Windward Islands are a group of islands that lie in the Caribbean region. They stretch around the eastern end of the Caribbean Sea to South America. The islands are so named because they are exposed to northeast trade winds. The Windward group consists of Dominica, Martinique, St. Lucia, Grenada, St. Vincent, and the Grenadine chain. Martinique is a French possession. St. Lucia and Dominica are independent nations. Grenada and part of the Grenadines form the independent nation of Grenada. St. Vincent and the rest of the Grenadines make up an independent nation called St. Vincent and the Grenadines.
The Windward Islands cover about 1,232 square miles (3,190 square kilometers) and have a population of about 870,000. Most of the people are of black African descent. The chief products include arrowroot, bananas, cocoa, cotton, mace, nutmeg, and sugar.
Native American Arawak and Carib people were the first known inhabitants of the Windward Islands. The only remaining Carib in the islands live in Dominica. Europeans settled in the Windward Islands in the early 1600’s. Between 1763 and 1814, the islands, except for Martinique, became British colonies. Grenada became an independent nation in 1974. In 1978, Dominica gained its independence. St. Lucia and St. Vincent and the Grenadines became independent in 1979.
