Today, these islands constitute three sovereign states, the latter of which is now known as Saint Vincent and the Grenadines.

The other known as Martinique is the only windward island that is still become overseas département of France as of today since 1946 which is 7,000 kilometers away from Paris.

The combination of trans-Atlantic currents and winds that provided the fastest route across the ocean brought sailing ships heading to the New World to the rough dividing line between two groups of islands.

The chain of Windward Islands forms a part of the easternmost boundary of the Caribbean Sea.

[1][2] However, even in modern usage in languages other than English, notably Dutch, French, and Spanish, all of the Lesser Antilles from the Virgin Islands to Trinidad and Tobago are known as the 'Windward Islands' (Bovenwindse Eilanden in Dutch, Îles du Vent in French, and Islas de Barlovento in Spanish).