The University of the West Indies is a public university system serving 18 English-speaking countries and territories in the Caribbean: Anguilla Antigua and Barbuda The Bahamas Barbados Belize Bermuda British Virgin Islands Cayman Islands Dominica Grenada Guyana Jamaica Montserrat St. Kitts and Nevis St. Lucia St. Vincent and the Grenadines Trinidad and Tobago Turks and Caicos IslandsEach of these countries is either a member of the Commonwealth of Nations or a British Overseas Territory. The aim of the university is to help "unlock the potential for economic and cultural growth" in the West Indies, thus allowing for improved regional autonomy. The University was originally instituted as an independent external college of the University of London.