VERE TECHNICAL HIGH SCHOOL

CARIBBEAN STUDIES

TOPIC: GEOGRAPHY, SOCIETY AND CULTURE

SUB-TOPIC: LOCATION OF THE CARIBBEAN

PRESENTERS: MRS. PITTER-LEWIS AND MR. GOODEN

The Caribbean Region is a large area and because of this there is much
diversity from main land territories to islands and archipelagoes. This
diversity is often masked by people from both inside and outside the region.
Studying the location of the Caribbean helps us to better appreciate the
diversity that co-exists with, and must underline, common Caribbean
experiences.

There is no one way to define the Caribbean. It is generally believed that the
Caribbean is a melting pot. This concept refers to the combination of a
variety cultures, people and experiences all coming together to form one
unique culture. In light of this, we can safely say that Jamaicas motto Out of
many, one people, aptly describes the make up of the Caribbean region.

There are three ways by which we can define the Caribbean. These are:
i. The Geographical Caribbean this describes the area washed by
the Caribbean Sea and is often described as the Caribbean Basin. It
would therefore include most of the islands of the Lesser and
Greater Antilles as well as the mainland territories of Central
Fig. 1 America and Northern South America such as Venezuela and
Columbia.

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NB: Notice that the territories in red all have one common feature, they are
all washed by the Caribbean Sea, even though they may speak
different languages.
ii. The Geological Caribbean this is not as well-used as the other
ways by which we define the Caribbean region. However, it shows
that there are deep-seated structural features of Caribbean geology
which also identifies commonalities. It id the area that is defined by
the Caribbean Plate and which expresses similar tectonic, seismic
and volcanic features and processes.

Fig. 2 The Caribbean Plate

NB: The Caribbean is situated in a geologic feature known as the Caribbean

Plate which has boundaries or margins with other plates nearby. A
plate is a large piece of crust (on which there may be both land and
ocean) and it moves in relation to other plates. On the whole the earth
is made up of six or seven plates and many smaller ones. The
Caribbean Plate is a small plate. Other geological features of the region
include the fact that:
(a) the entire Caribbean region is in an earthquake zone
(b)the Lesser Antilles is made up of volcanoes, several of which are
active

iii. The Historical Caribbean this describe the area that saw the
impact of European colonization, slavery, indentureship and the
plantation system. This refers to all the territories, so that one
means by which we can define the Caribbean is by identifying those
countries that experienced the rule of specific European countries,
namely the English, French, Dutch and the Spanish. The common
feature in this definition is that they share the same historical or
cultural experiences.

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Fig. 3

LEGEND

ENGLISH

SPANISH

FRENCH

NB: The legend indicates the territories that were under the control of the various
European powers. It should be noted that Guyana (which was first under
Dutch control, then English), Surinam (which was under Dutch control) and
French Guiana (which is STILL under French control) are not represented in
Fig. 3. They are apart of the Caribbean because they share the same
historical/cultural experiences as all those which are represented in fig. 3

iv. The Political Caribbean the Caribbean has three main government
systems, namely
(a) Independent States these are former colonies which are now self-
governing. These are islands which have chosen a method of
governance that is different from that of their colonial masters, namely
democracy or communism;
(b) Associated States these are territories which are not independent but
enjoy all the rights and privileges of the country that governs it;
(c) Colonial Dependencies these ate territories which are directly
governed by other countries but do not enjoy the rights and privileges
thats enjoyed by inhabitants in an Associated State.
Fig. 4

LEGEND

Independent
States

Associated

State

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 Problems in defining the Caribbean

The definition of the Caribbean discussed above contains anomalies

(problems or error) that are identified in the table below. Make sure you are
acquainted with them.

Geographical Historical Geological

1. Guyana and the The problem with The western edge of the
Bahamas do not defining the Caribbean Plate is
have coastlines on Caribbean according located in the Pacific
the Caribbean Sea. to linguistic or European and includes Honduras,
Yet both countries heritage, is that, that Costa Rica, Nicaragua
are commonly tends to ignore the and Panama in the
accepted as part of commonalities of Caribbean.
the Caribbean Caribbean experience at
the hands of these
colonial powers.

2. This definition This definition would The northern edge of

includes countries include Guyana and the the Caribbean Plate
not normally Bahamas. It should also defines much of Belize,
associated with the include the French, Cuba and the Bahamas
Caribbean Dutch and Spanish as extra-regional.
Panama, Columbia speaking countries of Similarly Guyana in the
and the other the Caribbean and South.
countries of Central Central America.
America.

THE THEORY OF PLATE TECTONIC

The Theory of plate tectonic is an explanation of how plates move in relation

to each other, thereby creating certain tectonic activities at their margins. It
is generally believed that plates meet each other at three kinds of margin,
each with distinctive characteristics. These margins are described below:

1. The divergent (or constructive margin) where magma upwells from

the mantle on to the crustal surface. The plates move away from each

other being pushed by this upwelling and diverging movement from

below. This results in gentle volcanic eruptions and some earthquake
activity, but on the whole such margins are not associated with severe
environmental hazards. The Hawaiian Islands are situated on such a
margin. In the Caribbean a very small divergent margin may be
developing west of Jamaica (Sealey, 1992).

2. The transform margin (sometimes referred to as a fault) where

plates slide pass each other, generating earthquakes as the rocks

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 move to release the stress of the movement and friction with the other
plate.

The San Andreas Fault, along the west coast of North America, passing
through San
Francisco is such a margin. In the Caribbean
two major transform margins delineate the
northern and the southern boundaries of
the Caribbean Plate. A majority of epicentres
are associated with these transform margins.
An epicenter is the point on the earths
surface where an earthquake is felt most
intensely. This is because it is directly
above the deep-seated origin of the earthquake, the focus.
Earthquakes then pose an environmental hazard to Caribbean
countries along the transform margins.

3. The convergent (or destructive margin) this is where plates collide

with each other forcing one back down into the mantle. This margin
poses two kinds of environmental hazards, namely volcanic and
seismic. For our purpose, we will emphasize the eastern edge of the
Caribbean Plate, a convergent margin along the line of the Lesser
Antilles. The eastern edge of the Caribbean Plate lies in the Pacific
Ocean and affects Central America in a similar fashion. See diagram
below.

Terms to learn and remember

1. Geography: field of study which emphasizes the

relationship between
human society and the physical environment.

2. Human ecology: refers to the interrelationships that are

forged between a
people and their environment.

3. Environmental Hazard: refers to a natural event having the

potential to threaten
mans life and property.

4. Hazard: refers to the threat or the risk of damage to life

and
property.

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 5. Environmental Disaster: refers to the realization of such a disaster
(#4).

6. Geomorphology: is the scientific study of landforms and the

processes that shape
them. Geomorphologists seek to understand why
landscapes
look the way they do: to understand landform
history and
dynamics, and predict future changes through a
combination of
field observation, physical experiment, and
numerical modeling.

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