specifically refers to the France's current possessions in the Caribbean region. When used as a noun with “the” to indicate a geographic location, as in “visiting the French Caribbean”, the term may refer to any of the following:

In popular culture, the official French Caribbean islands only include and are always considered to be Guadeloupe, Martinique, Saint Martin, Saint-Barthélemy.

Nevertheless, all Caribbean regions that are predominantly French-speaking and/or French Creole-speaking are:

• Guadeloupe
• Martinique
• Saint Martin
• Saint-Barthélemy
• French Guiana
• Dominica
• Saint Lucia
• Haiti

The two official French overseas departments are Guadeloupe and Martinique. St Martin and St Barthélemy, formerly attached to the department of Guadeloupe, have held separate status as overseas collectivities since 2007. These Caribbean Départments et Collectivités d’Outre Mer are also known as the French West Indies. The term "French Caribbean" can also refer to any area that exhibits a combination of French and Caribbean cultural influences in cuisine, style, architecture, and so on. While Dominica and Saint Lucia are officially English-speaking only, French Creole languages are widely spoken by the islands' populations.

When used as an adjective, as in “French Caribbean islands” or "French Caribbean style," the term is also ambiguous and dependent upon the user's frame of reference and context.

See also

• Antillean Creole
• Anglophone Caribbean and Hispanophone Caribbean (for other parts of the Caribbean)