French West Indies

The term French West Indies or French Antilles (French: Antilles françaises) refers to the seven territories currently under French sovereignty in the Antilles islands of the Caribbean:

Les Saintes

• The two overseas departments of:
  • Guadeloupe (Basse-Terre and Grande-Terre)
  • Martinique
• The two overseas collectivities of:
  • Saint Martin
  • Saint Barthélemy
• The islands forming dependencies of Guadeloupe, namely
  • Les Saintes
  • Marie-Galante
  • La Désirade

Former French West Indian islands

In addition, some of the islands of the present and former British West Indies were once ruled by France. On some of them, a French-based creole language is spoken; specific words and expressions may vary among the islands.

Former French West Indian islands:

• Hispaniola (which includes the Dominican Republic and Haiti)
• Dominica
• Grenada
• The Grenadines
• U.S. Virgin Islands
• Saint Kitts & Nevis
• Saint Lucia
• Saint Vincent
• Tobago (from Trinidad and Tobago)

French Caribbean

The term French Caribbean varies in meaning with its usage and frame of reference. This ambiguity makes it very different from the term French West Indies, which specifically refers to the islands that are French overseas departments - which means they have overall the same laws and regulations - but collectivities can be included too. In France French Caribean is lesser used, unless the speaker want to accentuate he's talking about all the French dependencies in this region.

In popular culture, the French Caribbean islands are usually considered to be those belonging to France: Guadeloupe (including surrounding islands: Les Saintes, Marie-Galante and La Désirade), Martinique, Saint Martin, and Saint-Barthélemy.

Nevertheless, all Caribbean regions that are predominantly French-speaking and/or French Creole-speaking are:

• Guadeloupe
• Martinique
• Saint Martin
• Saint-Barthélemy
• French Guiana
• Dominica
• Saint Lucia
• Haiti

The two official French overseas departments are Guadeloupe and Martinique. St Martin and St Barthélemy, formerly attached to the department of Guadeloupe, have held separate status as overseas collectivities since 2007. These Caribbean Départments et Collectivités d’Outre Mer are also known as the French West Indies. The term "French Caribbean" can also refer to any area that exhibits a combination of French and Caribbean cultural influences in cuisine, style, architecture, and so on. While Dominica and Saint Lucia are officially English-speaking only, French Creole languages are widely spoken by the islands' populations.

When used as an adjective, as in “French Caribbean islands” or "French Caribbean style," the term is also ambiguous and dependent upon the user's frame of reference and context.

See also

• British West Indies
• Spanish West Indies
• Dutch Caribbean