Island Nation Capitals of the Caribbean

The Caribbean has a compact map, but its capitals are not always simple to group. Some sit on large islands such as Cuba, Hispaniola, and Jamaica. Others serve small multi-island states where the capital may be on only one island in a wider chain. This page focuses on sovereign island nations of the Caribbean, not overseas territories or mainland Caribbean countries.

In common geographic and regional use, there are 13 independent Caribbean island nations. Their capitals form a useful way to understand the region: Spanish-speaking capitals in the Greater Antilles, English-speaking capitals across much of the Eastern Caribbean, and one bilingual capital in Haiti. The map works almost like a necklace of ports, each capital linking government, trade, language, and island identity.

What Counts as a Caribbean Island Nation?

A Caribbean island nation is an independent country made up entirely or mainly of islands in the Caribbean region. This means the list is narrower than a general list of Caribbean places. It includes countries such as Cuba, Jamaica, Barbados, Grenada, Saint Lucia, and Trinidad and Tobago, but it does not include every island or territory in the Caribbean.

Puerto Rico, Aruba, Curaçao, Sint Maarten, Martinique, Guadeloupe, the Cayman Islands, and the Turks and Caicos Islands often appear in broader Caribbean capital lists. They are not included here as independent island nations because they are territories, overseas regions, or constituent countries within larger states.

Belize and Guyana also have strong Caribbean cultural and regional links, and both are members of Caribbean regional life in many contexts. They are not part of this island-nation list because they are located on the mainland of Central or South America.

Complete List of Caribbean Island Nation Capitals

Population figures are rounded from 2025 UNData country-profile estimates. Surface area and currency names follow the same country-profile dataset.

Capitals by Caribbean Island Group

Greater Antilles Capitals

The Greater Antilles contain the largest Caribbean islands and several of the region’s largest capitals. Havana, Santo Domingo, Port-au-Prince, and Kingston all sit in this group. These capitals are important for geography because they are tied to the big-island core of the Caribbean, where population centers, ports, airports, and national institutions are concentrated.

• Havana is the capital of Cuba.
• Santo Domingo is the capital of the Dominican Republic.
• Port-au-Prince is the capital of Haiti.
• Kingston is the capital of Jamaica.

Lucayan Archipelago Capital

Nassau, the capital of The Bahamas, is often grouped with Caribbean capitals in regional lists. The Bahamas lies north of Cuba and Hispaniola, in the Lucayan Archipelago. Most of its islands sit in the Atlantic Ocean rather than inside the Caribbean Sea, yet the country is widely treated as part of the Caribbean region because of its geography, culture, and regional ties.

Lesser Antilles and Eastern Caribbean Capitals

The Eastern Caribbean has many smaller island states, several of which use the Eastern Caribbean Dollar. Their capitals are often coastal towns with harbor access, compact administrative districts, and close links to the main island’s commercial center.

• Saint John’s — Antigua and Barbuda
• Basseterre — Saint Kitts and Nevis
• Roseau — Dominica
• Castries — Saint Lucia
• Kingstown — Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
• Saint George’s — Grenada
• Bridgetown — Barbados
• Port of Spain — Trinidad and Tobago

Capital Profiles

Saint John’s, Antigua and Barbuda

Saint John’s is the capital of Antigua and Barbuda and is located on the island of Antigua. It serves as the country’s administrative and commercial center. The capital is also the main name readers should remember when separating Antigua and Barbuda from nearby island territories in the Leeward Islands.

The country uses the Eastern Caribbean Dollar, a currency shared by several independent states in the Eastern Caribbean. English is the main official language, which places Saint John’s within the English-speaking Caribbean capital group.

Nassau, The Bahamas

Nassau is the capital of The Bahamas and lies on New Providence Island. It is the national seat of government and the best-known urban center in the Bahamian archipelago. The country’s geography is spread across many islands and cays, so Nassau’s role as a central capital helps tie the island chain together.

The Bahamas uses the Bahamian Dollar. In capital lists, the country is sometimes a point of confusion because it is regionally Caribbean but geographically positioned mostly north of the Caribbean Sea.

Bridgetown, Barbados

Bridgetown is the capital of Barbados. Unlike many multi-island states in the region, Barbados is a single-island country, so its capital and national island identity are closely connected. Bridgetown sits on the island’s southwest coast and functions as the country’s main administrative and commercial city.

Barbados uses the Barbados Dollar, while English is the official language. In regional comparison, Bridgetown is one of the easiest Caribbean capitals to place because the capital, island, and country name all point to the same main island.

Havana, Cuba

Havana is the capital of Cuba, the largest island country in the Caribbean by surface area. It is also one of the region’s largest capital cities by population. Spanish is the country’s official language, and the national currency is the Cuban Peso.

Havana belongs to the Greater Antilles group of capitals. For readers learning the Caribbean map, it is useful to connect Havana with Cuba’s northwestern coast and with the wider island arc that runs from Cuba through Hispaniola, Jamaica, and Puerto Rico.

Roseau, Dominica

Roseau is the capital of Dominica, a small island nation in the Eastern Caribbean. The country should not be confused with the Dominican Republic. Their names look similar, but their capitals, languages, island positions, and country sizes are different.

Roseau is located on the island of Dominica, and the country uses the Eastern Caribbean Dollar. English is the official language, while Dominican Creole is also part of everyday cultural life.

Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic

Santo Domingo is the capital of the Dominican Republic. It sits on Hispaniola, the island shared by the Dominican Republic and Haiti. This makes Hispaniola one of the most important islands to know when studying Caribbean capitals.

The Dominican Republic uses the Dominican Peso, and Spanish is the official language. Santo Domingo is often listed among the major urban centers of the Caribbean because of the country’s large population and its position in the Greater Antilles.

Saint George’s, Grenada

Saint George’s is the capital of Grenada. It lies on the island of Grenada, the main island of the country. The name is sometimes written as St. George’s in shorter form, but “Saint George’s” is clear and formal for a country-capital table.

Grenada uses the Eastern Caribbean Dollar, and English is the official language. The capital belongs to the southern part of the Lesser Antilles, close to the route between Saint Vincent and the Grenadines and Trinidad and Tobago.

Port-au-Prince, Haiti

Port-au-Prince is the capital of Haiti. Like Santo Domingo, it is located on Hispaniola. The island has two independent countries, so it also has two national capitals: Port-au-Prince in the west and Santo Domingo in the east.

Haiti uses the Gourde. Haitian Creole and French are official languages, which gives Port-au-Prince a distinct linguistic profile among Caribbean island nation capitals.

Kingston, Jamaica

Kingston is the capital of Jamaica. It lies on the island’s southeast coast and is the country’s main administrative and urban center. Jamaica is part of the Greater Antilles, and Kingston is one of the best-known capitals in the English-speaking Caribbean.

Jamaica uses the Jamaican Dollar, and English is the official language. The name Kingston is easy to confuse with Kingstown, the capital of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, so spelling matters.

Basseterre, Saint Kitts and Nevis

Basseterre is the capital of Saint Kitts and Nevis. It is located on Saint Kitts, the larger of the country’s two main islands. Nevis is part of the same independent state, but the national capital is not on Nevis.

The country uses the Eastern Caribbean Dollar, and English is the official language. Basseterre is a useful capital to know when studying the Leeward Islands and the smaller sovereign states of the Caribbean.

Castries, Saint Lucia

Castries is the capital of Saint Lucia. It is located on the island of Saint Lucia and serves as the country’s main administrative center. Saint Lucia is often grouped with the Windward Islands in the Eastern Caribbean.

The national currency is the Eastern Caribbean Dollar, and English is the official language. Saint Lucian Creole is also widely associated with local culture, giving the island a language setting that is broader than the official-language label alone.

Kingstown, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines

Kingstown is the capital of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines. It is located on Saint Vincent, the country’s main island. The Grenadines are part of the state’s island chain, but the capital sits on Saint Vincent.

The country uses the Eastern Caribbean Dollar, and English is the official language. The spelling Kingstown is important because it differs from Kingston, Jamaica.

Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago

Port of Spain is the capital of Trinidad and Tobago. It is located on Trinidad, the larger of the country’s two main islands. Tobago has its own main town, Scarborough, but it is not the national capital.

The country uses the Trinidad and Tobago Dollar, and English is the official language. Port of Spain sits near the southern end of the Caribbean island chain, close to the South American mainland.

Shared Islands and Similar Names

Several Caribbean capitals are easy to mix up. The most common confusion comes from Hispaniola, the island shared by Haiti and the Dominican Republic. Haiti’s capital is Port-au-Prince, while the Dominican Republic’s capital is Santo Domingo.

Another common mix-up is Kingston and Kingstown. Kingston is the capital of Jamaica. Kingstown is the capital of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines. One letter changes the country.

Saint George’s also needs care. It is the capital of Grenada. It should not be confused with similarly named parishes, towns, or historic place names elsewhere in the region.

Independent Capitals vs Caribbean Territories

Many well-known Caribbean places have capitals or administrative centers, but they are not capitals of independent island nations. This matters for school geography, travel research, country datasets, and regional comparison tables.

Language and Currency Patterns

The capital list also shows the Caribbean’s language pattern. English is the main official language in most of the smaller Eastern Caribbean island nations, plus Jamaica, The Bahamas, Barbados, and Trinidad and Tobago. Spanish is the official language of Cuba and the Dominican Republic. Haiti stands apart with Haitian Creole and French as official languages.

Currency patterns are just as useful. Six island nations in the Eastern Caribbean use the Eastern Caribbean Dollar: Antigua and Barbuda, Dominica, Grenada, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, and Saint Vincent and the Grenadines. Other island nations use their own national currencies, such as the Bahamian Dollar, Barbados Dollar, Cuban Peso, Dominican Peso, Gourde, Jamaican Dollar, and Trinidad and Tobago Dollar.

Largest and Smallest Island Nation Capitals by Country Context

Capital size can be measured in more than one way: city population, metropolitan area, administrative boundary, or national population. For a clean country-level comparison, the largest island nations in this list by population are Haiti, the Dominican Republic, and Cuba. Their capitals are Port-au-Prince, Santo Domingo, and Havana.

At the smaller end, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Dominica, Antigua and Barbuda, and Saint Vincent and the Grenadines have much smaller national populations. Their capitals still play the same formal role: they host the national government and act as the main reference point for the country on maps and datasets.

Names That Should Be Written Carefully

Capital names in the Caribbean often include apostrophes, saint names, hyphens, or similar spellings. For clean geography writing, use the formal country and capital names where possible.

• Saint John’s is the capital of Antigua and Barbuda.
• Saint George’s is the capital of Grenada.
• Port-au-Prince includes hyphens.
• Port of Spain is written as separate words.
• Saint Vincent and the Grenadines includes “the” before Grenadines.
• The Bahamas is often written with “The” in formal country style.

Caribbean Island Nation Capitals FAQ

How Many Independent Island Nations Are in the Caribbean?

There are 13 independent Caribbean island nations in the common regional count used for this page: Antigua and Barbuda, The Bahamas, Barbados, Cuba, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Grenada, Haiti, Jamaica, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, and Trinidad and Tobago.

Which Caribbean Island Has Two National Capitals?

Hispaniola has two national capitals because it is shared by two independent countries. Port-au-Prince is the capital of Haiti, and Santo Domingo is the capital of the Dominican Republic.

Is Puerto Rico Included in the List of Caribbean Island Nation Capitals?

No. Puerto Rico has a well-known capital, San Juan, but it is not an independent island nation. It is a territory of the United States, so it is not included in the main list of sovereign Caribbean island nation capitals.

Is Belize a Caribbean Island Nation?

No. Belize has strong Caribbean ties, but it is a mainland country in Central America. Its capital, Belmopan, belongs in a broader Caribbean-region discussion, not in a list limited to island nations.

Which Caribbean Island Nation Capitals Use the Eastern Caribbean Dollar?

The capitals tied to countries using the Eastern Caribbean Dollar are Saint John’s, Roseau, Saint George’s, Basseterre, Castries, and Kingstown. These are the capitals of Antigua and Barbuda, Dominica, Grenada, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, and Saint Vincent and the Grenadines.

What Is the Difference Between Kingston and Kingstown?

Kingston is the capital of Jamaica. Kingstown is the capital of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines. The names look close, but they refer to two different countries.