The Caribbean, also known as the West Indies, is a vast area with many islands bounded by Florida in the north, South America in the south, Central America on the west and the Atlantic ocean on the east. The area is about 1 million square miles in size. Ever wondered why the area is known as the West Indies? In 1492, Christopher Columbus was looking for a westerly route to India and when he reached the area he thought it was India… Little to his knowledge, he had just discovered the Americas. There are thousands of individual islands and 28 island nations and territories in the Caribbean, each having their own diverse history and customs.
Only about 2% of the Islands are inhabited. Originally the area was inhabited by the Carib people from the Americas. After Columbus’s discovery, people from Spain arrived by the thousands to settle the islands. In the 1600’s the British, French and Dutch arrived and set up colonies. Slavery in the Caribbean flourished from 1525 to 1866, as many as 10 million slaves were brought to the Americas.
Today each island nation is unique and offers the tourists a great experience, each different but exciting…. Visit some of these islands soon, Cuba, Haiti, Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico, Jamaica, Trinidad and Tobago, Martinique, Barbados, Antigua and many many more…. ENJOY your trip!