Who ruled many of the caribbean islands until recently

United Kingdom

Explanation:

    The British Empire was the largest empire in human history, dominating nearly a quarter of the planet. It was so much territory that it was dubbed "the empire into which the sun never sets."

    The British Empire is generally divided into two phases. In the first, the focus was on establishing colonies in North America and the Caribbean. England even signed an agreement with Spain to colonize the region, but the adoption of a protectionist policy, preventing trade with other nations, generated conflicts with countries such as the Netherlands. Colonization prospered until the late 18th century, with the independence of the United States.

    Currently, the United Kingdom still has colonies, many of them located in the Caribbean Sea, possessions generally of small size, the size of medium-sized municipalities.