Leeward Islands
English: Leeward Islands | |
|---|---|
Location of Leeward Islands within Caribbean (dark green shading) Map of the Leeward Islands from the Virgin Islands to Guadeloupe in the Caribbean | |
Interactive map of Leeward Islands | |
| Geography | |
| Location | Caribbean Sea North Atlantic Ocean |
| Coordinates | 16°N 61°W / 16°N 61°W |
| Total islands | 30+ |
| Major islands | Antigua Barbuda Guadeloupe Montserrat Nevis Saint Kitts Saint Martin Virgin Islands |
| Area | 3,167.6 km2 (1,223.0 sq mi) |
| Highest elevation | 1,467 m (4813 ft) |
| Highest point | La Grande Soufrière, Guadeloupe |
| Administration | |
| Largest settlement | St. John's |
| Largest settlement | Road Town |
| Largest settlement | Les Abymes |
| Archipelago | Spanish Virgin Islands |
| Largest settlement | Vieques |
| Largest settlement | Basseterre |
| Largest settlement | Philipsburg |
| Largest settlement | Charlotte Amalie |
| Demographics | |
| Population | c. +700,000 |
| Ethnic groups | Caribbean people (Afro-Caribbean, White, Indo-Caribbean, Chinese) |
The Leeward Islands (/ˈliːwərd/) are a group of islands in the Lesser Antilles of the West Indies in the Caribbean region of the Americas, situated where the northeastern Caribbean Sea meets the western North Atlantic Ocean. Starting with the Virgin Islands east of the Greater Antilles main island of Puerto Rico, they extend southeast to Guadeloupe and its dependencies. They lie north of the Windward Islands, southern islands from Dominica to Trinidad and Tobago, and northwest of the Leeward Antilles, southwestern islands from the Federal Dependencies of Venezuela to Aruba.
In English, the term Leeward Islands refers to the northern islands of the Lesser Antilles chain. The more southerly part of this chain, from Dominica to Trinidad and Tobago, is known as the Windward Islands. Dominica was initially considered a part of the Leeward Islands, but was transferred from the British Leeward Islands to the British Windward Islands in 1940.