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Caribbean: Caribbean Sea
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The Caribbean Sea was an unknown body of water to the populations of Eurasia until 1492 when Christopher Columbus first sailed into Caribbean waters while trying to find a route to India. At that time the Western Hemisphere in general was unknown to Europeans. Following the discovery of the islands by Columbus, the area was quickly colonized by several Western Civilizations. Following the colonization of the Caribbean islands, the Sea became a busy area for European-based marine trading and transport, and this commerce eventually attracted piracy.
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The islands of the Caribbean Sea or West Indies are an extensive archipelago in the far west of the Atlantic Ocean, mostly strung between North and South America. They've long been known as a resort vacation destination for honeymooners and retirees, but a small movement toward eco-tourism and backpacking has started to open up the Caribbean to more independent travel. With year-round good weather (with the minor exception of hurricane season in the late summer and early fall), promotional air fares from Europe and North America, and hundreds of islands to explore, the Caribbean offers something for almost everyone.
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Travel to any of the hundreds of Caribbean tropical isles some call paradise. As befits heaven on earth, there is much to enjoy, see and do. Beaches, boats, banks and bikinis are Caribbean vacation essentials. But the No 1 playground for the Americas ... comprises movie-set beauty, coconut-tree-clad mountains, verdant valleys of sugar cane and bananas, and seashore galore. Caribbean cities glow with glorious architecture in communities established long before the automobile.
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The region, bounded by the waters of the Caribbean Sea, Gulf of Mexico, and the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans, sits between North and South America, and is made up of 16 Caribbean countries and territories and seven Central American nations. The variety of tropical landscapes makes it possible to choose from real estate that suits any taste, from private islands, mountain retreats, luxurious beachfront villas and condos, to farmland and city dwellings. Owning real estate in the Caribbean and Central America affords access to a region known for its cultural diversity, where English, Spanish, French, Dutch and Papiamento are the most commonly spoken languages.
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The name "Caribbean" is derived from the Caribs, one of the dominant American Indian groups in the region at the time of European contact during the late 15th century. After the discovery of the West Indies by Christopher Columbus in 1492, the Spanish term Antillas was commonly assigned to the lands; stemming from this, "Sea of the Antilles" is a common alternative name for the Caribbean Sea in various European languages. During the first century of development, the Spanish dominance was undisputed.
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The Caribbean... called the West Indies, is a group of islands and countries in the Caribbean Sea. The Caribbean Sea is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to its east, the coast of South America to its south, the coast of Central America to its southwest, and by the Gulf of Mexico to its northwest.
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Caribbean Sea