A chain of islands extending from the Florida peninsula to the coast of Venezuela, lying between the Caribbean and the Atlantic.
西印度群岛（佛罗里达半岛与委内瑞拉海岸之间的一系列岛屿，位于加勒比海和大西洋之间）
They consist of three main island groups, the Greater and Lesser Antilles and the Bahamas, with Bermuda lying further to the north. Originally inhabited by Arawak and Carib Indians, the islands were visited by Columbus in 1492 and named by him in the belief that he had reached the coast of India. The islands now consist of a number of independent states and British, French, Dutch, and US dependencies
Definition of West Indies in US English:
West Indies
proper nounˌwest ˈindēzˌwɛst ˈɪndiz
A chain of islands extending from the Florida peninsula to the coast of Venezuela, lying between the Caribbean and the Atlantic.
西印度群岛（佛罗里达半岛与委内瑞拉海岸之间的一系列岛屿，位于加勒比海和大西洋之间）
They consist of three main island groups, the Greater and Lesser Antilles and the Bahamas, with Bermuda lying further to the north. Originally inhabited by Arawak and Carib Indians, the islands were visited by Columbus in 1492 and named by him in the belief that he had reached the coast of India. The islands now consist of a number of independent states and British, French, Dutch, and US dependencies