Antilles, Greater and Lesser

Antilles, Greater and Lesser
Two groups of islands in the West Indies, bounding the Caribbean Sea on the north and east, respectively.

The Greater Antilles include the largest islands (Cuba, Jamaica, Hispaniola, and Puerto Rico), the Lesser Antilles all being much smaller. The name Antilia originally referred to semimythical lands located somewhere west of Europe across the Atlantic. After Christopher Columbus's discoveries, the Spanish name Antillas was commonly assigned to the new lands; "Sea of the Antilles" in various European languages is used as an alternative name for the Caribbean Sea.

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Universalium. 2010.

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  • Greater — /gray teuhr/, adj. designating a city or country and its adjacent area: Greater New York; Greater Los Angeles. [1570 80; GREAT + ER4] * * * (as used in expressions) Greater London Antilles Greater and Lesser Greater Manchester * * * …   Universalium

  • lesser — /les euhr/, adj., a compar. of little with least as superl. 1. smaller, as in size or importance; inferior: a lesser evil. adv., a compar. of little with least as superl. 2. less. [1175 1225; ME lasser, lesser …   Universalium

  • Antilles — The Antilles (the same in French; Antillas in Spanish; Antillen in Dutch) refers to the islands forming the greater part of the West Indies in the Caribbean Sea. The Antilles are divided into two major groups: the Greater Antilles to the north… …   Wikipedia

  • Antilles — islands of the West Indies excluding the Bahamas; comprises Greater Antilles: Cuba, Hispaniola, Jamaica, and Puerto Rico; and Lesser Antilles: Trinidad, the Windward Islands, the Leeward Islands, and other small islands …   Webster's Gazetteer

  • Lesser Antilles — noun The smaller islands of the West Indies, to the south and east of Puerto Rico, in the Caribbean Sea. See Also: Antilles, Greater Antilles, Leeward Antilles …   Wiktionary

  • Greater Antilles — Grandes Antilles (French) Antillas Mayores (Spanish)   Region of the Caribbean   …   Wikipedia

  • Greater Antilles — group of islands in the West Indies, made up of the N & W Antilles, including the islands of Cuba, Jamaica, Hispaniola, & Puerto Rico * * * ▪ islands, West Indies       the four largest islands of the Antilles (q.v.) Cuba, Hispaniola, Jamaica,… …   Universalium

  • Lesser Antilles — The Lesser Antilles, also known as the Caribbees, West Indies. Merriam Webster s Geographical Dictionary , 3rd ed. 2001. (ISBN 0 87779 546 0) Springfield, MA: Merriam Webster Inc., p. 1298.] are part of the Antilles, which together with the… …   Wikipedia

  • Antilles — Antillean /an til ee euhn, an tl ee /, adj. /an til eez/, n. (used with a pl. v.) a chain of islands in the West Indies, divided into two parts, the one including Cuba, Hispaniola, Jamaica, and Puerto Rico (Greater Antilles), the other including… …   Universalium

  • Antilles — /ænˈtɪliz/ (say an tileez) plural noun a chain of islands in the West Indies, divided into the Greater Antilles (Cuba, Hispaniola, Jamaica, and Puerto Rico), and, to the south east, the Lesser Antilles (the Leeward Islands, the Windward Islands,… …  

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