Caribbean
The Caribbean region centers on the Caribbean Sea within the North Atlantic Ocean. It overlaps significantly with the West Indies and includes thousands of islands, cays, islets, reefs, and banks. The Greater Antilles form the northern edge while the Lesser Antilles define the eastern and southern boundaries. These island arcs include the Leeward Islands, Windward Islands, and Leeward Antilles. The Lucayan Archipelago contains The Bahamas and the Turks and Caicos Islands. Barbados sits in the Lesser Antilles but does not border the Caribbean Sea directly. Coastal areas stretch from the Yucatán Peninsula through Central America to the Guianas. Mexico, Honduras, Colombia, Venezuela, Guyana, Suriname, and French Guiana all have Caribbean coastlines or territories. Geopolitically these islands often count as a subregion of North America though some authorities place them elsewhere. Thirty-three political entities exist today including thirteen sovereign states and twelve dependencies. The Netherlands Antilles existed from 1954 until its dissolution in 2010. A short-lived British West Indies Federation operated between 1958 and 1962.
Southern Trinidad holds the oldest evidence of human presence at Banwari Trace dating back seven thousand years. These pre-ceramic sites belong to the Archaic age known as Ortoiroid. Hispaniola shows settlement dates around 3600 BC though reliability remains questioned. Cuba presents consistent dates of 3100 BC while Antigua displays earliest dates of 2000 BC. Ceramic Age people began island-hopping from northeastern South America approximately two thousand five hundred years ago. They traveled in canoes across the Caribbean waters. Earlier foraging groups arrived six thousand or seven thousand years prior. Archaeological DNA studies suggest ceramicists supplanted earlier inhabitants through disease or violence. Saladoid culture entered Trinidad from South America between 400 BC and 200 BC. Barancoid society collapsed along the Orinoco River around 650 AD. Arauquinoid expanded into these areas afterward. Mayoid group entered Trinidad around 1300 AD remaining dominant until Spanish arrival. Three major indigenous peoples inhabited the islands during European contact. Taíno occupied Greater Antilles, The Bahamas, and Leeward Islands. Island Caribs and Galibi lived in Windward Islands. Ciboney resided in western Cuba. Classic Taínos held Puerto Rico and part of Hispaniola. Western Taínos controlled Bahamian archipelago, Cuba, Jamaica, and part of Hispaniola. Eastern Taínos occupied northern Lesser Antilles.
Christopher Columbus reached Hispaniola and Martinica soon after Portuguese and Spanish explorers claimed territories. Early colonies brought gold to England, Netherlands, and France. Colonial rivalries made the Caribbean a cockpit for European wars lasting centuries. Enslavement began with brutal treatment of indigenous peoples including children. Dominican friars pressured the Spanish Crown to introduce Laws of Burgos in 1512. The Encomienda system awarded slaves to conquistadors who were charged with protection and conversion. Population decline forced importation of African slaves starting in 1503. Five million African slaves traveled to the Caribbean region. Half went to British Caribbean islands. First Atlantic System involved Portuguese and Spanish traders. Second Atlantic System dominated by British, French, and Dutch merchants emerged by the 17th century. Slavery abolished first in Dutch Empire in 1814. Spain ended slavery in its empire in 1811 excepting Cuba, Puerto Rico, and Santo Domingo. Cuba maintained slavery until 1886. Britain abolished slave trade in 1807 and slavery proper in 1833. France eliminated slavery in colonies in 1848. Pirates known as buccaneers operated between 1640 and 1680. Slave rebellion in Saint-Domingue led to Haiti establishing independence in 1804. Neighboring Santo Domingo attained independence three times: 1821, 1844, and 1865. Cuba gained independence following American intervention in 1898. Puerto Rico became unincorporated territory of United States after war.
Most British holdings achieved political independence between 1960s and 1980s. Jamaica gained freedom in 1962 followed by Trinidad and Tobago same year. British Guiana became independent in 1966 while Barbados did so also in 1966. The Bahamas achieved sovereignty in 1973. Grenada followed in 1974 with Dominica joining in 1978. St. Lucia and St. Vincent both gained independence in 1979. Antigua and Barbuda separated in 1981. St. Kitts and Nevis completed the wave in 1983. Netherlands granted autonomy status to Netherlands Antilles in 1954. Aruba received own status in 1986. Curacao and St. Maarten gained autonomy in 2010. Tourism industry developed rapidly in 1960s when international flights made vacations affordable. Current tourism generates fifty billion dollars annually. Offshore banking emerged early 20th century particularly in The Bahamas and Cayman Islands. Proximity to North America attracted foreign banks seeking simpler regulations and lower tax rates. United States conducted military operations for at least one hundred years. Guantanamo Bay area remains occupied by US forces. Monroe Doctrine established major American influence over most Caribbean nations. Banana Wars extended this influence during early 20th century. Platt Amendment signed 1901 ensured right to interfere in Cuban affairs militarily. Cuban Revolution of 1959 deteriorated relations leading to Bay of Pigs Invasion. Cuban Missile Crisis occurred shortly after. US invaded Hispaniola for nineteen years from 1915 to 1934. Haitian economy dominated through aid and loan repayments. US invaded Haiti again in 1994. CARICOM accused US of arranging 2004 coup removing Jean-Bertrand Aristide. Twenty-three thousand troops sent to Dominican Republic in 1965 to quash uprising against military rule. Lyndon Johnson ordered invasion citing Communist threat. Grenada invaded in 1983 to remove Maurice Bishop.
Caribbean islands host diverse ecosystems classified as biodiversity hotspots by Conservation International. Montane cloud forests, tropical rainforests, and cactus scrublands exist throughout region. About eight percent of world coral reefs lie within Caribbean waters along with extensive seagrass meadows. Fungi checklist includes more than eleven thousand two hundred fifty species recorded from region. Cuba holds twenty-two hundred fungal species tentatively identified as endemics. Puerto Rico contains seven hundred eighty-nine species while Dominican Republic has six hundred ninety-nine. Trinidad and Tobago possess four hundred seven species. Giant owls and dwarf ground sloths went extinct correlating with first human arrival. Dozens of highly threatened animals include Puerto Rican amazon solenodon species Cuban crocodile. Seventy hard coral species inhabit reefs alongside five hundred to seven hundred reef-associated fish species. Rapid decline in ecosystem integrity threatens coral reefs globally. UNEP report suggests Caribbean coral reefs might vanish within next twenty years due to population explosion overfishing pollution and global warming. Tropical climate varies from rainforest to monsoon and savanna types. Some locations feature arid climates with considerable drought during certain years. Mountain peaks hold cooler temperate climates. Rainfall changes based on elevation size and water currents like cool upwellings keeping ABC islands dry. Warm moist trade winds blow consistently from east creating both rain forest and semi-arid conditions. Wet season runs May through November bringing frequent cloud cover. Dry season December through April offers clearer skies. Air temperature stays hot year round varying between 25 and 33 degrees Celsius. Hurricane season spans June to November occurring more frequently August and September. Principal hurricane belt arcs northwest of Barbados. Hurricane Irma devastated Saint Martin during 2017 season. Sea surface temperatures run thirty degrees Celsius warmest months to twenty-six degrees coolest.
Dominant ethnic groups at European contact included Taíno Island Caribs and smaller distinct groups like Guanajatabey and Ciguayo. Population estimated around seven hundred fifty thousand immediately before European arrival. Social disruption and epidemic diseases caused Amerindian population decline. Kongo Igbo Akan Fon and Yoruba people arrived as slaves alongside military prisoners from Ireland deported during Cromwellian reign. Immigrants from Britain Italy France Spain Netherlands Portugal and Denmark also came though mortality rates remained high. Population reached two point two million by 1800. Mid-19th century saw immigrants from India China Indonesia arrive as indentured servants. Total regional population reached thirty-seven point five million by 2000. Haiti and most French Anglophone Dutch Caribbean populations predominantly African origin. Many islands feature significant mixed racial populations including Mulatto-Creole Dougla Mestizo Quadroon Cholo Castizo Criollo Zambo Pardo Chindian Cocoa panyols Eurasian. Cayman Islands Aruba Belize majority mixed-race people. European ancestry includes English French Dutch Italian Portuguese Spanish. Asians especially Chinese Indian Javanese Indonesians form significant minority parts region. Indians plurality Trinidad Tobago Guyana Suriname. Most ancestors arrived nineteenth century as indentured laborers. Spanish-speaking Caribbean primarily European African or racially mixed origins. Cuba has European majority plus significant African ancestry. Puerto Rico mixed race majority tri-racial mixture large White West African minority. Dominican Republic largest mixed-race population descended Europeans West Africans Amerindians. Jamaica majority West African origin plus significant mixed background minorities Chinese Europeans Indians Indigenous Jews Arabs. Multi-racial Jamaicans refer self either mixed race brown. Similar populations found Caricom states Belize Guyana Suriname Trinidad Tobago. Trinidad Tobago multi-racial cosmopolitan society due arrivals Africans Indians Chinese Arabs Europeans native indigenous Amerindians. Sub-ethnicities straddle boundaries major ethnicities include Mulatto-Creole Mestizo Pardo Zambo Dougla Chindian Afro-Asians Eurasian Cocoa panyols.
Common questions
What is the Caribbean region and which islands does it include?
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.
When did human settlement begin in the Caribbean region?
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.
How many African slaves traveled to the Caribbean region during the Atlantic trade systems?
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.
Which Caribbean countries gained independence between 1960 and 1983?
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.
What is the current status of coral reefs in the Caribbean region according to UNEP reports?
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.