Commonwealth Caribbean


The Commonwealth Caribbean is a group of English-speaking sovereign states in the Caribbean, including both island states and mainland countries in the Americas, that are members of the Commonwealth of Nations and were once part of the British Empire. The term may also include British Overseas Territories in the Caribbean Sea.

Nomenclature

Before decolonisation, British Crown colonies in the West Indies were collectively known as the British West Indies. After gaining independence, the grouping of countries became known as the Commonwealth Caribbean.
The Commonwealth Caribbean is also known as the English-speaking Caribbean, Anglophone Caribbean, Anglo-Caribbean, or English-speaking West Indies, although use of these terms may also encompass other English-speaking Caribbean countries who are not members of the Commonwealth of Nations.

Countries and territories

The Commonwealth Caribbean encompasses sovereign states that are members of the Commonwealth. It includes islands within the Caribbean Sea and mainland regions of the Americas that border the Caribbean. British Overseas Territories in the Caribbean and North Atlantic Ocean are also sometimes categorized together with the Commonwealth Caribbean.
The largest English-speaking island country in the Caribbean by area is the Bahamas, however the largest island in the region is Jamaica. The largest in the region by area including countries with borders is Guyana.

Sovereign states

The Commonwealth Caribbean includes twelve sovereign states, made up of ten island nations in the Caribbean and two countries situated on the mainland of the Americas. These are:
Sovereign statePopulation Area Commonwealth realm or a republic in the Commonwealth of Nations
Antigua and Barbudaconvert|440|km2|sqmi|abbr=on

British Overseas Territories

The term "Commonwealth Caribbean" may also apply to British Overseas Territories in the Caribbean, as they are English-speaking and the United Kingdom is a member of the Commonwealth. However, more specific terms, such as "British Overseas Territories in the Caribbean," "British Caribbean territories," and the older "British West Indies" are typically used to refer exclusively to these territories.
These five British Overseas Territories include:
British Overseas TerritoryPopulation Area
Anguillaconvert|91|km2|sqmi|abbr=on

Intergovernmental organisations and unions

Since the mid-20th century, several political and economic unions were formed involving Commonwealth Caribbean states.
Besides economic and political unions, the national cricket associations of several Commonwealth Caribbean countries and British Overseas Territories are members of Cricket West Indies. While its membership primarily made up of associations from Commonwealth Caribbean, Cricket West Indies also includes representatives from two non-Commonwealth territories, Sint Maarten of the Dutch Caribbean and the United States Virgin Islands. The organisation fields a composite team, the West Indies cricket team, which competes in International Cricket Council-recognized tournaments.

West Indies Federation (1958–62)

Between 1958 and 1962, there was a short-lived federation between several English-speaking Caribbean countries, called the West Indies Federation. It included the Crown colonies that made up the British West Indies, including Barbados, Jamaica, Trinidad and Tobago, the British Leeward Islands and the British Windward Islands.

Caribbean Free Trade Association (1965–1973)

The Caribbean Free Trade Association was established on 15 December 1965, with Antigua and Barbuda, Barbados, Guyana, and Trinidad and Tobago as its founding members. The organisation aimed to integrate the economies of the newly formed sovereign states of the British West Indies by providing an agreement for free trade and encouraging "balanced development" in the region. Seven additional members were added to CARIFTA in 1968, Dominica, Grenada, Jamaica, Montserrat, Saint Christopher-Nevis-Anguilla, Saint Lucia, and St Vincent and the Grenadines. In 1971, British Honduras joined the organisation. In 1973, CARIFTA was replaced by the Caribbean Community.

Caribbean Community (1973–present)

The English-speaking parts of the Caribbean established the Caribbean Community in 1973, and it currently includes all the independent English-speaking island countries plus Belize, Guyana and Montserrat, as well as all other British Caribbean territories and Bermuda as associate members. English was its sole official language until 1995, following the addition of Dutch-speaking Suriname.

Wider Anglophone communities in the region

Since there are other non-Commonwealth Caribbean islands in which English is the primary or secondary language, the term Commonwealth Caribbean is not necessarily inclusive of all islands that encompass the English-speaking Caribbean, such as being a former or current British colony in the Caribbean. Accordingly, the terms Anglophone Caribbean, English-speaking Caribbean, Anglo-Caribbean, or English-speaking West Indies are also used.
In addition to these formally recognised countries, there are substantial communities of Commonwealth Caribbean origin along the Atlantic or Caribbean coast of Central America, as a part of the western Caribbean zone. These communities, which began forming in the seventeenth century, include areas of Nicaragua and Honduras that made up the Miskito Kingdom, the Garifuna community, the Archipelago of San Andrés, Providencia and Santa Catalina, and the many and numerous Anglophone Caribbean people who were brought to Central America by the canal companies, railroad companies, and particularly the fruit companies, such as United Fruit after the 1870s and particularly in the first decades of the twentieth century. Many have never fully integrated into the otherwise Spanish-speaking communities in which they reside, such as the Caracoles of Honduras.
Non-Commonwealth Anglophone territoriesNotes
HondurasTree list

Other parts of the Caribbean

  • Latin Caribbean
  • *
  • *