“An archipelago, one might intuitively assert, is a natural grouping of islands: a group of islands situated in close proximity (as seen in the Philippines), a set of islands on the same tectonic plate (as seen in the British Isles), a series of islands created by the same undersea hotspot (as seen in Hawai‘i), or, inspired by a folk etymology of the term “archipelago,” a string of islands forming an arc (as seen in the Lesser Antilles).” [Russel and Stephens, 6.]. 
 

1. The group of Islands located in the Caribbean Sea [The West Indies, excluding the Bahamas] are called the Antilles. They are split into two main categories, the Greater and the Lesser Antilles, based on the size of the Islands.  This terminology was placed on the Island geography following Columbus’ “discovery” of the West Indies, where he transcribed the Spanish term, Antillas. Afterwards, the term appeared in other European languages and was eventually etched on maps of the region. 

2. Russel and Stephens assert that to understand global geography, traditional geographical models must be abandoned. I juxtaposed this assertion to Columbus’ so-called discovery.  Using the colonizer’s term for the islands of the West Indies, along with describing them as “Lesser,” continues to diminish and dehumanize the culture and identity of the island’s inhabitants. By associating the island’s geography with the island’s inhabitants, the inferior language is placed on both the land and the individual. Thus, in redefining traditional geographies, it’s imperative to reconsider mapping and language.