The West Indies are a region of islands in the Caribbean, stretching from near Florida in the north to the northern coast of South America in the south, and spanning from the Bahamas and Turks and Caicos in the north to the Greater and Lesser Antilles in the Caribbean proper. They cover a chain of islands in the Atlantic Ocean between the Gulf of Mexico, the Caribbean Sea, and the Atlantic Ocean, and include several independent countries as well as numerous dependencies. They are culturally tied to the Caribbean region but are geographically distinct from India despite the name. Key points:

• Location: Caribbean basin, comprising the Greater Antilles, the Lesser Antilles, and the Lucayan Archipelago (which includes The Bahamas and Turks and Caicos).
• Extent: From approximately 19°N near the Bahamas down to around the coasts of northern South America, with the archipelagos forming a crescent that spans thousands of kilometers.
• Composition: 13 independent island nations and 18 dependencies, plus territories associated with European powers.
• Notable archipelagos: Greater Antilles (Cuba, Hispaniola [Haiti and Dominican Republic], Jamaica, Puerto Rico), Lesser Antilles (a long arc of smaller islands), and the Lucayan Archipelago (The Bahamas and Turks and Caicos).

If you’d like, I can provide a concise map-oriented description or a list of the individual countries and dependencies within the West Indies.