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West Indies

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The West Indies

The West Indies are a beautiful group of islands in the Caribbean Sea and the North Atlantic Ocean. They are part of the Americas and include many places to explore!

These islands are spread across three main groups: the Greater Antilles, the Lesser Antilles, and the Lucayan Archipelago. Some well-known places include The Bahamas and the Turks and Caicos Islands.

Long ago, when Christopher Columbus sailed from Spain, he was looking for a shorter way to India. Instead, he reached these islands and called them the "West Indies" because he thought he was near India. Today, the name is still used, like for the West Indies cricket team, which brings together players from all the islands.

The West Indies are home to many different cultures, languages, and traditions. This makes them a special and interesting part of the world, full of colorful stories and beautiful landscapes.

Images

A stunning night-time view of the Atlantic continents — North and South America, Europe, and Africa — as seen from space, with city lights sparkling below.
A detailed map showing the geography of Central America and the Caribbean islands.
A colorful map showing life expectancy across Caribbean countries in 2019, created using MapChart data from the World Bank.
A colorful map showing life expectancy across Caribbean countries and territories in 2021.

Related articles

Caribbean Sea
Atlantic Ocean
Americas
The Bahamas
Turks and Caicos Islands
Christopher Columbus

This article is a child-friendly adaptation of the Wikipedia article on West Indies, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

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