Caribbean Cruises

Come visit the Caribbean, any part of the Caribbean basin will make you feel young with life.  Caribbean Cruises are a way of life now with Caribbean Cruises being one of vacationers most popular choice.  If you take a Caribbean Cruise or Cruises you will be in the Caribbean Sea and here is more information on the Caribbean Cruises and the Caribbean Sea.  The Caribbean Sea, arm of the Atlantic Ocean, partially enclosed on the north and east by the islands of the West Indies, and bounded on the south by South America and Panama, and on the west by Central America. The name of the sea is derived from the Carib people, who inhabited the area when Spanish explorers arrived there in the 15th century. It is very important in the Caribbean and on the main land to provide a healthy lifestyle and a safe environment for your family.  The Caribbean is 2,400 km (1,500 mi) long east and west and 640 to 1,400 km (400 to 1,400 mi) wide. It has an area of 2,718,000 sq km (1,049,000 sq mi). At the northwestern extremity it is connected with the Gulf of Mexico by the Yucatán Channel, a passage 190 km (120 mi) wide between Cuba and the Yucatán Peninsula. The Windward Passage between Cuba and Haiti is a major shipping route between the United States and the Panama Canal. Many gulfs and bays indent the coastline of South America, notably the Gulf of Venezuela, which carries tidal waters to Lake Maracaibo in Venezuela. With a few exceptions the entire Caribbean Basin is more than 1,830 m (more than 6,000 ft) deep. Large areas of the sea exceed 3,660 m (12,000 ft) in depth; the greatest depth measured thus far is Cayman Trench (7,686 m/25,220 ft) between Jamaica and Cayman Islands. Navigation is open and clear, making the Caribbean a major trade route for Latin American countries. The main oceanic current in the Caribbean Sea is an extension of the North Equatorial and South Equatorial currents, which enter the sea at the southeastern extremity and flow in a generally northwestern direction. A popular resort area, the Caribbean Sea is noted for its mild tropical climate.

Maps of the Caribbean and Related Links

With the passage of time, other names came into use. Spain and France called the islands the Antilles, named after the mythological Atlantic island of Antilia, or Antilla. The larger islands (Cuba, Jamaica, Hispaniola, and Puerto Rico) came to be known as the Greater Antilles, while the remaining smaller islands were called the Lesser Antilles.  Caribbean Cruises are available to all islands in the Caribbean basin.

The Lesser Antilles were also further divided into the Windward Islands and Leeward Islands, names referring to the position of the islands relative to the trade winds that blow steadily from the northeast. The Spanish originally called most of the small eastern islands the Windward Islands and reserved the name leeward, meaning "away from the wind," for the islands close to the northern coast of South America. The British reversed these names and called the eastern group the Leeward Islands and the southern group the Windward Islands. This British terminology is generally accepted today. The principal islands of the Windward group are Dominica, Grenada, Martinique, Saint Lucia, and Saint Vincent; the main islands of the Leeward group are Antigua, Guadeloupe, Montserrat, Saint Kitts and Nevis, and the Virgin Islands.