View source for West Indies Federation

{{Short description|1958–1962 political union of British island colonies in the Caribbean}}
{{For|the 1975–2010 West Indies-region federation consisting of isles of the [[Kingdom of the Netherlands]]|Netherlands Antilles}}
{{More citations needed|date=November 2024}}
{{use dmy dates|date=February 2025}}
{{use British English|date=March 2025}}
{{Infobox country
|native_name            =
|conventional_long_name = West Indies Federation<ref name="UIA">{{Cite web |url=https://uia.org/s/or/en/1100061519 |url-access= |title=British West Indies Federation |author1=Staff writer |year=2024 |department=UIA Global Civil Society Database |website=uia.org |publisher=[[Union of International Associations]] |agency=Yearbook of International Organizations Online |location=Brussels, Belgium |format= |arxiv= |asin= |bibcode= |doi= |isbn= |issn= |jfm= |jstor= |lccn= |mr= |oclc= |ol= |osti= |pmc= |pmid= |rfc= |ssrn= |zbl= |id= |access-date=24 December 2024 |url-status= |archive-url= |archive-date= |via= |quote= |trans-quote= }}</ref>
|common_name            = West Indies
|status = Federation
|status_text = Federation of British colonies
|era = [[Cold War]]
|empire = [[United Kingdom]]
|year_start = 1958
|date_start = 3 January
|year_end = 1962
|date_end = 31 May
|p1 = British West Indies{{!}}British West Indies<br />''including'':
|p2 = Colony of Barbados{{!}}Colony of Barbados
|flag_p2 = Flag of Barbados (1870–1966).svg
|p3 = Colony of Jamaica{{!}}Colony of Jamaica
|flag_p3 = Flag of Jamaica (1957–1962).svg
|p4 = History of Trinidad and Tobago#British period{{!}}Colony of Trinidad and Tobago
|flag_p4 = Flag of Trinidad and Tobago (1889–1958).svg
|p5 = British Leeward Islands{{!}}British Leeward Islands
|flag_p5 = Flag of Leeward Islands (1952–1958).svg
|p6 = British Windward Islands{{!}}British Windward Islands
|flag_p6 = Flag of the British Windward Islands (1953-1958).svg
|s1 = Caribbean Free Trade Association{{!}}CARIFTA<br />''including'':
|flag_s1 =
|s2 = Crown Colony of Antigua{{!}}{{nowrap|Antigua}}
|flag_s2 = Flag of Antigua and Barbuda (1962–1967).svg
|s3 = Barbados{{!}}Barbados
|flag_s3 = Flag of Barbados (1870–1966).svg
|s4 = Cayman Islands{{!}}Cayman Islands
|flag_s4 = Flag of the Cayman Islands (pre-1999).svg
|s5 = Dominica{{!}}Dominica
|flag_s5 = Flag of Dominica (1955–1965).svg
|s6 = Grenada{{!}}Grenada
|flag_s6 = Flag of Grenada (1903–1967).svg
|s7 = Jamaica{{!}}Jamaica
|flag_s7 = Flag of Jamaica (1962).svg
|s8 = Montserrat{{!}}Montserrat
|flag_s8 = Flag of Montserrat (1960–1999).svg
|s9 = Saint Christopher-Nevis-Anguilla{{!}}St Christopher-Nevis-Anguilla
|flag_s9 = Flag of Saint Christopher-Nevis-Anguilla (1958-1967).svg
|s10 = Saint Lucia{{!}}Saint Lucia
|flag_s10 = Flag of Saint Lucia (1939–1967).svg
|s11 = Saint Vincent and the Grenadines{{!}}St Vincent and the Grenadines
|flag_s11 = Flag of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines (1907-1979).svg
|s12 = Trinidad and Tobago{{!}}Trinidad and Tobago
|flag_s12 = Flag of Trinidad and Tobago (1958–1962).svg
|s13 = Turks and Caicos Islands{{!}}Turks and Caicos Islands
|flag_s13 = Flag of the Turks and Caicos Islands (1889–1968).svg
|image_flag = Flag of the West Indies Federation (1958–1962).svg
|flag = Flag of the West Indies Federation
|image_coat = Coat of arms of the West Indies Federation.svg
|symbol = Coat of arms of the West Indies Federation
|image_map = Map of the West Indies Federation.svg
|national_motto = "To dwell together in unity"
|national_anthem = "[[Forged from the Love of Liberty|A Song for Federation]]" (proposed){{parabr}}{{center|[[File:Forged from the Love of Liberty (instrumental).ogg]]}}
|royal_anthem = "[[God Save the Queen]]"{{parabr}}{{center|[[File:United States Navy Band - God Save the Queen.ogg]]}}
|capital = {{ubl|[[Chaguaramas, Trinidad|Chaguaramas]] (''[[de jure]]'')|[[Port of Spain]] (''[[de facto]]'')}}
|demonym = [[West Indian]]
|currency = [[British West Indies dollar|BWI dollar]] ([[XBWD]])
|government_type = Federal parliamentary [[constitutional monarchy]]
|common_languages = {{hlist|[[English language|English]] | [[Jamaican Patois|Patois]] | [[English-based creole language|English Creoles]] | [[Spanish language|Spanish]] | [[French language|French]] | [[Caribbean Hindustani]] | [[Chinese language|Chinese]] | [[Arabic]] | [[Antillean Creole|Antillean French Creole]] | [[Tamil language|Tamil]] | [[Portuguese language|Portuguese]] | [[Indigenous languages of the Americas#South America and the Caribbean|Indigenous languages]]}}
|title_leader = [[British monarchy|Monarch]]
|leader1 = [[Elizabeth II|Queen Elizabeth II]]
|year_leader1 = <!-- additional space for legibility --><span style="display:inline-block;margin-bottom:0.5em;margin-left: 0.8em">1958–1962</span>
|title_representative = [[Governor-General of the West Indies Federation|Governor-General]]
|representative1 = [[Patrick Buchan-Hepburn, 1st Baron Hailes|Lord Hailes]]
|year_representative1 = <span style="display:inline-block;margin-bottom:0.5em;margin-left: 0.8em">1958–1962</span>
|title_deputy = [[Prime Minister of the West Indies Federation|Prime Minister]]
|deputy1 = [[Grantley Herbert Adams|Sir Grantley Herbert Adams]]
|year_deputy1 = <span style="display:inline-block;margin-bottom:0.5em;margin-left: 0.8em">1958–1962</span>
|legislature = [[Federal Parliament of the West Indies Federation|Federal Parliament]]
|house1 = [[Federal Parliament of the West Indies Federation|Senate]]
|type_house1 = Upper Chamber
|house2 = [[Federal Parliament of the West Indies Federation|House of Representatives]]
|type_house2 = Lower Chamber
|calling_code = +1 (809)
}}

The '''West Indies Federation''',<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://moj.gov.jm/sites/default/files/laws/West%20Indies%20Shipping%20Corporation%20Act.pdf |title=The West Indies Shipping Corporation Act |access-date=2017-06-30 |archive-date=2012-09-16 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120916022743/http://www.moj.gov.jm/sites/default/files/laws/West%20Indies%20Shipping%20Corporation%20Act.pdf |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal|url=http://www.jstor.org/stable/40393409|title=The Failure of the West Indies Federation|author=Archibald, Charles H.|year=1962|journal=The World Today|volume=18|issue=6|pages=233–242|jstor=40393409 |access-date=2023-04-12|archive-date=2023-04-16|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230416174933/https://www.jstor.org/stable/40393409|url-status=live}}</ref> also known as the '''West Indies''',<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://ufdc.ufl.edu/UF00076857/00001/21j|title=UF Digital Collections|website=ufdc.ufl.edu|access-date=2023-04-12|archive-date=2023-03-24|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230324063259/https://ufdc.ufl.edu/UF00076857/00001/21j|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |url=http://laws.gov.tt/pdf/App2.pdf |title=West Indies (Federation) Order in Council 1957 |access-date=2017-06-30 |archive-date=2017-08-26 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170826072801/http://laws.gov.tt/pdf/App2.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref> the '''Federation of the West Indies'''<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=QXT8MAAACAAJ&q=%22federation+of+the+west+indies%22|title=United States Defense Areas in the Federation of the West Indies: Agreement, with Annexes, Between the United States of America and the Federation of the West Indies Signed at Port of Spain 10 February 1961 with Memorandum of Understanding. Agreed Minute, and Related Exchange of Notes Between the British Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for the Colonies and the Representative of the United States of America|first=United|last=States|date=12 April 1961|publisher=U.S. Government Printing Office|via=Google Books}}</ref> or the '''West Indian Federation''',<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.jamaicaobserver.com/news/Jamaica-s-Brexit--Remembering-the-West-Indian-Federation_65023|title=Jamaica's Brexit: Remembering the West Indian Federation|access-date=2017-06-30|archive-date=2018-04-03|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180403075408/http://www.jamaicaobserver.com/news/Jamaica-s-Brexit--Remembering-the-West-Indian-Federation_65023|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=u7nKehGDofUC&dq=%22west+indian+federation%22&pg=PA20|title=Decolonising the Caribbean: Dutch Policies in a Comparative Perspective|first1=Gert|last1=Oostindie|first2=Inge|last2=Klinkers|date=April 2003|publisher=Amsterdam University Press|isbn=978-90-5356-654-1 |via=Google Books}}</ref><ref>Era Bell Thompson, [https://books.google.com/books?id=XXun934ThxwC&dq=%22west+indian+federation%22&pg=PA76 "Black Leaders of the West Indies"], ''[[Ebony (magazine)|Ebony]]'', October 1967.</ref>  was a short-lived [[political union]] that existed from 3 January 1958 to 31 May 1962. Various islands in the [[Caribbean]] that were [[British West Indies|part of the British Empire]], including [[Trinidad and Tobago]], [[Barbados]], [[Jamaica]], and those on the [[British Leeward Islands|Leeward]] and [[British Windward Islands|Windward Islands]], came together to form the Federation, with its capital in [[Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago]]. The expressed intention of the Federation was to create a political unit that would [[decolonization|become independent]] from Britain as a single state<ref>[https://www.un.org/dppa/decolonization/sites/www.un.org.dppa.decolonization/files/decon_num_18-1.pdf]</ref><ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Ayearst|first1=Morley|last2=Lowenthal|first2=David|date=June 1961|title=The West Indies Federation: Perspectives on a New Nation.|url=http://www.jstor.org/stable/2146224|journal=Political Science Quarterly|volume=76|issue=2|pages=291|doi=10.2307/2146224|jstor=2146224|access-date=2021-02-21|archive-date=2022-02-12|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220212192940/https://www.jstor.org/stable/2146224|url-status=live|url-access=subscription}}</ref> – possibly similar to [[Australia]], [[Canada]], or [[Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland|Rhodesia and Nyasaland]]. Before that could happen, the Federation collapsed due to internal political conflicts over how it would be governed or function viably. The formation of a West Indian Federation was encouraged by the [[United Kingdom]], but also requested by pan-Caribbean nationalists.<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Nelson|first=Renee A.|date=4 July 2020|title=The West Indian Press and Public: Concepts of Regionalism and Federation, 1944–1946|url=https://muse.jhu.edu/article/759195|journal=Journal of Caribbean History|language=en|volume=54|issue=1|pages=82–105|doi=10.1353/jch.2020.0000|s2cid=226463649|issn=0799-5946|url-access=subscription}}</ref>

The territories that would have become part of the Federation eventually became the nine contemporary [[sovereign states]] of [[Antigua and Barbuda]], [[Barbados]], [[Dominica]], [[Grenada]], [[Jamaica]], [[Saint Kitts and Nevis]], [[Saint Lucia]], [[Saint Vincent and the Grenadines]], and [[Trinidad and Tobago]]; with [[Anguilla]], [[Montserrat]], the [[Cayman Islands]], and the [[Turks and Caicos Islands]] becoming [[British overseas territories]]. [[British Guiana]] and [[British Honduras]] held [[observer status]] within the West Indies Federation.

== History ==
Several historically "West Indian" British colonies opted not to join the Federation for various reasons. The [[Bahamas]] and [[Bermuda]] believed that their future lay with association with [[North America]].{{Citation needed|date=November 2024}} The [[British Virgin Islands]] decided against joining due to their close ties with the [[United States Virgin Islands]] and their fear that a federal West Indies government would be more stingy than the United Kingdom with subsidies to subjects that ran deficits.<ref name="Wallace">{{cite book |title=The British Caribbean: From the Decline of Colonialism to the End of Federation |last=Wallace |first=Elisabeth |year=1977 |publisher=University of Toronto Press}}</ref>{{rp|105}} [[British Honduras]] considered itself too far from the rest of the federation (over 600 miles from Jamaica), and also thought that federation should be postponed until [[Belizean–Guatemalan territorial dispute|its territorial dispute with Guatemala]] was settled.<ref name="Wallace"/>{{rp|105-106}} [[British Guiana]] opted not to join the Federation due to fears of being forced to subsidise the other federal components and due to having more interest in South America than in the British Caribbean. [[Indo-Guyanese|East Indians in British Guiana]] also disliked the idea of joining a mostly-black federation when British Guiana was forecast to have an East Indian majority soon.<ref name="Wallace"/>{{rp|106}}

British Honduras and British Guiana did participate in the Federation to a certain extent as observers. The Bahamas participated in the 1960 [[West Indies Federation Games]], with a future prime minister of the Bahamas, [[Perry Christie]], as an athlete. Guyana would ultimately express interest in a very loose re-attempted Caribbean Federation around 1971.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://api.parliament.uk/historic-hansard/lords/1971/nov/17/proposed-caribbean-federation#S5LV0325P0_19711117_HOL_8|title=Proposed Caribbean Federation (Hansard, 17 November 1971)|website=[[Hansard|Parliamentary Debates (Hansard)]]|access-date=16 April 2009|archive-date=10 July 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090710074739/http://hansard.millbanksystems.com/lords/1971/nov/17/proposed-caribbean-federation#S5LV0325P0_19711117_HOL_8|date=17 November 1971|url-status=live}}</ref>

[[File:St. Vincent 3c West Indies Federation stamp 1958.jpg|thumb|A 1958 St. Vincent stamp marking the establishment of the West Indies Federation]]
The Federation was an internally [[Self-governing colony|self-governing]], [[Federation|federal]] state made up of ten provinces, all [[United Kingdom|British]] colonial possessions. The federation was created by the [[United Kingdom]] in 1958 from most of the [[British West Indies]]. Britain intended that the Federation would shortly become a fully independent state, thus simultaneously satisfying the demands for [[independence]] from all the colonies in the region. However, significant political divisions among the former colonies persisted, and the Federation never achieved full [[sovereignty]].

{{Infobox UK legislation
| short_title           = British Caribbean Federation Act 1956
| type                  = Act
| parliament            = Parliament of the United Kingdom
| long_title            = An Act to provide for the federation of certain West Indian colonies and for the transfer, to a court established for the purposes of the federation, of the jurisdiction of the Court of Appeal established by the West Indian Court of Appeal Act, 1919,[a] and the dissolution of that Court; to provide for conferring on the first-mentioned court jurisdiction to hear and determine appeals from the courts of colonies which are not for the time being included in the federation and to repeal the British Honduras (Court of Appeal) Act, 1881; and for purposes connected with the matters aforesaid.
| year                  = 1956
| citation              = [[4 & 5 Eliz. 2]]. c. 63
| introduced_commons    = 
| introduced_lords      = 
| territorial_extent    = 
| royal_assent          = 2 August 1956
| commencement          = 
| expiry_date           = 
| repeal_date           = 
| amends                = 
| replaces              = 
| amendments            = 
| repealing_legislation = [[Statute Law (Repeals) Act 1986]]
| related_legislation   = 
| status                = repealed
| legislation_history   = 
| theyworkforyou        = 
| millbankhansard       = 
| original_text         = 
| revised_text          = 
| use_new_UK-LEG        = 
| UK-LEG_title          = 
| collapsed             = yes
}}
The legal basis for the federation was the '''{{visible anchor|British Caribbean Federation Act 1956}}''' ([[4 & 5 Eliz. 2]]. c. 63),<ref name=":1" /> and the date of formation – 3 January 1958 – was set by an [[Order in Council]] proclaimed in 1957.

=== Prior attempts at federation ===
The Federation of the West Indies was not the first attempt at a British Caribbean federation. The history of the previous attempts at federations and unions, in part, explains the failure of the 1958 Federation.

The initial federal attempts never went so far as to try to encompass all of the [[British West Indies]] (BWI), but were more regional in scope. The historical regional groupings included the [[British Leeward Islands]], [[British Windward Islands]] and Jamaica with its nearby former dependencies. See: [[History of the British West Indies]].

=== Dissolution ===
Many reasons have been put forward to explain the demise of the federation. These include the lack of local popular support, competing insular [[nationalism]], the weakness of the federal government, prohibitions on federal taxation and freedom of movement, inadequacies in the Federal [[constitution]], fundamental changes made to the constitution very early in its existence, political feuds between the influential leaders, the decision of the three most influential politicians not to contest Federal elections, friction between these leaders and the Federal government, the overwhelming concentration of population and resources in the two largest units, geographic and cultural distance between the units, the lack of a history of common administration, and the impact of the period of [[Self-governing colony|self-government]] that followed the promotion from the [[British overseas territory|Crown Colony]] system.<ref name="auto">{{Cite web | url=https://classic.austlii.edu.au/au/journals/MelbULawRw/1966/13.pdf | title=The failure of the West Indies federation | website=classic.austlii.edu.au}}</ref>

However, the immediate catalyst for the dissolution of the Federation was Jamaican discontent. By 1961, there were a number of reasons for Jamaica's dissatisfaction with the state of affairs:<ref name="auto"/>
* Jamaica's share of the seats in the federal parliament was smaller than its share of the total population of the Federation.
* It was believed that the smaller islands would be a drain on Jamaica's wealth – the financial rewards of the island's [[bauxite]] were beginning to roll in.
* Jamaica was somewhat isolated in distance from the other islands.
* Inter-island rivalry.
* Many Jamaicans were upset that Kingston had not been chosen as the federal capital.

The most important reason for Jamaican dissatisfaction was the Federation's continuing colonial status. Jamaica had joined the Federation because its leaders had believed that the West Indies would quickly be granted independence. Nearly three years after the formation of the Federation, this had not occurred; meanwhile, smaller British colonies, like [[Cyprus]] and [[Sierra Leone]], had gained independence. Thus, many Jamaicans believed that the island could and should seek independence in its own right.<ref name="auto"/>

There were also problems with the Federation's proposed capital in [[Chaguaramas, Trinidad|Chaguaramas]] on Trinidad, at that time still in the hands of the United States (having leased it as a naval base from the United Kingdom during World War II). Many of the Caribbean provincial leaders wanted Chaguaramas to be the Federation's capital. Provincial leaders, such as Norman Manley of Jamaica and Eric Williams, pushed for the handing over of Chaguaramas to the Federation from the US. However, the US and the UK disagreed and the Federation's Prime Minister, Sir Grantley Adams, stopped the provincial leaders from obtaining Chaguaramas.<ref name="Wallace"/>{{rp|115-119}} For many Jamaicans, it appeared that the Federation would then just hamper their development and movement towards independence.<ref>https://jis.gov.jm/government/past-prime-ministers/the-right-excellent-sir-william-alexander-bustamante-g-b-e-ll-d-hon/</ref>

As a result, the [[Alexander Bustamante|Bustamante]]-led [[Jamaica Labour Party]] (the local component of the West Indian DLP) successfully forced Manley to hold a [[1961 Jamaican Federation of the West Indies membership referendum|referendum]] in September 1961 on political [[secession]] from the Federation. The result was 54% in favour of leaving the Federation,<ref name=":0" /> despite the opposition of Manley, the province's Chief Minister at the time. Manley himself lost the subsequent island elections in April 1962, and Bustamante became the first [[Prime Minister of Jamaica|Prime Minister]] of an independent Jamaica<ref name="Wallace"/>{{rp|207-208}} on 6 August 1962.{{Citation needed|date=November 2024}}

After Jamaica left, there was an attempt to salvage a new federation from the wreckage of the old. Much depended on Premier Williams of Trinidad and Tobago, who had stated previously that he wanted a "strong federation". Premier [[Vere Bird]] of Antigua responded that his province would only be in a federation with Trinidad as an equal partner, not as "a little Tobago". He did indicate that a strong federation was acceptable provided that no attempt was made to create a unitary state.{{Citation needed|date=November 2024}}

Negotiations on this new federation began in September 1961; however, they indicated that Trinidad would have to provide 75 to 80 percent of the new Federation's revenue. Also, even though Trinidad would now represent 60 percent of the new Federation's population, the proposals under consideration would give it less than half of the seats in parliament.{{Citation needed|date=November 2024}}

By November, Williams indicated that he was now in favour of the idea of a unitary state. Failing that, he resolved to take Trinidad and Tobago into independence. In this, he was buoyed by his re-election as Trinidadian leader on 4 December 1961. Later that December, Premier [[Errol Barrow]] of Barbados met with Williams, but failed to persuade him to keep Trinidad in the Federation.{{Citation needed|date=November 2024}}

On 14 January 1962, the [[People's National Movement]] (the Williams-led Trinidad component of the WIFLP) passed a resolution rejecting any further involvement with the Federation. Williams himself stated that one from ten left nothing, not nine – in other words, without Jamaica, no Federation was possible.<ref name="Wallace"/>{{rp|198}} Trinidad and Tobago became independent on 31 August 1962.<ref name="Wallace"/>{{rp|212-214}}

Without Trinidad and Jamaica, the remaining "Little Eight" attempted to salvage some form of a West Indian Federation, this time centred on Barbados. However, these negotiations ultimately proved fruitless. Without its two largest states, the Federation was doomed to financial insolvency. Barbados now refused to shoulder the financial burden.<ref name="Wallace"/>{{rp|199-200,205-207}} Antigua and Grenada began toying with the idea of merging with Jamaica and Trinidad, respectively.{{Citation needed|date=November 2024}}

== Geography ==

The Federation spanned all the island groupings in the [[Caribbean]]:
* The [[Lucayan Archipelago]]:
** [[Turks and Caicos Islands]]
* The [[Greater Antilles]]:
** [[Geography of Jamaica|Jamaica]]
** [[Cayman Islands]] ([[Grand Cayman]], [[Cayman Brac]] and [[Little Cayman]])
* The [[Lesser Antilles]]:
** [[Geography of Barbados|Barbados]], east of the Windward Islands
** [[Leeward Islands]]:
*** [[Antigua#Geography|Antigua]]
*** [[Barbuda#Geography and wildlife|Barbuda]]
*** [[Redonda]]
*** [[Saint Kitts|Saint Christopher]]
*** [[Nevis#Geography|Nevis]]
*** [[Geography of Anguilla|Anguilla]]
*** [[Geography of Montserrat|Montserrat]]
** [[Windward Islands]]:
*** [[Geography of Dominica|Dominica]]
*** [[Geography of Saint Lucia|Saint Lucia]]
*** [[Saint Vincent (Saint Vincent and the Grenadines)|Saint Vincent]]
*** [[Grenadines]]
*** [[Geography of Grenada|Grenada]]
** [[Trinidad]]
** [[Tobago]]

At its widest (west to east), from the Cayman Islands to Barbados it spanned some {{convert|2425|km|nmi|-1}} (and across approximately 22 degrees of longitude) and from the Turks and Caicos Islands in the north, to the [[Icacos Point]], Trinidad in the south it extended {{convert|1700|km|nmi|-1}} (and across 12 degrees of latitude). However, most of the area along either of these distances was taken up by open water (with the exception of some of the other islands lying in between). By comparison [[Great Britain]] stretches across nearly 10 degrees of latitude and [[Spain]] extends across almost 20 degrees of longitude. Even though the West Indies was spread across such a vast area, most of its provinces were mostly contiguous and clustered fairly close together in the Eastern Caribbean, with the obvious exceptions of Jamaica, the Cayman Islands, and Turks and Caicos Islands.

Most of the islands have mountainous interiors surrounded by narrow coastal plains. The exceptions were [[Anguilla]], [[Antigua]], [[Barbados]], [[Barbuda]], the Cayman Islands, the Turks and Caicos Islands (which are all fairly flat), and Trinidad (which has a large mountain range in the north and a small central mountain range in the interior of the otherwise flat island). The narrow coastal plains as well as historical trade is the main reason why almost all of the major settlements (cities and towns) of the Federation were located on the coast. Chief towns included [[Kingston, Jamaica|Kingston]], [[Port of Spain]], [[Chaguaramas, Trinidad and Tobago|Chaguaramas]], [[Bridgetown]], [[Spanish Town]], [[Montego Bay]], [[San Fernando, Trinidad and Tobago|San Fernando]], [[Mandeville, Jamaica|Mandeville]], [[Castries]], [[Roseau]], [[St. George's, Grenada|St. George's]], [[Kingstown]], [[St. John's, Antigua and Barbuda|St. John's]], and [[Basseterre]].

The climate in all the islands is tropical, with hot and humid weather, although inland regions in the larger islands have more temperate climates. Regions falling within the [[rain shadow]]s (southern coasts of Jamaica and Trinidad and eastern coasts of the Lesser Antilles) are relatively drier. There are two seasons annually: the dry season for the first six months of the year, and the rainy season (also known as the hurricane season) in the second half of the year. Many of the islands fall within the [[Main Development Region]] for [[tropical cyclone]] activity, with the exception of Trinidad (although it occasionally experiences low latitude hurricanes) and thus are at risk from potential wind and flood damage.

Britain classified the Federation as being part of its "Caribbean and North Atlantic Territories" region which was shared alongside other possessions such as [[Bermuda]].

The Federation today is geographically considered to be part of the [[North America]]n continent as all of its islands are in and around the Caribbean, even though Trinidad is located just offshore from [[South America]] and lies on the same continental shelf.<ref>Eric Eustace Williams, [http://ufdc.ufl.edu/UF00087323/00001 "A new federation for the Commonwealth Caribbean?"], ''PNM Pub. Co'', Publication date: 1973.</ref> ''See [[List of transcontinental countries|Transcontinental countries]].''

===Provinces===
{| class="wikitable"  style="width:420px; margin:auto; font-size:100%;"
|-
|+ Map of the provinces of the West Indies Federation
|-
|align=left| {{Image label begin|image=Map of the West Indies Federation.svg|width=630|float=none
  |alt=.}}

{{Image label small|x=0.66|y=0.52|scale=400|text=[[Jamaica]]}}
{{Image label small|x=0.61|y=0.257|scale=800|text=[[History of Antigua and Barbuda (1958–1962)|Antigua]]}}
{{Image label small|x=0.62 |y=0.29|scale=800|text=[[Dominica]]}}
{{Image label small|x=0.65 |y=0.334|scale=800|text=[[Barbados]]}}
{{Image label small|x=0.618 |y=0.39|scale=800|text=[[Trinidad and Tobago]]}}
{{Image label small|x=0.53 |y=0.318|scale=800|text=[[Saint Lucia]]}}
{{Image label small|x=0.515 |y=0.333|scale=800|text=[[Saint Vincent and the Grenadines|Saint Vincent]]}}
{{Image label small|x=0.528 |y=0.35|scale=800|text=[[Grenada]]}}
{{Image label small|x=0.528 |y=0.278|scale=800|text=[[Montserrat]]}}
{{Image label small|x=0.23  |y=0.24 |scale=800|text=[[Cayman Islands|Cayman Islands<br /><small>(Jamaica)</small>]]}}
{{Image label small|x=0.46 |y=0.17|scale=800|text=[[Turks and Caicos Islands|Turks&Caicos<br /><small>(Jamaica)</small>]]}}
{{Image label small|x=0.445|y=0.25|scale=800|text=[[Saint Christopher-Nevis-Anguilla|Saint Christopher-Nevis<br />Anguilla]]}}
{{Image label end}}
|}
{| class="wikitable sortable"  style="font-size:90%; width:650px; margin:auto;"
|+ Provinces and Territories of the West Indies
|-
!Flag
!Province
!Capital
!Population
!Area (km<sup>2</sup>)
|- align=center
| [[File:Flag of Antigua and Barbuda (1956–1962).svg|border|30px]] ||align=left| [[History of Antigua and Barbuda (1958–1962)|Antigua]]|| align="left" | [[St. John's, Antigua and Barbuda|St. John's]] ||align=right| 57,000||align=right| 440
|- align=center
| [[File:Flag of Barbados (1870–1966).svg|border|30px]] ||align=left| [[Barbados]]  ||align=left| [[Bridgetown]] ||align=right| 234,000 ||align=right| 431
|- align=center
| [[File:Flag of the Cayman Islands (pre-1999).svg|border|30px]] ||align=left| [[Cayman Islands|Cayman Islands <small>(attached to Jamaica)</small>]] ||align=left| [[George Town, Cayman Islands|George Town]] ||align=right| 9,000||align=right| 264
|- align=center
| [[File:Flag of Dominica 1955-1965.svg|border|30px]] ||align=left| [[Dominica]] ||align=left| [[Roseau]] ||align=right| 61,000||align=right| 750
|- align=center
| [[File:Flag of Grenada (1903–1967).svg|border|30px]] ||align=left| [[Grenada]] ||align=left| [[St. George's, Grenada|St. George's]] ||align=right|91,000 ||align=right| 344
|- align=center
| [[File:Flag of Jamaica (1957-1962).svg|border|30px]] ||align=left| [[Jamaica]] ||align=left| [[Kingston, Jamaica|Kingston]]||align=right|1,660,000||align=right| 10,991
|- align=center
| [[File:Flag of Montserrat (1909–1960).svg|border|30px]] ||align=left| [[Montserrat]] ||align=left| [[Plymouth, Montserrat|Plymouth]] ||align=right| 13,000||align=right| 102
|- align=center
| [[File:Flag of St. Christopher-Nevis-Anguilla (1958-1967).svg|border|30px]] ||align=left| [[Saint Christopher-Nevis-Anguilla]] ||align=left| [[Basseterre]] ||align=right| 55,600||align=right| 351
|- align=center
| [[File:Flag of Saint Lucia (1939–1967).svg|border|30px]] ||align=left| [[Saint Lucia]] ||align=left| [[Castries]] ||align=right| 95,000||align=right| 616
|- align=center
| [[File:Flag of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines (1907-1979).svg|border|30px]] ||align=left| [[Saint Vincent and the Grenadines]] ||align=left| [[Kingstown]] ||align=right| 83,000||align=right| 389
|- align=center
| [[File:Flag of Trinidad and Tobago (1889–1958).svg|border|30px]] ||align=left| [[Trinidad and Tobago]] ||align=left| [[Port of Spain]] ||align=right| 900,000||align=right| 5,131
|- align=center
| [[File:Flag of the Turks and Caicos Islands (1889–1968).svg|border|30px]] ||align=left| [[Turks and Caicos Islands|Turks and Caicos Islands <small>(attached to Jamaica)</small>]] ||align=left| [[Cockburn Town]] ||align=right| 6,000||align=right| 430
|- align=center
|- class="sortbottom" bgcolor= #BFD7FF" style="text-align:center;"
| style="background:#bfd7ff;"|[[File:Flag of the West Indies Federation (1958–1962).svg|border|30px]]
|  style="background:#bfd7ff; text-align:left;"| '''Federation of the West Indies'''
| style="background:#bfd7ff;"| '''[[Chaguaramas, Trinidad and Tobago|Chaguaramas]]''' ''([[de jure]])''
| style="background:#bfd7ff;"| '''3,264,600'''<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.populstat.info/|title=Home|website=Population Statistics|access-date=2023-04-12|archive-date=2023-04-08|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230408015753/https://www.populstat.info/|url-status=live}}</ref>
| style="background:#bfd7ff;"| '''20,239&nbsp;km<sup>2</sup>'''
|}

==Demographics==
The total population of the West Indies Federation was between 3 and 4 million people, with the majority being of black West African descent. Minorities included [[Indo-Caribbeans|Indians]] from the [[Indian subcontinent]] (called East Indians), [[White Caribbeans|Europeans]], [[Chinese Caribbeans|Chinese]], [[Arabs]], and [[Island Caribs|Caribs]]. There was also a large population of mixed descent (mainly [[mulatto]]s, but also Afro-Indian, Euro-Indian and mixed-Chinese). In terms of religion, most of the population was Protestant, with significant numbers of Catholics and some Hindus and Muslims (both almost exclusively from the East Indian population).

The West Indies Federation (or just West Indies) consisted of around 24 main inhabited islands and approximately 220–230 minor offshore islands, islets and cays (some inhabited, some uninhabited). The largest island was [[Jamaica]], located in the far northwest of the Federation. To the southeast lay the second largest island, [[Trinidad]], followed by [[Barbados]] (in terms of population), located at the eastern extremity of the Federation.

== Politics ==
{{See also|Moyne Commission}}
As with all British colonies of the period, [[Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom|Queen Elizabeth II]] was the [[head of state]], and [[The Crown]] was vested with the legislative authority for matters concerning executive affairs, defence and the financing of the Federation. Her representative, [[Patrick Buchan-Hepburn, 1st Baron Hailes|The 1st Baron Hailes]], was given the title of [[Governor-General]], synonymous with a self-governing colony, rather than that of [[Governor]] more typical for a British [[Crown colony]] system of government. The title may have reflected the federal nature of the state, or indicated the expectations that the Federation would soon become self-governing or independent. The Governor-General also had the full authority of the [[British Government]] to veto any laws passed by the Federation.

The [[Federal Parliament of the West Indies Federation]] was [[bicameral]], consisting of a nominated [[Senate]] and a popularly elected [[House of Representatives]]. The Senate consisted of nineteen members. These members were appointed by the Governor-General, after consulting the respective territorial governments. Two members represented each unit (with only one from Montserrat). The House of Representatives had 45 total elected members – Jamaica had seventeen seats, Trinidad and Tobago ten seats, Barbados five seats, Montserrat one seat, and the remaining islands two seats each.

However, the government (executive) would be a Council of State, not a Cabinet. It would be presided over by the Governor-General and consist of the Prime Minister and ten other officials.

The West Indies Federation did not have independent sources of revenue (relying instead on a mandatory levy on the islands), and did not establish any agreements on a customs union, free trade, or free movement.<ref name=":1" />

The politics of the embryonic Federation were wrecked by struggles between the federal government and the provincial governments, and even power sharing between the two largest provinces (Jamaica and Trinidad and Tobago) and the smaller provinces.

The West Indies Federation had an unusually weak federal structure. For instance, its provinces were not contained in a single [[customs union]]. Thus, each province functioned as a separate economy, complete with tariffs, largely because the smaller provinces were afraid of being overwhelmed by the large islands' economies. Also, complete freedom of movement within the Federation was not implemented, as the larger provinces were worried about mass migration from the smaller islands.

Jamaica, the largest member of the West Indies Federation, opposed plans to establish a customs union and to increase the ability of the federal government to levy taxes.<ref name=":0">{{Citation|last=Griffiths|first=Ann|title=St. Kitts and Nevis (Federation of St. Kitts and Nevis)|date=2020|url=https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-42088-8_22|work=The Forum of Federations Handbook of Federal Countries 2020|pages=301–314|editor-last=Griffiths|editor-first=Ann|place=Cham|publisher=Springer International Publishing|language=en|doi=10.1007/978-3-030-42088-8_22|isbn=978-3-030-42088-8|s2cid=226432562|access-date=30 October 2020|editor2-last=Chattopadhyay|editor2-first=Rupak|editor3-last=Light|editor3-first=John|editor4-last=Stieren|editor4-first=Carl|archive-date=31 December 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201231153835/https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-3-030-42088-8_22|url-status=live|url-access=subscription}}</ref>

[[Adom Getachew]] writes that relations between minority groups, such as the descendants of [[Indo-Trinidadian and Tobagonian|East Indians]] (which were a large share of the populations of Trinidad and Tobago and [[British Guiana]]), and the majority population of Afro-West Indians were a source of tension in the West Indies Federation. For example, British Guiana rejected the West Indies Federation in part because it lacked sufficient protections for ethnic minorities.<ref name=":1">{{Cite book|last=Getachew|first=Adom|url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/j.ctv3znwvg|title=Worldmaking after Empire: The Rise and Fall of Self-Determination|date=2019|publisher=Princeton University Press|isbn=978-0-691-17915-5|pages=119–120, 125–128|doi=10.2307/j.ctv3znwvg|jstor=j.ctv3znwvg|s2cid=242525007|access-date=2021-04-26|archive-date=2022-09-20|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220920172205/https://www.jstor.org/stable/j.ctv3znwvg|url-status=live}}</ref>

There were tensions between those who wanted a strong federal state (capable of undertaking major economic development projects and redistribution) and those who wanted a federal structure that gave each member substantial autonomy.<ref name=":1" /> [[Eric Williams]] was a strong advocate for a strong federal state.<ref name=":1" /> Critics in Jamaica were opposed to any redistributive schemes that would primarily lead to Jamaica providing grants to the smaller islands.<ref name=":1" /> There were also some concerns about unequal development and its impact on areas with less competitive industries which wanted protectionist measures within the federation.<ref name=":1" />

In addition, the federal government could not take its component states to task. The initial federal budget was quite small, limiting the federal government's ability to use its financial largess as a [[Carrot and stick|carrot]]. It was dependent upon grants from the United Kingdom and from its member states. The provincial budgets of Jamaica and Trinidad and Tobago were both larger than the federal budget. This led to repeated requests for those states to provide greater financing to the federal government. These requests were not well received, as Jamaica and Trinidad and Tobago together already contributed 85 percent of the federal revenue, in roughly equal portions.

Furthermore, the office of the Prime Minister was a weak one. Unlike other Westminster systems with Prime Ministers, the West Indian Federation's PM could not dissolve Parliament.

=== Capital site: Proposed and ''de facto'' capital ===
Three member states were proposed as hosts for the [[Capital (political)|capital]] city of the federation: Jamaica, Barbados and Trinidad and Tobago. Earlier in the federal negotiations the general opinion had been that the capital should be one of the smaller islands so that the capital would be in a neutral position to the larger territories and it would be able to inject some buoyancy into one of the (then) poorer economies. To this end, Grenada was tentatively selected as the member state to host the capital but this was abandoned after protests from some of the parties involved, and at the London Conference the smaller islands were ruled out for consideration.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.trinicenter.com/kwame/2010/1505.htm |title=W.I. Federation: Failure From the Start |last=Nantambu |first=Dr Kwame |date=12 December 2005 |publisher=Trinicenter.com |access-date=1 September 2012 |archive-date=21 June 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180621152028/http://www.trinicenter.com/kwame/2010/1505.htm |url-status=live }}</ref> Within Trinidad and Tobago the first proposed site was [[Chaguaramas, Trinidad|Chaguaramas]], a few miles west of [[Port of Spain]], but the site was part of a [[United States]] [[naval base]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://api.parliament.uk/historic-hansard/commons/1957/jul/09/federal-capital-site|title=Federal Capital (Site) (Hansard, 9 July 1957)|access-date=3 November 2018|archive-date=21 December 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211221163531/https://api.parliament.uk/historic-hansard/commons/1957/jul/09/federal-capital-site|work=[[Hansard|Parliamentary Debates (Hansard)]]|date=9 July 1957|url-status=live}}</ref> In practice, Port of Spain served as the ''de facto'' federal capital for the duration of the federation's existence.

=== Governance ===
The Federation also had a number of units deemed to be common services for the entire federation, these were:<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://api.parliament.uk/historic-hansard/lords/1962/mar/15/west-indies-bill-hl-1#S5LV0238P0_19620315_HOL_134|title=West Indies Bill [H.L.] (Hansard, 15 March 1962)|website=[[Hansard|Parliamentary Debates (Hansard)]]|access-date=29 January 2009|archive-date=1 July 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090701152123/http://hansard.millbanksystems.com/lords/1962/mar/15/west-indies-bill-hl-1#S5LV0238P0_19620315_HOL_134|date=15 March 1962|url-status=live}}</ref>
* The Federal Shipping Service
* The Federal Supreme Court
* [[University of the West Indies|The University College of the West Indies]]
* [[Caribbean Meteorological Organisation|The West Indies Meteorological Service]]
* [[West India Regiments|West India Regiment]]

=== Elections ===
{{main|1958 West Indies federal elections}}
[[File:West Indies Federal elections, 1958 (largest party by island).svg|thumb|Map of the results of the 1958 Federal election. The WIFLP won the most seats in islands/island groups coloured orange, whilst the DLP won the most seats in islands/island groups coloured blue. The [[Cayman Islands]] & [[Turks and Caicos Islands]] were included as part of Jamaica.]]
In preparation for the first federal elections, two Federation-wide parties were organised as confederations of local political parties. Both were organised by Jamaican politicians: the [[West Indies Federal Labour Party]] by [[Norman Manley]], and the [[Democratic Labour Party (West Indies Federation)|Democratic Labour Party]] by [[Alexander Bustamante]]. In broad terms, the WIFLP consisted of the urban-based parties throughout the Federation, while the DLP consisted of the rural-based parties. A small third party, the Federal Democratic Party, was founded in November 1957 by a group of Trinidadians, although it did not win any seats.

The platforms for the two major national parties were similar in many respects. Both advocated maintaining and strengthening ties with the United Kingdom, United States, and Canada (countries with which the islands had strong cultural and economic links); encouraging and expanding tourism; working to bring [[British Guiana]] and [[British Honduras]] into the Federation and to obtain loans, financial aid, and technical assistance. Despite these similarities, there were differences. The WIFLP had advocated the encouragement of agriculture while the DLP had promised a climate favourable to both private industry and labour, development of human and economic resources. The WIFLP promised to encourage the Bahamas (in addition to British Guiana and British Honduras) to join the Federation, whereas the DLP did not. The WIFLP also campaigned to establish a [[central bank]] for the extension of credit resources and advocated a democratic socialist society and full internal self-government for all the unit territories, whilst avoiding the issues of freedom of movement and a customs union. The DLP said nothing about full internal self-government, attacked socialism, wished to avoid high taxation (via loans and technical aid) and emphasized West Indian unity, freedom of worship and speech, and encouragement of trade unions.

[[1958 West Indies federal elections|Federal elections]] were held on 25 March 1958. The WIFLP won the election, winning 26 seats while the DLP carried 19 seats. The bulk of the WIFLP seats came from the smaller islands while the DLP carried the majority in Jamaica and Trinidad & Tobago. The DLP won 11 of the Jamaican seats and 6 of the Trinidadian seats. In appointing the Senate, Governor-General [[Patrick Buchan-Hepburn, 1st Baron Hailes|Lord Hailes]] realized that only the St Vincent island government was DLP controlled and as a result the Senate was going to be disproportionately pro WIFLP. In a controversial decision, he contacted the opposition DLP groups in Jamaica and Trinidad, and appointed one DLP senator from each of those islands. Thus the Senate consisted of a total of 15 WIFLP members and 4 DLP members.

The WIFLP leader, [[Grantley Adams|Sir Grantley Adams]] of Barbados, became [[Prime Minister of the West Indies Federation|Prime Minister]]. The selection of Adams as the Prime Minister was indicative of the problems the Federation would face. The expected leader of the WIFLP was [[Norman Manley]], Premier of Jamaica, and the next logical choice was Dr [[Eric Williams]], Premier of Trinidad and Tobago. However, neither had contested the Federal elections, preferring to remain in control of their respective island power bases. This suggested that the leaders of the two most important provinces did not see the Federation as viable. Similarly, Alexander Bustamante, the Jamaican founder of the DLP, also declined to contest the Federal election, leaving the party leadership to the Trinidadian [[Ashford Sinanan]]. The absence of the leading Jamaican politicians from any role at the federal level was to undermine the Federation's unity.

Other members of the Council of State included:
* Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Trade and Industry: [[Carl La Corbiniere]] (St Lucia)
* Minister of Finance: [[Robert Bradshaw (politician)|Robert Llewellyn Bradshaw]] (St Kitts)
* Minister of Communications and Works: [[Wilfred Andrew Rose]] (Trinidad and Tobago)
* Minister of Natural Resources and Agriculture: [[Frank Ricketts]] (Jamaica)
* Minister of Labour and Social Affairs: [[Phyllis Byam Shand Allfrey]] ([[Dominica]])
* Ministers without Portfolio: [[Novelle Richards]] (Antigua), [[Victor Vaughn]] (Barbados), [[Allan Byfield]] (Jamaica), [[James Liburd]] (St Kitts), and [[James Luc Charles]] (St Lucia)

== Judiciary ==
=== Federal Supreme Court ===
There was also a Federal Supreme Court consisting of a Chief Justice and three (later five) other Justices. The Federal Supreme Court itself was the successor<ref>[http://ufdc.ufl.edu/UF00076857/00001/6j British Caribbean Federation Act 1956] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131029192829/http://ufdc.ufl.edu/UF00076857/00001/6j |date=2013-10-29 }}, s.2(1)</ref> to the [[West Indian Court of Appeal]] (established in 1919)<ref name = "West Indian Court of Appeal, 1919">{{Cite web |url=http://webopac.ttlawcourts.org/LibraryJud/library/acq/TTAct1919.pdf |title=West Indian Court of Appeal Act, 1919 |access-date=2011-10-30 |archive-date=2012-04-25 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120425122222/http://webopac.ttlawcourts.org/LibraryJud/library/acq/TTAct1919.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref> and had jurisdiction over the same territories (Barbados, British Guiana, the Leeward Islands (including the British Virgin Islands), Trinidad & Tobago and the Windward Islands)<ref name = "West Indian Court of Appeal, 1919" /> in addition to Jamaica and its dependencies,<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://ufdc.ufl.edu/UF00076857/00001/7j|title=UF Digital Collections|website=ufdc.ufl.edu|access-date=2023-04-12|archive-date=2023-04-12|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230412161844/https://ufdc.ufl.edu/UF00076857/00001/7j|url-status=live}}</ref> except for British Honduras, as the British Caribbean Federation Act 1956, which empowered the Privy Council to establish it, also repealed the enactment which allowed for appeals from the British Honduras Supreme Court to the Privy Council or the Supreme Court of Jamaica, namely the [[British Honduras (Court of Appeal) Act 1881]].<ref>Jerry Dupont (2001), [https://books.google.com/books?id=pCX660FA5wMC&dq=british+honduras+court+of+appeal+act+1881&pg=PA227 ''The Common Law Abroad: Constitutional and Legal Legacy of the British Empire''],  p. 227.</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://ufdc.ufl.edu/UF00076857/00001/9j|title=UF Digital Collections|website=ufdc.ufl.edu}}</ref> (The arrangement for appeals to the Supreme Court of Jamaica had generally ceased in 1911 anyway.)<ref>Frank Cundall (1927), [http://www.jamaicaphilately.info/10_Environment-People/109_Publications/Handbook-of-Jamaica/Handbook-of-Jamaica-1927.pdf ''Handbook Of Jamaica''].  {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120425122223/http://www.jamaicaphilately.info/10_Environment-People/109_Publications/Handbook-of-Jamaica/Handbook-of-Jamaica-1927.pdf |date=25 April 2012 }}</ref><ref>Humphrey Hume Wrong (1923), [https://books.google.com/books?id=G0WHAAAAMAAJ&q=1911 ''Government of the West Indies''], p. 160]</ref>

[[Stanley Eugene Gomes|Sir Stanley Eugene Gomes]], [[Chief Justice of Trinidad and Tobago]], was appointed [[Chief Justice]] of the Federation in August 1961.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://ufdc.ufl.edu/UF00076857/00209|title=The West Indies Gazette, Vol. 4, No 34|publisher=Governor General|access-date=28 February 2016|archive-date=5 March 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160305195434/http://ufdc.ufl.edu/UF00076857/00209|url-status=live}}</ref>

== Relationship with Canada ==
{{Main|Canada–Caribbean relations}}

The Federation maintained a particularly close relationship with [[Canada]], which had a similar past as a [[Canadian Confederation|federation]] of several former separate British colonies. In the early years, several Caribbean leaders suggested that the West Indies Federation should investigate the possibility of [[Provincial creationism|becoming a Canadian province]].<ref>{{cite news |last1=Hutton |first1=Eric |date=15 April 1953 |title=The West Indies want to join us |url=https://archive.macleans.ca/article/1953/4/15/the-west-indies-want-to-join-us |work=[[Maclean's]] |publisher=Rogers Media |access-date=13 June 2019 |quote=Canada will get four million new citizens, frontiers on the equator, a three-hundred-million-dollar market, plus calypsos and cricket if the majority of the British West Indians succeeded in their bid for union. |archive-date=29 May 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190529021410/http://archive.macleans.ca/article/1953/4/15/the-west-indies-want-to-join-us |url-status=dead }}</ref>

Despite the breakdown in talks, in May 1961, the Canadian Government presented the West Indies Federation with two of the region's most important gifts: two [[merchant ship]]s, named ''The Federal Palm'' and ''The Federal Maple''.<ref>{{cite news |author=<!--Not stated-->  |date=12 January 1964 |title='MYSTERY SHIPS' PLY CARIBBEAN TOURIST ROUTES |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1964/01/12/archives/mystery-ships-ply-caribbean-tourist-routes.html |work=The New York Times |access-date=25 August 2019 |quote=CASTRIES, St. Lucia, B.W.I. --Two small, passenger carrying. cargo vessels, the Federal Maple and Federal Palm, have now celebrated more than two years Of plying the Caribbean. Although these comfortable little ships of 3,200 tons are not well known in the travel industry in the United States, or even in Canada, where they were built about three years ago, they are carrying an increasing number of tourists. The vessels have been nicknamed "the Caribbean's wonderful mystery ships." The mystery is who owns them and what is to become of them. They came from Canada as a gift to the prospective Federation of the British West Indies when the federation seemed a certainty only a few years ago. Under the plan of those days, the islands of the British West Indies were to be federated as an independent member of the British Commonwealth. |archive-date=25 August 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190825125645/https://www.nytimes.com/1964/01/12/archives/mystery-ships-ply-caribbean-tourist-routes.html |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.caribbean-maritime.com/index.php/latest22/issue-36-january-april-2019/537-historic-ships.html |url-access= |title="The gift that kept on giving..." |author-link= |last2= |first2= |author2= |date=31 January 2019 |editor-first= |editor=Staff writer |department= |website=caribbean-maritime.com |series=36 |publisher=Land & Marine Publications Ltd. |agency=Caribbean Shipping Association |location=Jamaica |page= |pages= |at= |language= |script-title= |trans-title= |type= |arxiv= |asin= |bibcode= |doi= |isbn= |issn= |jfm= |lccn= |mr= |oclc= |ol= |osti= |pmc= |pmid= |rfc= |ssrn= |zbl= |id= |access-date=1 December 2022 |url-status= |archive-url= |archive-date= |via= |quote= |trans-quote= }}</ref> These two vessels visited every island in the federation twice monthly, providing a crucial sea-link between the islands.<ref>{{cite news |author=<!--Not stated--> writer |date=19 February 2019 |title=Here's why Canada doesn't have a Caribbean province |url=https://www.cbc.ca/radio/secretlifeofcanada/here-s-why-canada-doesn-t-have-a-caribbean-province-1.5024861 |department=CBC Podcasts |publisher=[[Canadian Broadcasting Corporation]] |access-date=13 June 2019 |quote=Where in Canada can you spot dolphins, palm trees and beach parties in February? In an alternate universe, the answer is Jamaica – one of a select few Caribbean islands that might have become Canadian provinces if history had unfolded a bit differently. In the latest episode of The Secret Life of Canada, co-hosts Leah Simone-Bowen and Falen Johnson look at the historic connection between Canada and a number of islands and countries that make up the Caribbean. |archive-date=13 June 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190613140439/https://www.cbc.ca/radio/secretlifeofcanada/here-s-why-canada-doesn-t-have-a-caribbean-province-1.5024861 |url-status=live }}</ref>

== Symbols ==
===Music===
During that period, many [[Calypso music|calypsos]] made reference to the Federation of the West Indies, first expressing hope, then frustration as the process collapsed.{{Citation needed|date=November 2025}}

=== Philatelic collections / postal stamps ===
{{See also|British West Indies Federation Study Group}}
During the Federation's existence, each member continued to issue its own [[postage stamp]]s as before; but on 22 April 1958, each of the members (except for the Cayman Islands) issued a set of three [[commemorative stamp]]s. All of these stamps used a common design depicting a map of the Caribbean and a portrait of [[Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom|Queen Elizabeth II]], with an inscription reading <small>"'''THE WEST INDIES / FEDERATION 1958'''"</small> at the top and the name of the member state at the bottom. These stamps are quite common in both mint and used condition.

== Legacy ==
The federation's currency was the [[West Indies dollar]] (though Jamaica continued to use the pound), which was later succeeded by the [[East Caribbean dollar]], the [[Barbadian dollar]], and the [[Trinidad and Tobago dollar]]. Successor organisations included the [[West Indies Associated States]] and [[CARICOM]].

The Federal Supreme Court would also be succeed by a British Caribbean Court of Appeal (1962–1966) and then a West Indies Associated States Supreme Court (Court of Appeal and High Court) (1967–1980) and ultimately by an Eastern Caribbean Court of Appeal and [[Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court]] in 1981 for the [[OECS]].<ref>Dupont (2001), [https://books.google.com/books?id=pCX660FA5wMC&dq=west+indian+court+of+appeal+jamaica&pg=PA153 ''The Common Law Abroad''], p. 153.</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://app.justis.com/|title=JustisOne|website=app.justis.com|access-date=2023-04-12|archive-date=2023-04-05|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230405195311/https://app.justis.com/|url-status=live}}</ref> More recently a [[Caribbean Court of Justice]] has been established which would also fulfil the role of the original Supreme Court if all [[CARICOM Single Market and Economy|CSME]] members accede to the court's appellate jurisdiction (currently Barbados, Belize and Guyana do so).

Some see the [[West Indies cricket team]] as a legacy of the Federation, although the side was actually organised thirty years prior to the birth of the federation.

Another lasting regional fixture, officially created before the Federation, is the [[University of the West Indies]]. During the Federation, the university pursued a policy of regional expansion beyond the main Jamaica campus. Two other campuses were established: one in Trinidad and Tobago, established in 1960, and one in Barbados, established a short time after the Federation dissolved in 1963. Since 2004, the [[West Indies Federal Archives Centre]] has been located on the university's [[Cave Hill, Saint Michael, Barbados|Cave Hill]] campus in Barbados.

=== UK/West Indies Associated States (WIAS) ===
{{Main|West Indies Associated States}}
{{Infobox UK legislation
| short_title           = West Indies Act 1962
| type                  = Act
| parliament            = Parliament of the United Kingdom
| long_title            = An Act to enable provision to be made for the cesser of the inclusion of colonies in the federation established under the British Caribbean Federation Act, 1956, and for the dissolution of that federation and for matters consequential on the happening of either of those events; to enable provision to be made for the establishment of common courts and other authorities for, and fresh provision to be made for the government of, certain West Indian colonies; to enable provision to be made for the establishment of new forms of government for combinations of such colonies; and for purposes connected with the matters aforesaid.
| year                  = 1962
| citation              = [[10 & 11 Eliz. 2]]. c. 19
| introduced_commons    = 
| introduced_lords      = 
| territorial_extent    = 
| royal_assent          = 18 April 1962
| commencement          = 18 April 1962
| expiry_date           = 
| repeal_date           = 
| amends                = 
| replaces              = {{ubli|[[Jamaica Act 1866]]|[[Saint Vincent and Grenada Constitution Act 1876]]|[[Trinidad and Tobago Act 1887]]|[[West Indian Court of Appeal Act 1919]]|[[Dominica Act 1938]]|[[Cayman Islands and Turks and Caicos Islands Act 1958]]}}
| amendments            = {{ubli|[[Statute Law (Repeals) Act 1974]]|[[Statute Law (Repeals) Act 1989]]}}
| repealing_legislation = 
| related_legislation   = {{ubli|[[British Caribbean Federation Act 1956]]|[[Jamaica Independence Act 1962]]|[[Trinidad and Tobago Independence Act 1962]]|[[Barbados Independence Act 1966]]}}
| status                = amended
| legislation_history   = 
| theyworkforyou        = 
| millbankhansard       = 
| original_text         = https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/Eliz2/10-11/19/contents/enacted
| revised_text          = 
| use_new_UK-LEG        = 
| UK-LEG_title          = West Indies Act 1962
| collapsed             = yes
}}

The West Indies Federation was legally dissolved with the [[Parliament of the United Kingdom]]'s '''{{visible anchor|West Indies Act 1962}}''' ([[10 & 11 Eliz. 2]]. c. 19). The remaining "Little Eight" provinces once again became separate colonies supervised directly from London, most of which became independent later on, as follows:<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://uia.org/s/or/en/1100049094 |url-access= |title=Eastern Caribbean Islands Confederation |author1=Staff writer |year=2024 |department=UIA Global Civil Society Database |website=uia.org |publisher=[[Union of International Associations]] |agency=Yearbook of International Organizations Online |location=Brussels, Belgium |format= |arxiv= |asin= |bibcode= |doi= |isbn= |issn= |jfm= |jstor= |lccn= |mr= |oclc= |ol= |osti= |pmc= |pmid= |rfc= |ssrn= |zbl= |id= |access-date=12 January 2025 |url-status= |archive-url= |archive-date= |via= |quote= |trans-quote= }}</ref>
* [[Barbados]] – 1966
* [[Grenada]] – 1974
* [[Dominica]] – 1978
* [[Saint Lucia]] – 1979
* [[St Vincent and the Grenadines]] – 1979
* [[Antigua and Barbuda]] – 1981
* [[Saint Kitts and Nevis]] – 1983

The [[Cayman Islands]] and [[Turks and Caicos Islands]] had been separated from Jamaica upon the latter's independence in 1962; [[Anguilla]] was separated from Saint Kitts and Nevis in 1980. Along with [[Montserrat]], all three remain [[British Overseas Territories]].

==See also==
* [[Governor-General of the West Indies Federation]]
* [[Prime Minister of the West Indies Federation]]
* [[1961 Jamaican Federation of the West Indies membership referendum]]
* [[History of Antigua and Barbuda (1958–1962)]]
* [[History of the Caribbean]]
* [[Canada-Caribbean relations]]
* [[Caribbean Community|CARICOM]]
* [[Cricket in the West Indies]]
* [[Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland]] – another contemporaneous attempt at federation
* [[East African Federation]] – a current attempt at federation
* [[Dissolution of the Netherlands Antilles]] (2010)

==Footnotes==
{{Reflist}}

==References==
* Carmichael, Dr. Trevor A. 2001. ''Passport to the Heart: Reflections on Canada Caribbean Relations''. Ian Randle Publishers, Kingston, Jamaica. {{ISBN|976-637-028-1}} [http://www.david-kilgour.com/secstate/passport.htm The book's Forward passage], [https://web.archive.org/web/20070310231613/http://www.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qa4000/is_200207/ai_n9131167 synopsis]
* {{cite journal |last=Stewart |first=Alice R. |year=1950 |title=Canadian–West Indian Union, 1884–1885 |journal=Canadian Historical Review |volume=31 |issue=4 |series=Number 4 |pages=369–389 |publisher=[[University of Toronto Press]] |issn=0008-3755 |doi=10.3138/CHR-031-04-02 |s2cid=162522307 |url=http://utpjournals.metapress.com/content/c52481673131810h/fulltext.pdf }}{{Dead link|date=August 2021 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}
* Fraser, Cary. 1994. ''Ambivalent anti-colonialism : the United States and the genesis of West Indian independence, 1940–1964''. Greenwood Press
* Ghany, Dr Hamid 1996. ''Kamal: a Lifetime of Politics Religion and Culture'' Multimedia Production Centre, University of the West Indies.
* [[Ralph Gonsalves|Gonsalves, Ralph E.]] 1994. ''History and the Future: A Caribbean Perspective''. Quik-Print, Kingstown, St. Vincent.
* Hoyes, F. A. 1963. ''The Rise of West Indian Democracy: The Life and Times of Sir Grantley Adams''. Advocate Press.
* Hurwitz, Samuel J. "The Federation of the West Indies: A Study in Nationalisms." ''Journal of British Studies,'' 6#1 1966, pp.&nbsp;139–168. {{JSTOR|175196}}
* Mahabir, Dr Winston 1978 ''In and Out of Politics'' Inprint Caribbean.
* Mordecai, John, Sir. 1968. ''Federation of the West Indies'' Evanston, Northwestern University Press
* Wickham, P. W. 1997 "Factors in the Integration and Disintegration of the Caribbean" published as part of ''Issues in the Government and Politics of the West Indies'', edited by J. G. LaGuerre, Multimedia Production Centre, University of the West Indies.
* Williams, Eric. 1964. ''British Historians and the West Indies''. P.N.M. Publishing Company, Port of Spain.
* {{cite news |last1=Bunker |first1=Gerald E. |author-link1= |date=15 November 1957 |location= |title=The British West Indies: Federation |script-title= |title-link= |url=https://www.thecrimson.com/article/1957/11/15/the-british-west-indies-federation-pthe/ |url-access= |trans-title= |script-work= |trans-work= |series= |language= |volume= |issue= |edition= |publication-place= |publisher=[[The Harvard Crimson]] |publication-date=15 November 1957 |agency= |arxiv= |asin= |asin-tld= |bibcode= |bibcode-access= |biorxiv= |citeseerx= |doi= |doi-access= |eissn= |hdl= |hdl-access= |isbn= |ismn= |issn= |jfm= |jstor= |jstor-access= |lccn= |medrxiv= |mr= |oclc= |ol= |ol-access= |osti= |osti-access= |pmc= |pmc-embargo-date= |pmid= |rfc= |sbn= |ssrn= |s2cid= |s2cid-access= |zbl= |id= |url-status= |archive-url= |archive-format= |archive-date= |access-date=1 April 2025 |quote-page= |quote-pages= |quote= |script-quote= |trans-quote= }}
* {{cite journal |last=McIntyre |first=W. David |date= 1954 |title=The Commonwealth of Nations: Origins and Impact, 1869–1971 |journal=Europe and the World in the Age of Expansion |volume=9 |pages=432–441 |publisher=[[University of Minnesota Press]] |isbn=0-8166-0855-5 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=2UmlTnuBWlgC&pg=PP1 }}
* Nelson, Renee A. (4 July 2020). "[https://muse.jhu.edu/article/759195 The West Indian Press and Public: Concepts of Regionalism and Federation, 1944–1946]". ''Journal of Caribbean History''. '''54''' (1): 82–105.
* [https://content.time.com/time/subscriber/article/0,33009,936837,00.html The West Indies: Birth of a Nation]
* [https://www.jstor.org/stable/2503626 A Nation Divided: The Quest for Caribbean Integration], W. Marvin Will

==External links==
* {{commons category-inline|West Indies Federation}}
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20070427182319/http://www.royal.gov.uk/output/Page4928.asp The British Monarch's website] – On the Caribbean region
* [http://www.wifac.org/ West Indies Federal Archives Centre], at the University of the West Indies (Cave Hill Campus)
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20130929234257/http://www.caricom.org/jsp/community/west_indies_federation.jsp?menu=community Caribbean Community (CARICOM) Secretariat, The West Indies Federation]
* [https://api.parliament.uk/historic-hansard/acts/british-caribbean-federation-act-1956 The British Hansard Digitisation Project, British Parliament – The Caribbean Federation Act 1956]
* [http://www.opsi.gov.uk/RevisedStatutes/Acts/ukpga/1962/cukpga_19620019_en_1 The British Government's Office of Public Sector Information (OPSI) – West Indies Act 1962 (c. 19) – UK Statute Law Database (SLD)]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20071019050338/http://www.trinidadexpress.com/index.pl/article_news?id=161038821 Why 'Federation' really fell apart] – Sunday, 22 October 2006: Trinidad and Tobago Express

{{British overseas territories}}
{{Caribbean topics}}
{{Caribbean Community (CARICOM)}}
{{Nations at the Olympics}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:West Indies Federation| ]]
[[Category:British West Indies]]
[[Category:History of the Caribbean]]
[[Category:Island countries]]
[[Category:Former British colonies and protectorates in the Americas]]
[[Category:Former colonies in North America]]
[[Category:Former countries in the Caribbean]]
[[Category:Former confederations]]
[[Category:Politics of the Caribbean]]
[[Category:Proposed provinces and territories of Canada]]
[[Category:Separatism in the United Kingdom]]
[[Category:1950s establishments in the Caribbean]]
[[Category:1958 establishments in North America]]
[[Category:1962 disestablishments in North America]]
[[Category:1958 establishments in the British Empire]]
[[Category:1962 disestablishments in the British Empire]]
[[Category:20th-century disestablishments in the Caribbean]]
[[Category:States and territories established in 1958]]
[[Category:States and territories disestablished in 1962]]
[[Category:History of the Colony of Barbados]]
[[Category:History of Anguilla]]
[[Category:History of British Antigua and Barbuda]]
[[Category:History of the Cayman Islands]]
[[Category:History of British Dominica]]
[[Category:History of British Grenada]]
[[Category:History of the Colony of Jamaica]]
[[Category:History of Montserrat]]
[[Category:History of British Saint Christopher and Nevis]]
[[Category:History of British Saint Lucia]]
[[Category:History of British Saint Vincent and the Grenadines]]
[[Category:20th century in Trinidad and Tobago]]
[[Category:20th century in the Turks and Caicos Islands]]