Coordinates : 22°00′N 80°00′W  /  22.000°N 80.000°W  / 22.000; -80.000

The Caribbean ( / ˌ k ær ɪ ˈ b iː ə n , k ə ˈ r ɪ b i ə n / , locally / ˈ k ær ɪ b i æ n / ; Spanish : El Caribe ; French : les Caraïbes ; Haitian Creole : Karayib ; Dutch : De Caraïben ; Papiamento : Karibe ) is a region of the Americas that consists of the Caribbean Sea , its islands (some surrounded by the Caribbean Sea and some bordering both the Caribbean Sea and the North Atlantic Ocean) and the surrounding coasts. The region is southeast of the Gulf of Mexico and the North American mainland, east of Central America , and north of South America .