Caribbean/ West Indies

[natalie_1982]

This may need to come under travel, but I thought it would fit under 'Places'!

Why is the West Indies called the West Indies?

What does the West Indies include?

What does the Caribbean include?

Is the difference between the Caribbean and the West Indies about the same sort of difference between the UK and GB?  If you know what I mean. 

Just one of those things I've often pondered.  I know quite a few Jamaican's and none of them look very Indian so wondered where the name came from.  I think I heard once that African's left Africa in search of India but came across some islands which they thought was India, until someone pointed out that it was in fact the Caribbean, but they thought "Heck!  It's nice here we might as well stay".  Or something like that.

[kev100]

I think this explains most of what you want natalie.

http://www.answers.com/west%20indies

[mystress]

natalie,

I don't think the Africans left Africa in search of India! They were taken (forcibly) from Africa as slaves,to work on the (White Man's) Plantations.So they didn't say "Heck,it's nice here we might as well stay" they had no alternative but to stay!

[Grunty]

mystress is right (as usual) natalie.  I think the tale you heard was about the man who is known in English as Christopher Colunbus.

[jno]

The Caribbean is the name of the sea, but it's also used to mean the islands in it, and perhaps the South American countries bordering it (eg Venezuela). The West Indies usually just means the islands, though the cricket team also includes Guyana, in South America.

I don't think there's any official agreement on exactly what countries are included in what name. For instance, I think Cuba is part of the Caribbean but I'm not sure you'd class it as the West Indies; but others might disagree.

As others have pointed out, Columbus was sailing west to find India, didn't realise America was there and so thought he'd landed in the Indies. So there's a long way between East Indies and West Indies. The people already there were native tribes who have now mostly died out as far as I know; the black people there now are mainly descendants of slaves, taken there chiefly to work on sugar plantations.