The term British West Indies sometimes called
Royal West Indies are mainly made up of the
islands in the Caribbean that are British
colonies. Today, the islands of the British West
Indies include:
Anguilla, Bermuda, British Virgin Islands,
Cayman Islands, Montserrat and the Turks and
Caicos Islands.
Historically, the term British West Indies was
once also extended to many of the former
colonies of the British in the Caribbean region.
Those nations which were once known as being a
part of the British West Indies (now known
collectively as the Anglophone Caribbean)
include:
Antigua and Barbuda, The Bahamas, Barbados,
Dominica, Grenada, Jamaica, Saint Kitts and
Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the
Grenadines, and Trinidad and Tobago
Although the word "Indies" was a reference to
the word island, it may also have collectively
included the two to three mainland Caribbean
territories of the British:
British Honduras
British Guiana
Mosquito Coast (whilst it was British, it was
then known as the Miskito Coast).
The two mainland territories British
Honduras(Belize), and British Guiana(Guyana)
also became independent, and have changed their
names (either before or upon independence).
The majority of the island territories and
states which once made up the entire British
West Indies are now independent nations. After
an attempt at a West Indies Federation to pursue
a unified path towards independence, some of the
island either remained or reverted to being
British colonies. The remaining overseas
territories of the British are still titled as
British West Indies.
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