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{{Infobox islands
{{Infobox islands
|name = Leeward Islands
|name = Leeward Islands
|local_name = <small>{{lang-en|Leeward Islands}}<br />{{lang-fr|Îles-Sous-le-Vent}}</small>
|local_name = <small>{{langx|en|Leeward Islands}}<br />{{langx|fr|Îles-Sous-le-Vent}}</small>
|image_name = Charlotte Amalie.jpg
|image_name = Caribbean - Leeward Islands.PNG
|image_caption = Charlotte Amalie, capital of the U.S. Virgin Islands
|image_caption = Location within the Lesser Antilles
|image_alt =
|image_alt =
|locator_map =
|locator_map =
|location = [[Caribbean Sea]]<br />[[Atlantic Ocean|North Atlantic Ocean]]
|location = [[Caribbean Sea]]<br />[[Atlantic Ocean|North Atlantic Ocean]]
|coordinates = {{Coord|16|N|61|W|scale:4000000_region:AN_type:isle_source:kolossus-srwiki|display=title,inline}}
|coordinates = {{Coord|16|N|61|W|scale:4000000_region:AN_type:isle_source:kolossus-srwiki|display=title,inline}}
|area_km2 =
|area_km2 = 3167.6
|total_islands = 30+
|total_islands = 30+
|major_islands = [[Antigua and Barbuda]]<br />[[Guadeloupe]]<br />[[Montserrat]]<br />[[Saint Kitts and Nevis]]<br />[[Saint Martin (island)|Saint Martin]]<br />[[Virgin Islands]]
|major_islands = [[Antigua and Barbuda]]<br />[[Guadeloupe]]<br />[[Montserrat]]<br />[[Saint Kitts and Nevis]]<br />[[Saint Martin (island)|Saint Martin]]<br />[[Virgin Islands]]
Line 31: Line 31:
}}
}}


The '''Leeward Islands''' ({{IPAc-en|ˈ|l|iː|w|ər|d}}) are a group of islands situated where the northeastern [[Caribbean Sea]] meets the western Atlantic Ocean. Starting with the [[Virgin Islands]] east of [[Puerto Rico]], they extend southeast to [[Guadeloupe]] and its dependencies. In English, the term ''Leeward Islands'' refers to the northern islands of the [[Lesser Antilles]] chain. The more southerly part of this chain, starting with [[Dominica]], is called the [[Windward Islands]]. Dominica was originally considered a part of the Leeward Islands, but was transferred from the [[British Leeward Islands]] to the [[British Windward Islands]] in 1940.
The '''Leeward Islands''' ({{IPAc-en|ˈ|l|iː|w|ər|d}}) are a group of islands situated where the northeastern [[Caribbean Sea]] meets the western Atlantic Ocean. Starting with the [[Virgin Islands]] east of [[Puerto Rico]], they extend southeast to [[Guadeloupe]] and its dependencies. In English, the term ''Leeward Islands'' refers to the northern islands of the [[Lesser Antilles]] chain. The more southerly part of this chain, starting with [[Dominica]], is called 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.


==Origin of the name==
==Origin of the name==
Line 37: Line 37:
[[File:Sandy Ground Anguilla.jpg|thumb|left|Overlooking [[Sandy Ground, Anguilla|Sandy Ground]], [[Anguilla]]]]
[[File:Sandy Ground Anguilla.jpg|thumb|left|Overlooking [[Sandy Ground, Anguilla|Sandy Ground]], [[Anguilla]]]]


The name of this island group, ''Leeward Islands'', dates from previous centuries, when [[sailing ship]]s were the sole form of transportation across the Atlantic Ocean. In sailing terminology, '[[windward and leeward|windward]]' means towards the source of the wind (upwind), while '[[windward and leeward|leeward]]' is the opposite direction (downwind). In the [[West Indies]], the prevailing winds, known as the [[trade winds]], blow predominantly out of the northeast. Therefore, a sailing vessel departing from the [[Gold Coast (British colony)|British Gold Coast]] and the [[Gulf of Guinea]], driven by the trade winds, would normally first encounter Dominica and Martinique,<ref>{{Cite web|title=Windward Islands Map — Leeward Islands Map — Satellite Image|url=https://geology.com/world/windward-islands-leeward-islands.shtml|access-date=2020-11-20|website=geology.com}}</ref> islands most to windward, in their west-northwesterly heading to the final destinations in the [[Caribbean]], [[Central America]], and [[Northern America]].<ref>{{cite book |last1= Sauer |first1= Carl O. |year=1966|title= The Early Spanish Main |pages=192|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=H6IimGc3OqIC |location= Berkeley |publisher= University of California Press| quote= The current convention that the Leeward Islands (Sotavento) run from Guadeloupe to St. Croix records the Spanish practice of sailing to their leeward and may go back to the time of Columbus [who arrived at the Dominica Passage on his 2nd voyage]}}</ref> This location, Dominica and Martinique, becomes the rough dividing line between the Windward Islands and the Leeward Islands.
The name of this island group, ''Leeward Islands'', dates from previous centuries, when [[sailing ship]]s were the sole form of transportation across the Atlantic Ocean. In sailing terminology, "[[windward and leeward|windward]]" means towards the source of the wind (upwind), while "[[windward and leeward|leeward]]" is the opposite direction (downwind). In the [[West Indies]], the prevailing winds, known as the [[trade winds]], blow predominantly out of the northeast. Therefore, a sailing vessel departing from the [[Gold Coast (British colony)|British Gold Coast]] and the [[Gulf of Guinea]], driven by the trade winds, would usually first encounter Dominica and Martinique,<ref>{{Cite web|title=Windward Islands Map — Leeward Islands Map — Satellite Image|url=https://geology.com/world/windward-islands-leeward-islands.shtml|access-date=2020-11-20|website=geology.com}}</ref> islands most to windward, in their west-northwesterly heading to the final destinations in the [[Caribbean]], [[Central America]], and [[Northern America]].<ref>{{cite book |last1= Sauer |first1= Carl O. |year=1966|title= The Early Spanish Main |pages=192|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=H6IimGc3OqIC |location= Berkeley |publisher= University of California Press| quote= The current convention that the Leeward Islands (Sotavento) run from Guadeloupe to St. Croix records the Spanish practice of sailing to their leeward and may go back to the time of Columbus [who arrived at the Dominica Passage on his 2nd voyage]}}</ref> This location, Dominica and Martinique, becomes the rough dividing line between the Windward Islands and the Leeward Islands.


The early [[Spanish colonization of the Americas|Spanish explorers]]s called [[Puerto Rico]] and the islands to the west ''Sotavento'', meaning 'leeward'. The islands to the south and east of Puerto Rico were then called ''Islas de Barlovento'', meaning 'windward islands'. When the British gained control of many of the [[Lesser Antilles]], they designated [[Antigua]], [[Montserrat]] and the islands to the north as the 'Leeward Islands'. [[Guadeloupe]] and the islands to the south were designated as the 'Windward Islands'. Later on, all islands north of [[Martinique]] became known as the Leeward Islands.<ref>J. C. Hart and W. T. Stone (1982), ''A Cruising Guide to the Caribbean and the Bahamas'', Dodd, Mead & Co., p. 601, {{ISBN|0-396-08023-5}}.</ref> [[Dominica]] was transferred to the [[British Windward Islands]] in 1940, and is now considered part of the [[Windward Islands]].<ref>{{Cite news|date=20 December 1964|title=The Leewards|quote=The Leeward Islands, a cluster of isles in the Caribbean under United States, British, Dutch and French flags, are strung out in a 400-mile‐long arc between Puerto Rico and Martinique. The group takes its name from the geographic fact that it is farther from the direct route of the rain‐carrying northeasterly trade winds than the neighboring Windward Islands. One of the islands, Dominica, is geographically part of the Leewards, but, since 1940, has been politically and administratively part of the British Windioard Islands.|language=en-US|work=The New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1964/12/20/archives/the-leewards-the-leeward-islands-a-cluster-of-isles-in-the.html|access-date=11 November 2021|issn=0362-4331}}<!-- Windioard is in the original --></ref>
The early [[Spanish colonization of the Americas|Spanish explorers]] called [[Puerto Rico]] and the islands to the west ''Sotavento'', meaning "leeward". The islands south and east of Puerto Rico were called ''Islas de Barlovento'', meaning "windward islands". When the British gained control of many of the [[Lesser Antilles]], they designated [[Antigua]], [[Montserrat]], and the islands to the north as the Leeward Islands. [[Guadeloupe]] and the islands to the south were designated as the Windward Islands. Later on, all islands north of [[Martinique]] became known as the Leeward Islands.<ref>J. C. Hart and W. T. Stone (1982), ''A Cruising Guide to the Caribbean and the Bahamas'', Dodd, Mead & Co., p. 601, {{ISBN|0-396-08023-5}}.</ref> [[Dominica]] was transferred to the [[British Windward Islands]] in 1940 and is now considered part of the [[Windward Islands]].<ref>{{Cite news|date=20 December 1964|title=The Leewards|quote=The Leeward Islands, a cluster of isles in the Caribbean under United States, British, Dutch and French flags, are strung out in a 400-mile‐long arc between Puerto Rico and Martinique. The group takes its name from the geographic fact that it is farther from the direct route of the rain‐carrying northeasterly trade winds than the neighboring Windward Islands. One of the islands, Dominica, is geographically part of the Leewards but, since 1940, has been politically and administratively part of the British Windward Islands.|language=en-US|work=The New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1964/12/20/archives/the-leewards-the-leeward-islands-a-cluster-of-isles-in-the.html|access-date=11 November 2021|issn=0362-4331}}<!-- Windioard is in the original --></ref>


However, even in modern usage in languages other than English, notably, Dutch, French, and Spanish, all of the Lesser Antilles from the [[Virgin Islands]] to [[Trinidad and Tobago]] are known as 'the Windward Islands' (''Bovenwindse Eilanden'' in Dutch, ''Îles du Vent'' in French, and ''Islas de Barlovento'' in Spanish). The [[ABC islands (Leeward Antilles)|ABC islands]] and the other islands along the Venezuelan coast, known in English as the [[Leeward Antilles]], are known in languages other than English as 'the Leeward Islands'.
However, even in modern usage in languages other than English, notably Dutch, French, and Spanish, all of the Lesser Antilles from the [[Virgin Islands]] to [[Trinidad and Tobago]] are known as the Windward Islands (''Bovenwindse Eilanden'' in Dutch, ''Îles du Vent'' in French, and ''Islas de Barlovento'' in Spanish). The [[ABC islands (Leeward Antilles)|ABC islands]] and the other islands along the Venezuelan coast, known in English as the [[Leeward Antilles]], are known in languages other than English as an equivalent of the Leeward Islands.


==Geography==
==Geography==
[[File:Caribbean general map.png|thumb|500px|right|The Leeward Islands are labelled on the map's middle right side]]
[[File:Caribbean general map.png|thumb|500px|right|The Leeward Islands are labelled on the map's middle right side]]


The islands are affected by active [[volcanism]], and notable eruptions have occurred in [[Montserrat]] in the 1990s and in 2009 to 2010. At {{convert|1467|m|ft|0|disp=or}}, the highest point is [[La Grande Soufrière]] in [[Guadeloupe]].
The islands were created mostly by [[volcano]]es in the [[Lesser Antilles subduction zone]]. Some are still active. Notable eruptions occurred in [[Montserrat]] in the 1990s and in 2009 to 2010. At {{convert|1467|m|ft|0|disp=or}}, the highest point is [[La Grande Soufrière]] in [[Guadeloupe]].


==History==
==History==
The [[Island Caribs|Caribs]], after whom the [[Caribbean]] is named, are believed to have migrated from the [[Orinoco]] River area in Venezuela in [[South America]] to settle in the [[Caribbean islands]] about 1200 AD, according to [[carbon dating]]. Over the century leading up to [[Christopher Columbus|Columbus]]' arrival in the Caribbean archipelago in 1492, the Caribs mostly displaced the [[Maipurean]]-speaking [[Taínos]], who settled the island chains earlier in history, by warfare, extermination and assimilation.<ref>[http://www.diaspora.uiuc.edu/news0307/news0307-7.pdf Sweeney, James L. (2007). "Caribs, Maroons, Jacobins, Brigands, and Sugar Barons: The Last Stand of the Black Caribs on St. Vincent"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120227183833/http://www.diaspora.uiuc.edu/news0307/news0307-7.pdf |date=2012-02-27 }}, ''African Diaspora Archaeology Network'', March 2007, retrieved 26 April 2007.</ref>
The [[Island Caribs|Caribs]], after whom the [[Caribbean]] is named, are believed to have migrated from the [[Orinoco]] River area in Venezuela in [[South America]] to settle in the [[Caribbean islands]] about 1200 AD, according to [[carbon dating]]. Over the century leading up to [[Christopher Columbus|Columbus]]' arrival in the Caribbean archipelago in 1492, the Caribs mostly displaced the [[Maipurean]]-speaking [[Taínos]], who settled the island chains earlier in history, by warfare, extermination, and assimilation.<ref>[http://www.diaspora.uiuc.edu/news0307/news0307-7.pdf Sweeney, James L. (2007). "Caribs, Maroons, Jacobins, Brigands, and Sugar Barons: The Last Stand of the Black Caribs on St. Vincent"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120227183833/http://www.diaspora.uiuc.edu/news0307/news0307-7.pdf |date=2012-02-27 }}, ''African Diaspora Archaeology Network'', March 2007, retrieved 26 April 2007.</ref>


The islands were among the first parts of the Americas to fall under the control of the [[Spanish Empire]]. European contact commenced with [[Christopher Columbus]]'s second voyage; many of the islands' names originate from this period: Montserrat was named in honour of [[Santa Maria de Montserrat]] (Our Lady of Montserrat), after the [[Blessed Virgin]] of the [[Monastery of Montserrat]], which is located on the [[Mountain of Montserrat]], the national shrine of [[Catalonia]]. 'Mont serrat' in [[Catalan language|Catalan]] means '[[saw]] mountain', referring to the serrated appearance of the mountain range.
The islands were among the first parts of the Americas to fall under the control of the [[Spanish Empire]]. European contact commenced with [[Christopher Columbus]]'s second voyage; many of the islands' names originate from this period: Montserrat was named in honour of [[Santa Maria de Montserrat]] (Our Lady of Montserrat), after the [[Blessed Virgin]] of the [[Monastery of Montserrat]], which is located on the [[Mountain of Montserrat]], the national shrine of [[Catalonia]]. {{lang|ca|Mont serrat}} in [[Catalan language|Catalan]] means "[[saw]] mountain", referring to the serrated appearance of the mountain range.


===British colony of the Leeward Islands===
===British colony of the Leeward Islands===
{{Main|British Leeward Islands}}
{{Main|British Leeward Islands}}
The Leeward Islands became a [[United Kingdom|British]] colony in 1671, with [[Sir_William_Stapleton,_1st_Baronet|William Stapleton]] as its first governor.
The Leeward Islands became a [[United Kingdom|British]] colony in 1671, with [[Sir William Stapleton, 1st Baronet|William Stapleton]] as its first governor.


Although comparatively much smaller than the surrounding islands in the Caribbean, the Leeward Islands posed the most significant rebellion to the British [[Stamp Act 1765|Stamp Act]], though it was decidedly less severe in comparison to that of the mainland North American colonies.<ref>{{cite journal|last1=O'Shaughnessy|first1=Andrew|title=The Stamp Act Crisis in the British Caribbean|journal=The William and Mary Quarterly|date=April 1994|volume=51|issue=2|pages=203–226|jstor=2946860|doi=10.2307/2946860|s2cid=144862560}}</ref>
Although comparatively much smaller than the surrounding islands in the Caribbean, the Leeward Islands posed the most significant rebellion to the British [[Stamp Act 1765|Stamp Act]], though it was decidedly less severe in comparison to that of the mainland North American colonies.<ref>{{cite journal|last1=O'Shaughnessy|first1=Andrew|title=The Stamp Act Crisis in the British Caribbean|journal=The William and Mary Quarterly|date=April 1994|volume=51|issue=2|pages=203–226|jstor=2946860|doi=10.2307/2946860|s2cid=144862560}}</ref>


In 1660, there were about 8,000 white settlers and approximately 2,000 African slaves in the Leeward Islands. However, that ratio narrowed over succeeding years. In 1678, there were 10,408 white settlers and 8,449 black slaves. By 1708, there was a huge disparity between the number of white settlers, which had declined to 7,311, while the number of black slaves was estimated at 23,500.<ref>Hilary Beckles, "The 'Hub of Empire': The Caribbean and Britain in the Seventeenth Century", ''The Oxford History of the British Empire: Volume 1 The Origins of Empire'', ed. by Nicholas Canny (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2001), p. 224.</ref>
In 1660, there were about 8,000 white settlers and approximately 2,000 enslaved Africans in the Leeward Islands. However, that ratio narrowed over succeeding years. In 1678, there were 10,408 white settlers and 8,449 enslaved Black people. By 1708, there was a huge disparity between the number of white settlers, which had declined to 7,311, and the number of enslaved Black people was estimated at 23,500.<ref>Hilary Beckles, "The 'Hub of Empire': The Caribbean and Britain in the Seventeenth Century", ''The Oxford History of the British Empire: Volume 1 The Origins of Empire'', ed. by Nicholas Canny (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2001), p. 224.</ref>


In 1816, the colony as a federation of islands was dissolved, and the individual islands were ruled individually. However, the colony of the Leeward Islands was re-established in 1833.<ref>{{cite web |title=LC Name Authority File (LCNAF) — Leeward Islands (Federation) |url=https://id.loc.gov/authorities/names/n81008536.html |website=id.loc.gov |publisher=The Library of Congress |access-date=23 December 2020}}</ref>
In 1816, the colony was dissolved as a federation of islands, and the individual islands were ruled individually. However, the colony of the Leeward Islands was re-established in 1833.<ref>{{cite web |title=LC Name Authority File (LCNAF) — Leeward Islands (Federation) |url=https://id.loc.gov/authorities/names/n81008536.html |website=id.loc.gov |publisher=The Library of Congress |access-date=23 December 2020}}</ref>


== List of notable islands in the Leeward Islands ==
== List of notable islands in the Leeward Islands ==
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* [[Virgin Islands]]
* [[Virgin Islands]]
** Spanish Virgin Islands
** Spanish Virgin Islands
*** {{flagdeco|Puerto Rico}} [[Spanish Virgin Islands|Spanish (Puerto Rican) Islands]] ([[Puerto Rico]])
*** {{flagdeco|Puerto Rico}} [[Spanish Virgin Islands|Spanish (Puerto Rican) Islands]] ([[Puerto Rico]]) (United States)
*** {{flag|Culebra, Puerto Rico|name=Culebra}} ([[Municipalities of Puerto Rico|Municipality]] of [[Puerto Rico]])
*** {{flag|Culebra, Puerto Rico|name=Culebra}} ([[Municipalities of Puerto Rico|Municipality]] of [[Puerto Rico]]) (United States)
*** {{flag|Vieques}} ([[Municipalities of Puerto Rico|Municipality]] of [[Puerto Rico]])
*** {{flag|Vieques}} ([[Municipalities of Puerto Rico|Municipality]] of [[Puerto Rico]]) (United States)
** {{flag|U.S. Virgin Islands}} ([[United States]])
** {{flag|U.S. Virgin Islands}} (United States)
*** [[Saint Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands|Saint Thomas]]
*** [[Saint Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands|Saint Thomas]]
*** [[Saint John, U.S. Virgin Islands|Saint John]]
*** [[Saint John, U.S. Virgin Islands|Saint John]]
Line 92: Line 92:
** {{flag|Nevis}}
** {{flag|Nevis}}
* {{flag|Antigua and Barbuda}}
* {{flag|Antigua and Barbuda}}
** {{flagicon image|Barbuda Council Flag.svg}} [[Barbuda]]
** {{flagicon image|Flag of Barbuda.svg}} [[Barbuda]]
** {{flagicon image|Flag of Antigua and Barbuda.svg}} [[Antigua]]
** {{flagicon image|Flag of Antigua and Barbuda.svg}} [[Antigua]]
** {{flagicon image|Flag of the Kingdom of Redonda.svg}} [[Redonda]] — uninhabited
** {{flagicon image|Flag of the Kingdom of Redonda.svg}} [[Redonda]] — uninhabited
* {{flag|Montserrat}} ([[The Crown|United Kingdom]])
* {{flag|Montserrat}} ([[The Crown|United Kingdom]])
* {{flag|Guadeloupe|local2}} ([[French Fifth Republic|France]])
* {{flag|Guadeloupe|local2}} ([[French Fifth Republic|France]])
** [[La Désirade]] ([[dependent territory|dependency]] of Guadeloupe) — literally 'The Desired', also called La Deseada<ref>The American Universal Geography, Jedidiah Morse, 7ed. v1, Charlestown, 1819.</ref>
** [[La Désirade]] ([[Dependencies of Guadeloupe|dependency of Guadeloupe]]) — literally 'The Desired', also called La Deseada<ref>The American Universal Geography, Jedidiah Morse, 7ed. v1, Charlestown, 1819.</ref>
** [[Îles des Saintes]] (dependency of Guadeloupe)
** [[Îles des Saintes]] (dependency of Guadeloupe)
** [[Marie-Galante]] (dependency of Guadeloupe)
** [[Marie-Galante]] (dependency of Guadeloupe)
Line 112: Line 112:
** {{C|Leeward Islands (Caribbean)|Leeward Islands topics}}
** {{C|Leeward Islands (Caribbean)|Leeward Islands topics}}
** {{C|Windward Islands|Windward Islands topics}}
** {{C|Windward Islands|Windward Islands topics}}
* [[Southern Caribbean]]
* [[Windward Islands]]
* [[Windward Islands]]


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==External links==
==External links==
{{Commons category|Leeward Islands (Lesser Antilles)|Leeward Islands}}
{{Commons category|Leeward Islands (Lesser Antilles)|Leeward Islands}}
* [http://dloc.com/UF00076863 Digital Library of the Caribbean−dloc.org: "The Leeward Islands Gazette"]—freely−openly available, with full page images and searchable text
* [http://dloc.com/UF00076863 Digital Library of the Caribbean−dloc.org: "The Leeward Islands Gazette"]—freely−openly available, with full-page images and searchable text
* [http://dloc.com/UF00076853 Digital Library of the Caribbean−dloc.org: "Antigua, Montserrat and Virgin Islands Gazette"]—openly−freely available, with searchable text and full page images
* [http://dloc.com/UF00076853 Digital Library of the Caribbean−dloc.org: "Antigua, Montserrat and Virgin Islands Gazette"]—openly−freely available, with searchable text and full-page images


{{Caribbean topic}}
{{Caribbean topic}}

Latest revision as of 18:31, 15 December 2024

This article is about the Caribbean island group. For the western islands of French Polynesia, see Leeward Islands (Society Islands). For other uses, see Leeward Islands (disambiguation).
Not to be confused with Leeward Antilles.
"Leewards" redirects here. For the direction, see Windward and leeward. For other uses, see Leeward (disambiguation).
Leeward Islands
English: Leeward Islands
French: Îles-Sous-le-Vent
Location within the Lesser Antilles
Map
Geography
LocationCaribbean Sea
North Atlantic Ocean
Coordinates16°N 61°W / 16°N 61°W / 16; -61
Total islands30+
Major islandsAntigua and Barbuda
Guadeloupe
Montserrat
Saint Kitts and Nevis
Saint Martin
Virgin Islands
Area3,167.6 km2 (1,223.0 sq mi)
Highest elevation1,467 m (4813 ft)
Highest pointLa Grande Soufrière, Guadeloupe
Administration
Largest settlementSt. John's
Guadeloupe
Largest settlementLes Abymes
Saint Kitts and Nevis
Largest settlementBasseterre
Sint Maarten
Largest settlementPhilipsburg
Demographics
Populationc. +700,000

The Leeward Islands (/ˈliːwərd/) are a group of islands situated where the northeastern Caribbean Sea meets the western Atlantic Ocean. Starting with the Virgin Islands east of Puerto Rico, they extend southeast to Guadeloupe and its dependencies. In English, the term Leeward Islands refers to the northern islands of the Lesser Antilles chain. The more southerly part of this chain, starting with Dominica, is called 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.

Origin of the name

[edit]
Charlotte Amalie, Saint Thomas, in the U.S. Virgin Islands
Overlooking Sandy Ground, Anguilla

The name of this island group, Leeward Islands, dates from previous centuries, when sailing ships were the sole form of transportation across the Atlantic Ocean. In sailing terminology, "windward" means towards the source of the wind (upwind), while "leeward" is the opposite direction (downwind). In the West Indies, the prevailing winds, known as the trade winds, blow predominantly out of the northeast. Therefore, a sailing vessel departing from the British Gold Coast and the Gulf of Guinea, driven by the trade winds, would usually first encounter Dominica and Martinique,[1] islands most to windward, in their west-northwesterly heading to the final destinations in the Caribbean, Central America, and Northern America.[2] This location, Dominica and Martinique, becomes the rough dividing line between the Windward Islands and the Leeward Islands.

The early Spanish explorers called Puerto Rico and the islands to the west Sotavento, meaning "leeward". The islands south and east of Puerto Rico were called Islas de Barlovento, meaning "windward islands". When the British gained control of many of the Lesser Antilles, they designated Antigua, Montserrat, and the islands to the north as the Leeward Islands. Guadeloupe and the islands to the south were designated as the Windward Islands. Later on, all islands north of Martinique became known as the Leeward Islands.[3] Dominica was transferred to the British Windward Islands in 1940 and is now considered part of the Windward Islands.[4]

However, even in modern usage in languages other than English, notably Dutch, French, and Spanish, all of the Lesser Antilles from the Virgin Islands to Trinidad and Tobago are known as the Windward Islands (Bovenwindse Eilanden in Dutch, Îles du Vent in French, and Islas de Barlovento in Spanish). The ABC islands and the other islands along the Venezuelan coast, known in English as the Leeward Antilles, are known in languages other than English as an equivalent of the Leeward Islands.

Geography

[edit]
The Leeward Islands are labelled on the map's middle right side

The islands were created mostly by volcanoes in the Lesser Antilles subduction zone. Some are still active. Notable eruptions occurred in Montserrat in the 1990s and in 2009 to 2010. At 1,467 metres or 4,813 feet, the highest point is La Grande Soufrière in Guadeloupe.

History

[edit]

The Caribs, after whom the Caribbean is named, are believed to have migrated from the Orinoco River area in Venezuela in South America to settle in the Caribbean islands about 1200 AD, according to carbon dating. Over the century leading up to Columbus' arrival in the Caribbean archipelago in 1492, the Caribs mostly displaced the Maipurean-speaking Taínos, who settled the island chains earlier in history, by warfare, extermination, and assimilation.[5]

The islands were among the first parts of the Americas to fall under the control of the Spanish Empire. European contact commenced with Christopher Columbus's second voyage; many of the islands' names originate from this period: Montserrat was named in honour of Santa Maria de Montserrat (Our Lady of Montserrat), after the Blessed Virgin of the Monastery of Montserrat, which is located on the Mountain of Montserrat, the national shrine of Catalonia. Mont serrat in Catalan means "saw mountain", referring to the serrated appearance of the mountain range.

British colony of the Leeward Islands

[edit]
Main article: British Leeward Islands

The Leeward Islands became a British colony in 1671, with William Stapleton as its first governor.

Although comparatively much smaller than the surrounding islands in the Caribbean, the Leeward Islands posed the most significant rebellion to the British Stamp Act, though it was decidedly less severe in comparison to that of the mainland North American colonies.[6]

In 1660, there were about 8,000 white settlers and approximately 2,000 enslaved Africans in the Leeward Islands. However, that ratio narrowed over succeeding years. In 1678, there were 10,408 white settlers and 8,449 enslaved Black people. By 1708, there was a huge disparity between the number of white settlers, which had declined to 7,311, and the number of enslaved Black people was estimated at 23,500.[7]

In 1816, the colony was dissolved as a federation of islands, and the individual islands were ruled individually. However, the colony of the Leeward Islands was re-established in 1833.[8]

List of notable islands in the Leeward Islands

[edit]

There are two countries and eleven territories in the Leeward Islands. From the northwest to the southeast, the main islands are:

See also

[edit]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "Windward Islands Map — Leeward Islands Map — Satellite Image". geology.com. Retrieved 2020-11-20.
  2. ^ Sauer, Carl O. (1966). The Early Spanish Main. Berkeley: University of California Press. p. 192. The current convention that the Leeward Islands (Sotavento) run from Guadeloupe to St. Croix records the Spanish practice of sailing to their leeward and may go back to the time of Columbus [who arrived at the Dominica Passage on his 2nd voyage]
  3. ^ J. C. Hart and W. T. Stone (1982), A Cruising Guide to the Caribbean and the Bahamas, Dodd, Mead & Co., p. 601, ISBN 0-396-08023-5.
  4. ^ "The Leewards". The New York Times. 20 December 1964. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 11 November 2021. The Leeward Islands, a cluster of isles in the Caribbean under United States, British, Dutch and French flags, are strung out in a 400-mile‐long arc between Puerto Rico and Martinique. The group takes its name from the geographic fact that it is farther from the direct route of the rain‐carrying northeasterly trade winds than the neighboring Windward Islands. One of the islands, Dominica, is geographically part of the Leewards but, since 1940, has been politically and administratively part of the British Windward Islands.
  5. ^ Sweeney, James L. (2007). "Caribs, Maroons, Jacobins, Brigands, and Sugar Barons: The Last Stand of the Black Caribs on St. Vincent" Archived 2012-02-27 at the Wayback Machine, African Diaspora Archaeology Network, March 2007, retrieved 26 April 2007.
  6. ^ O'Shaughnessy, Andrew (April 1994). "The Stamp Act Crisis in the British Caribbean". The William and Mary Quarterly. 51 (2): 203–226. doi:10.2307/2946860. JSTOR 2946860. S2CID 144862560.
  7. ^ Hilary Beckles, "The 'Hub of Empire': The Caribbean and Britain in the Seventeenth Century", The Oxford History of the British Empire: Volume 1 The Origins of Empire, ed. by Nicholas Canny (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2001), p. 224.
  8. ^ "LC Name Authority File (LCNAF) — Leeward Islands (Federation)". id.loc.gov. The Library of Congress. Retrieved 23 December 2020.
  9. ^ The American Universal Geography, Jedidiah Morse, 7ed. v1, Charlestown, 1819.

Further reading

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