Caribbean Totally Explained

]] The Caribbean (or Caraïben, or more commonly Antillen; or more commonly Antilles; ) is a region of the Americas consisting of the Caribbean Sea, its islands (most of which enclose the sea), and the surrounding coasts. The region is located southeast of North America, east of Central America, and to the north and west of South America.
   Situated largely on the Caribbean Plate, the area comprises more than 7,000 islands, islets, reefs, and cays. The West Indies consist 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. Geopolitically, the West Indies are usually reckoned as a subregion of North America and are organised into 28 territories including sovereign states, overseas departments, and dependencies. At one time, there was a short-lived country called the Federation of the West Indies composed of ten English-speaking Caribbean territories.
   The Caribbean islands are an island chain long and no more than wide at any given point. They enclose the Caribbean Sea.
   In the English-speaking Caribbean, someone from the Caribbean is usually referred to as a "West Indian," although the rather cumbersome phrase "Caribbean person" is sometimes used.

Geography and climate

The geography and climate in the Caribbean region varies from one place to another. Some islands in the region have relatively flat terrain of non-volcanic origin. Such islands include Aruba, Bahamas, Barbados, Bonaire, the Cayman Islands or Antigua. Others possess rugged towering mountain-ranges like the islands of Cuba, the British Virgin Islands, Dominica, Hispaniola, Jamaica, Montserrat, Puerto Rico, Saba, Saint Kitts, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines and Trinidad and Tobago.
   The climate of the region mainly ranges between sub-tropical to tropical and depends a great deal upon location in proximity to the tradewinds from the Atlantic. The tradewinds blow towards the Eastern Caribbean islands heading northwest up the chain of Windward islands.
   When the tradewinds arrive close to the island of Cuba they tend to be overcome by other minor jet streams across the Caribbean region.
   In the waters of the Caribbean Sea, the region can be found to host migratory, large 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 said to be the deepest point in the entire Atlantic Ocean.
   In the majority of cases, 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.

Biodiversity

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 hotspot has dozens of highly-threatened species, including two species of solenodon (giant shrews), the Puerto Rican Amazon and the Cuban crocodile. The hotspot is also remarkable for the diminutive nature of much of its fauna.

Historical groupings

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

Spanish West Indies – Cuba, Hispaniola (present-day Dominican Republic, and until 1609, Haiti), Puerto Rico, Jamaica (until 1655), the Cayman Islands, Trinidad (until 1797) and Bay Islands (until 1643)
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 Barthelemy and Saint Martin.
British West Indies/Anglophone Caribbean – Anguilla, Antigua and Barbuda, Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Bay Islands, 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)
Swedish West Indies – present-day French Saint-Barthélemy and Guadeloupe (briefly).
Portuguese West Indies – present-day Barbados, known as Los Barbados in the 1500s 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.

The British West Indies were formerly united by the United Kingdom into a West Indies Federation. The independent countries which were once a part of the B.W.I. still have a unified composite 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.

Present-day island territories

(British dependency)

Anguillita Island
Dog Island, Anguilla
East Cay
Little Scrub Island
Prickly Pear Cays
Sandy Island
Scrub Island
Seal Island (pronounced locally as "Sail Island")
Sombrero
West Cay

(part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands)

Barbados
Culpepper Island
Pelican Island (Barbados) (now absorbed into Barbados)

(British dependency, shares the Virgin Islands with the U.S. Virgin Islands)

(British dependency)

Cayman Brac
Grand Cayman (with the capital George Town)
Little Cayman

Bird Island (disputed territory with Venezuela located about 110 km (70 mi) west of the island of Dominica)

(shares the Grenadines group with Saint Vincent and the Grenadines)

(overseas department of France)

Hispaniola

- Beata Island
- Catalina Island
- Saona Island
- Cayos Siete Hermanos(seven Brothers Cays)
- AltoVelo Cay
- Levantado Cay (Cayo Levantado)

Jamaica
Bogue Islands (some now absorbed into Montego Bay, Jamaica)
Great Goat Island
Little Goat Island
Kokomo Island
Lime Cay (part of the Port Royal Cays)
Morant Cays
Navy Island
Pedro Cays
Pigeon Island

(overseas department of France)

(British dependency)

(part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands)

Bonaire
- Klein Bonaire
Curaçao
- Klein Curaçao
Saba
Sint Eustatius
Sint Maarten (part of the island Saint Martin shared with )

(Territory of the United States of America)

(also Saint Barts)

(part of the island Saint Martin shared with the Netherlands Antilles)

(shares the Grenadines group with Grenada)

Tobago
- Goat Island
- Little Tobago
- Saint Giles Island
- Sisters' Rock
Trinidad
- Caledonia Island
- Carrera
- Chacachacare
- Craig Island
- Cronstadt (Kronstadt)
- Farallon
- Gaspar Grande
- Gasparillo (Little Gasparee or Centipede Island)
- Huevos
- Lenagan Island
- Monos
- Nelson Island
- Pelican Island
- Rock Island
- Saut d'Eau
- Soldado Rock
(British dependency)
(U.S. territory, shares the Virgin Islands with the British Virgin Islands)
- Birsk Island
- Buck Island
- Capella
- Cas Cay
- Congo Cay
- Cow And Calf Island
- Dog Island
- Dry Rock
- Fish Cay
- Flat Cay
- Grass Cay
- Great Saint James
- Green Cay
- Hans Lollik Island
- Hassel Island
- Inner Brass
- Johnsons Reef
- Leduck
- Little Saint James
- Lovango Cay
- Mingo Cay
- Ningo
- Outer Brass
- Packet Rock
- Patricia Cay
- Saba Island
- Saint Croix
- Saint John
- Saint Thomas
- Savana Island
- South-West Rock
- Stranglers Island
- Thatch Cay
- Turtledove Cay
- Water Island
- Waterlemon Cay
- Welk Rock

Continental countries with Caribbean coastlines and islands

Archipelago of San Andres and Providencia
Barranquilla
Cartagena
Riohacha
Santa Marta

San Blas Islands (comprising of more than 1300 islands)
Bocas del Toro (archipelago with approximately 300 islands)

Isla Margarita
Los Monjes Archipelago
Las Aves Archipelago
Isla de Aves
Los Hermanos Island
Los Frailes Island
Los Roques Archipelago
La Sola Island
La Tortuga Island
La Orchila Island
Los Testigos Island
La Blanquilla Island
Isla de Patos 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 and are members of CARICOM. Nicaragua's Caribbean Coast, often referred to as the Mosquito Coast was also a former British colony and maintains many cultural ties to the Caribbean distinct to 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.

Indigenous tribes

Arawak

Kalinago

Ciboney

Galibi

Garifuna

Igneri

Lucayan

Taino

Ciguayo

Regional institutions

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

Caribbean Community (CARICOM), Guyana

Association of Caribbean States (ACS), Trinidad and Tobago

Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS), Saint Lucia

Caribbean Development Bank (CDB), Barbados

Caribbean Disaster Emergency Response Agency (CDERA), Barbados

Caribbean Examinations Council (CXC), Barbados and Jamaica

Caribbean Programme for Economic Competitiveness (CPEC), Saint Lucia (External Link

)

Caribbean Tourism Organisation (CTO), Barbados

Inter-American Economic Council (IAEC), Washington, D.C.

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

Caribbean Association of Industry and Commerce (CAIC), Trinidad and Tobago (External Link

)

Caribbean Association of National Telecommunication Organizations (CANTO), Trinidad and Tobago (External Link

)

Caribbean Electric Utility Services Corporation (CARILEC), Saint Lucia (External Link

)

Caribbean Hotel Association (CHA), Puerto Rico (External Link

)

Caribbean Regional Environmental Programme (CREP), Barbados (External Link

)

Caribbean Regional Fisheries Mechanism (CRFM), Belize (External Link

)

Caribbean Regional Negotiating Machinery (CRNM), Barbados and Dominican Republic (External Link

)

Caribbean Telecommunications Union (CTU), Trinidad and Tobago (External Link

)

West Indies Cricket Board, Antigua and Barbuda (External Link

)

University of the West Indies, Jamaica, Barbados, Trinidad and Tobago (External Link

)

External results

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