Difference between revisions of "Caribbean" - New World Encyclopedia

From New World Encyclopedia
(import, credit & claim for Robert Irwin)
 
Line 4: Line 4:
 
|-----
 
|-----
 
| valign="top" |
 
| valign="top" |
blue = [[Caribbean Sea]]<br>
+
blue = [[Caribbean Sea]]<br/>
green = West Indies<br>
+
green = West Indies<br/>
 
|}]]
 
|}]]
 
[[Image:Central_america.jpg|thumb|250px|Central America and the Caribbean: [https://www.cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook/reference_maps/pdf/central_america.pdf (detailed pdf map)]]]
 
[[Image:Central_america.jpg|thumb|250px|Central America and the Caribbean: [https://www.cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook/reference_maps/pdf/central_america.pdf (detailed pdf map)]]]
 
[[Image:Tectonic plates Caribbean.png|thumb|200px|Detail of tectonic plates from:  
 
[[Image:Tectonic plates Caribbean.png|thumb|200px|Detail of tectonic plates from:  
 
[[:Image:Tectonic plates.png|Tectonic plates of the world]]]]
 
[[:Image:Tectonic plates.png|Tectonic plates of the world]]]]
The '''Caribbean''' ({{lang-nl|Caraïben}}; {{lang-de|Karibik}}; {{lang-fr|Caraïbes}}; {{lang-es|Caribe}}; {{lang-pt|Caribe or Caraíbas}}) is a [[region]] of [[the Americas]] consisting of the [[Caribbean Sea]], its [[island]]s (most of which enclose the sea), and the surrounding coasts.  The region is located southeast of [[Northern America]], east of [[Central America]], and to the north and west of [[South America]].
+
The '''Caribbean''' is a [[region]] of [[the Americas]] consisting of the [[Caribbean Sea]], its [[island]]s (most of which enclose the sea), and the surrounding coasts.  The region is located southeast of [[Northern 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]], [[reef]]s, and [[cay]]s. 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 [[Lucayan archipelago|Bahamas]]. [[Bermuda]] lies much further to the north in the [[Atlantic Ocean]] and is in the West Indies.  Geopolitically, the West Indies are usually reckoned as a [[subregion]] of [[North America]] and are organised into 28 territories including [[Sovereignty|sovereign]] [[state]]s, overseas departments, and [[dependent area|dependencies]].  At one time, there was a short-lived country called the [[West Indies Federation|Federation of the West Indies]] composed of ten [[English language|English]]-speaking Caribbean territories.
 
Situated largely on the [[Caribbean Plate]], the area comprises more than 7,000 islands, [[islets]], [[reef]]s, and [[cay]]s. 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 [[Lucayan archipelago|Bahamas]]. [[Bermuda]] lies much further to the north in the [[Atlantic Ocean]] and is in the West Indies.  Geopolitically, the West Indies are usually reckoned as a [[subregion]] of [[North America]] and are organised into 28 territories including [[Sovereignty|sovereign]] [[state]]s, overseas departments, and [[dependent area|dependencies]].  At one time, there was a short-lived country called the [[West Indies Federation|Federation of the West Indies]] composed of ten [[English language|English]]-speaking Caribbean territories.
Line 21: Line 21:
 
The [[Spanish language|Spanish]] term ''[[Antilles#Background|Antillas]]'' was commonly assigned to the newly discovered lands; stemming from this, "Sea of the Antilles" is a common alternate name for the Caribbean Sea in various European languages.
 
The [[Spanish language|Spanish]] term ''[[Antilles#Background|Antillas]]'' was commonly assigned to the newly discovered lands; stemming from this, "Sea of the Antilles" is a common alternate name for the Caribbean Sea in various European languages.
  
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. The use of the words "Caribbean" and "Caribbeans" to refer to a West Indian or West Indians is largely known in the English-speaking Caribbean.{{portal}}
+
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. The use of the words "Caribbean" and "Caribbeans" to refer to a West Indian or West Indians is largely known in the English-speaking Caribbean.
  
 
Spanish-speaking Caribbeans do not like to be called Hispanics or Latins due to the significant differences to the South and Central American countries. Spanish-speaking Caribbeans not only have different native origins but they also have different history, Spanish dialect, culture, traditions, food, moral and religious beliefs. They usually relate to Spanish-speaking Caribbean countries, specifically Puerto Rico, Dominican Republic and Cuba due to similar culture, history and Spanish dialect.
 
Spanish-speaking Caribbeans do not like to be called Hispanics or Latins due to the significant differences to the South and Central American countries. Spanish-speaking Caribbeans not only have different native origins but they also have different history, Spanish dialect, culture, traditions, food, moral and religious beliefs. They usually relate to Spanish-speaking Caribbean countries, specifically Puerto Rico, Dominican Republic and Cuba due to similar culture, history and Spanish dialect.
Line 42: Line 42:
 
==Biodiversity==
 
==Biodiversity==
 
The Caribbean Islands are classified as one of [[Conservation International|Conservation International's]] [[biodiversity hotspot]]s because they support exceptionally diverse ecosystems, ranging from montane [[cloud forests]] to [[cactus]] [[scrubland]]s.  These [[ecosystem]]s have been devastated by [[deforestation]] and human encroachment. The hotspot has dozens of highly threatened species, including two species of [[solenodon]] (giant shrews) and the [[Cuban Crocodile|Cuban crocodile]]. The hotspot is also remarkable for the [[diminutive]] nature of much of its [[fauna]].
 
The Caribbean Islands are classified as one of [[Conservation International|Conservation International's]] [[biodiversity hotspot]]s because they support exceptionally diverse ecosystems, ranging from montane [[cloud forests]] to [[cactus]] [[scrubland]]s.  These [[ecosystem]]s have been devastated by [[deforestation]] and human encroachment. The hotspot has dozens of highly threatened species, including two species of [[solenodon]] (giant shrews) and the [[Cuban Crocodile|Cuban crocodile]]. The hotspot is also remarkable for the [[diminutive]] nature of much of its [[fauna]].
 +
 +
 +
== History ==
 +
The '''history of the Caribbean''' reveals the significant role the region played in the colonial struggles of the [[Europe]]an powers between the [[sixteenth century|sixteenth]] and [[nineteenth century|nineteenth]] centuries.  In the [[twentieth century]] the [[Caribbean]] was again important during [[World War II]], in the [[decolonisation]] wave in the post-war period, and in the tension between [[Communist]] [[Cuba]] and the [[United States]] (US).  Genocide, slavery, immigration and rivalry between world powers have given Caribbean history an impact disproportionate to the size of this small region.
 +
 +
=== The Caribbean before European contact ===
 +
The oldest evidence of humans in the Caribbean is in southern [[Trinidad]] at [[Banwari Trace]] where 7,000-year-old remains have been found.  These pre-ceramic sites, which belong to the Archaic (pre-ceramic) age, have been termed [[Ortoiroid]].  The earliest archaeological evidence of human settlement in [[Hispaniola]] dates to about [[4th millennium B.C.E.|3600&nbsp;BCE]], but the reliability of these finds is questioned.  Consistent dates of [[4th millennium B.C.E.|3100&nbsp;BCE]] appear in [[Cuba]].  The earliest dates in the [[Lesser Antilles]] are from 2000&nbsp;BCE in [[Antigua]].  A lack of pre-ceramic sites in the [[Windward Islands]] and differences in technology suggest that these Archaic settlers may have [[Central America]]n origins.  Whether an Ortoiroid colonisation of the islands took place is uncertain, but there is little evidence of one.
 +
 +
Between 400&nbsp;BCE and 200&nbsp;BCE the first ceramic-using agriculturalists, the [[Saladoid]] culture, entered Trinidad from [[South America]]. They expanded up the [[Orinoco]] River to Trinidad, and then spread rapidly up the islands of the Caribbean. Some time after 250&nbsp;CE another group, the [[Barrancoid]] entered Trinidad.  The Barancoid society collapsed along the Orinoco around 650 and another group, the Arauquinoid, expanded into these areas and up the Caribbean chain.  Around 1300 a new group, the [[Mayoid]] entered Trinidad and remained the dominant culture until Spanish settlement.
 +
 +
At the time of the [[European colonization of the Americas|European]] discovery of most of the islands of the Caribbean, three major [[Amerindian]] [[indigenous peoples]] lived on the islands: the [[Taíno]] in the [[Greater Antilles]], [[Bahamas|The Bahamas]] and the Leeward Islands, the Island [[Carib]]s and [[Galibi]] in the [[Windward Islands]] and the [[Ciboney]] in western [[Cuba]]. The Taínos are subdivided into Classic Taínos, who occupied Hispaniola and Puerto Rico, Western Taínos, who occupied Cuba, Jamaica, and the Bahamian archipelago, and the Eastern Taínos, who occupied the Leeward Islands.<ref>Rouse, Irving. ''The Tainos : Rise and Decline of the People Who Greeted Columbus'' ISBN 0-300-05696-6.</ref> [[Trinidad]] was inhabited by both [[Carib language|Carib speaking]] and [[Arawak language|Arawak-speaking]] groups.
 +
 +
=== The colonial era ===
 +
[[Christopher Columbus]] was the first European explorer to travel to the [[Americas]], but soon afterward both [[Portugal|Portuguese]] and [[Spain|Spanish]] ships began claiming territories in [[Central America|Central]] and [[South America]]. These colonies brought in gold, and other European powers, most specifically [[England]], the [[Netherlands]], and [[France]], hoped to establish profitable colonies of their own. Colonial rivalries made the Caribbean a cockpit for European wars for centuries.
 +
 +
===Spanish conquest===
 +
{{seealso|Spanish colonization of the Americas}}
 +
During the first voyage of the explorer [[Christopher Columbus]] (mandated by the Spanish crown to conquer) contact was made with the [[Lucayan]]s in the Bahamas and the [[Taíno]] in Cuba and the northern coast of Hispaniola, and a few of the native people were taken back to [[Spanish colonization of the Americas|Spain]]. Small amounts of gold were found in their [[Jewellery|personal ornaments]] and other objects such as masks and belts. The Spanish, who came seeking wealth, enslaved the native population and rapidly drove them to near-extinction.  To supplement the Amerindian labour, the Spanish imported [[Africa]]n [[slavery|slaves]].
 +
{{seealso|Slavery in the Spanish New World colonies}}
 +
 +
Although Spain claimed the entire Caribbean, they settled only the larger islands of [[Hispaniola]], [[Puerto Rico]], [[Cuba]], [[Jamaica]] and [[Trinidad]].
 +
 +
=== Other European powers ===
 +
The other European powers established a presence in the Caribbean after the [[Spanish Empire]] declined, partly due to the reduced native population of the area from European diseases.
 +
 +
*[[Francis Drake]] was an English privateer who attacked many Spanish ships and forts in the Caribbean, including [[San Juan, Puerto Rico|San Juan]] harbour in 1595.  His most celebrated Caribbean exploit was the capture of the Spanish Silver Train at [[Nombre de Dios]] in March, 1573.
 +
 +
The English admiral [[William Penn (admiral)|William Penn]] seized Jamaica in 1655, and it remained under British rule for over 300 years. The British eventually also held [[Barbados]], [[Saint Kitts|St. Kitts]] and [[Nevis]], [[Antigua]], [[Montserrat]], and [[Bermuda]].
 +
 +
*The Caribbean was known for [[pirate]]s, especially between 1640 and 1680; see [[piracy in the Caribbean]].  The term "[[buccaneer]]" is often used to describe a pirate operating in this region.
 +
 +
*In 1697 the Spanish ceded the western third of Hispaniola ([[Haiti]]) to France. France also had control of [[Guadeloupe]], [[Martinique]] and [[Tortuga]].
 +
 +
*The [[Netherlands|Dutch]] took over [[Saba]], [[Saint Martin]], [[Saint Eustatius]], [[Curaçao]], [[Bonaire]], [[Aruba]], [[Tobago]], [[St. Croix]], [[Tortola]], [[Anegada]], [[Virgin Gorda]], [[Anguilla]] and a short time [[Porto Rico]], together called the [[Dutch West Indies]], in the seventeenth century.
 +
 +
*The [[Denmark|Danish]] ruled first part, then all of the present [[U.S. Virgin Islands]] since 1672, selling sovereignty over these [[Danish West Indies]] in 1917 to the United States which still administers them.
 +
 +
===Wars===
 +
The Caribbean region was war-torn throughout much of colonial history, but the wars were often based in Europe, with only minor battles fought in the [[Caribbean]]. Some wars, however, were borne of political turmoil in the Caribbean itself.
 +
* [[Thirty Years' War]] between the Netherlands and Spain.
 +
* The [[First Anglo-Dutch War|First]], [[Second Anglo-Dutch War|Second]], and [[Third Anglo-Dutch War]]s were battles for supremacy.
 +
* [[Nine Years' War]] between the European powers.
 +
* The [[War of Spanish Succession]] (European name) or Queen Anne's War (American name) spawned a generation of some of the most infamous pirates.
 +
* The [[War of Jenkins' Ear]] (American name) or The War of Austrian Succession (European name) Spain and Britain fought over trade rights; Britain invaded Spanish Florida and attacked the citadel of Cartagena de las Indias in present-day Colombia.
 +
* The [[Seven Years' War]] (European name) or French & Indian War (American name) was the first "world war" between France, her ally Spain, and Britain; France was defeated and was willing to give up all of Canada to keep a few highly profitable sugar-growing islands in the Caribbean. Britain seized Havana toward the end, and traded that single city for all of Florida at the Treaty of Paris in 1763.
 +
* The [[American Revolution]] saw large British and French fleets battling in the Caribbean again. American independence was assured by French naval victories in the Caribbean.
 +
* The [[French Revolution]] allowed for the creation of the Republic of [[Haiti]].
 +
* The [[Spanish-American War]] ended Spanish control of Cuba and Puerto Rico and heralded the period of American dominance of the islands.
 +
 +
=== Independence ===
 +
Haiti, the former French colony of [[Saint-Domingue]] on Hispaniola was the first Caribbean nation to gain independence from European powers when in 1791, a slave rebellion of the [[Black Jacobins]] led by [[Toussaint l'Ouverture]] started the [[Haitian Revolution]] establishing Haiti as a free, black republic by 1804.  Haiti became the world's oldest black [[republic]], and the second-oldest republic in the [[Western Hemisphere]], after the United States.  The remaining two-thirds of Hispaniola were conquered by Haitian forces in 1821.  In 1844, the newly-formed [[Dominican Republic]] declared its independence from Haiti. 
 +
 +
Some Caribbean nations gained independence from European powers in the nineteenth century. Some smaller states are still [[dependent area|dependencies]] of European powers today. Cuba remained a Spanish colony until the [[Spanish American War]].
 +
 +
Between 1958 and 1962 most of the British-controlled Caribbean became the [[West Indies Federation]] before it separated into many separate nations.
 +
 +
=== American influence ===
 +
Since the [[Monroe Doctrine]], the United States gained a major influence on most Caribbean nations. In the early part of the twentieth century this influence was extended by participation in [[The Banana Wars]]. Areas outside British or French control became known in Europe as "America's tropical empire."
 +
 +
Victory in the [[Spanish-American war]] and the signing of the [[Platt amendment]] in 1901 ensured that the United States would have the right to interfere in Cuban political and economic affairs, militarily if necessary. After the [[Cuban revolution]] of 1959 [[Cuba-United States relations|relations]] deteriorated rapidly leading to the [[Bay of Pigs]] venture, the [[Cuban Missile Crisis]] and successive US attempts to destabilise the island. The US invaded and occupied [[Hispaniola]] (present day [[Dominican Republic]] and [[Haiti]]) for 19 years (1915-34), subsequently dominating the Haitian economy through aid and loan repayments. The US invaded Haiti again in 1994 and in 2004 were accused by [[CARICOM]] of arranging a coup d'état to remove elected Haitian leader [[Jean-Bertrand Aristide]].
 +
 +
In 1965, 23,000 US troops were sent to the Dominican Republic to quash a local uprising against military rule. President [[Lyndon Johnson]] had ordered the invasion to stem what he claimed to be a "Communist threat," however the mission appeared ambiguous and was roundly condemned throughout the hemisphere as a return to gunboat diplomacy. In 1983 the US [[Grenada|invaded Grenada]] to remove populist left-wing leader [[Maurice Bishop]]. The US maintains a naval military base in Cuba at [[Guantanamo Bay Naval Base|Guantanamo Bay]]. The base is one of five unified commands whose "area of responsibility" is Latin America and the Caribbean. The command is headquartered in a [[Miami]], [[Florida]] office building.
 +
  
 
==Historical groupings==
 
==Historical groupings==
{{Main|History of the Caribbean}}
 
  
 
Most islands at some point were, or still are, colonies of [[Europe]]an nations:
 
Most islands at some point were, or still are, colonies of [[Europe]]an nations:
Line 59: Line 121:
  
 
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.
 
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 of the Caribbean==
 
[[Image:CaribbeanIslands.png|thumb|centre|500px|Islands in and near the Caribbean]]
 
{{Main|List of islands in the Caribbean}}
 
{{See also|Caribbean South America|Caribbean basin}}
 
* '''{{AIA}}''' ([[United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland|British]] dependency)
 
** [[Anguillita Island]]
 
** [[Dog Island]]
 
** [[East Cay]]
 
** [[Little Scrub Island]]
 
** [[Prickly Pear Cays]]
 
** [[Sandy Island, Anguilla|Sandy Island]]
 
** [[Scrub Island]]
 
** [[Seal Island]]
 
** [[Sombrero, Anguilla|Sombrero]]
 
** [[West Cay]]
 
* '''{{ATG}}'''
 
**[[Antigua]]
 
**[[Barbuda]]
 
**[[Guiana Island]]
 
**[[Great Bird Island]]
 
**[[Lesser Bird Island]]
 
**[[Prickly Pear Island]]
 
**[[Long Island]]
 
**[[Redonda]]
 
* '''{{ABW}}''' (part of the [[Kingdom of the Netherlands]])
 
* '''{{BHS}}'''
 
**[[Abaco]]
 
**[[Acklins Island]]
 
**[[Andros, Bahamas|Andros]]
 
**[[Bimini|Bimini Islands]]
 
**[[Cat Island, Bahamas|Cat Island]]
 
**[[Crooked Island, Bahamas|Crooked Island]]
 
**[[Eleuthera]]
 
**[[Grand Bahama]]
 
**[[Great Abaco]]
 
**[[Great Exuma]]
 
**[[Great Inagua]]
 
**[[Little San Salvador Island|Little San Salvador Island/Half Moon Cay]]
 
**[[Long Island, Bahamas|Long Island]]
 
**[[Mayaguana]]
 
**[[New Providence]]
 
**[[Ragged Island]]
 
**[[San Salvador Island]]
 
* '''{{BRB}}'''
 
**Barbados
 
**[[Culpepper Island]]
 
**[[Pelican Island]] (now absorbed into Barbados)
 
* '''{{IVB}}''' ([[United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland|British]] dependency, shares the [[Virgin Islands]] with the U.S. Virgin Islands.)
 
**[[Anegada]]
 
**[[Beef Island]]
 
**[[Bellamy Cay]]
 
**[[Carvel Rock]]
 
**[[Cockroach Island]]
 
**[[Cooper Island]]
 
**[[Dead Chest Cay]]
 
**[[Diamond Cay]]
 
**[[Dog Islands]]
 
**[[Drowned Island]]
 
**[[East Seal Dog Island]]
 
**[[Eustatia Island]]
 
**[[Fallen Jerusalem Island]]
 
**[[Frenchmans Cay]]
 
**[[Grouge Dog Island]]
 
**[[Ginger Island]]
 
**[[Great Camanoe]]
 
**[[Great Dog Island]]
 
**[[Great Thatch]]
 
**[[Great Tobago Island]]
 
**[[Green Cay]]
 
**[[Guana Island]]
 
**[[Jost Van Dyke]]
 
**[[Cay]]
 
**[[Little Anegada]]
 
**[[Little Camanoe]]
 
**[[Little Cay]]
 
**[[Little Jost Van Dyke]]
 
**[[Little Seal Dog Island]]
 
**[[Little Thatch]]
 
**[[Little Tobago, British Virgin Islands|Little Tobago]]
 
**[[Little Wickmans Cay]]
 
**[[Marina Cay]]
 
**[[Mosquito Island]]
 
**[[Nanny Cay]]
 
**[[Necker Island (British Virgin Islands)|Necker Island]]
 
**[[Norman Island]]
 
**[[Old Jerusalem Island]]
 
**[[Oyster Rock, British Virgin Islands|Oyster Rock]]
 
**[[Pelican Island]]
 
**[[Peter Island]]
 
**[[Prickly Pear Island]]
 
**[[Saba Rock]]
 
**[[Salt Cay]]
 
**[[Sandy Cay]]
 
**[[Scrub Island]]
 
**[[Spanish Island]]
 
**[[Tortola]]
 
**[[Virgin Gorda]]
 
**[[West Dog Island]]
 
* '''{{CAY}}''' ([[United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland|British]] dependency)
 
** [[Cayman Brac]]
 
** [[Grand Cayman]] (with the capital [[George Town, Cayman Islands|George Town]])
 
** [[Little Cayman]]
 
* '''{{CUB}}'''
 
**Cuba
 
**[[Isla de la Juventud]]
 
**[[Cayo Largo del Sur]]
 
**[[Cayo Buenavista]]
 
**[[Cayo Ines de Soto]]
 
**[[Cayo Levisa]]
 
**[[Cayo Cruz del Padre]]
 
**[[Cayo Punta Arenas]]
 
**[[Cayo Blancos del Sur]]
 
**[[Cayo Santa Maria]]
 
**[[Cayo Fragoso]]
 
**[[Cayo Esquivel]]
 
**[[Cayo Guillermo]]
 
**[[Cayo Coco]]
 
**[[Cayo Romano]]
 
**[[Cayo Guajaba]]
 
**[[Cayo Saetia]]
 
**and thousands of minor cays and islets.
 
 
* '''{{DMA}}'''
 
** [[Isla Aves|Bird Island]] (disputed territory with [[Venezuela]] located about 110 km (70 mi) west of the island of Dominica)
 
* '''{{GRD}}''' (shares the [[Grenadines]] group with [[Saint Vincent and the Grenadines]])
 
**[[Carriacou]]
 
**Grenada
 
**[[Petit Martinique]]
 
**[[Ronde Island]]
 
**[[Petite Martinique]]
 
* '''{{GLP}}''' (overseas ''department'' of [[France]])
 
** [[Basse-Terre]]
 
** [[La Désirade]]
 
** [[Grande-Terre]]
 
** [[Marie-Galante]]
 
** [[Iles de la Petite Terre]]
 
** [[Iles des Saintes]]
 
*** [[Terre de Haut]]
 
*** [[Terre de Bas]]
 
* [[Hispaniola]]
 
** '''{{DOM}}'''
 
***  [[Beata Island]]
 
***  [[Catalina Island]]
 
***  [[Saona Island]]
 
** '''{{HAI}}'''
 
***  [[Gonave Island]]
 
***  [[Tortuga]]
 
***  [[Île à Vache]]
 
***  [[Cayemites|Grande et Petite Cayemites]]
 
* '''{{JAM}}'''
 
** Jamaica
 
** Bogue Islands (some now absorbed into Montego Bay, Jamaica)
 
** Great Goat Island
 
** Little Goat Island
 
** [[Kokomo Island]]
 
** [[Lime cay|Lime Cay]] (part of the Port Royal Cays)
 
** [[Morant Cays]]
 
** [[Navy Island, Jamaica|Navy Island]]
 
** [[Pedro Cays]]
 
** Pigeon Island
 
* '''{{MTQ}}''' (overseas department of [[France]])
 
* '''{{MSR}}''' ([[United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland|British]] dependency)
 
* '''{{ANT}}''' (part of the [[Kingdom of the Netherlands]])
 
** [[Bonaire]]
 
*** [[Klein Bonaire]]
 
** [[Curaçao]]
 
*** [[Klein Curaçao]]
 
** [[Saba]]
 
** [[Sint Eustatius]]
 
** [[Sint Maarten]] <small>(part of the island [[Saint Martin]] shared with {{SMT}}).</small>
 
* '''{{SBH}}''' (also ''Saint Barts'')
 
* '''{{SKN}}'''
 
**[[Nevis]]
 
**[[Saint Kitts]]
 
* '''{{LCA}}'''
 
* '''{{SMT}}''' <small>(part of the island [[Saint Martin]] shared with the [[Netherlands Antilles]]).</small>
 
* '''{{VIN}}''' (shares the [[Grenadines]] group with Grenada)
 
** [[Baliceaux]]
 
** [[Battowia]]
 
** [[Bequia]]
 
** [[Canouan Island]]
 
** [[Mayreau]]
 
** [[Mustique]]
 
** [[Palm Island, Grenadines|Palm Island]]
 
** [[Petit Mustique]]
 
** [[Petit Saint Vincent]]
 
** [[Saint Vincent (island)|Saint Vincent]]
 
** [[Tobago Cays]]
 
** [[Union Island]]
 
** [[Young Island]]
 
* '''{{TRI}}'''
 
** [[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, Trinidad and Tobago|Nelson Island]]
 
***Pelican Island
 
***Rock Island
 
***Saut d'Eau
 
***Soldado Rock
 
* '''{{TCA}}''' ([[United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland|British]] dependency)
 
**[[Grand Turk Island|Grand Turk]]
 
**[[Middle Caicos]]
 
**[[North Caicos]]
 
**[[Parrot Cay]]
 
**[[Pine Cay]]
 
**[[Providenciales]]
 
**[[Salt Cay]]
 
**[[South Caicos]]
 
* '''{{VIR}}''' (U.S. territory, shares the [[Virgin Islands]] with the British Virgin Islands)
 
**Birsk Island
 
**[[Buck Island Reef National Monument|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, U.S. Virgin Islands|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, U.S. Virgin Islands|Saint Croix]]
 
**[[Saint John, U.S. Virgin Islands|Saint John]]
 
**[[Saint Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands|Saint Thomas]]
 
**Savana Island
 
**South-West Rock
 
**Stranglers Island
 
**[[Thatch Cay, U.S. Virgin Islands|Thatch Cay]]
 
**Turtledove Cay
 
**[[Water Island, U.S. Virgin Islands|Water Island]]
 
**Welk Rock
 
 
== Continental countries with Caribbean coastlines and islands==
 
* '''{{BLZ}}'''
 
** [[Ambergris Caye]]
 
** [[Belize City]]
 
** [[Big Creek, Belize|Big Creek]]
 
** [[Caye Caulker]]
 
** [[Glover's Reef]]
 
** [[Hicks Cays]]
 
** [[Lighthouse Reef]]
 
** [[South Water Caye]]
 
** [[Turneffe Islands]]
 
* '''{{COL}}'''
 
** Archipelago of [[San Andres and Providencia]]
 
** [[Barranquilla]]
 
** [[Cartagena, Colombia|Cartagena]]
 
** [[Riohacha]]
 
** [[Santa Marta]]
 
* '''{{CRI}}'''
 
* '''{{GUF}}'''
 
* '''{{GTM}}'''
 
* '''{{GUY}}'''
 
** [[Hog Island, Guyana]]
 
** [[Leguan Island]]
 
** [[Wakenaam]]
 
* '''{{HON}}'''
 
** [[Cortés department]]
 
** [[Atlántida department]]
 
** [[Gracias a Dios department]]
 
** [[Islas de la Bahía Department]]
 
*** [[Puerto Cortés]]
 
*** [[Tela]]
 
*** [[La Ceiba]]
 
*** [[Trujillo]]
 
*** [[La Mosquitia]]
 
*** [[Puerto Lempira]]
 
*** [[Guanaja]]
 
*** [[Roatán]]
 
*** [[Útila]]
 
*** [[Cayos Cochinos]]
 
*** [[Swan Islands, Honduras|Swan Islands]]
 
* '''{{MEX}}'''
 
** [[Image:Escudo MX-ROO.gif|20px]] [[Quintana Roo]]
 
*** [[Cancún]]
 
*** [[Chetumal]]
 
*** [[Isla Contoy]]
 
*** [[Isla Cozumel]]
 
*** [[Isla Mujeres]]
 
***[[cozumel]]
 
* '''{{NIC}}'''
 
** [[Corn Islands]]
 
** [[Cayos Miskitos]]
 
* '''{{PAN}}'''
 
** [[San Blas Islands]] Comprising of more than 1300 islands
 
** [[Bocas del Toro]] Archipielago with aproximately 300 islands
 
* '''{{SUR}}'''
 
* '''{{USA}}'''
 
**[[Navassa Island]]
 
** '''{{PRI}}''' ([[Commonwealth (U.S. insular area)|U.S. commonwealth]])
 
***Puerto Rico
 
***[[Vieques, Puerto Rico|Vieques]]
 
***[[Culebra, Puerto Rico|Culebra]]
 
***[[Caja de Muertos]]
 
***[[Desecheo Island]]
 
***[[Mona, Puerto Rico|Mona]]
 
* '''{{VEN}}'''
 
** [[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 [[Caribbean Community|CARICOM]]. Guyana participates in West Indies cricket tournaments and many players from Guyana have been in 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.
 
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 [[Caribbean Community|CARICOM]]. Guyana participates in West Indies cricket tournaments and many players from Guyana have been in 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.
Line 411: Line 134:
 
* [[Taino]]
 
* [[Taino]]
  
==Further reading==
+
==Sources and Further reading==
 +
* Ferguson, James: ''Far From Paradise''. Latin American Bureau, 1990. ISBN 0-906156-54-8 (Good first read, from Columbus to present. Concentrates on slavery, the colonial period, struggles for independence and the rise of US influence. Lots of references.)
 +
* Rogozinsky, Jan: ''A Brief History of the Caribbean''. Plume, 1999. ISBN 0-452-28193-8 (Thorough history of the Caribbean up to the end of the twentieth century.)
 
* Kurlansky, Mark. 1992. ''A Continent of Islands: Searching for the Caribbean Destiny''. Addison-Wesley Publishing. ISBN 0-201-52396-5.
 
* Kurlansky, Mark. 1992. ''A Continent of Islands: Searching for the Caribbean Destiny''. Addison-Wesley Publishing. ISBN 0-201-52396-5.
 +
 +
==External links==
 +
*[http://www.fiu.edu/orgs/caribgeol/ Caribbean Geology & Tectonics]
 +
*[httpkarl is aswome_population_britain.php Caribbean settlement in Britain ]
  
 
==See also==
 
==See also==
 
{{portal}}
 
{{portal}}
 
{{sisterlinks|Caribbean}}
 
{{sisterlinks|Caribbean}}
 
* [[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]]
 
* [[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 popular tourist regions#Tourism in Caribbean|Tourism in Caribbean]]
 
* [[List of Caribbean-related topics]]
 
  
 
== Regional institutions ==
 
== Regional institutions ==
Line 471: Line 181:
  
  
{{credit|135653388}}
+
{{credit|Caribbean|135653388|History of the Caribbean|134829692}}

Revision as of 03:08, 4 June 2007

World map depicting Caribbean :
blue = Caribbean Sea
green = West Indies
Central America and the Caribbean: (detailed pdf map)
Detail of tectonic plates from: Tectonic plates of the world

The Caribbean 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 Northern 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. Bermuda lies much further to the north in the Atlantic Ocean and is in the West Indies. 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.

Caribbean vs. West Indies

The name "Caribbean" is named after the Caribs, one of the dominant Amerindian groups in the region at the time of European contact during the late 15th century.

The analogous "West Indies" originates from Christopher Columbus' idea that he had landed in the Indies (then meaning all of south and east Asia) when he had actually reached the Americas.

The Spanish term Antillas was commonly assigned to the newly discovered lands; stemming from this, "Sea of the Antilles" is a common alternate name for the Caribbean Sea in various European languages.

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. The use of the words "Caribbean" and "Caribbeans" to refer to a West Indian or West Indians is largely known in the English-speaking Caribbean.

Spanish-speaking Caribbeans do not like to be called Hispanics or Latins due to the significant differences to the South and Central American countries. Spanish-speaking Caribbeans not only have different native origins but they also have different history, Spanish dialect, culture, traditions, food, moral and religious beliefs. They usually relate to Spanish-speaking Caribbean countries, specifically Puerto Rico, Dominican Republic and Cuba due to similar culture, history and Spanish dialect.

Geography and Climate

Anguilla
San Juan, Puerto Rico

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, Barbados, Bonaire, the Cayman Islands or Anguilla. 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, Antigua and Trinidad.

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 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) and the Cuban crocodile. The hotspot is also remarkable for the diminutive nature of much of its fauna.


History

The history of the Caribbean reveals the significant role the region played in the colonial struggles of the European powers between the sixteenth and nineteenth centuries. In the twentieth century the Caribbean was again important during World War II, in the decolonisation wave in the post-war period, and in the tension between Communist Cuba and the United States (US). Genocide, slavery, immigration and rivalry between world powers have given Caribbean history an impact disproportionate to the size of this small region.

The Caribbean before European contact

The oldest evidence of humans in the Caribbean is in southern Trinidad at Banwari Trace where 7,000-year-old remains have been found. These pre-ceramic sites, which belong to the Archaic (pre-ceramic) age, have been termed Ortoiroid. The earliest archaeological evidence of human settlement in Hispaniola dates to about 3600 BCE, but the reliability of these finds is questioned. Consistent dates of 3100 BCE appear in Cuba. The earliest dates in the Lesser Antilles are from 2000 BCE in Antigua. A lack of pre-ceramic sites in the Windward Islands and differences in technology suggest that these Archaic settlers may have Central American origins. Whether an Ortoiroid colonisation of the islands took place is uncertain, but there is little evidence of one.

Between 400 BCE and 200 BCE the first ceramic-using agriculturalists, the Saladoid culture, entered Trinidad from South America. They expanded up the Orinoco River to Trinidad, and then spread rapidly up the islands of the Caribbean. Some time after 250 CE another group, the Barrancoid entered Trinidad. The Barancoid society collapsed along the Orinoco around 650 and another group, the Arauquinoid, expanded into these areas and up the Caribbean chain. Around 1300 a new group, the Mayoid entered Trinidad and remained the dominant culture until Spanish settlement.

At the time of the European discovery of most of the islands of the Caribbean, three major Amerindian indigenous peoples lived on the islands: the Taíno in the Greater Antilles, The Bahamas and the Leeward Islands, the Island Caribs and Galibi in the Windward Islands and the Ciboney in western Cuba. The Taínos are subdivided into Classic Taínos, who occupied Hispaniola and Puerto Rico, Western Taínos, who occupied Cuba, Jamaica, and the Bahamian archipelago, and the Eastern Taínos, who occupied the Leeward Islands.[1] Trinidad was inhabited by both Carib speaking and Arawak-speaking groups.

The colonial era

Christopher Columbus was the first European explorer to travel to the Americas, but soon afterward both Portuguese and Spanish ships began claiming territories in Central and South America. These colonies brought in gold, and other European powers, most specifically England, the Netherlands, and France, hoped to establish profitable colonies of their own. Colonial rivalries made the Caribbean a cockpit for European wars for centuries.

Spanish conquest

During the first voyage of the explorer Christopher Columbus (mandated by the Spanish crown to conquer) contact was made with the Lucayans in the Bahamas and the Taíno in Cuba and the northern coast of Hispaniola, and a few of the native people were taken back to Spain. Small amounts of gold were found in their personal ornaments and other objects such as masks and belts. The Spanish, who came seeking wealth, enslaved the native population and rapidly drove them to near-extinction. To supplement the Amerindian labour, the Spanish imported African slaves.


Although Spain claimed the entire Caribbean, they settled only the larger islands of Hispaniola, Puerto Rico, Cuba, Jamaica and Trinidad.

Other European powers

The other European powers established a presence in the Caribbean after the Spanish Empire declined, partly due to the reduced native population of the area from European diseases.

  • Francis Drake was an English privateer who attacked many Spanish ships and forts in the Caribbean, including San Juan harbour in 1595. His most celebrated Caribbean exploit was the capture of the Spanish Silver Train at Nombre de Dios in March, 1573.

The English admiral William Penn seized Jamaica in 1655, and it remained under British rule for over 300 years. The British eventually also held Barbados, St. Kitts and Nevis, Antigua, Montserrat, and Bermuda.

  • The Caribbean was known for pirates, especially between 1640 and 1680; see piracy in the Caribbean. The term "buccaneer" is often used to describe a pirate operating in this region.
  • In 1697 the Spanish ceded the western third of Hispaniola (Haiti) to France. France also had control of Guadeloupe, Martinique and Tortuga.
  • The Dutch took over Saba, Saint Martin, Saint Eustatius, Curaçao, Bonaire, Aruba, Tobago, St. Croix, Tortola, Anegada, Virgin Gorda, Anguilla and a short time Porto Rico, together called the Dutch West Indies, in the seventeenth century.
  • The Danish ruled first part, then all of the present U.S. Virgin Islands since 1672, selling sovereignty over these Danish West Indies in 1917 to the United States which still administers them.

Wars

The Caribbean region was war-torn throughout much of colonial history, but the wars were often based in Europe, with only minor battles fought in the Caribbean. Some wars, however, were borne of political turmoil in the Caribbean itself.

  • Thirty Years' War between the Netherlands and Spain.
  • The First, Second, and Third Anglo-Dutch Wars were battles for supremacy.
  • Nine Years' War between the European powers.
  • The War of Spanish Succession (European name) or Queen Anne's War (American name) spawned a generation of some of the most infamous pirates.
  • The War of Jenkins' Ear (American name) or The War of Austrian Succession (European name) Spain and Britain fought over trade rights; Britain invaded Spanish Florida and attacked the citadel of Cartagena de las Indias in present-day Colombia.
  • The Seven Years' War (European name) or French & Indian War (American name) was the first "world war" between France, her ally Spain, and Britain; France was defeated and was willing to give up all of Canada to keep a few highly profitable sugar-growing islands in the Caribbean. Britain seized Havana toward the end, and traded that single city for all of Florida at the Treaty of Paris in 1763.
  • The American Revolution saw large British and French fleets battling in the Caribbean again. American independence was assured by French naval victories in the Caribbean.
  • The French Revolution allowed for the creation of the Republic of Haiti.
  • The Spanish-American War ended Spanish control of Cuba and Puerto Rico and heralded the period of American dominance of the islands.

Independence

Haiti, the former French colony of Saint-Domingue on Hispaniola was the first Caribbean nation to gain independence from European powers when in 1791, a slave rebellion of the Black Jacobins led by Toussaint l'Ouverture started the Haitian Revolution establishing Haiti as a free, black republic by 1804. Haiti became the world's oldest black republic, and the second-oldest republic in the Western Hemisphere, after the United States. The remaining two-thirds of Hispaniola were conquered by Haitian forces in 1821. In 1844, the newly-formed Dominican Republic declared its independence from Haiti.

Some Caribbean nations gained independence from European powers in the nineteenth century. Some smaller states are still dependencies of European powers today. Cuba remained a Spanish colony until the Spanish American War.

Between 1958 and 1962 most of the British-controlled Caribbean became the West Indies Federation before it separated into many separate nations.

American influence

Since the Monroe Doctrine, the United States gained a major influence on most Caribbean nations. In the early part of the twentieth century this influence was extended by participation in The Banana Wars. Areas outside British or French control became known in Europe as "America's tropical empire."

Victory in the Spanish-American war and the signing of the Platt amendment in 1901 ensured that the United States would have the right to interfere in Cuban political and economic affairs, militarily if necessary. After the Cuban revolution of 1959 relations deteriorated rapidly leading to the Bay of Pigs venture, the Cuban Missile Crisis and successive US attempts to destabilise the island. The US invaded and occupied Hispaniola (present day Dominican Republic and Haiti) for 19 years (1915-34), subsequently dominating the Haitian economy through aid and loan repayments. The US invaded Haiti again in 1994 and in 2004 were accused by CARICOM of arranging a coup d'état to remove elected Haitian leader Jean-Bertrand Aristide.

In 1965, 23,000 US troops were sent to the Dominican Republic to quash a local uprising against military rule. President Lyndon Johnson had ordered the invasion to stem what he claimed to be a "Communist threat," however the mission appeared ambiguous and was roundly condemned throughout the hemisphere as a return to gunboat diplomacy. In 1983 the US invaded Grenada to remove populist left-wing leader Maurice Bishop. The US maintains a naval military base in Cuba at Guantanamo Bay. The base is one of five unified commands whose "area of responsibility" is Latin America and the Caribbean. The command is headquartered in a Miami, Florida office building.


Historical groupings

Most islands at some point were, or still are, colonies of European nations:

The mostly Spanish-controlled Caribbean in the sixteenth century

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 successfully 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.

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. Guyana participates in West Indies cricket tournaments and many players from Guyana have been in 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

Sources and Further reading

  • Ferguson, James: Far From Paradise. Latin American Bureau, 1990. ISBN 0-906156-54-8 (Good first read, from Columbus to present. Concentrates on slavery, the colonial period, struggles for independence and the rise of US influence. Lots of references.)
  • Rogozinsky, Jan: A Brief History of the Caribbean. Plume, 1999. ISBN 0-452-28193-8 (Thorough history of the Caribbean up to the end of the twentieth century.)
  • Kurlansky, Mark. 1992. A Continent of Islands: Searching for the Caribbean Destiny. Addison-Wesley Publishing. ISBN 0-201-52396-5.

External links

See also

Portal Caribbean Portal


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 [1]
  • 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 [2]
  • Caribbean Association of National Telecommunication Organizations (CANTO), Trinidad and Tobago [3]
  • Caribbean Electric Utility Services Corporation (CARILEC), Saint Lucia [4]
  • Caribbean Hotel Association (CHA), Puerto Rico [5]
  • Caribbean Regional Environmental Programme (CREP), Barbados [6]
  • Caribbean Regional Fisheries Mechanism (CRFM), Belize [7]
  • Caribbean Regional Negotiating Machinery (CRNM), Barbados and Dominican Republic [8]
  • Caribbean Telecommunications Union (CTU), Trinidad and Tobago [9]
  • West Indies Cricket Board, Antigua and Barbuda [10]

University of The West Indies, Jamaica, Barbados, Trinidad and Tobago


Coordinates: 14°31′32″N 75°49′06″W / 14.52556, -75.81833


Credits

New World Encyclopedia writers and editors rewrote and completed the Wikipedia article in accordance with New World Encyclopedia standards. This article abides by terms of the Creative Commons CC-by-sa 3.0 License (CC-by-sa), which may be used and disseminated with proper attribution. Credit is due under the terms of this license that can reference both the New World Encyclopedia contributors and the selfless volunteer contributors of the Wikimedia Foundation. To cite this article click here for a list of acceptable citing formats.The history of earlier contributions by wikipedians is accessible to researchers here:

The history of this article since it was imported to New World Encyclopedia:

Note: Some restrictions may apply to use of individual images which are separately licensed.

  1. Rouse, Irving. The Tainos : Rise and Decline of the People Who Greeted Columbus ISBN 0-300-05696-6.