Lesser Antilles

Lesser Antilles
group of islands in the West Indies, southeast of Puerto Rico, including the Leeward Islands, the Windward Islands, & the islands off the N coast of Venezuela

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▪ islands, West Indies
 long arc of small islands in the Caribbean Sea extending in a north-south direction from the Virgin Islands to Trinidad and then in an east-west direction from Margarita to Aruba off the northern coast of Venezuela.

      The Carib Indians inhabited many of the islands at the time Europeans first arrived. Since the early times of Spanish colonization, beginning in the late 15th century, the north-south portion of the Lesser Antilles has been divided into two groups; the division was adopted by the French, Dutch, and British. The names of the groups, Windward (Windward Islands) and Leeward (Leeward Islands), reflect the importance to the region of the prevailing easterly trade winds. The Windward Islands are those ranging south from Dominica to Grenada; the Leeward Islands are those that arc generally westerly from Guadeloupe to the Virgin Islands. The east-west chain of islands close to the South American coast, sometimes called the Leeward Antilles, is arid because the trade winds drop their moisture on the Windward group. Three small islands (Margarita, Coche, and Cubagua) form the Venezuelan state of Nueva Esparta, and some 70 others, mostly uninhabited, also belong to Venezuela.

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Universalium. 2010.

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Look at other dictionaries:

  • Lesser Antilles — group of islands in the West Indies, southeast of Puerto Rico, including the Leeward Islands, the Windward Islands, & the islands off the N coast of Venezuela …   English World dictionary

  • Lesser Antilles — The Lesser Antilles, also known as the Caribbees, West Indies. Merriam Webster s Geographical Dictionary , 3rd ed. 2001. (ISBN 0 87779 546 0) Springfield, MA: Merriam Webster Inc., p. 1298.] are part of the Antilles, which together with the… …   Wikipedia

  • Lesser Antilles — noun The smaller islands of the West Indies, to the south and east of Puerto Rico, in the Caribbean Sea. See Also: Antilles, Greater Antilles, Leeward Antilles …   Wiktionary

  • Lesser Antilles — noun a group of islands in the southeastern West Indies • Syn: ↑Caribees • Instance Hypernyms: ↑archipelago • Part Holonyms: ↑Antilles • Part Meronyms: ↑Netherlands Antilles, ↑ …   Useful english dictionary

  • Lesser Antilles. — See under Antilles. * * * …   Universalium

  • Lesser Antilles — See Antilles …   Webster's Gazetteer

  • Lesser Antilles — Less′er Antil′les n. pl. geg See under Antilles …   From formal English to slang

  • Lesser Antilles — /lɛsər ænˈtɪliz/ (say lesuhr an tileez) noun See Antilles. Also, Caribbees …  

  • Lesser Antilles. — See under Antilles …   Useful english dictionary

  • Lesser Antilles — geographical name islands in the West Indies including the Virgin, Leeward, & Windward Islands, Trinidad, Barbados, Tobago, & islands in the S Caribbean N of Venezuela …   New Collegiate Dictionary

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