Talk:Windward Islands
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Definitely need to note that the distinction between Windward and Leeward is somewhat obscure, especially since Wikipedia right now lists Martinique in both categories!
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This article incorporates text from the Encyclopædia Britannica Eleventh Edition, now in the public domain. |
[edit] Hurricanes
Ivan and Frances made landfall here. --Patricknoddy 13:13, 11 Sep 2004 (UTC)User:Patricknoddy --Patricknoddy 13:13, 11 Sep 2004 (UTC)User talk:Patricknoddy 9:12 September 11, 2004 (EDT)
The map and island listing seem incorrect. Contrary to wikipedia, according to several other sources on the web, Trinidad & Tobago and Barbados are NOT part of this group, and Dominica is.
http://www.crwflags.com/fotw/flags/gb-windw.html http://www.encyclopedia.com/html/W/Windwrds.asp http://www.britannica.com/ebi/article-9340617 http://countrystudies.us/caribbean-islands/56.htmMike 17:14, 31 August 2006 (UTC)
- Go ahead and fix it.--Mike18xx 17:41, 31 August 2006 (UTC)
I would, but don't know how to create a comparable map. I wouldn't want the map and text to be at odds. Mike 19:18, 31 August 2006 (UTC)
- If the text AND the image are BOTH in error, then both should be fixed. For the time being, remove the pic, or find a suitable government/public-domain mag image and photoshop in a red box as you deem approrpiate, upload & etc.--Mike18xx 23:54, 2 September 2006 (UTC)
[edit] Trinidad, Tobago, Barbados?
Barbados and Trinidad and Tobago in the Windwards? Definitely not. Guettarda 14:41, 19 December 2006 (UTC)
Just because Barbados and T&T may not be joined with the OECS or WINBAN or any other political-economic organization associated with the term "Windward" doesn't mean that they are not geographically Windward (I'm not saying that the definitely are though). The term Windward simply means the trade winds hit those areas first (as opposed to the Leewards which are drier because they get the trade winds after most of the precipitation has been dumped on the Windwards - so the Leewards are in the rain shadow). And even if those islands are not considered part of the Windwards today, doesn't mean they were never considered to be Windwards ever. Even Encyclopedia Britannica says that the two are usually not considered part of the group - which means that sometimes they are or were (see: http://www.britannica.com/eb/article-9077195/Windward-Islands and http://concise.britannica.com/ebc/article-9382813/Lesser-Antilles or http://www.britannica.com/ebc/article-9382813). In addition Dominica is sometimes classified as Leeward (see http://www.britannica.com/ebc/article-9369947) and sometimes classified as Windward (see http://www.britannica.com/ebc/article-9382813). And the classification of the Virgin Islands as being Leeward is despite the fact that geologically they are attached to Puerto Rico (and by extension the Greater Antilles as opposed to the Lesser Antilles) (see http://www.britannica.com/eb/article-9047612/Leeward-Islands). More confusion can be generated if we take into account the use of the term Windwards and Leewards by other languages such as Dutch. Generally it seems that Martinique, St. Lucia, St. Vincent, the Grenadines and Grenada are always considered as the Windward Islands. Anguilla, St. Barthélemy, St. Martin, Saba, St. Eustatius, St. Kitts, Nevis, Antigua, Barbuda, Redonda, Montserrat and Guadeloupe are always considered as the Leewards Islands. The rest of the islands are never as clear-cut: The Virgin Islands are always considered as Leeward Islands although they are geologically attached to Puerto Rico and thus the Greater Antilles; Dominica is sometimes considered Leeward and sometimes considered Windward; while Barbados and Trinidad and Tobago are usually not considered Windward, but at times are. It would probably be good to include the fact that the classification of the islands into groups is not precise and to include a note on the islands where classification in not a dead-certainty. That way, if some poor reader happens across a source claiming Trinidad and Tobago as being part of the Windwards, they won't be confused when they come to Wikipedia. Or if some reader finds one reference claiming that Dominica is Windward and another reference claiming Dominica as Leeward, then they can come to Wikipedia for clarity.72.27.89.45 20:24, 17 June 2007 (UTC)
- In the recent court arbitration between Barbados and Trinidad & Tobago over their maritime boundaries, during the course of their opening arguments before the UN court they clarified that Barbados and T&T were not in the Windward Islands. As seen Here (PDF) It was news to me too...
Note this ison PDF page number 15.
1. Relevant Geography
42. The islands of Trinidad and Tobago lie off the northeast coast of South America. At their closest, Trinidad and Venezuela are a little over 7 nautical miles (“nm”) apart. Seventy nm to the northwest, there starts a chain of rugged volcanic islands known collectively as the Windward Islands, made up of Grenada, The Grenadines, St. Vincent, St. Lucia, Martinique, Dominica, and others. Barbados is not part of that chain of islands, but sits east of them. Collectively, all the aforementioned islands, and others that are farther north, make up the Lesser Antilles Islands.
It then goes on to say...
43. Barbados consists of a single island with a surface area of 441 sq km and a population of approximately 272,200. The island of Barbados is made up of a series of coral terraces resting on a sedimentary base. Barbados is situated northeast of Tobago by 116 nm and nearly 80 nm east of St. Lucia, the closest of the Windward Islands.
44. The Republic of Trinidad and Tobago is made up of the islands of Trinidad, with an area of 4,828 sq km and an approximate population of 1,208,300, and, 19 nm2 to the northeast, the island of Tobago with an area of 300 sq km and an approximate population of 54,100, and a number of much smaller islands that are close to those two main islands. Trinidad and Tobago has declared itself an “archipelagic state” pursuant to provisions of UNCLOS. The islands of Trinidad and Tobago are essentially the eastward extension of the Andean range of South America.
45. East of Trinidad and Tobago, the coast of South America trends in an east-southeasterly direction, first with part of the coast of Venezuela, then the coasts of Guyana, Suriname, and French Guiana. The Windward Islands lie as a string of islands in a south to north orientation starting directly north of the Boca del Dragon, the channel between the northwest corner of the island of Trinidad and the Peninsula de Paria of Venezuela.
CaribDigita (talk) 06:02, 28 April 2008 (UTC)
