Seaworthy.com

 The following text is from The Leeward Islands Guide by Stephen J. Pavlidis

The Leeward Islands lie southeast of the Virgin Islands, just across the Anegada Passage, and north of Martinique, the northernmost of the Windward Islands.  Many people find that they are confused by the nomenclature used in describing the island groups of the Eastern Caribbean, the Leewards, the Windwards, you’ve heard those names for years, but you’re not quite sure where they are, and why they’re named as they are.  This is not unusual; it can be confusing so let’s see if I can straighten this out. 

Although you may hear different definitions, the generally accepted description is that the islands of the Eastern Caribbean are divided into two main groups, the Greater Antilles and the Lesser Antilles.  The term Antilles comes form Antilia, a mythical island that Old World Europeans believed existed somewhere in the Atlantic.  A Portugeuese map created in 1424 shows the mythical islands of Antilia in the western part of the Atlantic Ocean.

The Greater Antilles consists of Cuba, Jamaica, Hispaniola, Puerto Rico and the islands surrounding those larger islands.  The Lesser Antilles begin with the Virgin Islands in the north and follow the chain of islands of the Eastern Caribbean, the Leeward Islands and the Windward Islands, as they arc southward to Trinidad and Tobago, just off the Venezuelan coast and this definition often includes the ABC’s, Aruba, Bonaire, and Curacao.

The Leeward Islands consist of Anguilla, St. Martin/Sint Maarten, Saba, Statia, St. Kitts, St. Barts, Nevis, Antigua, Barbuda, Monteserrat, Guadeloupe, Marie Galante, Les Saintes, and Dominica.  Saba and Sint Maarten only serve to confuse people even more as they are also a part of the Netherlands Dutch Antilles along with Aruba, Bonaire, and Curacao, off the Venezuelan coast several hundred miles away. 

The people of these beautiful islands area a blending of many cultures, and nowhere else in the Caribbean can you find such a diversity of cultures in such a small stretch of sea.  From St. Martin to Dominica you’ll find islands that reflect the heavy influence of the French, Dutch, British, Swedish, African, and East Indian peoples that make up the majority of the population.  Many of the names used in the Leeward Islands are not Americanized.  For instance, the word Bay is usually shown as Baie on charts of the French Islands and Baai on charts of the Dutch islands.