When people ask you if your country is in the West Indies, what do you tell them? I have read yes and no. Yes in that we are in the region of the West Indies, South of Florida but not in the Caribean Sea like Trinidad Etc. What say you?

never been asked the question. ;)

When people ask you if your country is in the West Indies, what do you tell them? I have read yes and no. Yes in that we are in the region of the West Indies, South of Florida but not in the Caribean Sea like Trinidad Etc. What say you?



Honestly, have never been asked that question :o , but have been asked the connection between :bahamas: and :jamaica:!!! Go figure!!!

I tell them we are not located in the West Indies. I then precede to tell them we are located 30 mins (via plane) east of South FL etc etc. We are known as THE Bahamas. In school I was always taught we were not apart of the Caribbean/West Indies...did things change?

Yes, I've been asked that question alot. Along with..."Do the US own The Bahamas?"

I tell them we are not located in the West Indies. I then precede to tell them we are located 30 mins (via plane) east of South FL etc etc. We are known as THE Bahamas. In school I was always taught we were not apart of the Caribbean/West Indies...did things change?
Yes, I've been asked that question alot. Along with..."Do the US own The Bahamas?"

but to an outsider bahamas bermuda barbados...they all sound the same...its all about how we distinguish ourselves...some folks think we live in tree huts on the beach...and these are black people...I tell them all the time..."not my people...Bahamians living better than you" ignorance is a serious thing!

but to an outsider bahamas bermuda barbados...they all sound the same...its all about how we distinguish ourselves...some folks think we live in tree huts on the beach...and these are black people...I tell them all the time..."not my people...Bahamians living better than you" ignorance is a serious thing!


It does sound the same. That's why I don't get upset...some people don't know esp the Americans, they don't have to travel outside the US because they have everything there.
Funny you menitoned the tree hut, my friend in the US asked me if our MacDonald's was made out of a hut...after counting to 10...I told him no because with all that frying MacDonalds would be burning down and rebuilding every second...I had to share with him how strict our building codes were being in Hurricane Central....

It does sound the same. That's why I don't get upset...some people don't know esp the Americans, they don't have to travel outside the US because they have everything there.
Funny you menitoned the tree hut, my friend in the US asked me if our MacDonald's was made out of a hut...after counting to 10...I told him no because with all that frying MacDonalds would be burning down and rebuilding every second...I had to share with him how strict our building codes were being in Hurricane Central....

the funny thing is...Americans like to think that they are so rich and so this and so that...but after what happened in New Orleans...that left me with a bad taste in my mouth about them...and its been a year and een much has changed.

we ARE in the west indies. we ARE NOT in the caribbean.

WinterGrace, we are in the West Indies. When Columbus landed on our shores and he realized that he hadnt arrived in India, he dubbed us as the 'Indies of the West' aka West Indies. We are just as West Indian as a Jamaican, Trinidadian, Bajan, Kittian, Vincentian, etc. etc. In fact Bahamians were the first West Indians in that sense (well the Arawaks really).

The West Indies consists of 1) The Bahamas, 2) The Greater Antilles (Jamaica, Cuba, Puerto Rico) and 3) The lesser Antilles (Antigua to Trinidad).
We are West Indian, its just that Bahamians do not utilize that term to describe ourselves, since we are so isolated from the rest of the region.

oh yeah, but me neither, never been asked that question .. if someone asks, we're off the coast of florida ..

When people ask you if your country is in the West Indies, what do you tell them? I have read yes and no. Yes in that we are in the region of the West Indies, South of Florida but not in the Caribean Sea like Trinidad Etc. What say you?



No one has ever asked me that question, in particular North Americans. May of them arent really familiar with the term West Indies or West Indian, just Caribbean. By default they think we are in the Caribbean, even though that is incorrect from a geographical perspective, but correct from a cultural and demographical perspective. I dunno, its harldy anything to go getting one's panties in a knot about, well at least mines :friday:

I :heartbeat :bahamas:, were such "OUTLAWS" :cool:

WinterGrace, we are in the West Indies. When Columbus landed on our shores and he realized that he hadnt arrived in India, he dubbed us as the 'Indies of the West' aka West Indies. We are just as West Indian as a Jamaican, Trinidadian, Bajan, Kittian, Vincentian, etc. etc. In fact Bahamians were the first West Indians in that sense (well the Arawaks really).
The West Indies consists of 1) The Bahamas, 2) The Greater Antilles (Jamaica, Cuba, Puerto Rico) and 3) The lesser Antilles (Antigua to Trinidad).
We are West Indian, its just that Bahamians do not utilize that term to describe ourselves, since we are so isolated from the rest of the region.


Well, I mussie miss that part of the class or those British teachers aint teach me nothing (sorry CG), but really and truly they ask if we are apart of the CARIBBEAN more than the West Indies, of course me being Bahamian I say exactly were we are located such and such miles from Florida/Miami hehe shopping!!!!

Well, I mussie miss that part of the class or those British teachers aint teach me nothing (sorry CG), but really and truly they ask if we are apart of the CARIBBEAN more than the West Indies, of course me being Bahamian I say exactly were we are located such and such miles from Florida/Miami hehe shopping!!!!

LOL ... right next to that big place we go shopping to ...
in between big cuba and lil cuba ... :cheers:

I :heartbeat :bahamas:, were such "OUTLAWS" :cool:


I kinda like being separated, it makes us unique ya know, we have our own culture , our own accent...we have JUNKANOO and not Carivnal (sp?), it's good to be Bahamian :cheers: