LEEWARD ISLANDS

French les Sous Le Vent, Spanish Islas De Sotovento, an arc of West Indian islands that constitute the most westerly and northerly of the Lesser Antilles, at the northeastern end of the Caribbean Sea, between latitudes 16 and 19 N and longitudes 61 and 65 W. The major islands are, from north to south, the Virgin Islands of the United States and the United Kingdom (geologically a part of the Greater Antilles); Anguilla, a British dependency; Saint-Martin (Sint Martin), an island half French (a dependency of Guadeloupe) and half Dutch (a part of the Netherlands Antilles and, with nearby Saba and Sint Eustacius, the group called administratively by the Dutch the Windward Islands, though geographically they are part of the Leewards); Saint Kitts and Nevis, an independent English-speaking nation; Antigua and Barbuda, an independent English-speaking nation; Montserrat, a British dependency; and Guadeloupe, a dpartement of France. Just south of this chain is Dominica, sometimes classified as part of the Leewards but usually designated as part of the Windward Islands (q.v.). The Virgin Islands are part of a submerged mountain chain, like the other islands of the Greater Antilles. Areas of Antigua, Anguilla, Barbuda, and eastern Guadeloupe consist of formations of coral limestone, whereas the small chain from Saint Kitts to Montserrat and including western Guadeloupe form a volcanic ridge; the volcano Soufrire on Guadeloupe is the highest mountain in the Lesser Antilles (at 4,813 feet ). The climate of the Leeward Islands is drier than that farther south but does vary from region to region and in different parts of a single island; rainfall increases with elevation and in more southerly latitudes. Tradewinds ameliorate the tropical heat. Hurricanes occur occasionally from June to October. The population of the Leewards is predominantly black, though tourism, as a leading source of income, seasonally brings in a large mixture of nationalities from mainland North America and from Europe. Portuguese Ilhas De Sotavento, island group in the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of western Africa, constituting one of two distritos (districts) of Cape Verde and consisting of the following islands: Brava, Fogo, Maio, and So Tiago (qq.v.). The islands are of volcanic origin and have a tropical climate. Rainfall is scarce, and drought is a constant problem.