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Coordinates: 21°59′N 79°02′W / 21.983°N 79.033°W / 21.983; -79.033
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The archipelago'''Greater Antilles''' is a geological term for the larger islands in the [[Caribbean Sea]]: [[Cuba]], [[Hispaniola]] (containing [[Haiti]] and the [[Dominican Republic]]), [[Puerto Rico]], [[Jamaica]], and the [[Cayman Islands]].
The '''Greater Antilles''' is a grouping of the larger islands in the [[Caribbean Sea]]: [[Cuba]], [[Hispaniola]] (containing [[Haiti]] and the [[Dominican Republic]]), [[Puerto Rico]], [[Jamaica]], and the [[Cayman Islands]].


The Greater Antilles constitute nearly 80% of the land mass of the [[West Indies]],<ref>{{cite web|title=Greater Antilles|url=http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/243947/Greater-Antilles|website=Encyclopædia Britannica|accessdate=28 May 2015}}</ref> . The the archipelago of the [[Lesser Antilles]], which is the geological term for the chain of islands to the east (running north-south and encompassing the eastern edge of the Caribbean Sea where it meets the Atlantic Ocean) and south (running east-west off the northern coast of [[South America]]).
The Greater Antilles constitute nearly 90% of the land mass of the entire [[West Indies]],<ref>{{cite web|title=Greater Antilles|url=http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/243947/Greater-Antilles|website=Encyclopædia Britannica|accessdate=28 May 2015}}</ref> as well as over 90% of its population. The remainder of the land belongs to the archipelago of the [[Lesser Antilles]], which is a chain of islands to the east (running north-south and encompassing the eastern edge of the Caribbean Sea where it meets the Atlantic Ocean) and south (running east-west off the northern coast of [[South America]]).


The word ''Antilles'' originated in the period before the [[Europe]]an conquest of the [[New World]] - Europeans used the term ''[[Antillia]]'' as one of the mysterious lands featured on medieval charts, sometimes as an archipelago, sometimes as continuous land of greater or lesser extent, its location fluctuating in mid-ocean between the Canary Islands and Eurasia.
The word ''Antilles'' originated in the period before the [[Europe]]an conquest of the [[New World]] - Europeans used the term ''[[Antillia]]'' as one of the mysterious lands featured on medieval charts, sometimes as an archipelago, sometimes as continuous land of greater or lesser extent, its location fluctuating in mid-ocean between the Canary Islands and Eurasia.

Revision as of 03:53, 4 April 2019

Greater Antilles
Grandes Antilles Template:Fr icon
Antillas Mayores Template:Sp icon
Location within the Caribbean
Location within the Caribbean
Island States
Area
 • Total
207,411 km2 (80,081 sq mi)
Population
 (2014)
 • Total
38,400,500
 • Density171.45/km2 (444.1/sq mi)
DemonymGreater Antillean
Time zonesEST: UTC-5/EDT: UTC-4
AST: UTC-4/ADT: UTC-3

The Greater Antilles is a grouping of the larger islands in the Caribbean Sea: Cuba, Hispaniola (containing Haiti and the Dominican Republic), Puerto Rico, Jamaica, and the Cayman Islands.

The Greater Antilles constitute nearly 90% of the land mass of the entire West Indies,[1] as well as over 90% of its population. The remainder of the land belongs to the archipelago of the Lesser Antilles, which is a chain of islands to the east (running north-south and encompassing the eastern edge of the Caribbean Sea where it meets the Atlantic Ocean) and south (running east-west off the northern coast of South America).

The word Antilles originated in the period before the European conquest of the New World - Europeans used the term Antillia as one of the mysterious lands featured on medieval charts, sometimes as an archipelago, sometimes as continuous land of greater or lesser extent, its location fluctuating in mid-ocean between the Canary Islands and Eurasia.

The Lucayan Archipelago is not considered to be a part of the Antilles archipelagos but rather of the North Atlantic.

Countries

Name Area
(km²)
Population
(2017)
Population density
(per km²)
Capital
Cayman Islands (UK) 264 58,441 207.9 George Town
Cuba 110,860 11,147,407 102.4 Havana
Dominican Republic 48,442 10,734,247 183.7 Santo Domingo
Haiti 27,750 10,646,714 292.7 Port-au-Prince
Jamaica 10,991 2,990,561 248.6 Kingston
Puerto Rico (US) 9,104 3,351,827 430.2 San Juan
Total 207,411 38,929,197 169.05

References

  1. ^ "Greater Antilles". Encyclopædia Britannica. Retrieved 28 May 2015.

Further reading

Media related to Greater Antilles at Wikimedia Commons

21°59′N 79°02′W / 21.983°N 79.033°W / 21.983; -79.033