West+Indies

West Indies = = = = The West Indies is a large group of islands that separate the Caribbean Sea from the Atlantic Ocean. The West Indies is made up of three main island groups: The Bahamas consists of 3,000 individual islands and reefs. The Greater Antilles is made up of the island countries of Cuba, Jamaica, Haiti and the Dominican Republic as well as Puerto Rico. The Lesser Antilles are divided into two groups of small islands: the Leeward Islands and the Windward Islands.
 * Bahamas**
 * Greater Antilles**
 * Lesser Antilles**

The people of the West Indies have many different language groups as the islands were colonised by the Spanish, the Dutch and the British. Each group brought their own languages in addition to the original Indian languages and those of the African slaves.

Today the West Indies is also known as the Caribbean, and comprises of many island countries, dependences and territories.

The island of Curacao, where Phillip is living at the start of The Cay, is part of the Leeward Antilles, along with Aruba and Bonaire. These islands of the Leeward Antilles are considered 'transcontinental', being part of two continents, as these islands are part of South America and the West Indies.

By Bronte and Tom