List of sovereign states and dependent territories in the Caribbean

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Caribbean nations as defined by the United Nations geoscheme Antillas (orthographic projection).svg
Caribbean nations as defined by the United Nations geoscheme
Caribbean nations in a general sense Caribbean-2.png
Caribbean nations in a general sense

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

Contents

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. 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 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

Other than Cuba and the Dominican Republic, all other 14 sovereign states (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.

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.

  Member state of the Caribbean Community only
  Member state of the Caribbean Community and the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States
FlagName (official name)CapitalCurrency [2] Official language(s)Area (km2)Population [3] [4] (2021)GDP per capita (PPP) (USD) [5]
Flag of Antigua and Barbuda.svg Antigua and Barbuda [6] St. John's East Caribbean dollar English 44093,21921,910
Flag of the Bahamas.svg Bahamas (Commonwealth of The Bahamas) [7] Nassau Bahamian dollar English 13,878407,90637,101
Flag of Barbados.svg Barbados [8] Bridgetown Barbadian dollar English 431281,20015,639
Flag of Belize.svg Belize [9] Belmopan Belize dollar English 22,966400,0319,576
Flag of Cuba.svg Cuba (Republic of Cuba) [10] Havana Cuban peso Spanish 109,88611,256,37212,300
Flag of Dominica.svg Dominica (Commonwealth of Dominica) [11] Roseau East Caribbean dollar English 75472,41211,917
Flag of the Dominican Republic.svg Dominican Republic [12] Santo Domingo Dominican peso Spanish 48,44211,117,87318,413
Flag of Grenada.svg Grenada [13] St. George's East Caribbean dollar English 344124,61017,039
Flag of Guyana.svg Guyana (Co‑operative Republic of Guyana) [14] Georgetown Guyanese dollar English 214,970804,56717,359
Flag of Haiti.svg Haiti (Republic of Haiti) [15] Port-au-Prince Haitian gourde French, Haitian Creole 27,75011,447,5692,905
Flag of Jamaica.svg Jamaica [16] Kingston Jamaican dollar English 10,9912,827,6959,762
Flag of Saint Kitts and Nevis.svg Saint Kitts and Nevis (Federation of Saint Christopher and Nevis) [17] Basseterre East Caribbean dollar English 26147,60626,438
Flag of Saint Lucia.svg Saint Lucia [18] Castries East Caribbean dollar English 616179,65115,449
Flag of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines.svg Saint Vincent and the Grenadines [19] Kingstown East Caribbean dollar English 389104,33212,485
Flag of Suriname.svg Suriname (Republic of Suriname) [20] Paramaribo Surinamese dollar Dutch 163,821612,98515,845
Flag of Trinidad and Tobago.svg Trinidad and Tobago (Republic of Trinidad and Tobago) [21] Port of Spain Trinidad and Tobago dollar English 5,1311,525,66326,176

Dependent territories

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
FlagName (official name)Sovereign stateCapitalCurrencyOfficial language(s)Area (km2)Population [3] [4] (2021)GDP per capita (PPP) (USD)
Flag of Anguilla.svg Anguilla [22] United Kingdom The Valley East Caribbean dollar English 9115,75312,200 (2008 est.)
Flag of Aruba.svg Aruba (Country of Aruba) [23] Netherlands Oranjestad Aruban florin Dutch
Papiamento
180106,53737,500 (2017 est.)
Flag of the British Virgin Islands.svg British Virgin Islands (Virgin Islands) [24] United Kingdom Road Town United States dollar English 15331,12234,200 (2017 est.)
Flag of the Cayman Islands.svg Cayman Islands [25] United Kingdom George Town Cayman Islands dollar English 26468,13671,549 (2018 est.)
Flag of Curacao.svg Curaçao (Country of Curaçao) [26] Netherlands Willemstad Netherlands Antillean guilder Dutch
English
Papiamento
444190,33824,479 (2019 est.)
Flag of Montserrat.svg Montserrat [27] United Kingdom Plymouth (de jure)
Brades (de facto)
East Caribbean dollar English 1024,41734,000 (2011 est.)
Flag of Puerto Rico.svg Puerto Rico (Commonwealth of Puerto Rico) [28] United States San Juan United States dollar English
Spanish
9,1043,256,02834,518 (2019 est.)
Flag of Saint Barthelemy (Local).svg Saint Barthélemy (Collectivité territoriale de Saint-Barthélemy) [29] France Gustavia Euro French 227,267
Local flag of the Collectivity of Saint Martin.svg Saint Martin (Collectivity of Saint Martin) [30] France Marigot Euro French 5431,53019,300 (2005 est.)
Flag of Sint Maarten.svg Sint Maarten [31] Netherlands Philipsburg Netherlands Antillean guilder Dutch
English
3444,04235,342 (2018 est.)
Flag of the Turks and Caicos Islands.svg Turks and Caicos Islands [32] United Kingdom Grand Turk (Cockburn Town) United States dollar English 61645,11429,253 (2019 est.)
Flag of the United States Virgin Islands.svg U.S. Virgin Islands (Virgin Islands of the United States) [33] United States Charlotte Amalie United States dollar English 346100,09137,000 (2016 est.)

The phrase "Caribbean countries"

Depending on the speaker and the context, the phrase "Caribbean countries" can have a variety of meanings, [34] such as those shown in the images below.

See also

Related Research Articles

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Suriname, officially the Republic of Suriname, is a country in northern South America, sometimes considered part of the Caribbean and the West Indies. Situated slightly north of the equator, over 90% of its territory is covered by rainforests, the highest proportion of forest cover in the world. Suriname is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the north, French Guiana to the east, Guyana to the west, and Brazil to the south. It is the smallest country in South America by both population and territory, with around 612,985 inhabitants in an area of approximately 163,820 square kilometers. The capital and largest city is Paramaribo, which is home to roughly half the population.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Caribbean Community</span> Regional intergovernmental organisation

The Caribbean Community is an intergovernmental organisation that is a political and economic union of 15 member states throughout the Americas and Atlantic Ocean. They have primary objectives to promote economic integration and cooperation among its members, ensure that the benefits of integration are equitably shared, and coordinate foreign policy. The organisation was established in 1973, with its four founding members signing the Treaty of Chaguaramas. Its primary activities involve:

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Commonwealth Caribbean</span> English-speaking countries of the Caribbean

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">West Indies</span> Island region of the North Atlantic Ocean and the Caribbean

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Outline of Suriname</span> Overview of and topical guide to Suriname

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Guyana</span> Caribbean country in South America

Guyana, officially the Co-operative Republic of Guyana, is a country on the northern coast of South America, part of the historic mainland British West Indies. Guyana is an indigenous word which means "Land of Many Waters". Georgetown is the capital of Guyana and is also the country's largest city. Guyana is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the north, Brazil to the south and southwest, Venezuela to the west, and Suriname to the east. With a land area of 214,969 km2 (83,000 sq mi), Guyana is the third-smallest sovereign state by area in mainland South America after Uruguay and Suriname, and is the second-least populous sovereign state in South America after Suriname; it is also one of the least densely populated countries on Earth. It has a wide variety of natural habitats and very high biodiversity. The country also hosts a part of the Amazon rainforest, the largest tropical rainforest in the world.

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The economy of the Americas comprises more than 1 billion people in 35 different countries and 18 territories. Sometimes divided into the continents of North America and South America depending on the source, like other continents, the wealth between the states in the Americas varies considerably, with significant wealth inequality within nations. The difference in wealth across the Americas can be seen roughly between the economies of North America and South America, with the countries in the former significantly better off than those in the latter.

References

  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. 1 2 "World Population Prospects 2022". United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Population Division. Retrieved July 17, 2022.
  4. 1 2 "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: Belize". The World Factbook. Central Intelligence Agency. Retrieved 22 December 2022.
  10. "Central America and the Caribbean: Cuba". The World Factbook. Central Intelligence Agency. Retrieved 22 December 2022.
  11. "Central America and the Caribbean: Dominica". The World Factbook. Central Intelligence Agency. Retrieved 22 December 2022.
  12. "Central America and the Caribbean: Dominican Republic". The World Factbook. Central Intelligence Agency. Retrieved 22 December 2022.
  13. "Central America and the Caribbean: Grenada". The World Factbook. Central Intelligence Agency. Retrieved 22 December 2022.
  14. "South America: Guyana". The World Factbook. Central Intelligence Agency. Retrieved 22 December 2022.
  15. "Central America and the Caribbean: Haiti". The World Factbook. Central Intelligence Agency. Retrieved 22 December 2022.
  16. "Central America and the Caribbean: Jamaica". The World Factbook. Central Intelligence Agency. Retrieved 22 December 2022.
  17. "Central America and the Caribbean: Saint Kitts and Nevis". The World Factbook. Central Intelligence Agency. Retrieved 22 December 2022.
  18. "Central America and the Caribbean: Saint Lucia". The World Factbook. Central Intelligence Agency. Retrieved 22 December 2022.
  19. "Central America and the Caribbean: Saint Vincent and the Grenadines". The World Factbook. Central Intelligence Agency. Retrieved 22 December 2022.
  20. "South America: Suriname". The World Factbook. Central Intelligence Agency. Retrieved 22 December 2022.
  21. "Central America and the Caribbean: Trinidad and Tobago". The World Factbook. Central Intelligence Agency. Retrieved 22 December 2022.
  22. "Central America and the Caribbean: Anguilla". The World Factbook . Central Intelligence Agency . Retrieved 22 December 2022.
  23. "Central America and the Caribbean: Aruba". The World Factbook. Central Intelligence Agency. Retrieved 22 December 2022.
  24. "Central America and the Caribbean: British Virgin Islands". The World Factbook. Central Intelligence Agency. Retrieved 22 December 2022.
  25. "Central America and the Caribbean: Cayman Islands". The World Factbook. Central Intelligence Agency. Retrieved 22 December 2022.
  26. "Central America and the Caribbean: Curacao". The World Factbook. Central Intelligence Agency. Retrieved 22 December 2022.
  27. "Central America and the Caribbean: Montserrat". The World Factbook. Central Intelligence Agency. Retrieved 22 December 2022.
  28. "Central America and the Caribbean: Puerto Rico". The World Factbook. Central Intelligence Agency. Retrieved 22 December 2022.
  29. "Central America and the Caribbean: Saint Barthelemy". The World Factbook. Central Intelligence Agency. Retrieved 22 December 2022.
  30. "Central America and the Caribbean: Saint Martin". The World Factbook. Central Intelligence Agency. Retrieved 22 December 2022.
  31. "Central America and the Caribbean: Sint Maarten". The World Factbook. Central Intelligence Agency. Retrieved 22 December 2022.
  32. "Central America and the Caribbean: Turks and Caicos Islands". The World Factbook. Central Intelligence Agency. Retrieved 22 December 2022.
  33. "Central America and the Caribbean: Virgin Islands". The World Factbook. Central Intelligence Agency. Retrieved 22 December 2022.
  34. The meaning of the word "Caribbean"