`ərd, ly`–, lē`–), northern group of the Lesser Antilles in the West Indies, extending SE from Puerto Rico to the Windward Islands. The principal islands are the American Virgin Islands Virgin Islands, group of about 100 small islands, West Indies, E of Puerto Rico. The islands are divided politically between the United States and Great Britain...... Click the link for more information. ; the French island and overseas dept. of Guadeloupe Guadeloupe , overseas department and administrative region of France (2005 est. pop. 449,000), 687 sq mi (1,779 sq km), in the Leeward Islands, West Indies. The department comprises the islands of Basse-Terre (Guadeloupe proper) and Grande-Terre, and the dependencies
..... Click the link for more information. and its dependencies; the Dutch islands of St. Eustatius Saint Eustatius , island (1989 pop. 1,861), 8 sq mi (20.7 sq km), Netherlands Antilles, one of the Leeward Islands. The mountainous island is not very prosperous, although there is a developing tourist industry; it also possesses facilities for petroleum
..... Click the link for more information. and Saba Saba , island (1990 est. pop. 1,100), 5 sq mi (13 sq km), Netherlands Antilles, one of the NW Leeward Islands. The rugged island is actually the cone of an extinct volcano rising to c.2,800 ft (850 m).
..... Click the link for more information. ; the Dutch and French St. Martin Saint Martin , Du. Sint Maarten, island, 37 sq mi (96 sq km), West Indies, one of the Leeward Islands. Since its occupation in 1648 by the Dutch and the French, it has been divided; the northern part (1999 pop.
..... Click the link for more information. ; the islands of the independent states of St. Kitts and Nevis Saint Kitts and Nevis or Saint Kitts–Nevis , officially Federation of Saint Kitts and Nevis, island nation (2005 est. pop. 39,000), 120 sq mi (311 sq km), West Indies, in the Leeward Islands.
..... Click the link for more information. and Antigua and Barbuda Antigua and Barbuda , independent Commonwealth nation (2005 est. pop. 68,700), 171 sq mi (442 sq km), West Indies, in the Leeward Islands. It consists of the island of Antigua (108 sq mi/280 sq km) and two smaller islands, sparsely populated Barbuda (62 sq mi/161 sq
..... Click the link for more information. ; and the islands of the British dependent territories of Anguilla Anguilla , island and British dependency (2005 est. pop. 13,300) 35 sq mi (91 sq km), West Indies, northernmost of the Leeward Islands. The capital is the town of The Valley. The population, which is mainly of African descent, speaks English, the official language.
..... Click the link for more information. , Montserrat Montserrat , British dependency and island (2005 est. pop. 9,000), 38 sq mi (98 sq km), West Indies, one of the Leeward Islands. It is a rugged, scenic island of volcanic origin; Chance's Peak (3,000 ft/915 m) in the Soufrière Hills volcanic complex in S
..... Click the link for more information. , and the British Virgin Islands. Largely volcanic in origin, the Leewards have lush, subtropical vegetation, rich soil, and abundant rainfall. The warm, delightful climate is tempered by the surrounding water so that there is little variation in temperature. Most of the islands are popular tourist destinations. Products are mostly agricultural—fruits, vegetables, sugar, cotton, coffee, and tobacco.
Columbus first sighted the Leeward Islands in 1493, but settlement began only after the British arrived in the 17th cent. Sir Thomas Warner, sent to St. Kitts in 1623, was made governor-general of the yet uncolonized neighboring islands (Nevis, Antigua, Montserrat, and Barbuda), and in the same year the Frenchman Pierre Bélain d'Esnambuc also established a colony on St. Kitts. By 1632, when the English had settled the neighboring islands, the sharp, three-way colonial conflict of England, France, and Spain had begun. The Spanish were forced from the struggle, but for nearly two centuries the islands were pawns in the Anglo-French worldwide wars. They changed hands with each fresh attack by British or French forces and were reshuffled in ownership whenever a new treaty was signed. Their final disposition did not come until the end of the Napoleonic Wars in 1815.
Leeward Islands
Arc of West Indian islands that constitute the most westerly and northerly of the Lesser Antilles, northeastern Caribbean Sea. The major islands are, from north to south, the Virgin Islands of the U.S. and the British Virgin Islands, Anguilla, St. Martin, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Antigua and Barbuda, Montserrat, and Guadeloupe. Just south of this chain is Dominica, sometimes classified as part of the Leeward Islands but usually designated as part of the Windward Islands.
Leeward Islands
the southern section of the Lesser Antilles in the Caribbean Sea, situated west of 64° W long. Area, approximately 1,200 sq km; elevations to 372 m. Population, 230,000 (1972), mainly Negroes and mulattoes.
The Leeward Islands consist of Aruba, Curaçao, and Bonaire, which belong to the Netherlands, and of Aves, Los Roques, Orchila, Blanquilla, and Los Hermanos, which belong to Venezuela. The larger islands are formed of metamorphic and crystalline rocks overlapped by volcanic and sedimentary rocks, chiefly limestones; the smaller islands are low-lying and coralline. The climate is subequatorial, with a brief rainy season; annual precipitation is 500 to 600 mm. The islands’ vegetation consists chiefly of shrubs and dry forests. Crops include sorghum, sweet potatoes, and bananas; sheep and goats are raised.
The largest city is the port of Willemstad on Curaçao. Curaçao and Aruba have refineries for refining Venezuelan oil; there is pearl diving off Los Roques and Orchila. The islands’ name derives from their position in relation to the northeast trade winds.
E. N. LUKASHOVA
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