The Caribbean: Geographic Definition and Extent

The Caribbean region is a crescent of islands and coastal territories enclosing the Caribbean Sea, bounded by:

• North: Greater Antilles (Cuba, Hispaniola, Jamaica, Puerto Rico) — separate from Gulf of Mexico by Yucatán Channel & Florida Straits.
• West: Central America (Yucatán Peninsula to Isthmus of Panama).
• South: South America (Colombia, Venezuela, Guyana, Suriname, French Guiana).
• East: Lesser Antilles arc (Virgin Islands to Trinidad) — separates Caribbean Sea from Atlantic Ocean.

Subregions

• Greater Antilles (large islands, continental crust).
• Lesser Antilles (volcanic/coral arc; Leeward + Windward Islands).
• Bahamas & Turks & Caicos (carbonate banks, Atlantic side but culturally Caribbean).
• ABC Islands (Aruba, Bonaire, Curaçao) — off Venezuela, arid, Dutch.
• Mainland Caribbean — Belize, Caribbean coasts of Mexico, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Panama, Colombia, Venezuela.

Key Metrics

• Area: ~2.75M km² (sea); ~234,000 km² (land).
• Population: ~44M.
• Political: 13 sovereign states, 17+ territories (UK, France, Netherlands, US).

The Caribbean is a cultural-historical construct as much as geographic—shaped by Indigenous, African, European, Asian peoples; plantation economies; creole languages; hurricanes; and the sea itself.