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13y ago
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Derek M

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4mo ago
During the initial voyage Columbus was guided by a Black Moorish navigator who had already been the Caribbeans and America's it wasn't new or foreign to Moors. The alleged West Indies tale is simply another Eurocentric lie.
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13y ago

When Columbus landed, he believed that the natives were Indians (because of their skin color). When it was discovered that it was not the real India, it was referred to as the west indies because one would travel west from England to get there and east to get to "east" India. It stuck because it was a long time before anyone realized it was a new continent.

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8y ago

Columbus referred to the Caribbean islands as the West Indies because they were not the East Indies that he was in search of. He was trying to reach Asia on his exploration and found the Caribbean instead.

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12y ago

Columbus sailed to south America and had thought he had landed on the west indies but instead he had landed on the Caribbean islands and so then the name stuck.

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13y ago

we don't know why they were called the west indies okay

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14y ago

These islands are called the West Indies because when Christopher Columbus landed there in 1492 and he believed that he had reached the Indies.

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13y ago

Because Columbus was trying to find a new route to India by traveling West rather than South, long story short he ended up in the wrong place and called it the West Indies

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14y ago

The island in the Caribbean region are often referd to as the West Indies because 'West Indies' is the collective name of these islands.

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Q: Why are the Caribbean islands called the West Indies?
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Related questions

The islands Columbus visited in the Caribbean are called the .?

The islands Columbus visited in the Caribbean are called the west indies.


What are the many islands that stretch from Florida to Venezuela?

West Indies are the islands in the Caribbean.


Why do you think the Caribbean islands are often referred as to the West Indies?

The island in the Caribbean region are often referd to as the West Indies because 'West Indies' is the collective name of these islands.


What is another name for the Caribbean islands?

the west indiesAnswerThe West indies is the name given to the islands, not the sea. The Sea of the Antilles was a former name for the Caribbean Sea.


Why do you think the Caribbean islands are often referred to as the Indies?

The island in the Caribbean region are often referd to as the West Indies because 'West Indies' is the collective name of these islands.


What are the Islands of the Caribbean Sea referred as?

the Caribbean or the west indies


Is cuba a west indies country?

No the West Indies are the group of islands in the Caribbean.


Why are the Caribbean's islands called the west Indies?

Columbus explored the ares for several months, convinced he had found the East Indies, the islands off the coast of Asia.When finding it was not the east indies he named it the west indies.


What is the difference between the Caribbean islands and the West Indies?

The Caribbean includes that ocean as well as the islands within it; the term West Indies refers only to the islands.


What are Caribbean island also known as?

The Caribbean Island are also known as the West Indies. This occurred when Columbus explored the area. He had believed he was exploring the East Indies. When he found this was not the case he called the islands the West Indies.


What is a another name for the Caribbean Islands?

The West Indies


What are the west indies also known as?

caribbean islands