Federation of the West Indies

West Indies Federation

Federation of British Colonies

1958–1962


Flag	Coat of arms

Motto
"To dwell together in unity"

Anthem
"God Save the Queen" (royal)
"A Song for Federation" (proposed)

Capital

Chaguaramas (de jure)
Port of Spain (de facto)

Languages

English

Demonym

West Indian

Government

Constitutional monarchy

Queen

Elizabeth II

Governor-General

Lord Hailes

Prime Minister

Grantley Herbert Adams

History

•

Established

3 January 1958

•

Disestablished

31 May 1962

Area

•

1962

20,239 km² (7,814 sq mi)

Population

•

1962 est.

3,264,600

Density

161.3 /km² (417.8 /sq mi)

Currency

BWI dollar (XBWD)

Calling code

+1-809

Preceded by

Succeeded by

Antigua
Barbados
Cayman Islands
Dominica
Grenada
Jamaica
Montserrat
St Christopher-Nevis-Anguilla
Saint Lucia
St Vincent and the Grenadines
Trinidad and Tobago
Turks and Caicos Islands

The West Indies Federation, also known as the Federation of the West Indies, was a short-lived political union that existed from 3 January 1958 to 31 May 1962. Various islands in the Caribbean that were colonies of the United Kingdom, including Trinidad and Tobago, Barbados, Jamaica, and those on the Leeward and 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 become independent from Britain as a single state—possibly similar to the Canadian Confederation, Australian Commonwealth, or Central African Federation; however, before that could happen, the Federation collapsed due to internal political conflicts. The territories 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 Turks and Caicos Islands becoming British overseas territories. British Guiana (Guyana) and British Honduras (Belize) held observer status within the West Indies Federation.