Listener Crossword No. 4843 Excuses,...
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West Indies
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Why are the West Indies so called?
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'The Indies' was originally a name given to the subcontinent of India itself together with its neighbouring lands and islands. Accordingly, the islands of the Indonesian region were called the 'East Indies'. When European explorers such as Columbus set sail westwards, they did not know the Americas existed. As a result, when they came upon the islands of the Caribbean, they thought they had arrived in the Indies from the other side as it were, and that the natives there were 'Indians', too. Obviously, when the truth was revealed, these westerly islands came to be called the 'West Indies'.
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