English:Leeward Islands | |
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 Map showing the Lesser Antilles; Leeward Islands (in the northeast) demarcated by red lines. | |
 Interactive map of Leeward Islands | |
| Geography | |
| Location | Caribbean Sea North Atlantic Ocean |
| Coordinates | 16°N61°W / 16°N 61°W /16; -61 |
| Total islands | 30+ |
| Major islands | Antigua Barbuda Guadeloupe Montserrat Nevis Saint Kitts Saint Martin Virgin Islands |
| Area | 3,167.6 km2 (1,223.0 sq mi) |
| Highest elevation | 1,467 m (4813 ft) |
| Highest point | La Grande Soufrière, Guadeloupe |
| Administration | |
| Largest settlement | St. John's |
| Largest settlement | Road Town |
| Largest settlement | Les Abymes |
| Archipelago | Spanish Virgin Islands |
| Largest settlement | Vieques |
| Largest settlement | Basseterre |
| Largest settlement | Philipsburg |
| Largest settlement | Charlotte Amalie |
| Demographics | |
| Population | c. +700,000 |
| Ethnic groups | Caribbean people (Afro-Caribbean,White,Indo-Caribbean,Chinese) |
TheLeeward Islands (/ˈliːwərd/) are a group of islands situated where the northeasternCaribbean Sea meets the western Atlantic Ocean. Starting with theVirgin Islands east ofPuerto Rico, they extend southeast toGuadeloupe and its dependencies. In English, the termLeeward Islands refers to the northern islands of theLesser Antilles chain. The more southerly part of this chain, starting withDominica, is called theWindward Islands. Dominica was initially considered a part of the Leeward Islands but was transferred from theBritish Leeward Islands to theBritish Windward Islands in 1940.
The name of this island group,Leeward Islands, dates from previous centuries, whensailing ships were the sole form of transportation across the Atlantic Ocean. In sailing terminology, "windward" means towards the source of the wind (upwind), while "leeward" is the opposite direction (downwind). In theWest Indies, the prevailing winds, known as thetrade winds, blow predominantly out of the southeast. Therefore, a sailing vessel departing from theBritish Gold Coast and theGulf of Guinea, driven by the trade winds, would usually first encounter Dominica and Martinique,[1] islands most to windward, in their west-northwesterly heading to the final destinations in theCaribbean,Central America, andNorthern America.[2] This location, Dominica and Martinique, becomes the rough dividing line between the Windward Islands and the Leeward Islands.
The earlySpanish explorers calledPuerto Rico and the islands to the westSotavento, meaning "leeward". The islands south and east of Puerto Rico were calledIslas de Barlovento, meaning "windward islands". When the British gained control of many of theLesser Antilles, they designatedAntigua,Montserrat, and the islands to the north as the Leeward Islands.Guadeloupe and the islands to the south were designated as the Windward Islands. Later on, all islands north ofMartinique became known as the Leeward Islands.[3]Dominica was transferred to theBritish Windward Islands in 1940 and is now considered part of theWindward Islands.[4]
However, even in modern usage in languages other than English, notably Dutch, French, and Spanish, all of the Lesser Antilles from theVirgin Islands toTrinidad and Tobago are known as the Windward Islands (Bovenwindse Eilanden in Dutch,Îles du Vent in French, andIslas de Barlovento in Spanish). TheABC islands and the other islands along the Venezuelan coast, known in English as theLeeward Antilles, are known in languages other than English as an equivalent of the Leeward Islands.
The islands were created mostly byvolcanoes in theLesser Antilles subduction zone. Some are still active. Notable eruptions occurred inMontserrat in the 1990s and in 2009 to 2010. At 1,467 metres or 4,813 feet, the highest point isLa Grande Soufrière inGuadeloupe.
TheCaribs, after whom theCaribbean is named, are believed to have migrated from theOrinoco River area in Venezuela inSouth America to settle in theCaribbean islands about 1200 AD, according tocarbon dating. Over the century leading up toColumbus' arrival in the Caribbean archipelago in 1492, the Caribs mostly displaced theMaipurean-speakingTaínos, who settled the island chains earlier in history, by warfare, extermination, and assimilation.[5]
The islands were among the first parts of the Americas to fall under the control of theSpanish Empire. European contact commenced withChristopher Columbus's second voyage; many of the islands' names originate from this period: Montserrat was named in honour ofSanta Maria de Montserrat (Our Lady of Montserrat), after theBlessed Virgin of theMonastery of Montserrat, which is located on theMountain of Montserrat, the national shrine ofCatalonia.Mont serrat inCatalan means "saw mountain", referring to the serrated appearance of the mountain range.
The Leeward Islands became aBritish colony in 1671, withWilliam Stapleton as its first governor.
Although comparatively much smaller than the surrounding islands in the Caribbean, the Leeward Islands posed the most significant rebellion to the BritishStamp Act, though it was decidedly less severe in comparison to that of the mainland North American colonies.[6]
In 1660, there were about 8,000 white settlers and approximately 2,000 enslaved Africans in the Leeward Islands. However, that ratio narrowed over succeeding years. In 1678, there were 10,408 white settlers and 8,449 enslaved Black people. By 1708, there was a huge disparity between the number of white settlers, which had declined to 7,311, and the number of enslaved Black people was estimated at 23,500.[7]
In 1816, the colony was dissolved as a federation of islands, and the individual islands were ruled individually. However, the colony of the Leeward Islands was re-established in 1833.[8]
There are two countries and eleven territories in the Leeward Islands. From the northwest to the southeast, the main islands are:
Spanish (Puerto Rican) Islands (Puerto Rico) (United States)
Culebra (Municipality ofPuerto Rico) (United States)
Vieques (Municipality ofPuerto Rico) (United States)
U.S. Virgin Islands (United States)
British Virgin Islands (United Kingdom)
Anguilla (United Kingdom)
Saint Barthélemy (France)
Saba (Netherlands)
Sint Eustatius (Netherlands)
Saint Kitts and Nevis
Antigua and Barbuda
Montserrat (United Kingdom)
Guadeloupe (France)The current convention that the Leeward Islands (Sotavento) run from Guadeloupe to St. Croix records the Spanish practice of sailing to their leeward and may go back to the time of Columbus [who arrived at the Dominica Passage on his 2nd voyage]
The Leeward Islands, a cluster of isles in the Caribbean under United States, British, Dutch and French flags, are strung out in a 400-mile‐long arc between Puerto Rico and Martinique. The group takes its name from the geographic fact that it is farther from the direct route of the rain‐carrying northeasterly trade winds than the neighboring Windward Islands. One of the islands, Dominica, is geographically part of the Leewards but, since 1940, has been politically and administratively part of the British Windward Islands.
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