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	8,186,667 (103rd)
• Density	30.06/km2 (77.9/sq mi) (191st)
GDP (PPP)	2022 estimate
• Total	$292,313 billion (65th)
• Per capita	$35,705 (56th)
GDP (nominal)	2022 estimate
• Total	$249,224 billion (56th)
• Per capita	30,442 (33rd)
Gini	14.8 low
HDI	0.725 high (102nd)
Currency	British West Indies dollar (BWI$)
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. Consisting of approximately fifteen states, it is made up of the former British colonies of Antigua and Barbuda, 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.

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 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-late 1970s to the early 1990s, was considered to be the strongest team 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 centre, 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 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.

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".

Economy

While the West Indies generally have varying forms of economic activity, the most notable and profitable of these is 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.

Despite being a Commonwealth realm, the West Indies primarily trades with the United States from whom it also derives most of its imports.

Geography

At its widest, the federation spanned some 2,425 kilometres from the Cayman Islands in the east to Barbados in the west and also around 1,700 kilometres from the Turks & 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.

Climate-wise, 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 covers the first and second halves of the year respectively.

Demographics

As of current, the West Indies have a rough population of around 7.3 million, 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. Religion-wise, most of the population are Protestant with a significant Roman Catholic minority along with some numbers of Hindus and Muslims.

In terms of area, Guyana is the largest of the federation's member states although Jamaica, the second-largest overall, is the largest island, followed by Puerto Rico and Trinidad and Tobago.

Politics

Much like other Commonwealth realms, the British monarch is the federation's head of state but otherwise represented by a governor-general. The head of government is the prime minister who is elected every four years. 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 appointed senators with two senators provided for each of the fifteen states. Meanwhile, the House of Representatives is a purely elected body, being made up of approximately eighty-seven 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. Presiding over the country's apex court is a chief justice and five other justices.

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 arose with Venezuela especially following the recent discovery of oil nearby 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 force, namely the West Indies Armed Forces which consists of an army, navy, and an air force. In this, given that most of the states are small islands, the army is based in Puerto Rico, the navy in Jamaica, and the air force in Guyana.

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.