Vacation has always been a way to escape the monotonous activities of everyday life. It's a way to escape the real world and spend a few days with nothing to worry about except what to do. For some people, the idea of ​​vacation is going somewhere warm and intriguing, a place that can entertain and captivate a person for days. For many people this place could be the Caribbean islands. The Caribbean is a place of wonder and attracts thousands of people every year due to its diverse history and culture. The Caribbean Islands are a chain of over 7,000 islands found in the Caribbean Sea, located directly south of Florida and east of Mexico. Most Caribbean islands are small, about 100 square miles. However, there are still large islands. Cuba is the largest island in the Caribbean, but it is still smaller than the state of Ohio. (West) Some of the most famous islands in the Caribbean include Cuba, Jamaica, Haiti, Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico, Bahamas, and the US Virgin Islands. These islands all make up the area known today as the West Indies. The West Indies are so named to differentiate them from the East Indies which are located in the Pacific Ocean. When Columbus first landed on the islands, he believed they were part of the Indies of the Pacific Ocean. When it was discovered that the islands were not actually part of the Indies, the islands received their current name to differentiate them. Although the islands are still called the West Indies today, people know them better as the Caribbean Islands. Within the West Indies the islands are further classified into the Greater Antilles and Lesser Antilles. The...... middle of paper......://www.school.eb.com/all/comptons/article-9272832>."Latin America." Compton of Britannica. Encyclopedia Britannica Online school edition. Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc., 2011. Web. 11 November 2011.."Lesser Antilles." Compton of Britannica. Encyclopedia Britannica Online school edition. Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc., 2011. Web. November 27, 2011.."travel and tourism." Compton of Britannica. Encyclopedia Britannica Online school edition. Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc., 2011. Web. November 11, 2011.."West Indies." Compton of Britannica. Encyclopedia Britannica Online school edition. Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc., 2011. Web. 11 November. 2011..