The Caribbean Sea is a sea of the Atlantic Ocean situated in the tropics of the Western hemisphere, bounded to the south and west by the American landmass, with the North Atlantic Ocean proper to the northeast and the Gulf of Mexico to the northwest. More specifically, it washes upon (clockwise from the south) the South American countries of Venezuela and Colombia on the south; the Central American countries of Panama on the southwest, and Costa Rica, Nicaragua, Honduras, Guatemala, Belize, and Mexico on the west; the Greater Antilles (Cuba, Jamaica, Hispaniola, and Puerto Rico) on the north, and the Lesser Antilles on the east. The entire area of the Caribbean Sea, the numerous islands of the West Indies, and adjacent coasts, are collectively known as the Caribbean.

The Caribbean Sea is one of the largest salt water seas and has an area of about 2,754,000 km² (1,063,000 sq. mi.). The sea's deepest point is the Cayman Trough, between the Cayman Islands and Jamaica, at 7,686 m (25,220 ft) below sea level. The Caribbean coastline has many gulfs and bays: the Gulf of Gonâve, Gulf of Venezuela, Gulf of Darien, Golfo de los Mosquitos and Gulf of Honduras.

The name "Caribbean" is derived from the Caribs, one of the dominant American Indian groups in the region at the time of European contact during the late 15th century. After the discovery of the West Indies by Christopher Columbus in 1492, the Spanish term Antillas was assigned to the lands; stemming from this, "Sea of the Antilles" is a common alternative name for the Caribbean Sea in various European languages. During the first century of development, the Spanish dominance was undisputed.

The Caribbean Sea was an unknown body of water to the populations of Eurasia until 1492 when Christopher Columbus first sailed into Caribbean waters while trying to find a route to Asia. At that time the Western Hemisphere in general was unknown to Europeans. Following the discovery of the islands by Columbus, the area was quickly colonized by several Western cultures.

Following the colonization of the Caribbean islands, the Sea became a busy area for European-based marine trading and transport, and this commerce eventually attracted piracy.

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