The Caribbean Map covers a really big place.

But how big is it really? And where are its “borders?” Where is Aruba? What’s the Caribbean country that’s closest to South America?

These are the kind of questions we have gotten all the time from readers. Because even seasoned Caribbean travelers sometimes have always said that they want to know more about where everything is in the region. So we’re here to help.

We wanted to provide an interactive map of the Caribbean, the wider Caribbean Basin that we like to describe as the “Caribbean.”

From our perspective, Caribbean means that everything the Caribbean Sea touches — and more.

So that includes countries like Guatemala, with its tiny coast; Panama; Colombia and Venezuela, two South American countries that are very much part of the wider Caribbean region.

Scenes like this have always drawn people to the natural beauty of the Caribbean.

It means places like the Cayman Islands, smack in the middle of the sea south of Cuba, and less obvious places like the shore of the Yucatan peninsula of Mexico.

And yes, Cancun is in the Caribbean.

But there are several countries that are considered “Caribbean” for non-geographical reasons, from The Bahamas (which are a part of the Caribbean Community politically and economically, even though they are not in the region geographically), or Guyana, which is on the Atlantic coast of South America but is actually the seat of government of the Caribbean Community.

So when we write about the Caribbean, we mean the broad term, including countries that are either geographically, politically, economically or culturally part of the region.

We mean a place that is one of the most fascinating places on earth, a place that continues to be the most sought-after vacation destination on earth and an increasingly popular investment destination.

See the full Caribbean Map below — and make sure you zoom in to see specific islands! The point is to change your perspective and appreciate just how big the Caribbean region is!