Caribbean Islands

From ArticleWorld

The Caribbean Islands are a group of islands located between southeast North America and northern South America, separating the Caribbean Sea from the Atlantic Ocean. This archipelago includes the Greater Antilles, the Lesser Antilles, and the Bahama Islands. The original inhabitants of these islands were the Caribs and the Arawaks. Several of the islands were explored by Christopher Columbus during his voyages (1492–1504). The first permanent European settlement was made by the Spanish in 1496. During the colonial period the English, French, and Dutch also laid claim to various islands, and the United States acquired Puerto Rico and part of the Virgin Islands in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.