The Caribbean is a subregion of central America. It includes the islands of the Caribbean Sea, which borders the North Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf of Mexico.
the antilles
The Greater Antilles is a grouping of the larger islands in the Caribbean Sea.
Six island states share the region, with Haiti and the Dominican Republic sharing the island of Hispaniola.
The largest island, Cuba extends to the western end of the island group. Puerto Rico, an unincorporated territory of the United States, lies on the eastern end, and is located in the middle.
To the south lies Jamaica , while the Cayman Islands, a British Overseas Territory, are located to the west.
The Lucayan Archipelago, comprising The Bahamas and the Turks and Caicos Islands, is considered to be a part of the Caribbean despite not bordering the Caribbean Sea.
The state of Florida is the closest point in the U.S mainland to the Greater Antilles, while the Florida Keys, though not part of the Greater Antilles, is an island group north of Cuba.
Island arcs delineate the northern and eastern edges of the Caribbean Sea: the Greater Antilles in the north and the Lesser Antilles in the east and south.
