A vast volcanic mountain chain lies along the floor of the Caribbean Sea. The tops of some of the mountains extend beyond the water to form many of the region’s islands. Other islands are cays (pronounced keys), low-lying coral islands formed over thousands of years from reef material and sand built up by waves and wind.
Three Island Groups
The region’s islands are divided into three main groups—the Bahamas, the Greater Antilles, and the Lesser Antilles. The Bahamas is an archipelago, or group of about 700 islands, located in the Atlantic Ocean north of the Caribbean Sea. People inhabit only about thirty of the Bahamian islands. South of the Bahamas are the largest islands of the Caribbean, called the Greater Antilles, which include Cuba, Jamaica, Puerto Rico, and Hispaniola. Hispaniola is home to two nations: Haiti and the Dominican Republic. The largest islands of the Greater Antilles have rugged mountains and lush, thick rainforests. Most of the rest of the Caribbean islands form an arc that stretches from Puerto Rico to the coast of South America. These islands are known as the Lesser Antilles.
Resources
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Mr. Donn has an excellent website that includes a section on the Caribbean.