Caribbean Federation

The Caribbean Federation ( ( listen) : Federación del Caribe ( listen) ) also known as Caribe is a  in the  consisting of 11 island states. Bordering South America to the south, it shares maritime boundaries with other nations including Trinidad and Tobago to the south, Dominican Republic to the west, Venezuela to the south and west. The Federation is nearly composed of all islands in, without Aruba, Curaçao, Trinidad and Tobago.

The islands were claimed in 1493 by for  during his second voyage. Four centuries of Spanish colonial government influenced the island's cultural landscapes with waves of, , and settlers. Spain's distant administrative control continued up to the end of the 19th century, helping to produce a distinctive creole Hispanic culture and language. In 1898, following the, the country gained independence in the.

Population of the Caribbean Federation is 6.4 million, of which 4.3% are foreigners. The capital city and the industrial center of the country is San Pedro, located in the island of. Over two million people live in the San Pedro metropolitan area, which produces half of the country's GDP. The Federation is part of North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA).

Etymology
The country takes the name from the word Caribbean, which takes its name from that of the, an ethnic group present in the Lesser Antilles and parts of adjacent at the time of the. The word "Caribbean" has multiple uses. Its principal ones are geographical and political. The Caribbean can also be expanded to include territories with strong cultural and historical connections to, and the.

In the word is translated as Caribe. Among the local population, Caribe is widely used to designate the country and the name is used in the day-to-day language. As a result, the Caribbean government approved Caribe as the official short name in 2011.

Geography
Caribbean Federation consists of various islands in the, including , , , and many more. The Antilles are divided into three groups: the in the west, the  in the south and the  in the north.

Total area of Caribbean Federation is 20,584 square kilometers (221,564 sq mi). The largest island is the island of Puerto Rico. The highest point of the nation is  (1467 m which is 4,813 ft), which is located in the island of.

Climate
Located in the, Caribbean Federation has a. Caribbean Federation has a rainy season which stretches from April into November. Mountains can cause wide variation in local wind speed and direction. About a quarter of the annual rainfall for Caribbean Sea, on average, occurs during. Average daytime temperatures generally vary from 26 °C (78.8 °F) in January to 32 °C (89.6 °F) in June.