Caribbean

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Caribbean

Area 2,754,000 km²

Land Area 239,681 km²
Population
36,314,000[1]
(2010)
Density 151.5/km²
Afro-Caribbean,[2] Native Americans
Ethnic groups
(Arawak, Caribs, Tainos), European, Asian
Demonym West Indian, Caribbean
13 sovereign states; also, 2 overseas
Government departments and 14 dependent territories, tied
to the European Union or to the United States
Largest cities Havana
Santo Domingo
Port-au-Prince
Kingston
San Juan
 Port of Spain
Internet TLD Multiple
Calling code Multiple
Time zone UTC-5 to UTC-4

The Caribbean[3] is a region consisting of the Caribbean Sea, its islands (most of which
enclose the sea), and the surrounding coasts. The region is located southeast of the Gulf
of Mexico and North America, east of Central America, and to the north of South
America.

Situated largely on the Caribbean Plate, the region comprises more than 7,000 islands,
islets, reefs, and cays. These islands, called the West Indies, generally form island arcs
that delineate the eastern and northern edges of the Caribbean Sea.[4] These islands are
called the West Indies because when Christopher Columbus landed there in 1492 he
believed that he had reached the Indies (in Asia).

The region consists of the Antilles, divided into the larger Greater Antilles which bound
the sea on the north and the Lesser Antilles on the south and east (including the Leeward
Antilles), and the Bahamas and the Turks and Caicos Islands or the Lucayan
Archipelago, which are in fact in the Atlantic Ocean north of Cuba, not in the Caribbean
Sea.

Geo-politically, the West Indies are usually regarded as a sub-region of North America[5]
[6][7][8]
and are organized into 27 territories including sovereign states, overseas
departments, and dependencies. Between January 3, 1958, to May 31, 1962, there was a
short-lived country called the Federation of the West Indies composed of ten English-
speaking Caribbean territories, all of which were then UK dependencies.

The region takes its name from that of the Carib, an ethnic group present in the Lesser
Antilles and parts of adjacent South America at the time of European contact.[9]

Contents
[hide]

• 1 Definition
• 2 Geography and climate
o 2.1 Historical groupings
o 2.2 Modern day island territories
o 2.3 Continental countries with Caribbean coastlines and islands
• 3 Biodiversity
• 4 Demographics
o 4.1 Indigenous tribes
o 4.2 Language
 o 4.3 Religion
• 5 Politics
o 5.1 Regionalism
 5.1.1 United States effects on regionalism
 5.1.2 European Union effects on regionalism
• 6 Regional institutions
• 7 Culture
o 7.1 Cuisine
 7.1.1 Favorite or national dishes
• 8 See also
• 9 References
• 10 Further reading

• 11 External links

[edit] Definition

Central America and the Caribbean.

The word "Caribbean" has multiple uses. Its principal ones are geographical and political.
The Caribbean can also be expanded to include territories with strong cultural and
historical connections to slavery, European colonisation and the plantation system.

• Physiographically, the Caribbean region consists mainly of the Caribbean Sea to

north, bordered by the Gulf of Mexico, the Straits of Florida, the Northern
Atlantic Ocean which lies to the east and northeast, and a chain of islands
surrounding the Caribbean Sea; the coastline of the continent of South America
lies to the south.
• Politically, "Caribbean" may be centred on socio-economic groupings found in
the region. For example the block known as the Caribbean Community
(CARICOM) contains both the Co-operative Republic of Guyana and the
Republic of Suriname found in South America, along with Belize in Central
America as full members. Bermuda and the Turks and Caicos Islands which are
 found in the Atlantic Ocean are Associate members of the Caribbean Community,
and the same goes for the Commonwealth of the Bahamas which is a full member
of the Caribbean Community.
• Alternately the organisation known as the Association of Caribbean States (ACS)
consists of almost every nation in the surrounding regions which lie on the
Caribbean plus El Salvador which lies solely on the Pacific Ocean. According to
the ACS the total population of its member states is some 227 million people.[10]
The Caribbean has 7001 islands.

[edit] Geography and climate

Detail of tectonic plates from: Tectonic plates of the world.

The geography and climate in the Caribbean region varies. Some islands in the region
have relatively flat terrain of non-volcanic origin. These islands include Aruba
(possessing only minor volcanic features), Barbados, Bonaire, the Cayman Islands, Saint
Croix, The Bahamas or Antigua. Others possess rugged towering mountain-ranges like
the islands of Cuba, Hispaniola, Puerto Rico, Jamaica, Dominica, Montserrat, Saba, Saint
Kitts, Saint Lucia, Saint Thomas, Saint John, Tortola, Grenada, Saint Vincent,
Guadeloupe, Martinique, and Trinidad & Tobago.

The climate of the region is tropical but rainfall varies with elevation, size and water
currents (cool upwellings keep the ABC islands arid). Warm, moist tradewinds blow
consistently from the east creating rainforest/semidesert divisions on mountainous
islands. Occasional northwesterlies affect the northern islands in the winter. The region
enjoys year-round sunshine, divided into 'dry' and 'wet' seasons, with the last six months
of the year being wetter than the first half.

The waters of the Caribbean Sea host large, migratory schools of fish, turtles, and coral
reef formations. The Puerto Rico trench, located on the fringe of the Atlantic Ocean and
Caribbean Sea just to the north of the island of Puerto Rico, is the deepest point in all of
the Atlantic Ocean.[11]
Hurricanes, which at times batter the region, usually strike northwards of Grenada, and to
the west of Barbados. The principal hurricane belt arcs to northwest of the island of
Barbados in the Eastern Caribbean.

The region sits in the line of several major shipping routes with the man-made Panama
Canal connecting the western Caribbean Sea with the Pacific Ocean.

[edit] Historical groupings

Main article: History of the Caribbean

Political Evolution of Central America and the Caribbean from 1700 to present.

The mostly Spanish-controlled Caribbean in the sixteenth century.

All islands at some point were, and a few still are, colonies of European nations; a few
are overseas or dependent territories:

• British West Indies/Anglophone Caribbean – Anguilla, Antigua and Barbuda,

Bahamas, Barbados, Bay Islands, Belize, British Virgin Islands, Cayman Islands,
Dominica, Grenada, Guyana, Jamaica, Montserrat, Saint Croix (briefly), Saint
Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Trinidad and
Tobago (from 1797) and the Turks and Caicos Islands
• Danish West Indies – present-day United States Virgin Islands
• Dutch West Indies – present-day Netherlands Antilles and Aruba, Virgin Islands,
Saint Croix (briefly), Tobago and Bay Islands (briefly)
 • French West Indies – Anguilla (briefly), Antigua and Barbuda (briefly),
Dominica, Dominican Republic (briefly), Grenada, Haiti, Montserrat (briefly),
Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Sint Eustatius (briefly), St Kitts
(briefly), Tobago (briefly), Saint Croix, the current French overseas départements
of Martinique and Guadeloupe (including Marie-Galante, La Désirade and Les
Saintes), and the current French overseas collectivities of Saint Barthélemy and
Saint Martin
• Portuguese West Indies – present-day Barbados, known as Os Barbados in the
16th century when the Portuguese claimed the island en route to Brazil. The
Portuguese left Barbados abandoned in 1533, nearly a century prior to the British
arrival to the island.
• Spanish West Indies – Cuba, Hispaniola (present-day Dominican Republic,
Haiti(until 1609 to France), Puerto Rico, Jamaica (until 1655 to Great Britain),
the Cayman Islands(until 1670 to Great Britain) Trinidad (until 1797 to Great
Britain) and Bay Islands (until 1643 to Great Britain), with coastal island of
Central America (Mexico, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, and
Panama) and South America (Venezuela and Colombia).
• Swedish West Indies – present-day French Saint-Barthélemy and Guadeloupe
(briefly).
• Courlander West Indies – Tobago (until 1691)

The British West Indies were united by the United Kingdom into a West Indies
Federation between 1958 and 1962. The independent countries formerly part of the
B.W.I. still have a joint cricket team that competes in Test matches and One Day
Internationals. The West Indian cricket team includes the South American nation of
Guyana, the only former British colony on that continent.

In addition, these countries share the University of the West Indies as a regional entity.
The university consists of three main campuses in Jamaica, Barbados and Trinidad and
Tobago, a smaller campus in the Bahamas and Resident Tutors in other contributing
territories such as Trinidad and sabir from Venezuela.

[edit] Modern day island territories

Islands in and near the Caribbean
Main article: List of islands in the Caribbean
See also: Caribbean South America and Caribbean basin

• Anguilla (British overseas territory)

• Antigua and Barbuda
• Aruba (Kingdom of the Netherlands)
• Bahamas
• Barbados
• British Virgin Islands (British overseas territory)
• Cayman Islands (British overseas territory)
• Cuba
• Dominica
• Dominican Republic
• Grenada
• Guadeloupe (overseas department of France)
• Haiti
• Jamaica
• Martinique (overseas department of France)
• Montserrat (British overseas territory)
• Netherlands Antilles (Kingdom of the Netherlands)
• Puerto Rico (commonwealth of the United States)
• Saint Barthélemy (overseas collectivity of France)
• Saint Kitts and Nevis
• Saint Lucia
• Saint Martin (overseas collectivity of France)
• Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
• Trinidad and Tobago
• Turks and Caicos Islands (British overseas territory)
 • United States Virgin Islands (territory of the United States)

[edit] Continental countries with Caribbean coastlines and islands

• Belize • Nicaragua
o Ambergris Caye o Corn Islands
o Belize City o Cayos Miskitos
o Big Creek o Pearl Cays
o Caye Caulker • Panama
o Glover's Reef o Kuna Yala Islands (comprising
o Dangriga more than 1300 islands)
o Hicks Cays o Bocas del Toro Archipelago
o Hopkins (archipelago with approximately
o Lighthouse Reef 300 islands)
o Placencia • Venezuela
o Punta Gorda o Isla Margarita
o St. George's Caye o Coche Island
o South Water Caye o Cubagua Island
o Turneffe Islands o Los Monjes Archipelago
• Colombia o Las Aves Archipelago
o Archipelago of San o Isla Aves
Andres and Providencia o Los Hermanos Archipelago
o Barranquilla o Islas Los Frailes
o Cartagena o Los Roques Archipelago
o Riohacha o La Sola Island
o Santa Marta o La Tortuga Island
• Costa Rica o La Orchila
• Guatemala o Blanquilla Island
• Guyana o Los Testigos Islands
• Honduras
o Guanaja o Isla de Patos
o Roatán
o Útila
o Cayos Cochinos
o Swan Islands
• Mexico
o Quintana Roo
 Cancún
 Chetumal
 Isla Contoy
 Isla Cozumel
 Isla Mujeres

 Cozumel
The nations of Belize and Guyana, although on the mainland of Central America and
South America respectively, are former British colonies and maintain many cultural ties
to the Caribbean. They are members of CARICOM. Nicaragua's Caribbean Coast, often
referred to as the Mosquito Coast, was also a former British colony. It maintains many
cultural ties to the Caribbean as distinct from the Pacific coast. Guyana participates in
West Indies cricket tournaments and many players from Guyana have been on the West
Indies Test cricket team. The Turneffe Islands (and many other islands and reefs) are part
of Belize and lie in the Caribbean Sea. The nation of Suriname, on the mainland of South
America, is a former Dutch colony and also a member of CARICOM.

[edit] Biodiversity
This section requires expansion.

The Caribbean islands are classified as one of Conservation International's biodiversity

hotspots because they support exceptionally diverse ecosystems, ranging from montane
cloud forests to cactus scrublands. These ecosystems have been devastated by
deforestation and human encroachment. The arrival of the first humans is correlated with
extinction of giant owls and dwarf ground sloths.[12] The hotspot contains dozens of
highly threatened species, ranging from birds, to mammals and reptiles. Popular
examples include the Puerto Rican Amazon, two species of solenodon (giant shrews) in
Cuba and Haiti, and the Cuban crocodile. The hotspot is also remarkable for the diversity
of its fauna.

Saona Island, Dominican Republic

[edit] Demographics
Beach in Tobago

Grand Anse Beach, St. George's, Grenada

The population of the Caribbean is estimated to have been around 750,000 immediately
before European contact, although lower and higher figures are given. After contact,
genocide and disease led to a decline in the Native American population.[13][14] From 1500
to 1800 the population rose as slaves arrived from West Africa[15] such as the Kongo,
Igbo, Akan, Fon and Yoruba as well as military prisoners and captured slaves from
Ireland, who were deported during the Cromwellian reign in England.[16] Immigrants from
Britain, Italy. France, Spain, the Netherlands, Portugal and Denmark also arrived,
although the mortality rate was high for both groups.[17]

The population is estimated to have reached 2.2 million by 1800.[18] Immigrants from
India, China, and other countries arrived in the 19th century.[19] After the ending of the
Atlantic slave trade, the population increased naturally.[20] The total regional population
was estimated at 37.5 million by 2000.[21]

Puerto Cruz beach in Margarita Island, Venezuela

The majority of the Caribbean (of the Lesser Antilles and Jamaica) has populations of
mainly Africans in the French Caribbean, Anglophone Caribbean and Dutch Caribbean,
there are minorities of mixed-race and European peoples of Dutch, English, French,
Italian and Portuguese ancestry. Asians, especially those of Chinese and Indian descent,
form a significant minority in the region and also contribute to multiracial communities.
All of their ancestors arrived in the 19th century as indentured laborers.

The Spanish-speaking Caribbean have primarily mixed race, African, or European

majorities. Puerto Rico and Cuba (largest Caribbean island) have a European majority
with a mixture of Spaniards–European, Native Americans, and some West African. Cuba
has a third of its population of African descent, with a sizable Mulatto (mixed African–
European) population. The Dominican Republic has a largely mixed majority who are
primarily descended from West Africans and Spaniards, with some Native Americans.

Trinidad and Tobago has a multi-racial cosmopolitan society due to the arrival of the
Africans, Indians, Chinese, Syrians, Lebanese, Native Amerindians and Europeans. This
multi-racial mix has created sub-ethnicities that often straddle the boundaries of major
ethnicities and include Chindian and Dougla.

[edit] Indigenous tribes

• Arawak
• Taíno
• Kalinago
• Ciboney
• Ciguayo
• Galibi
• Garifuna
• Igneri
• Lucayan
• Macorix

[edit] Language

Spanish, English, French, Dutch, Haitian Creole and Papiamento are the predominant
official languages of various countries in the region, though a handful of unique Creole
languages or dialects can also be found from one country to another.

[edit] Religion

See also: :Category:Religion in the Caribbean

The largest religious groups in the region are: Christianity, Hinduism, Islam, Rastafari,
Santería, and Voodoo among others.
[edit] Politics
[edit] Regionalism

Caribbean societies are very different from other Western societies in terms of size,
culture, and degree of mobility of their citizens.[22] The current economic and political
problems which the states face individually are common to all Caribbean states. Regional
development has contributed to attempts to subdue current problems and avoid projected
problems. From a political economic perspective, regionalism serves to make Caribbean
states active participants in current international affairs through collective coalitions. In
1973, the first political regionalism in the Caribbean Basin was created by advances of
the English-speaking Caribbean nations through the institution known as the Caribbean
Common Market and Community (CARICOM).[23]

Certain scholars have argued both for and against generalizing the political structures of
the Caribbean. On the one hand the Caribbean states are politically diverse, ranging from
communist systems such as Cuba toward more capitalist Westminster-style parliamentary
systems as in the Commonwealth Caribbean. Other scholars argue that these differences
are superficial, and that they tend to undermine commonalities in the various Caribbean
states. Contemporary Caribbean systems seem to reflect a "blending of traditional and
modern patterns, yielding hybrid systems that exhibit significant structural variations and
divergent constitutional traditions yet ultimately appear to function in similar ways."[24]
The political systems of the Caribbean states share similar practices.

The influence of regionalism in the Caribbean is often marginalized. Some scholars

believe that regionalism cannot not exist in the Caribbean because each small state is
unique. On the other hand, scholars also suggest that there are commonalities amongst
the Caribbean nations that suggest regionalism exists. "Proximity as well as historical ties
among the Caribbean nations has led to cooperation as well as a desire for collective
action."[25] These attempts at regionalization reflect the nations' desires to compete in the
international economic system.[25]

Furthermore, a lack of interest from other major states promoted regionalism in the
region. In recent years the Caribbean has suffered from a lack of U.S. interest. "With the
end of the Cold War, U.S. security and economic interests have been focused on other
areas. As a result there has been a significant reduction in U.S. aid and investment to the
Caribbean."[26] The lack of international support for these small, relatively poor states,
helped regionalism prosper.

Following the Cold War another issue of importance in the Caribbean has been the
reduced economic growth of some Caribbean States due to the United States and
European Union's allegations of special treatment toward the region by each other.

[edit] United States effects on regionalism

The United States under President Bill Clinton launched a challenge in the World Trade
Organization against the EU over Europe's preferential program, known as the Lomé
Convention, which allowed banana exports from the former colonies of the Group of
African, Caribbean and Pacific states (ACP) to enter Europe cheaply.[27] The World Trade
Organization sided in the United States' favour and the beneficial elements of the
convention to African, Caribbean and Pacific states has been partially dismantled and
replaced by the Cotonou Agreement.[28]

During the US/EU dispute the United States imposed large tariffs on European Union
goods (up to 100% on some imports) from the EU in order to pressure Europe to change
the agreement with the Caribbean nations in favour of the Cotonou Agreement.[29]

Farmers in the Caribbean have complained of their falling profits and rising costs. Some
farmers have faced increased pressure to turn towards the cultivation of illegal drugs,
which has a higher profit margin and fills the sizable demand for these illegal drugs in
North America and Europe.[30][31]

[edit] European Union effects on regionalism

The European Union has also taken issue with US based taxation extended to US
companies via the Caribbean countries. The EU instituted a broad labeling of many
nations as tax havens by the France-based OECD. The United States has not been in
favor of shutting off the practice yet, mainly due to the higher costs that would be passed
on to US companies via taxation. Caribbean countries have largely countered the
allegations by the OECD by signing more bilateral information sharing deals with OECD
members, thus reducing the dangerous aspects of secrecy, and they have strengthened
their legislation against money laundering and on the conditions under which companies
can be based in their nations. The Caribbean nations have also started to more closely
cooperate in the Caribbean Financial Action Task Force and other instruments to add
oversight of the offshore industry.

One of the most important associations that deal with regionalism amongst the nations of
the Caribbean Basin has been the Association of Caribbean States (ACS). Proposed by
CARICOM in 1992, the ACS soon won the support of the other countries of the region. It
was founded in July 1994. The ACS maintains regionalism within the Caribbean on
issues which are unique to the Caribbean Basin. Through coalition building, like the ACS
and CARICOM, regionalism has become an undeniable part of the politics and
economics of the Caribbean. The successes of region-building initiatives are still debated
by scholars, yet regionalism remains prevalent throughout the Caribbean.

[edit] Regional institutions

Here are some of the bodies that several islands share in collaboration:

• Association of Caribbean States (ACS), Trinidad and Tobago

 • Caribbean Association of Industry and Commerce (CAIC), Trinidad and
Tobago[32]
• Caribbean Association of National Telecommunication Organizations (CANTO),
Trinidad and Tobago[33]
• Caribbean Community (CARICOM), Guyana
• Caribbean Development Bank (CDB), Barbados
• Caribbean Disaster Emergency Response Agency (CDERA), Barbados
• Caribbean Educators Network,[34]
• Caribbean Electric Utility Services Corporation (CARILEC), Saint Lucia[35]
• Caribbean Examinations Council (CXC), Barbados and Jamaica
• Caribbean Food Crop Society
• Caribbean Football Union (CFU)
• Caribbean Hotel Association (CHA), Puerto Rico[36]
• Caribbean Initiative (Initiative of the IUCN)
• Caribbean Programme for Economic Competitiveness (CPEC), Saint Lucia
• Caribbean Regional Environmental Programme (CREP), Barbados[37]
• Caribbean Regional Fisheries Mechanism (CRFM), Belize[38]
• Caribbean Regional Negotiating Machinery (CRNM), Barbados and Dominican
Republic[39]
• Caribbean Telecommunications Union (CTU), Trinidad and Tobago[40]
• Caribbean Tourism Organisation (CTO), Barbados
• Inter-American Economic Council (IAEC), Washington, D.C.
• Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS), Saint Lucia
• Latin American and Caribbean Internet Addresses Registry (LACNIC), Brazil and
Uruguay
• United Nations - Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean
(ECLAC), Chile and Trinidad and Tobago
• University of the West Indies, Jamaica, Barbados, Trinidad and Tobago.[41] In
addition, the fourth campus, the Open Campus was formed in June 2008 as a
result of an amalgamation of the Board for Non-Campus Countries and Distance
Educationn, Schools of Continuing Studies, the UWI Distance Education Centres
and Tertiary Level Units. The Open Campus has 42 physical sites in 16
Anglophone caribbean countries.
• West Indies Cricket Board, Antigua and Barbuda[42]

[edit] Culture
[edit] Cuisine

Main article: Caribbean cuisine

[edit] Favorite or national dishes

See also: National_dish#Country-Dish/Food

• Anguilla - Rice and Peas and Fish

 • Antigua and Barbuda - Fungee & Pepperpot
• Bahamas - Crack Conch with Peas and Rice[43]
• Barbados - Cou-Cou and Flying fish
• British Virgin Islands - Fish and fungee
• Cayman Islands - Turtle Stew
• Cuba - Platillo Moros y Cristianos, Ropa Vieja, Yuca, Maduros, Ajiaco
• Dominica - Mountain chicken
• Dominican Republic - arroz con pollo topped with stewed red kidney beans, pan
fried or braised beef, and side dish of green salad or ensalada de coditos, shrimp,
empanadas and/or tostones, or the ever popular Dominican dish known as Mangú
which is mashed plantains. The ensemble is usually called bandera nacional,
which means "national flag", a term equivalent to the Venezuelan pabellón
criollo.
• Grenada - Oil-Down
• Guyana - beef/chicken/potatoe curry and roti, catahar, callaloo, dhal and rice,
plantains, white pudding, pumpkin and rice, okra, pepperpot, catfish curry
• Haiti - Griot (Fried pork) served with Du riz a pois or Diri ak Pwa (Rice and
beans)
• Jamaica - ackee and saltfish, callaloo
• Montserrat - Goat Water
• Puerto Rico - Arroz con gandules with roasted pork shoulder, arroz con pollo,
Mofongo, and Many Fried Food, Commonly made In the Beaches and Coast like,
Alcapurrias, bacalaito, piononos.
• Saint Kitts and Nevis - Coconut dumplings, Spicy plantain, saltfish, breadfruit
• Saint Lucia - Green Bananas & Dried and salted cod
• Saint Vincent and the Grenadines - Roasted Breadfruit & Fried Jackfish
• Trinidad and Tobago - Doubles, Roti, Crab and dumpling, Pelau
• United States Virgin Islands - Kallaloo, fish and fungee

[edit] See also

Caribbean portal
Puerto Rico portal
Main article: List of Caribbean-related topics

• African diaspora
• British Afro-Caribbean community
• Caribbean Countries