ANTIL'LES, a term used to designate generally the whole of the West India islands, except the Bahamas. Generally speaking, they stretch eastward from the gulf of Mexico to about the meridian of the gulf of Perm; then southward to the gulf of Paria itself; and lastly, westward to the gulf of Maracaybo. Primarily, however, they are regarded not as three sections, but as two.–the greater A., to the n. and w.; and the lesser, to the c. and the s. This distinction, which obviously involves considerations of position as well as of magnitude, will be found to indicate also a difference of organic structure.
The greater A., reckoning from the Vir., are: Cuba (Spanish), Jamaica (British), Hayti (independent), and Porto Rico (Spanish). They extend in w. long. from 84° 58' to 65° 40', and in n. lat. from 23° 9' to 17° 40'—the higher of these two parallels being only 21', or about 25 m., within the tropic of Cancer. On the lowest estimate, the area is said to amount to 70,000 sq.m. The greater A. appear to be of primitive formation, pre senting lofty granitic mountains. In Jamaica, however, there are Many hills of calcareous origin.
The lesser A. may be divided into two chains-411e eastern, trending round from the eastward of Porto Rico to the gulf of Paria; and the southern, stretching away in a direction nearly parallel with that of the greater A., along the coast of Venezuela as far as the gulf of Maracaybo. By the Spaniards, followed by some other nations, the latter chain is termed the Leeward islands, and the former the Windward islands. In English and French phraseology, however, the Leeward islands are all those to the n. of 15' n. lat., and the Windward islands all those s. of that parallel.
In the latter sense of the name, the Leeward 'islands, reckoning from the n., come in pretty nearly the following order: Virgin islands (Danish and British), Anegada (British), Anguilla (British). St Martin (French and Dutch), St. Croix (Danish), :Saba (Dutch). St. Bartholomew (French), St. Eustatius (Dutch), Barbuda (British), St. Christo pher's (British), Nevis (British), Antigua (British). Montserrat (British), Deseada (French), Guadeloupe (French), Marie Galante (French), Dominica (British). They extend in w.
long. from 65° 30', at the w. extremity of the Virgin isles, to 61° 23', at the C. extremity of Dominica; and in u. lat. from 18° .48', at the n. extremity of Anegada, to 15° 10, at the s. extremity of Dominica. The area is about 5000 sq.m.
The Windward islands, reckoning from n. to s., and then from e. to w., may be given as follows: Martinique (French), St. Lucia (British), Barbadoes (British), St. Vincent (British). Grenadines (British), Grenada (British), Tobago (British), Trinidad (British), Testigos (Venezuelan), Margarita (Venezuelan), Tortuga (Venezuelan), Blanquillit (Vene zuelan). Been Ayre (Dutch), Curacoa (Dutch), Aruba (Dutch). They extend in w. long. from 59' 20', at the e. of Barbadoes, to 70° 11', at the w. of Aruba; and in n. lat. from 11°, at the s. of Margarita, to 14° 55', at the n. of Martinique. Their entire area cannot exceed 1500 sq.m. The Windward islands, in the Spanish sense of the term, are other wise called the Caribbees; and hence the sea which they cut off from the open Atlantic is called the Caribbean sea (q.v.).
The lesser A., as a whole, appear to be chiefly of coral formation, or of volcanic origin. Many of them contain extinct craters; and, though not destitute of harbors, their coasts arc rendered in a great measure inaccessible by reason of reefs.
The A. generally—but perhaps the lesser more so than the greater—are subject to hurricanes and earthquakes. Their principal productions are suzar, rum, cotton, coffee, etc. The individual islands will be found noticed in detail in their respective places.
The name A. is generally supposed to have been given by mistake to the West Indian islands. Before the discovery of America by Columbus, a tradition existed that far to the w. of the Azores there lay a land called Antilla, whose position was vaguely indi cated in the maps of the early cosmographers. Only eight months after Columbus's return we find one Peter Martyr writing that the islands which the great navigator had touched upon must be the Antilke; and it is certain that Cuba and Hayti were known as such before a single link in the Caribbean chain was discovered.