The Caribbean (/ˌkærɪˈbiːən, kəˈrɪbiən/, locally /ˈkærɪbiæn/;[4] Spanish: El Caribe; French: les

Caraïbes; Haitian Creole: Karayib; Dutch: De Caraïben; Papiamento: Karibe) is a region of

the Americas that consists of the Caribbean Sea, its islands (some surrounded by the Caribbean
Sea[5] and some bordering both the Caribbean Sea and the North Atlantic Ocean)[6] and the
surrounding coasts. The region is southeast of the Gulf of Mexico and the North American mainland,
east of Central America, and north of South America.
Situated largely on the Caribbean Plate, the region has more than 700
islands, islets, reefs and cays (see the list of Caribbean islands). Island arcs delineate the eastern
and northern edges of the Caribbean Sea:[7] the Greater Antilles on the north and the Lesser
Antilles on the south and east (which includes the Leeward Antilles). They form the West Indies with
the nearby Lucayan Archipelago (The Bahamas and the Turks and Caicos Islands), which are
sometimes considered to be a part of the Caribbean despite not bordering the Caribbean Sea. On
the mainland, Belize, Nicaragua, the Caribbean region of Colombia, Cozumel, the Yucatán
Peninsula, Margarita Island, and The Guianas (Guyana, Suriname, French Guiana, Guayana
Region in Venezuela, and Amapá in Brazil) are often included due to their political and cultural ties
with the region.[8]
A mostly tropical geography, the climates are greatly shaped by sea temperatures and precipitation,
with the hurricane season regularly leading to natural disasters. Because of its tropical climate and
low-lying island geography, the Caribbean is vulnerable to a number of climate change effects,
including increased storm intensity, saltwater intrusion, sea-level rise and coastal erosion, and
precipitation variability.[9] These weather changes will greatly change the economies of the islands,
and especially the major industries of agricultural and tourism.[9]