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List of sovereign states and dependent territories in the Caribbean

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Caribbean nations as defined by the United Nations geoscheme
Caribbean nations in a general sense

This is a list of sovereign states and dependent territories in the Caribbean.

In a general sense, the Caribbean can be taken to mean all the nations in and around the Caribbean Sea that lie within an area that stretches from The Bahamas in the north to Guyana in the south, and Suriname in the east to Belize in the west in a general sense. This is an expanse (mostly of ocean) which measures about 1,000 miles (1,600 kilometres) from north to south, and over 2,500 miles (4,000 kilometres) from east to west.

When the Central and South American nations that border the Caribbean Sea (many of which have a cultural and linguistic heritage that sets their history out of the scope of the region) are excluded, the Caribbean covers the same geographical area as the West Indies, containing a total of 16 sovereign states (general sense) and 12 island territories that remain dependencies in one form or another, to the countries of France, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, and the United States.[1]

Sovereign states

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Other than Cuba and the Dominican Republic, all other 14 sovereign states (general sense) (and one British Overseas Territory) in the Caribbean are member nations of the Caribbean Community, which is an international organisation formed to promote regional integration and collaboration among its member nations. Belize, Guyana, and Surinam can be considered as part of the Caribbean.

Note that Bermuda is a member nation of the Caribbean Community, though the island nation lies in the North Atlantic Ocean, not in the Caribbean.

Other than 13 Caribbean island countries, three continental mainland countries, namely Belize, Guyana, and Suriname, have also been included in the following table (by United Nations geoscheme).

  Member state of the Caribbean Community only
  Member state of the Caribbean Community and the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States
Flag Name (official name) Capital Currency[2] Official language(s) Area (km2) Population[3][4] (2021) GDP per capita (PPP) (USD)[5]
Antigua and Barbuda Antigua and Barbuda[6] St. John's East Caribbean dollar English 440 93,219 21,910
The Bahamas Bahamas (Commonwealth of The Bahamas)[7] Nassau Bahamian dollar English 13,878 407,906 37,101
Barbados Barbados[8] Bridgetown Barbadian dollar English 431 281,200 15,639
Cuba Cuba (Republic of Cuba)[9] Havana Cuban peso Spanish 109,886 11,256,372 12,300
Dominica Dominica (Commonwealth of Dominica)[10] Roseau East Caribbean dollar English 754 72,412 11,917
Dominican Republic Dominican Republic[11] Santo Domingo Dominican peso Spanish 48,442 11,117,873 18,413
Grenada Grenada[12] St. George's East Caribbean dollar English 344 124,610 17,039
Haiti Haiti (Republic of Haiti)[13] Port-au-Prince Haitian gourde French, Haitian Creole 27,750 11,447,569 2,905
Jamaica Jamaica[14] Kingston Jamaican dollar English 10,991 2,827,695 9,762
Saint Kitts and Nevis Saint Kitts and Nevis (Federation of Saint Christopher and Nevis)[15] Basseterre East Caribbean dollar English 261 47,606 26,438
Saint Lucia Saint Lucia[16] Castries East Caribbean dollar English 616 179,651 15,449
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines Saint Vincent and the Grenadines[17] Kingstown East Caribbean dollar English 389 104,332 12,485
Trinidad and Tobago Trinidad and Tobago (Republic of Trinidad and Tobago)[18] Port of Spain Trinidad and Tobago dollar English 5,131 1,525,663 26,176

Dependent territories

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Montserrat is a member nation of both the Caribbean Community and the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States despite being a dependent territory of the United Kingdom. San Andrés and Providencia; Guadeloupe and Martinique; the Caribbean Netherlands (BES islands); as well as the Federal Dependencies of Venezuela and Nueva Esparta; are not included here because they are not technically dependent territories of Colombia, France, the Netherlands, and Venezuela respectively, instead, they are integral parts of the countries abovementioned. Navassa Island, an uninhabited disputed territory administered by the United States and claimed by Haiti, is also excluded.

  Member nation of the Caribbean Community and the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States
Flag Name (official name) Sovereign state Capital Currency Official language(s) Area (km2) Population[3][4] (2021) GDP per capita (PPP) (USD)[1]
Anguilla Anguilla[19] United Kingdom The Valley East Caribbean dollar English 91 15,753 12,200 (2008 est.)
Aruba Aruba (Country of Aruba)[20] Netherlands Oranjestad Aruban florin Dutch
Papiamento 		180 106,537 37,500 (2017 est.)
British Virgin Islands British Virgin Islands (Virgin Islands)[21] United Kingdom Road Town United States dollar English 153 31,122 34,200 (2017 est.)
Cayman Islands Cayman Islands[22] United Kingdom George Town Cayman Islands dollar English 264 68,136 71,549 (2018 est.)
Curaçao Curaçao (Country of Curaçao)[23] Netherlands Willemstad Netherlands Antillean guilder Dutch
English
Papiamento 		444 190,338 24,479 (2019 est.)
Montserrat Montserrat[24] United Kingdom Plymouth (de jure)
Brades (de facto) 		East Caribbean dollar English 102 4,417 34,000 (2011 est.)
Puerto Rico Puerto Rico (Commonwealth of Puerto Rico)[25] United States San Juan United States dollar English
Spanish 		9,104 3,256,028 34,518 (2019 est.)
Saint Barthélemy Saint Barthélemy (Collectivité territoriale de Saint-Barthélemy)[26] France Gustavia Euro French 22 7,267
Saint Martin (Collectivity of Saint Martin)[27] France Marigot Euro French 54 31,530 19,300 (2005 est.)
Sint Maarten Sint Maarten[28] Netherlands Philipsburg Netherlands Antillean guilder Dutch
English 		34 44,042 35,342 (2018 est.)
Turks and Caicos Islands Turks and Caicos Islands[29] United Kingdom Grand Turk (Cockburn Town) United States dollar English 616 45,114 29,253 (2019 est.)
United States Virgin Islands U.S. Virgin Islands (Virgin Islands of the United States)[30] United States Charlotte Amalie United States dollar English 346 100,091 37,000 (2016 est.)

The phrase "Caribbean countries"

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Depending on the speaker and the context, the phrase "Caribbean countries" can have a variety of meanings,[31] such as those shown in the images below.

  • Caribbean countries in the strictest sense
    Caribbean countries in the strictest sense
  • Caribbean countries as defined by the United Nations geoscheme
    Caribbean countries as defined by the United Nations geoscheme
  • Caribbean countries in a general sense
    Caribbean countries in a general sense
  • Caribbean countries in the widest application of the phrase
    Caribbean countries in the widest application of the phrase

See also

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References

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  1. ^ Amerindians to Africans (page one), published by Macmillan Caribbean Archived April 20, 2010, at the Wayback Machine
  2. ^ "List of currencies of the world with ISO-4217". countries-of the-world.com. Archived from the original on 13 July 2013. Retrieved 24 February 2013.
  3. ^ a b "World Population Prospects 2022". United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Population Division. Retrieved July 17, 2022.
  4. ^ a b "World Population Prospects 2022: Demographic indicators by region, subregion and country, annually for 1950-2100" (XSLX) ("Total Population, as of 1 July (thousands)"). United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Population Division. Retrieved July 17, 2022.
  5. ^ "Real GDP per capita – The World Factbook". www.cia.gov. Retrieved 2021-03-21.
  6. ^ "Central America and the Caribbean: Antigua and Barbuda". The World Factbook. Central Intelligence Agency. Retrieved 22 December 2022.
  7. ^ "Central America and the Caribbean: Bahamas, The". The World Factbook. Central Intelligence Agency. Retrieved 22 December 2022.
  8. ^ "Central America and the Caribbean: Barbados". The World Factbook. Central Intelligence Agency. Retrieved 22 December 2022.
  9. ^ "Central America and the Caribbean: Cuba". The World Factbook. Central Intelligence Agency. Retrieved 22 December 2022.
  10. ^ "Central America and the Caribbean: Dominica". The World Factbook. Central Intelligence Agency. Retrieved 22 December 2022.
  11. ^ "Central America and the Caribbean: Dominican Republic". The World Factbook. Central Intelligence Agency. Retrieved 22 December 2022.
  12. ^ "Central America and the Caribbean: Grenada". The World Factbook. Central Intelligence Agency. Retrieved 22 December 2022.
  13. ^ "Central America and the Caribbean: Haiti". The World Factbook. Central Intelligence Agency. Retrieved 22 December 2022.
  14. ^ "Central America and the Caribbean: Jamaica". The World Factbook. Central Intelligence Agency. Retrieved 22 December 2022.
  15. ^ "Central America and the Caribbean: Saint Kitts and Nevis". The World Factbook. Central Intelligence Agency. Retrieved 22 December 2022.
  16. ^ "Central America and the Caribbean: Saint Lucia". The World Factbook. Central Intelligence Agency. Retrieved 22 December 2022.
  17. ^ "Central America and the Caribbean: Saint Vincent and the Grenadines". The World Factbook. Central Intelligence Agency. Retrieved 22 December 2022.
  18. ^ "Central America and the Caribbean: Trinidad and Tobago". The World Factbook. Central Intelligence Agency. Retrieved 22 December 2022.
  19. ^ "Central America and the Caribbean: Anguilla". The World Factbook. Central Intelligence Agency. Retrieved 22 December 2022.
  20. ^ "Central America and the Caribbean: Aruba". The World Factbook. Central Intelligence Agency. Retrieved 22 December 2022.
  21. ^ "Central America and the Caribbean: British Virgin Islands". The World Factbook. Central Intelligence Agency. Retrieved 22 December 2022.
  22. ^ "Central America and the Caribbean: Cayman Islands". The World Factbook. Central Intelligence Agency. Retrieved 22 December 2022.
  23. ^ "Central America and the Caribbean: Curacao". The World Factbook. Central Intelligence Agency. Retrieved 22 December 2022.
  24. ^ "Central America and the Caribbean: Montserrat". The World Factbook. Central Intelligence Agency. Retrieved 22 December 2022.
  25. ^ "Central America and the Caribbean: Puerto Rico". The World Factbook. Central Intelligence Agency. Retrieved 22 December 2022.
  26. ^ "Central America and the Caribbean: Saint Barthelemy". The World Factbook. Central Intelligence Agency. Retrieved 22 December 2022.
  27. ^ "Central America and the Caribbean: Saint Martin". The World Factbook. Central Intelligence Agency. Retrieved 22 December 2022.
  28. ^ "Central America and the Caribbean: Sint Maarten". The World Factbook. Central Intelligence Agency. Retrieved 22 December 2022.
  29. ^ "Central America and the Caribbean: Turks and Caicos Islands". The World Factbook. Central Intelligence Agency. Retrieved 22 December 2022.
  30. ^ "Central America and the Caribbean: Virgin Islands". The World Factbook. Central Intelligence Agency. Retrieved 22 December 2022.
  31. ^ The meaning of the word "Caribbean"
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