The Antilles

Antilles, The, islands of the West Indies, with the exception of the Bahamas. Shaped like an arc that stretches from Cuba to the coast of South America, the Antilles separate the Caribbean Sea from the Atlantic Ocean. The Greater Antilles include the large islands of Cuba, Jamaica, Hispaniola, and Puerto Rico. The Lesser Antilles include the Virgin Islands, the Leeward and Windward Islands, Trinidad and Tobago, Barbados, the Netherlands Antilles, and the Margarita Islands of Venezuela. Cuba, Haiti, and the Dominican Republic have long been independent nations. Three of the large islands formerly held by the British—Barbados, Jamaica, and Trinidad—gained their independence in the 1970s. All other islands of the Antilles are colonies, self-governing affiliates, or integral parts of other nations.