Caribbean

The Caribbean, or the West Indies as it is also called, is the 1,000,000 square miles of the Caribbean Sea and the countries in it. The island surface area is 90,000 square miles. This region is bounded by the Greater Antilles in the north, by the Lesser Antilles in the east, by the coasts of Venezuela, Columbia and Panama in the south and by the eastern coasts of Costa Rica, Nicaragua, Honduras, Guatemala, Belize and the Mexican Yucatan peninsula in the west. By this definition, countries such as the Bahamas and the Turks & Caicos Islands are not in the Caribbean as they are in the Atlantic. They are, however, considered part of the Caribbean for reasons of similar culture and for being in the same tourist market. Furthermore, you can add Guyane, Suriname and Guyana to the Caribbean. These three ex-Guianas are more Caribbean than Latin American in outlook, despite being in South America. Indeed, Guyana has the only Test Cricket ground in South America - and cricket, as every Caribbean fan knows, is the greatest sport in the British West Indies.

Former colonial, trading and other influences are very strong and can be seen everywhere. Most obviously, perhaps, are the main languages - English, Spanish, French and Dutch - of those who were engaged in colonialism, sugarcane growing, slavery, fighting, mining and trading. And politically, here are some examples: British crown colonies are British Virgin Islands, Cayman Islands and Turks & Caicos Islands; British dependent territories are Anguilla and Montserrat; the British Monarch is head of state of the independent countries of Antigua & Barbuda, The Bahamas, Barbados, Grenada, Jamaica, St Kitts & Nevis, St Vincent and the Grenadines and St Lucia; Guadeloupe (with its arondissements (divisions) St Martin and St Barthelemy), Martinique and Guyane are French overseas departments; and Aruba and the Netherlands Antilles are autonomous members of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. 

So, why do people go to the Caribbean?  Well a couple of major reasons come to mind: the weather, the beaches, the sea and the relaxed, laid-back lifestyle.  For gays and lesbians the choice of island is important and will be fundamental to how enjoyable the holiday will be. St Lucia, the Netherlands Antilles and the Cayman Islands are known to be leading the way in gay hospitality.