 Map of the Commonwealth Caribbean Independent countries British Overseas Territories Other territories with English as an official language Other Caribbean countries |
TheCommonwealth Caribbean is a group ofEnglish-speakingsovereign states in theCaribbean, including bothisland states and mainland countries in theAmericas, that are members of theCommonwealth of Nations and were once part of theBritish Empire. The term may also includeBritish Overseas Territories in theCaribbean Sea.
Before decolonisation, BritishCrown colonies in theWest Indies were collectively known as theBritish West Indies. After gaining independence, the grouping of countries became known as the Commonwealth Caribbean.[1] It is also occasionally referred to as the Caribbean Commonwealth.
The Commonwealth Caribbean is also known as theEnglish-speaking Caribbean, Anglophone Caribbean, Anglo-Caribbean, or English-speaking West Indies, although use of these terms may also encompass other English-speaking Caribbean countries who are not members of theCommonwealth of Nations.
The CommonwealthCaribbean encompassessovereign states that are members of the Commonwealth. It includes islands within theCaribbean Sea and mainland regions of theAmericas that border the Caribbean.[2]British Overseas Territories in the Caribbean andNorth Atlantic Ocean are also sometimes categorized together with the Commonwealth Caribbean.[3]
The largest English-speaking island country in the Caribbean by area is theBahamas, however the largest island in the region isJamaica. The largest in the region by area including countries with borders isGuyana.
The Commonwealth Caribbean includes twelve sovereign states, made up of ten island nations in the Caribbean and two countries situated on the mainland of the Americas. These are:
| Sovereign state | Population (2023)[4] | Area (km2) | Commonwealth realm or arepublic in the Commonwealth of Nations |
|---|---|---|---|
 Antigua and Barbuda | 93,000 | 440 km2 (170 sq mi) | Realm |
 The Bahamas | 399,000 | 13,943 km2 (5,383 sq mi) | Realm |
 Barbados | 282,000 | 439 km2 (169 sq mi) | Republic |
 Belize[a] | 411,000 | 22,966 km2 (8,867 sq mi) | Realm |
 Dominica | 67,000 | 750 km2 (290 sq mi) | Republic |
 Grenada | 117,000 | 344 km2 (133 sq mi) | Realm |
 Guyana[a] | 826,000 | 214,969 km2 (83,000 sq mi) | Republic |
 Jamaica | 2,840,000 | 10,991 km2 (4,244 sq mi) | Realm |
 Saint Kitts and Nevis | 47,000 | 261 km2 (101 sq mi) | Realm |
 Saint Lucia | 179,000 | 617 km2 (238 sq mi) | Realm |
 Saint Vincent and the Grenadines | 101,000 | 389 km2 (150 sq mi) | Realm |
 Trinidad and Tobago | 1,503,000 | 5,131 km2 (1,981 sq mi) | Republic |
The term "Commonwealth Caribbean" may also apply to British Overseas Territories in the Caribbean, as they are English-speaking and the United Kingdom is a member of the Commonwealth. However, more specific terms, such as "British Overseas Territories in the Caribbean,"[5] "British Caribbean territories,"[6] and the older "British West Indies" are typically used to refer exclusively to these territories.
These five British Overseas Territories include:
| British Overseas Territory | Population (2023)[7] | Area (km2) |
|---|---|---|
 Anguilla | 14,000 | 91 km2 (35 sq mi) |
 British Virgin Islands | 39,000 | 153 km2 (59 sq mi) |
 Cayman Islands | 73,000 | 259 km2 (100 sq mi) |
 Montserrat | 4,000 | 102 km2 (39 sq mi) |
 Turks and Caicos Islands | 46,000 | 948 km2 (366 sq mi) |
The British territory ofBermuda is sometimes considered part of the Commonwealth Caribbean. However, Bermuda is neither geologically nor spatially associated with the Caribbean, which lies 1,300 square kilometres (500 mi2) to the south and southwest of Bermuda.[8]
Since the mid-20th century, several political and economic unions were formed involving Commonwealth Caribbean states.
Besides economic and political unions, the national cricket associations of several Commonwealth Caribbean countries and British Overseas Territories are members ofCricket West Indies. While its membership primarily made up of associations from Commonwealth Caribbean, Cricket West Indies also includes representatives from two non-Commonwealth territories,Sint Maarten of theDutch Caribbean and theUnited States Virgin Islands. The organisation fields a composite team, theWest Indies cricket team, which competes inInternational Cricket Council-recognized tournaments.
Between 1958 and 1962, there was a short-lived federation between several English-speaking Caribbean countries, called the West Indies Federation. It included theCrown colonies that made up the British West Indies, including Barbados,Jamaica, Trinidad and Tobago, theBritish Leeward Islands and theBritish Windward Islands.
The Caribbean Free Trade Association (CARIFTA) was established on 15 December 1965, with Antigua and Barbuda, Barbados, Guyana, and Trinidad and Tobago as its founding members. The organisation aimed to integrate the economies of the newly formed sovereign states of the British West Indies by providing an agreement for free trade and encouraging "balanced development" in the region. Seven additional members were added to CARIFTA in 1968, Dominica, Grenada, Jamaica, Montserrat,Saint Christopher-Nevis-Anguilla, Saint Lucia, and St Vincent and the Grenadines. In 1971, British Honduras joined the organisation. In 1973, CARIFTA was replaced by the Caribbean Community.[9]
The English-speaking parts of the Caribbean established the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) in 1973, and it currently includes all the independent English-speaking island countries plus Belize, Guyana and Montserrat, as well as all other British Caribbean territories and Bermuda as associate members. English was its sole official language until 1995, following the addition of Dutch-speakingSuriname.
Since there are other non-Commonwealth Caribbean islands in which English is the primary or secondary language, the term Commonwealth Caribbean is not necessarily inclusive of all islands that encompass the English-speaking Caribbean, such as being a former or current British colony in the Caribbean. Accordingly, the terms Anglophone Caribbean, English-speaking Caribbean, Anglo-Caribbean, or English-speaking West Indies are also used.[citation needed]
In addition to these formally recognised countries, there are substantial communities of Commonwealth Caribbean origin along the Atlantic or Caribbean coast of Central America, as a part of thewestern Caribbean zone. These communities, which began forming in the seventeenth century, include areas of Nicaragua and Honduras that made up theMiskito Kingdom (which was under British protection after 1740), theGarifuna community (which was deported to the coast in 1797 and took up English as its language), theArchipelago of San Andrés, Providencia and Santa Catalina (Colombia), and the many and numerous Anglophone Caribbean people who were brought to Central America by the canal companies (the French and AmericanPanama Canal efforts), railroad companies, and particularly the fruit companies, such asUnited Fruit after the 1870s and particularly in the first decades of the twentieth century. Many have never fully integrated into the otherwise Spanish-speaking communities in which they reside, such as the Caracoles ofHonduras.[citation needed]
| Non-Commonwealth Anglophone territories | Notes |
|---|---|
 HondurasBay Islands | The Bay Islands are one of the18 departments ofHonduras, consisting primarily of the islands ofGuanaja,Roatán, andÚtila, along with a number of smaller islands. Historically settled by people from the United Kingdom (mainly England), the territory has remained primarily English-speaking, even though the islands were annexed by Honduras in the 1860s, largely due to their relative isolation from the rest of Honduras and due to immigration from other English-speaking areas of the Caribbean. Spanish remains the official language, and is the second-most spoken language, on the islands, and many people are bilingual in both English and Spanish. |
| English has been one of the twoofficial languages of Puerto Rico alongside Spanish as its predominant and primary language since 1902, this is due to the fact that Puerto Rico had remained underSpanish rule for more than 400 years from 1493 to 1898 and has remained anAmerican Commonwealth since 1898. Because of this, English is taught in all Puerto Rican schools and is the primary language of all of the U.S. federal agencies in Puerto Rico. Its status as an official language however was briefly removed in 1991 but was brought back in 1993 and English has remained the co-official language of the Commonwealth since then.[10][11][12][13][14] TheU.S. Virgin Islands is another English-speaking territory in the Caribbean that is under the administration of the United States. English has been the predominant and official language since 1917 when the islands were transferred from Denmark to the United States. Under Danish rule, the official language was Danish, but it was solely the language of administration and was only spoken by Danish people, a tiny minority of the overall population that primarily occupied administrative roles in colonial Danish West Indian society. Since both the U.S. Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico are owned by the United States, it is not considered to be a part of the Commonwealth.Virgin Islands Creole English, which is an English-based creole locally known as "dialect", is spoken in informal situations. The form of Virgin Islands Creole spoken onSaint Croix, known as Crucian, is slightly different from the ones that are spoken onSaint Thomas andSaint John.[15][16] | |
| The official language is Dutch, but English is the "language of everyday life" on the island and education is solely in English.[17] A localEnglish-based creole language is also spoken informally, locally known as theNetherlands Antilles Creole English. More than 52% of the population speaks more than one language. Both English and Dutch are spoken and understood on the island and taught in schools, and both languages are official. Despite the island's Dutch affiliation, English is the principal language spoken on the island and has been used in its school system since the 19th century. Dutch is only spoken by 32% of the population. English is the sole medium of instruction in Saba schools. Dutch government policy towards Saba and other SSS islands promotes English-medium education.[18][19] Sint Maarten, aconstituent country of theKingdom of the Netherlands, is also a majority English-speaking territory in the Caribbean. However, as with the Kingdom of the Netherlands, it isn't a part of the Commonwealth. English is the day-to-day administrative language and language of communication in Sint Maarten, and the first language of the majority (67.5%) of the population. A local variety ofVirgin Islands Creole is spoken in informal situations by Sint Maarteners between themselves. Local signage uses both Dutch and English. The main languages are English and Dutch. There were English-medium and Dutch-medium schools in Sint Maarten, and the Dutch government policy towards St. Maarten and otherSSS islands promoted English-medium education.[20][21] | |
| Although French is the sole official language of the territory, use of English on the island dates back to 1600s, and a localEnglish-based creole language is spoken in informal situations on both the French and Dutch sides of the island, it is known locally asSaint Martin English.[22][23] |
