Spanish West Indies

Spanish West Indies
The Spanish Caribbean around the year 1600.
Countries	Cuba Jamaica Dominican Republic Bahamas Trinidad and Tobago Haiti
Administrative division	Puerto Rico
Continent	America, Central America
Sea	Caribbean Sea - Atlantic Ocean
Area	467,435 km²
Demonym	Caribbean American
Length	approx. 3,510 km
Population	37,931,400
Number of islands	more than 80
Main islands	Cuba (115,806 km²) Hispaniola (76,929 km²) Jamaica (11,590 km²) Puerto Rico (9,100 km²) Trinidad (4,768 km²) Isla de la Juventud (2,237 km²) South Andros (1,447 km²) Martinique (1,101 km²) Grand Bahama (1,096 km²) Margarita (749 km²) Gonâve Island (743 km²) Saint Lucia (622 km²) Grande-Terre (588 km²) Acklins (507 km²)
Languages	Spanish, English, creole languages, Dutch, French and Haitian Creole
Time zone	Dominican Republic UTC -4 Jamaica UTC -5 Cuba UTC -5 Venezuela UTC-4:30 Dependencies: Puerto Rico United States UTC -4
Largest cities	Havana (CUB) Santo Domingo (DOM)
Location of the Antilles Map of the Antilles Map reflecting the political evolution of the Caribbean and the Antilles since 1700, showing the changes in possession of the islands that were initially Spanish.

The "Spanish West Indies" (Antillas españolas) is the expression used to designate the group of islands of the Caribbean archipelago of the Antilles that during the colonial era (approximately between 1492 and 1898) were under Spanish sovereignty (that is, forming part of the Spanish Empire).

History

The Spanish colonization of the Antilles began with the first voyage of Columbus (1492), the conquest of the archipelago being completed in the first years of the 16th century. In the following centuries most of the most important islands of the Antilles remained under Spanish rule, while others were later abandoned or occupied by other colonial powers; the greatest example being Jamaica, occupied by England in 1655.

For most of the 19th century some of the Greater Antilles still remained under Spanish colonial rule, Cuba and Puerto Rico; also, for a shorter time, the Spanish part of the island of Hispaniola (the Dominican Republic; the other part is Haiti, a former French colony, since 1697).

Other smaller islands, of the so-called Lesser Antilles, which had also been colonized by Spain (island territories of present-day Venezuela), remained under Spanish control until the independence of that new nation at the beginning of the 19th century.

Unlike other parts of Spanish America, the Spanish West Indies did not become independent at the beginning of the 19th century in the so-called Spanish American wars of independence (with the exception of the islands belonging to Venezuela). The Dominican Republic, in the context of the Haitian Revolution, initially became independent and then returned to Spanish sovereignty (a period called España Boba), only to be invaded by Haiti (1822), to become independent again (1844), and later to be annexed to Spain once more (1861) and become definitively independent (1865), although it was occupied by the United States. Cuba and Puerto Rico attained independence under American control in 1898 (Spanish–American War).

Other groups of islands that belonged to Spain in the Caribbean during the colonial era were later occupied by other colonial powers such as England, France or the Netherlands.

Islands

The following is a list of the islands that belong geographically to the Greater and Lesser Antilles and that were under Spanish rule at various stages of history, until they became independent from Spain. Other islands that passed to the rule of France, England or the Netherlands, most of which had previously been under Spanish government, are not considered.

Islands of the Antilles that were under Spanish rule

Political entity	Islands of the Antilles	Status
Cuba	Island of Cuba — Isla de la Juventud — Sabana-Camagüey Archipelago — Cayo Blanco del Sur — Cayo Levisa — Cayo Los Ensenachos — Cayo Largo del Sur — Jardines de la Reina — Cayo Guillermo — Cayo Coco — Cayo Romano — Cayo Guajaba — Cayo Sabinal — Cayo Santa María — Cayo Paredón Grande — Los Colorados Archipelago — Cayo Saetía — Cayo Blanco	Republic independent from Spain since 1898.
Dominican Republic	Eastern part of the island of Hispaniola — Alto Velo Island - Cabra Island - Catalina Island - Catalinita Island - Cerro Gordo Island - Cuidado Island - Beata Island - Cabritos Island - La Matica y La Piedra - Cayo Levantado - María Island - Cayo de los Pájaros - Saona Island - Cayos Siete Hermanos	Republic independent from Spain since 1865
Puerto Rico	Island of Puerto Rico — Culebra — Vieques — Mona — Monito — Desecheo — Caja de Muertos — Isla de Cabras — Cayo Batata — Cardona Island — Cayos de Caña Gorda — Culebrita — Icacos — Cayo Luis Peña — Magueyes Island — Cayo Norte — Palomino Island — Isla de Ratones — Isleta de San Juan — Cayo Santiago — Spanish Virgin Islands	Commonwealth associated with the United States, independent from Spain since 1898
Venezuela	Margarita Island — Coche — Cubagua (part of Nueva Esparta State) Los Monjes — Las Aves — Los Roques (Gran Roque, Francisquí, Isla Larga, Nordisquí, Madrisquí, Crasquí, Cayo Espenquí, Cayo Carenero, Cayo de Agua, Dos Mosquises, Cayo Sal, Cayo Grande) — Los Hermanos — Los Frailes — Aves — La Sola — La Tortuga (Cayo Herradura — Los Tortuguillos Islands) — La Orchila — La Blanquilla — Los Testigos — Patos (islands forming part of the Federal Dependencies)	Republic independent from Spain since 1811 (recognized by Spain in 1845)

External links

• Documentos sobre las Antillas Españolas
• Método para proteger a la población y los puertos de todas las costas de las Indias Occidentales, 1694
• La cuestion social en las Antillas Espanolas, speech delivered at the lecture of the Spanish Abolitionist Society of February 26, 1872