What is Caribbean?

The Caribbean (Dutch: Cariben or Caraïben, or more commonly Antillen; French: Caraïbe or more commonly Antilles; Spanish: Caribe) 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 2,500 miles (0 km) long and no more than 160 miles (257 km) wide at any given point. They enclose the Caribbean Sea.^[1]

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

Main article: History of the Caribbean

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

Main article: List of islands in the Caribbean

See also:  and

Continental countries with Caribbean coastlines and islands

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
• Macorix

Aruba	Anguilla	Barbados	Bonaire
British Virgin Islands	Dominica	Rastaman from Jamaica	Montserrat

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 http://www.cpechrd.org/
• 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 http://www.caic.org.tt
• Caribbean Association of National Telecommunication Organizations (CANTO), Trinidad and Tobago http://www.canto.org
• Caribbean Electric Utility Services Corporation (CARILEC), Saint Lucia http://www.carilec.com
• Caribbean Hotel Association (CHA), Puerto Rico http://www.caribbeanhotels.org
• Caribbean Regional Environmental Programme (CREP), Barbados http://www.crepnet.net
• Caribbean Regional Fisheries Mechanism (CRFM), Belize http://www.caricom-fisheries.com
• Caribbean Regional Negotiating Machinery (CRNM), Barbados and Dominican Republic http://www.crnm.org
• Caribbean Telecommunications Union (CTU), Trinidad and Tobago http://www.c-t-u.org
• West Indies Cricket Board, Antigua and Barbuda http://www.windiescricket.com
• University of the West Indies, Jamaica, Barbados, Trinidad and Tobago http://www.uwi.edu

See also

• African diaspora
• Americas (terminology)
• British Afro-Caribbean community
• Caribbean English
• CONCACAF
• Council on Hemispheric Affairs
• History of the Caribbean
• Indo-Caribbean
• Islands of the Caribbean
• Latin American and Caribbean Congress in Solidarity with Puerto Rico’s Independence
• Middle America (Americas)
• Music of the Caribbean
• Piracy in the Caribbean
• Pirates of the Caribbean
• Politics of the Caribbean
• Tongue of the Ocean
• West Indies Federation
• List of Caribbean-related topics

Footnotes

Further reading

• Kurlansky, Mark. 1992. A Continent of Islands: Searching for the Caribbean Destiny. Addison-Wesley Publishing. ISBN 0-201-52396-5.
• Digital Library of the Caribbean
• Eastern Caribbean Islands

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