What is the meaning of West Indies Federation?
Established in 1958, the West Indies Federation comprised the ten territories of: Antigua and Barbuda, Barbados, Dominica, Grenada, Jamaica, Montserrat, the then St Kitts-Nevis-Anguilla, Saint Lucia, St Vincent and Trinidad and Tobago.
What was the purpose of the West Indies Federation?
The Federation was established by the British Caribbean Federation Act of 1956 with the aim of establishing a political union among its members.
What is the meaning of the West Indies?
The West Indies is a group of islands off Central America, extending in an arc from Florida to Venezuela, separating the Caribbean Sea from the Atlantic Ocean. American English: West Indies /ˌwɛst ˈɪndiz/
Why did Jamaica leave federation?
“The Federation of the West Indies, inaugurated in 1958, collapsed in 1962 with the secession of Jamaica. Its failure was due to the two rival conceptions. A related set of structural issues pertained to the actual power and influence of Jamaica and Trinidad and Tobago within the scheme.
What was the reason for Federation?
By the 1880s the inefficiency of this system, a growing unity among colonists and a belief that a national government was needed to deal with issues such as trade, defence and immigration saw popular support for Federation grow.
Why do we call West Indies?
The islands in the Caribbean are also sometimes referred to as the West Indies. Christopher Columbus thought he had reached the Indies (Asia) on his voyage to find another route there. Instead he had reached the Caribbean. The Caribbean was named the West Indies to account for Columbus’ mistake.
Is Cuba part of West Indies?
Three major physiographic divisions constitute the West Indies: the Greater Antilles, comprising the islands of Cuba, Jamaica, Hispaniola (Haiti and the Dominican Republic), and Puerto Rico; the Lesser Antilles, including the Virgin Islands, Anguilla, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Antigua and Barbuda, Montserrat, Guadeloupe.
Is Belize considered West Indian?
Nowadays, the term West Indies is often interchangeable with the term Caribbean, although the latter may also include some Central and South American mainland countries which have Caribbean coastlines, such as Belize, Guyana, Suriname and French Guiana, and the Atlantic island nations of Trinidad and Tobago and Bermuda …