The Caribbean Islands - 1607 (with a short trivia of West Indies Cricket team)

When the European merchant vessels sailed out to trade with India, less they knew about the unexplored world. They assumed that entire southeast Asia is part of a gigantic India, hence named it as Farther India while the islands that consist of today's Indonesia, Singapore, Malaysia, Brunei and Timor-Leste, became East Indies. A similar logic may have been applied to the Caribbean islands, hence the name West Indies. It's interesting to know that neither of the two Indies had anything to do with India, although both have considerable influence of India in them. The tiny islands of Trinidad and Jamaica were once settled with Indian migrants shipped from British India back in the 19th century, as labourers to European sugar farms. It's strange that to date the names have been stuck to it, the best example to prove this would be the explanation of the West Indies Federation - a short-lived political entity combining all the islands of the Caribbean which were once dependent on the United Kingdom. The federation existed between 1958 to 1962, having its capitals at Chaguaramas (in Trinidad) and Port of Spain (in Trinidad). 

But these names weren't the original ones. Explorers from the kingdoms of Spain, France, Portugal and Great Britain sailed to these islands since the beginning of the 15th century and named them either after their rulers, or a religious figure, or how they described the local indigenous people living there. Certain names have been prominent all throughout the ages - Cuba, Jamaica being the two of them, while the term Hispaniola (also spelt as Spaniola) was used to denote the entire island made up of the Dominican Republic and Haiti. Another interesting thing to note here is that both Dominica and Dominican Republic share the same etymology, but are separated by various islands. 

Today, none of the islands carries their indigenous names, lost all due to colonisation. But as the Europeans had arrived in the Caribbean, tribes such as Arawak, Kalinago, Taino and Galibi were the inhabitants that called their islands by totally different names. European explorers changed the entire pronunciation and christened European names that are in use today. Here's a list of all the islands of the Caribbean with their European names in italics while the indigenous names in bold dark red. The years in brackets are the first contact of Europeans to these islands. 

1. Cuba - Juana de Cuba / Fernandina (1492) Cobao
2. Jamaica - San Iago (1494) Yamaye / Hamaica
3. Bahamas : 
• Watling Island - San Salvador (1492)
• Ragged Islands - Islas de Arena (1492)
• Rum Cay - Santa María de la Concepción (1492)
• Crooked Island - Isabela (1492)
• Grand Bahama - Islas Lucayos (1513)
• Grand Abaco - Lucayoneque (1565)
• Eleuthra - Eleutheriah (1647)
4. Turks and Caicos Islands (UK) (1492)
5. Haiti - Île de la Tortue et Côte de Saint-Domingue (1664)* 
6. Dominican Republic - Santo Domingo (1496)**
7. Puerto Rico (USA) - Isla de San Juan Bautista / Porto Rico (1493) Borikén / Borinquen
8. Virgin Islands (UK) - Las Islas Once Mil Virgenes (1493)
9. St. Croix (part of Virgin Islands, USA) - Isla de Santa Cruz (1493) Ay Ay
10. Anguilla - Isla de Anguila (1500) Malliouhana
11. St. Kitts and Nevis - Isla de San Jorge / Saint-Christophe / Isla San Martin (1493) Liamuiga & Oualie
12. Saint Martin (Fr.) - Isla San Martin (1493) Soualiga / Oualichi
13. St. Barthelemy (Fr.) - Isla de San Bartolomeo (1493) Ouanalao
14. Antigua and Barbuda - Isla Santa María de La Antigua / Antego / Antegoa / Antigoa (1493) Waladli & Wa'omoni
15. Guadeloupe (Fr.) - Isla de Santa María de Guadalupe de Extremadura (1493) Karukera / Kalaoucera
16. Dominica - Isla Dominga / Dominoco (1493) Wai'tukubuli 
17. Martinique (Fr.) - Isla Martinica / Martinico / Mittalanea (1502) Jouanacaeira / Madinina
18. Montserrat (UK.) - Isla de Santa María de Montserrate (1493) Alliouagana 
19. St. Lucia - Isla de Santa Lucia / Sainte-Lucie (1502) Hewanorra / Iyanola
20. St. Vincent & the Grenadines - Isla de San Vicente / Saint-Vincent (1498) Hairouna & Becouya / Kayryouacou / Cannouan
21. Barbados - Isla de los Barbados / Ilha Barbados / Isla de Beruados / Barbadoes (1500) Ichirouganaim (pronounced as Ichi-rougan-aim)
22. Grenada - Isla de Concepción (1498) Camerhogne 
23. Trinidad & Tobago - Isla La Santissima Trinidad (1498) Kairi / Iere
24. Netherlands Antilles :
1. Bonaire - Isla de Palo Brasil (1499)
2. Curacao - Isla de los Gigantes / Captaincy of Curaçao (1499)
25. Aruba (Neth.) - Oro Hubo (1502)
26. Sint Eustatius (Neth.) - Isla de Santa Anastasia (1493) Aloi
27. Sint Maarten (Neth.) - Isla San Martin / Soualiga (1493)
28. Bermuda (UK) - La Bermuda (1503)

(*) and (**) denotes the curious case of Hispaniola, which was known by various names such as Kiskeya (Quisqueya), Bohio, Spaniola etc. Another island called Saint Martin is located between Anguilla and St. Kitts & Nevis and is divided into two parts; the French one is known as Saint Martin while the Dutch part is Sint Maarten. Since the island of Nevis is close by, early explorers would denote Nevis by the name Isla San Martin. 

Coming to West Indies again and a popular identity attached to the term 'West Indies' is of their cricket team. To the international world, every player of the West Indies team belongs to the 'West Indies', ignorant of the fact that each player has unique ethnicity. Listed down here are some of the most popular names in cricket history of the West Indies with their place of birth. 

• Learie Constantine (Diego Martin, Trinidad & Tobago)
• Sir Isaac Vivian Alexander Richards (St. John's, Antigua & Barbuda)
• Brian Lara (Santa Cruz, Trinidad & Tobago)
• Courtney Walsh (Kingston, Jamaica)
• Shivnarine Chanderpaul (Unity Village, Guyana)***
• Daren Julius Garvey Sammy (Micoud, St. Lucia)
• Chris Gayle (Kingston, Jamaica)
• Dwayne John Bravo (Santa Cruz, Trinidad & Tobago)
• Denesh Ramdin (Couva, Trinidad & Tobago)
• Ramnaresh Ronnie Sarwan (Wakenaam Island, Guyana)***
• Carl Hooper (Georgetown, Guyana)***
• Daren Ganga (Barrackpore, Trinidad & Tobago)
• Jason Omar Holder (Bridgetown, Barbados) etc. 

(***) It's interesting how Guyana is also placed under West Indies Cricket Board although it's not a part of the Caribbean island group. The only reason that could explain this as almost all the countries playing cricket were former British colonies (except Afghanistan), and hence, Guyana is on the list. But some sources differ and claim that Guyana is more Caribbean than South American. 

Below here is a recreated map of the Caribbean islands dating 1607, originally sketched by Jodocus Hondius (1563 - 1612).