The Commonwealth Caribbean is the region of the Caribbean with English-speaking nations and territories, which once constituted the Caribbean portion of the British Empire and are now part of the Commonwealth of Nations. The term includes many independent island nations, British Overseas Territories and some mainland nations. It is also known as the English-speaking Caribbean, Anglophone Caribbean or Anglo-Caribbean. The term is now used in preference over the older term British West Indies, which was used to describe the British colonies in the West Indies (especially the islands, so often excluding Belize and Guyana) during decolonisation and following independence from the United Kingdom. Anglo-Caribbean and British Commonwealth Caribbean also became preferred replacement terms to Briti