The islands of the Caribbean Sea, collectively known as the West Indies are sorted by size and location into the Bahamas, the Lesser Antilles and the Greater Antilles. The Greater Antilles are Cuba, Jamaica, the island of Hispaniola (composed of Haiti on the west side and the Dominican Republic on the east side) and Puerto Rico. All four islands are volcanic in origin; they represent the peaks of underwater mountains created approximately 70 to 50 million years ago. By language, affinity and tradition, the Greater Antilles are considered part of Latin America.

The Greater Antilles had clear strategic importance as a gateway to the Americas and during the years when sea power defined a country's might, they were the battlegrounds for several imperial powers, mainly Spain, France, and the United Kingdom. First exploited for their own resources, they were later utilized as the principal landing points for ships traveling between Europe and the New World. With the advent of commercial airlines, their importance for strategical reasons has diminished with time.

They can be contrasted with the Lesser Antilles.

See also

• Antilles

References

Rogonzinski, Jan. A Brief History of the Caribbean. New York: Facts on File, 1992.

Caribbean islands | Archipelagoes

جزر الأنتيل الكبرى | Вялікія Антыльскія выспы | Store Antiller | Große Antillen Grandaj Antiloj Grandes Antillas Suured Antillid Grandes Antilles | Grandi Antille | Grote Antillen Wielkie Antyle Stora Antillerna | Büyük Antiller