The Lesser Antilles ( also known as the Caribbees ) are a group of islands that is located between the eastern edge of the Caribbean Sea and the western Atlantic Ocean , while some of the islands are also located just off the northern coast of South America . The Lesser Antilles , also known as the Caribbees , are part of the Antilles , which together with the Bahamas , the Cayman Islands , the Turks and Caicos Islands , and Greater Antilles form the West Indies . The islands are a long partly volcanic island arc , most of which wrap around the eastern end of the Caribbean Sea on the western boundary with the Atlantic Ocean , and some of which lie on the southern fringe of the sea just north of South America .