Short answers, pulled from the story.
The Caribbean region centers on the Caribbean Sea within the North Atlantic Ocean and includes thousands of islands, cays, islets, reefs, and banks. It overlaps significantly with the West Indies and encompasses the Greater Antilles to the north and the Lesser Antilles to the east and south.
Southern Trinidad holds the oldest evidence of human presence at Banwari Trace dating back seven thousand years. Hispaniola shows settlement dates around 3600 BC while Cuba presents consistent dates of 3100 BC and Antigua displays earliest dates of 2000 BC.
Five million African slaves traveled to the Caribbean region with half going to British Caribbean islands. The First Atlantic System involved Portuguese and Spanish traders while the Second Atlantic System emerged by the 17th century dominated by British, French, and Dutch merchants.
Jamaica gained freedom in 1962 followed by Trinidad and Tobago same year while British Guiana became independent in 1966 and Barbados also in 1966. The Bahamas achieved sovereignty in 1973 and Grenada followed in 1974 with Dominica joining in 1978 before St. Lucia and St. Vincent both gained independence in 1979.
UNEP report suggests Caribbean coral reefs might vanish within next twenty years due to population explosion overfishing pollution and global warming. About eight percent of world coral reefs lie within Caribbean waters along with extensive seagrass meadows but rapid decline threatens ecosystem integrity globally.