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The West Indies were discovered by Christopher Columbus in 1492 whilst he was searching for an alternative shorter route to India. Columbus thought he had succeeded in finding a shorter route, hence the name "West Indies". The name "Caribbean" is derived from the Carib Indians who occupied most of region shown in the Caribbean map above, during the first European contact in the fifteenth Century. The name "Antilles" is derived from the Spanish term "Antillas" and the Spanish were the first European nation to dominate the region shown on the right of the map.

The Caribbean consists of more than 7,000 islands and stretches in a long arc (which is more than 2,500 miles long) from Venezuela in the south to Cuba just below Florida in the northeast of the map. The island chain encloses the Caribbean sea which defines the map of the region. The Bahamas are not technically part of the Caribbean, but are shown on the Caribbean map due to their close proximity and relationship. Many of the islands are volcanic, especially most of those located in the Leeward and Windward island chains. Famous nowadays for being the most popular cruise destination in the world; the Caribbean region is home to the largest fleet of cruise ships to be found anywhere. The main departure cruise ports are Florida, Puerto Rico and Barbados and the most popular cruise port destination is Charlotte Amalie in St Thomas with more cruise ships stopping here than anywhere else in the Caribbean Antilles.