Central America and the Caribbean
The
Caribbean 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
Northern 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.
These islands are called the
West Indies because when
Christopher Columbus landed here 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, which are in fact in the
Atlantic Ocean north of
Cuba, not in the Caribbean Sea.
Geo-politically, the West Indies are usually reckoned as a
sub-region of
North America and are organized into 27 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, 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. In the UK, someone from the Caribbean is usually referred to as a "West Indian," although the phrase "Caribbean person" is sometimes used.
Definition
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 colonization and the
plantation system.
Demographics
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, war and disease led to a decline in the Native American population. From 1500 to 1800 the population rose as slaves arrived from
West Africa, such as the
Kongo, Ghana
Ashante, Liberia
Mende, Nigeria
Igbo,
Yoruba and
Akan, and immigrants from
Britain,
France,
Spain, the
Netherlands,
Portugal and
Denmark, although the mortality rate was high for both groups. The population is estimated to have reached 2.2 million by 1800. Immigrants from
India,
China, and other countries arrived in the 19th century. After the ending of the
Atlantic slave trade, the population increased naturally. The total regional population was estimated at 37.5 million by 2000.
[Table A.2, , Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) Population Database, version 3, International Center for Tropical Agriculture et al., 2005. Accessed on line February 20, 2008.]left|thumb|Puerto Cruz beach in [[Margarita Island,
Venezuela]]
The majority of the Caribbean 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 and
Portuguese ancestry.
Asians, especially those of
Chinese and
Indian descent, form a significant minority in the region and also contribute to multiracial communities. Many of their ancestors arrived in the 19th century as indentured laborers. The
Spanish-speaking Caribbean have primarily
Mulatto, African, or
European majorities. The
Dominican Republic has a
Mulatto majority and African minority;
Puerto Rico and
Cuba have a European majority, and are primarily descended from
West Africans,
Native Americans, and
Spaniards.
Trinidad and Tobago has a multi-racial cosmopolitan society due to the arrival of the Africans, Indians, Chinese, Syrians, Lebanese and Europeans.
Indigenous tribes
Language
Spanish,
English,
French, and
Dutch 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.
Religion
The largest religious groups in the region are:
Christianity,
Hinduism,
Islam,
Obeah,
Rastafari,
Santería, and
Voodoo among others.
Geography and climate
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,
Dominica,
Dominican Republic,
Haiti,
Jamaica,
Montserrat,
Puerto Rico,
Saba,
Saint Kitts,
Saint Lucia,
Grenada,
Saint Vincent,
Guadeloupe, 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. Winters are warm, but drier.
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.
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.
Historical groupings
Political Evolution of Central America and the Caribbean from 1700 to present
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, British Virgin Islands, Cayman Islands, Dominica, Grenada, 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
- 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/Saint Maarten.
- Portuguese West Indies – present-day Barbados, known as Os 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 mostly Spanish-controlled Caribbean in the sixteenth century
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.
Modern day island territories
Islands in and near the Caribbean
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. 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.
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 arrival of the first humans is correlated with extinction of
giant owls and
dwarf ground sloths. 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 decimation of its
fauna.
Politics
Regionalism
Caribbean societies are very different from other western societies in terms of size, culture, and degree of mobility of their citizens. 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).
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.” 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.”
[Serbin, Andres. "Towards an Association of Caribbean States: Raising Some Awkward Questions", Journal of Interamerican Studies and World Affairs (2004): pp. 1] These attempts at regionalization reflect the nations' desires to compete in the international economic system.
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.” 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.
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. 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.
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.
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 illegal drugs in other parts of
North America and
Europe.
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.
Regional institutions
Here are some of the bodies that several islands share in collaboration:
- Caribbean Educators Network,
Culture
Cuisine
Favorite or National dishes
- - White rice topped with stewed red kidney beans, pan fried or braised beef, and side dish of green salad 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.
- - Griot (Fried pork) served with Du riz a pois or Diri ak Pwa (Rice and beans)
- - Kallaloo, fish and fungee
See also
