West Indies

West Indies Federation Arabic: اتحاد جزر الهند الغربية Chinese: 西印度群岛联邦 French: Fédération des Antilles Portuguese: Federação das Índias Ocidentais Spanish: Federación de las Indias Occidentales Tamil: மேற்கிந்திய தீவுகள் கூட்டமைப்பு
Flag Coat of arms
Motto: "To Dwell Together In Unity"
Anthem: "Forged from the Love of Liberty" Royal anthem: "God Save the Queen"
Capital	Chaguaramas
Largest city	San Juan
Recognised regional languages	English Patois English Creole Spanish French Caribbean Hindustani Chinese Arabic Antillean Creole Creole Tamil Portuguese Indigenous languages
Demonym(s)	West Indian
Government	Federal parliamentary constitutional monarchy
• Monarch	Alexandra
• Governor-General	Patrick Allen
• Prime Minister	Jenniffer González
Legislature	Federal Parliament
• Upper house	Senate
• Lower house	House of Representatives
Independence from the United Kingdom
• Independence	3 January 1958
Area
•	281,252 km2 (108,592 sq mi) (74th)
Population
• 2022 estimate	8,186,667 (101st)
• Density	29.10/km2 (75.4/sq mi) (191st)
GDP (PPP)	2022 estimate
• Total	$390.040 billion (58th)
• Per capita	$47,643 (39th)
GDP (nominal)	2022 estimate
• Total	$284.515 billion (49th)
• Per capita	$34,753 (30th)
Gini	14.8 low
HDI	0.725 high (102nd)
Currency	British West Indies dollar (BWI$)
Time zone	UTC-5
Driving side	left
Calling code	+1 (809)
Internet TLD	.ws

West Indies, officially the West Indies Federation, is a country situated in the Caribbean Sea. A federation consisting of various island states, it borders the United States to the north, Mexico, Cuba, Guatemala, Haiti, and the Dominican Republic to the west, Brazil, Suriname, French Guiana, and Venezuela to the south, and the Atlantic Ocean to the east. Consisting of approximately seventeen states, it is made up of the former British colonies of Antigua and Barbuda, The Bahamas, Belize, Barbados, Dominica, Grenada, Guyana, Jamaica, Puerto Rico, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Trinidad and Tobago, as well as the British overseas territories of Anguilla, Montserrat, Turks and Caicos Islands, and the Cayman Islands. The country's capital is Chaguaramas in Trinidad and Tobago while the largest city is San Juan in Puerto Rico.

Conceived as a single political unit that would become independent from British colonial rule, the West Indies Federation came into being on 3 January 1958 following the passage of the British Caribbean Federation Act 1956 which provided for a self-governing, independent federal state made up of former British colonies in the Caribbean. Due to its vast area and the geographical distance between its seventeen member states, in its early years, the federation came close to dissolution but strong British and American support, coupled with delicate negotiations between the West Indies leaders, preserved the federation's fragile status which endures to the present day. Since then, the West Indies have come to acquire a reputation for its considerable diversity, both culturally and linguistically, and is also known for its highly celebrated cricket team which, from the mid-1970s to the early 1990s, was considered to be the strongest in the world with various hall of fame inductees originating from the country. In recent decades, it has also come to be known for being a major offshore financial center, particularly in states including Anguilla, Antigua and Barbuda, Barbados, and the Cayman Islands.

Since its foundation, the West Indies has operated within the framework of a parliamentary democracy with an elected prime minister serving as the head of government whereas the British monarch, represented by a governor-general, serves as the head of state. With a nominal GDP of $284 billion, it has the sixth-largest economy in Latin America while its GDP per capita is the highest in the region, being almost twice that of the second-largest Mexico. It is also a member of various international organisations including the United Nations, Organization of American States, Commonwealth of Nations, World Trade Organization, Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, and the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States.

History

Pre-federation

Prior to the birth of the federation, much of the Caribbean region consisted of small European colonies governed by various European colonial powers including Britain, France, Spain, and the Netherlands. Up until the Second World War, which subsequently sparked a wave of decolonisation, only Haiti and the Dominican Republic were effectively independent countries in the region.

However, in the aftermath of the Second World War, rising independence sentiments, coupled with a declining British Empire, soon provided the impetus for the Caribbean colonies, particularly those under British rule, to seek independence from the United Kingdom and govern their respective territories in their own right. In this, an idea to unite all the soon-to-be independent colonies into a single entity gradually gained popularity and would manifest itself in the form of a "West Indies Federation".

Formation

Given the unique geographical makeup of the Caribbean, plans for a single federation were initially met with many complications and difficulties. However, after a personal by the United Kingdom's King Charles III, who was supportive of the federation's continued existence, the federation was ultimately inaugurated on 3 January 1958 with Chaguaramas, a city in Trinidad and Tobago, chosen as the federation's official capital. Meanwhile, owing to its extremely diverse nature, it was also determined that English would not be made an official language and instead be given equal status as the other regional languages including French, Spanish, Chinese, and Arabic.

Within a year of its independence, West Indies soon grew in strategic importance amidst the growing Cold War as Cuba, a fellow Caribbean nation situated to its west, underwent a revolution that saw the pro-Western government of Fulgencio Batista ousted by revolutionaries led by the communist revolutionary Fidel Castro. In this, the federation's somewhat fragile state and the new threat posed by Cuba meant that the United States, the overarching superpower in the Caribbean, paid particular attention to safeguarding the independence of the West Indies, resulting in it receiving considerable financial and military aid under President John F. Kennedy and subsequent American presidents. Despite this, under a general sentiment against foreign intervention, the West Indies did not support the ill-fated Bay of Pigs invasion in which US-backed rebels attempted to overthrow the government of Fidel Castro, the Cuban dictator who ultimately prevailed due to the lack of American air support for the rebel forces. In this, Antonio Fernós Isern, the then-prime minister of the West Indies, remarked that while he is not necessarily in favour of communist regimes, foreign military intervention, be it by the United States or the Soviet Union, otherwise sets a dangerous precedent and could risk threatening the stability of the Caribbean.

With the end of the Cold War in the late 1980s, as the Soviet Union declined while neighbouring Cuba entered into a period of economic crisis, the West Indies consequently stood out as the sole regional power in the Caribbean after the United States with a mixed economy consisting of natural resource extraction, agriculture, tourism, and banking.

Economy

Generally, the West Indies have varying forms of economic activity, the most notable of which being the extraction of natural resources. Such is the case for Jamaica, Trinidad and Tobago, and Guyana, all three of which possess vast reserves of natural oil and are therefore considered to be the federation's economic pillars. Aside from this, agriculture is also an important economic sector although it has been declining in recent years primarily due to a growing tertiary sector.

Owing to its geographical position, the West Indies primarily trades with the United States who are both their biggest import and export partners. In addition to this, the country also has significant trade relationships with other larger economies in the region including Canada, Mexico, and Brazil.

Geography

At its widest, the federation spanned some 2,425 kilometers from Belize in the east to Barbados in the west and also around 1,700 kilometers from the Turks and Caicos Islands in the north to Guyana in the south. Moreover, unlike most federations, the West Indies is mostly made up of large bodies of open water, mainly the Caribbean Sea, with the many island states lying in between albeit with the notable exception of Guyana which is situated on the northernmost part of South America and directly borders Brazil, Venezuela, and Suriname. Similarly, Belize borders the countries of Mexico and Guatemala.

In terms of climate, all the states in the federation are tropical and enjoy hot and humid weather. Annually, there are two seasons, namely dry and rainy seasons which cover the first and second halves of the year respectively.

Demographics

As of current, the West Indies have a rough population of around 8.1 million with the majority of it being blacks of West African descent. In this, various minority groups include Indians, Europeans (French, Spanish, Portuguese), Chinese, Arabs, and Caribs, hence its extremely vibrant and multicultural nature. Meanwhile, in terms of religion, most of the population are Protestant with a significant Roman Catholic minority along with some numbers of Hindus and Muslims as well.

Politics

Much like other Commonwealth realms, the British monarch is the federation's head of state but otherwise represented by a governor-general, currently Patrick Allen. The head of government is the prime minister who is elected every four years. Currently, the prime minister is Jenniffer González, the first woman to hold the office. The capital is Chaguaramas in Trinidad and Tobago.

The country's legislative body, the Federal Parliament, is bicameral in nature, being made up of an upper house and a lower house. The Senate is made up of approximately thirty-four appointed senators with two senators provided for each of the seventeen states. Meanwhile, the House of Representatives is a purely elected body, being made up of approximately ninety members of parliament.

Founded alongside the country's independence, West Indies' highest judicial body is the Federal Supreme Court which hears appeals from the Court of Appeal. The federation's apex court is officially presided over by a chief justice and five other justices. Before this, the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council served as the highest court of appeal for the United Kingdom's colonies, including those in the Caribbean, prior to their independence.

Foreign relations

Since its foundation, the West Indies have been a member of various international organisations including the United Nations, Organization of American States, Organization of Ibero-American States, and the Commonwealth of Nations.

Although staunchly anti-communist, the West Indies differs from the United States regarding its approach with Cuba, with whom it has maintained warm but occasionally strained relations. Meanwhile, in recent years, tensions have arisen with Venezuela, especially following the recent discovery of oil near the constituent state of Guyana whose Essequibo province has been disputed and claimed by Venezuela since the late 1800s.

Despite its seemingly disjointed nature, the West Indies does have a unified armed forces, namely the West Indies Armed Forces which consists of an army, a navy, and an air force. In this, given that most of the states are small islands, the army is based in Belize, the navy in Jamaica, and the air force in Guyana, with most of its military hardware being provided by the United States and the United Kingdom.

Language

Owing to its extremely diverse nature, no single language is most commonly spoken among the West Indian population. In addition to English, the language of their former overlords, other languages are also spoken including French, Spanish, Portuguese, Chinese, and Arabic.

Officially, the federation does not have a single national language although English is considered to be the lingua franca among the population given that it is predominantly made up of former British colonies. In this, all official documents are written and published in English while the titles of the prime minister, governor-general, and monarch are all pronounced in the English language.