British Leeward Islands

This article is about the historical British colony in the Caribbean. For other uses, see Leeward Islands (disambiguation).

British Leeward Islands
British colony
↓ 1833–1958 →   →
Flag
Anthem "God Save the Queen/King"
Capital		St. John's
Languages		English (official) Spanish, Jamaican Creole
Government		Constitutional monarchy
Monarch
-	1952-1960 (last)	Elizabeth II
Governor
-	1956–1958 (last)	Alexander Thomas Williams
History
-	Established	1833
-	Federation	1871
-	Dominica joined	1871
-	Dominica left	1940
-	West Indies Federation	1958
-	Federation dissolved	31 May 1962
Area
-	1958	1,047 km² (404 sq mi)
Preceded by Succeeded by Anguilla Antigua Barbuda British Virgin Islands Dominica Montserrat Nevis Saint Kitts West Indies Federation British Virgin Islands
Today part of		Anguilla Antigua and Barbuda Barbados British Virgin Islands Cayman Islands Dominica Montserrat Jamaica Saint Kitts and Nevis Saint Lucia Saint Vincent and the Grenadines Trinidad and Tobago Turks and Caicos Islands

The British Leeward Islands was a British colony existing between 1833 and 1960, and consisting of Antigua, Barbuda, the British Virgin Islands, Montserrat, Saint Kitts, Nevis, Anguilla, and (to 1940) Dominica.

The previous colony of the Leeward Islands had existed since 1671, but in 1816 it was divided in two, with Antigua, Barbuda and Montserrat in one colony, and Saint Christopher, Nevis, Anguilla, and the Virgin Islands in another.

The British Leeward Islands was reformed in 1833, with the Governor of Antigua serving as Governor until 1871. The colony became known as the Federal Colony of the Leeward Islands from 1871 to 1956 and the Territory of the Leeward Islands from 1956 to 1960.

A representative Leeward Islands cricket team continues to participate in West Indian domestic cricket.

Postage stamps

The British Leeward Islands all used postage stamps inscribed "LEEWARD ISLANDS" between 1890 and 1 July 1956, often concurrently with stamps inscribed with the colony's name; for more detail, see postage stamps and postal history of the Leeward Islands.

See also

• List of Governors of the British Leeward Islands
• British Windward Islands
• History of the British West Indies
• Leeward Islands

Sources and references

•  This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). Encyclopædia Britannica (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. 
• WorldStatesmen- see each present country
• Leeward Islands - Flag