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: "Unity In Togetherness"
Anthem: "Forged from the Love of Liberty" Royal anthem: "God Save the Queen"
Capital	Chaguaramas
Largest city	Santo Domingo
Recognised regional languages	English Patois English Creoles Spanish French Caribbean Hindustani Chinese Arabic Antillean French Creole Tamil Portuguese Indigenous languages
Demonym(s)	West Indian
Government	Federal parliamentary constitutional monarchy
• Monarch	Alexandra
• Governor-General	Travon Alberga
• Prime Minister	Arcus Pantofflett
Legislature	Federal Parliament
• Upper house	Senate
• Lower house	House of Representatives
Establishment
• Independence	3 January 1958
Area
•	244,343 km2 (94,341 sq mi) (77th)
Population
• 2022 estimate	7,345,882 (103rd)
• Density	30.06/km2 (77.9/sq mi) (191st)
GDP (PPP)	2022 estimate
• Total	$269,135 billion (65th)
• Per capita	$36,637 (56th)
GDP (nominal)	2022 estimate
• Total	$232,130 billion (56th)
• Per capita	31,600 (33rd)
Gini	14.8 low
HDI	0.725 high (102nd)
Currency	British West Indies dollar (BWI$)
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 that consisted of approximately fifteen island states, it borders the United States to the north, Cuba, Haiti, and the Dominican Republic to the west, Brazil and Venezuela to the south, and the Atlantic Ocean to the east.

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 fifteen 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 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 GDP of $269 billion, it has the seventh-largest economy in Latin America while its GDP per capita is the highest in the region and only closely matched by Brazil. 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, Organization of Ibero-American States, and the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States.