What is a chain of islands between the Atlantic ocean and the Caribbean Sea called?

The Antilles is an archipelago or chain of islands, including several islands that are part of Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands.



This chain of islands is collectively known as the Antilles, which forms the vast majority of the West Indies. The Antilles are further subdivided into two main groups: the Greater Antilles to the north (including Cuba, Hispaniola, Jamaica, and Puerto Rico) and the Lesser Antilles to the east and south. The Lesser Antilles act as a literal "fence" between the deep Atlantic Ocean and the shallower Caribbean Sea. Within the Lesser Antilles, there are further sub-groups: the Leeward Islands (the northern arc) and the Windward Islands (the southern arc). In 2026, geographers also include the Lucayan Archipelago (The Bahamas and Turks & Caicos) in the broader "West Indies" category, although they technically sit entirely in the Atlantic. This volcanic and coral "island arc" is a major tectonic boundary and one of the world's most popular travel regions.

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Physiographically, the Caribbean region is mainly a chain of islands surrounding the Caribbean Sea. To the north, the region is bordered by the Gulf of Mexico, the Straits of Florida and the Northern Atlantic Ocean, which lies to the east and northeast. To the south lies the coastline of the continent of South America.

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By looking at a map of the Caribbean we can easily see why the Caribbean islands can be divided into three groups: the Bahamas, the Greater Antilles, and the Lesser Antilles.

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Nowadays, the term West Indies is often interchangeable with the term Caribbean, although the latter may also include some Central and South American mainland nations which have Caribbean coastlines or coastlines close to the Caribbean, such as Belize, French Guiana, Guyana, and Suriname, as well as the Atlantic island ...

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