This article is about the group of islands. For the body of water surrounding them, see Caribbean Sea. For the Indigenous inhabitants of the Caribbean or people of Caribbean descent, see Caribbean people. For other uses, see Caribbean (disambiguation).
Caribbean
Area239,681 km2 (92,541 sq mi)
Density151.5 /km2 (392 /sq mi)
Ethnic groupsAfro-Caribbean
Indo-Caribbean
White-Caribbean
Mixed-Caribbean
Asian-Caribbean
Indigenous Caribbean
DemonymCaribbean, West Indian
TimeUTC−05:00 to UTC−04:00
InternetMultiple
Calling codeMultiple
M 49029 – Caribbean
419 003 – North America Latin America and the Caribbean
019 – Americas
001 – World

The Caribbean[a] is a region in the middle of the Americas centered around the Caribbean Sea in the North Atlantic Ocean, mostly overlapping with the West Indies. Bordered by North America to the north and also the west through Central America, and South America to the south, it comprises numerous islands, cays, islets, reefs, and banks.

It includes the Lucayan Archipelago, Greater Antilles, and Lesser Antilles of the West Indies; the Quintana Roo islands and Belizean islands of the Yucatán Peninsula; and the Bay Islands, Miskito Cays, Archipelago of San Andrés, Providencia, and Santa Catalina, Corn Islands, and San Blas Islands of Central America. It also includes the coastal areas on the continental mainland of the Americas bordering the region from the Yucatán Peninsula in North America through Central America to the Guianas in South America.[1][2]

Overview

Situated largely on the Caribbean plate, the region has thousands of islands, islets, reefs, and cays.[3] Island arcs delineate the northern and eastern edges of the Caribbean Sea:[3] the Greater Antilles in the north and the Lesser Antilles, which includes the Leeward Islands, Windward Islands, and the Leeward Antilles, to the east and south. The nearby northwestern Lucayan Archipelago, comprising The Bahamas and the Turks and Caicos Islands, and the island of Barbados in the Lesser Antilles, are considered to be a part of the Caribbean despite not bordering the Caribbean Sea. All the islands in the Antilles, including the Lucayan Archipelago, form the West Indies, a term often interchangeable with the Caribbean. The archipelago of Bermuda is not part of the Caribbean, as it lies in the Sargasso Sea to the north, but it is an associate member of the Caribbean Community.[4][5]

On the continental mainland of the Americas, the Caribbean coasts of Mexico, Central America, and South America, including the Yucatán Peninsula of Mexico, Bay Islands Department of Honduras, the Mosquitia region, Cartagena and Barranquilla in Colombia, Maracaibo and Cumaná in Venezuela, are considered part of the Caribbean.[6] As with the coastal areas of the mainland, Guyana, Suriname, and French Guiana, even if they do not border the Caribbean Sea, are often completely included within the Caribbean due to their strong political and cultural ties with the region.

Geopolitically, the islands of the Caribbean are often regarded as a subregion of North America, though sometimes they are included in Middle America, or regarded as its own subregion as the Caribbean.[7][8] The Caribbean is sometimes considered alongside Central America as a region.[9]

Generally, the Caribbean region is organized into 33 political entities, including 13 sovereign states, 12 dependencies, 7 overseas territories, and various disputed territories. From 15 December 1954 to 10 October 2010, there was a territory known as the Netherlands Antilles composed of five islands, all of which were Dutch dependencies.[10] From 3 January 1958 to 31 May 1962, there was also a short-lived political union called the British West Indies Federation composed of ten English-speaking Caribbean territories, all of which were then British dependencies.

The modern Caribbean is one of the most ethnically diverse regions on the planet, as a result of European colonization by the Spanish, English, Dutch, and French; the Atlantic slave trade from Africa; indentured servitude from the Indian subcontinent and East Asia; as well as modern immigration from around the world.

Etymology and pronunciation

The region takes its name from the Caribs, an Amerindian ethnic group historically present in the Lesser Antilles and parts of adjacent South America that the Spanish colonists named the region after at the time of the European conquest of the Americas.[11][12]

The two most prevalent pronunciations of "Caribbean" outside the Caribbean are /ˌkærɪˈbiːən/ (KARR-ə-BEE-ən), with the primary stress on the third syllable, and /kəˈrɪbiən/ (kə-RIB-ee-ən), with the stress on the second. Most authorities of the last century preferred the stress on the third syllable.[13] This is the older of the two pronunciations, but the stressed-second-syllable variant has been established for over 75 years.[14][when?] It has been suggested that speakers of British English prefer /ˌkærɪˈbiːən/ (KARR-ə-BEE-ən) while North American speakers more typically use /kəˈrɪbiən/ (kə-RIB-ee-ən),[15] but major American dictionaries and other sources list the stress on the third syllable as more common in American English too.[16][17][18][19] According to the American version of Oxford Online Dictionaries, the stress on the second syllable is becoming more common in UK English and is increasingly considered "by some" to be more up to date and more "correct".[20]

The Oxford Online Dictionaries claim the stress on the second syllable is the most common pronunciation in the Caribbean itself, but according to the Dictionary of Caribbean English Usage, the most common pronunciation in Caribbean English stresses the first syllable instead, /ˈkærɪbiæn/ (KARR-ih-bee-an).[21][20]

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 Africa, slavery, European colonisation and the plantation system.

History

Main article: History of the Caribbean

The oldest evidence of humans in the Caribbean is in southern Trinidad at Banwari Trace, where remains have been found from 7,000 years ago. 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 BC, but the reliability of these finds is questioned. Consistent dates of 3100 BC appear in Cuba. The earliest dates in the Lesser Antilles are from 2000 BC 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 colonization of the islands took place is uncertain, but there is little evidence of one.[citation needed]

DNA studies changed some of the traditional beliefs about pre-Columbian indigenous history. According to National Geographic, "studies confirm that a wave of pottery-making farmers—known as Ceramic Age people—set out in canoes from the northeastern coast of South America starting some 2,500 years ago and island-hopped across the Caribbean. They were not, however, the first colonizers. On many islands they encountered a foraging people who arrived some 6,000 or 7,000 years ago ... The ceramicists, who are related to today's Arawak-speaking peoples, supplanted the earlier foraging inhabitants—presumably through disease or violence—as they settled new islands."[22]

Between 400 BC and 200 BC, 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 AD another group, the Barancoid, entered Trinidad. The Barancoid society collapsed along the Orinoco around 650 AD and another group, the Arauquinoid, expanded into these areas and up the Caribbean chain. Around 1300 AD a new group, the Mayoid, entered Trinidad and remained the dominant culture until Spanish settlement.[citation needed]

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 Puerto Rico and part of Hispaniola; Western Taínos, who occupied the Bahamian archipelago, Cuba, Jamaica, and part of Hispaniola; and the Eastern Taínos, who occupied the northern Lesser Antilles. The southern Lesser Antilles, including Martinique and Trinidad, were inhabited by both Carib-speaking and Arawak-speaking groups.[citation needed]

European contact

See also: Slavery in the British and French Caribbean and Encomienda#Deaths, disease, and accusations of ethnocide or genocide

Christopher Columbus arrived in the Caribbean on the island of Hispaniola in 1492. Soon afterward, both Portuguese and Spanish explorers began claiming territories in Central and South America. These early colonies brought gold to Europe; most specifically England, the Netherlands, and France. These nations hoped to establish profitable colonies in the Caribbean. Colonial rivalries made the Caribbean a battleground for European wars for centuries.[citation needed]

In 1512, after pressure from Dominican friars, the Laws of Burgos were introduced by the Spanish Crown to better protect the rights of the New World natives. The Spanish used a form of slavery called the Encomienda, where slaves would be awarded to the conquistadors, who were charged with protecting and converting their slaves. This had a devastating impact on the population,[23] so starting in 1503, slaves from Africa were imported to the colony. Jamaica was ceded to England by Spain while both Martinique and the western third of Hispaniola were ceded to France.[citation needed]

While early slave traders were Portuguese and Spanish, known as the First Atlantic System, by the 17th century the trade became dominated by British, French, and Dutch merchants. This was known as the Second Atlantic System. 5 million African slaves would be taken to the Caribbean, and around half would be traded to the British Caribbean islands. Slavery was abolished first in the Dutch Empire in 1814. Spain abolished slavery in its empire in 1811, with the exceptions of Cuba, Puerto Rico, and Santo Domingo. Slavery was not abolished in Cuba until 1886.[24] Britain abolished the slave trade in 1807, and slavery proper in 1833.[25] France abolished slavery in its colonies in 1848.[citation needed]

The Caribbean was known for pirates, especially between 1640 and 1680. The term "buccaneer" is often used to describe a pirate operating in this region. The Caribbean region was war-torn throughout much of its colonial history, but the wars were often based in Europe, with only minor battles fought in the Caribbean. Some wars, however, were born of political turmoil in the Caribbean itself.[citation needed]

Decolonisation and modern period

In 1791, a slave rebellion in the French colony of Saint-Domingue led to the establishment in 1804 of Haiti, the first republic in the Caribbean.[26] Neighboring Santo Domingo (now Dominican Republic) would attain its independence on three separate occasions in 1821, 1844 and 1865.[27] Cuba became independent in 1898 following American intervention in the War of Independence during the Spanish-American war. Following the war, Spain's last colony in the Americas, Puerto Rico, became an unincorporated territory of the United States. The U.S also took control of Cuba. The U.S., since the Monroe Doctrine in the 19th century, has excerted a major influence over the Caribbean. The so called Banana Wars in the early 20th century saw the temporary U.S. occupations of Haiti and the Dominican Republic.[28]

Between the 1960s and '80s, most of the British holdings in the Caribbean achieved political independence, starting with Jamaica in 1962, then Trinidad and Tobago (1962), Guyana (1966), Barbados (1966), The Bahamas (1973), Grenada (1974), Dominica (1978), St. Lucia (1979), St. Vincent and the Grenadines (1979), Belize (1981) Antigua and Barbuda (1981), and St. Kitts and Nevis (1983). In case of the Netherlands, the Netherlands Antilles received autonomy status within the Kingdom in 1954, with Aruba receiving its own in 1986 and Curaçao and St. Maarten in 2010. Presently, the United States, Britain, France and the Netherlands still have some Caribbean possessions.[citation needed] During the Cold War, the U.S. would again intervene militarily into Caribbean countries including Cuba, the Dominican Republic and Grenada.[28]

The decline of the export industries meant a need to diversify the economies of the Caribbean territories. The tourism industry started developing in the early 20th century, rapidly developing in the 1960s when regular international flights made vacations affordable and is now a $50 billion industry. Another industry that developed in the early 20th century was offshore banking and financial services, particularly in The Bahamas and the Cayman Islands, as the proximity of the Caribbean islands to North America made them an attractive location for branches of foreign banks seeking to avail themselves of less complicated regulations and lower tax rates.[citation needed]

Geography

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 (which has minor volcanic features), Curaçao, Barbados, Bonaire, the Cayman Islands, Saint Croix, The Bahamas, and Antigua. Others possess rugged towering mountain-ranges like the islands of Saint Martin, Cuba, Hispaniola, Puerto Rico, Jamaica, Dominica, Montserrat, Saba, Sint Eustatius, Saint Kitts, Saint Lucia, Saint Thomas, Saint John, Tortola, Grenada, Saint Vincent, Guadeloupe, Martinique and Trinidad and Tobago.

Definitions of the terms Greater Antilles and Lesser Antilles often vary. As part of the Puerto Rico Bank and the Puerto Rico-Virgin Islands microplate, the Virgin Islands are sometimes included with the Greater Antilles. The term Lesser Antilles is often used to define an island arc that includes Grenada but excludes Trinidad and Tobago and the Leeward Antilles.

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.[29]

The region sits in the line of several major shipping routes with the Panama Canal connecting the western Caribbean Sea with the Pacific Ocean.

Climate

The climate of the area is tropical, varying from tropical rainforest in some areas to tropical monsoon and tropical savanna in others. There are also some locations that are arid climates with considerable drought in some years, and the peaks of mountains tend to have cooler temperate climates.

Rainfall varies with elevation, size and water currents, such as the cool upwellings that keep the ABC islands arid. Warm, moist trade winds blow consistently from the east, creating both rain forest and semi arid climates across the region. The tropical rainforest climates include lowland areas near the Caribbean Sea from Costa Rica north to Belize, as well as the Dominican Republic and Puerto Rico, while the more seasonal dry tropical savanna climates are found in Cuba, northern Colombia and Venezuela, and southern Yucatán, Mexico. Arid climates are found along the extreme northern coast of Venezuela out to the islands including Aruba and Curaçao, as well as the northwestern tip of Yucatán.

While the region generally is sunny much of the year, the wet season from May through November sees more frequent cloud cover (both broken and overcast), while the dry season from December through April is more often clear to mostly sunny. Seasonal rainfall is divided into 'dry' and 'wet' seasons, with the latter six months of the year being wetter than the first half. The air temperature is hot much of the year, varying from 25 to 33 C (77 F to 90 F) between the wet and dry seasons. Seasonally, monthly mean temperatures vary from about 5 C (7 F) in the northern most regions, to less than 3 C in the southernmost areas of the Caribbean.

Hurricane season is from June to November, but they occur more frequently in August and September and more common in the northern islands of the Caribbean. Hurricanes that sometimes batter the region usually strike northward of Grenada and to the west of Barbados. The principal hurricane belt arcs to northwest of the island of Barbados in the Eastern Caribbean. A great example being recent events of Hurricane Irma devastating the island of Saint Martin during the 2017 hurricane season.

Sea surface temperatures change little annually, normally running from 30 °C (87 °F) in the warmest months to 26 °C (76 °F) in the coolest months. The air temperature is warm year round, in the 70s, 80s and 90s, and varies from winter to summer about 2–5 degrees on the southern islands and about a 10–20 degrees difference on the northern islands of the Caribbean. The northern islands, like The Bahamas, Cuba, Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic, may be influenced by continental masses during winter months, such as cold fronts.

Aruba: Latitude 12°N

Puerto Rico: Latitude 18°N

Cuba: at Latitude 22°N

Island groups

Lucayan Archipelago[b]

Greater Antilles

Lesser Antilles

Historical groupings

Main article: History of the Caribbean

All islands at some point were, and a few still are, colonies of European nations; a few are overseas or dependent territories:

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, One Day Internationals and Twenty20 Internationals. The West Indian cricket team includes the South American nation of Guyana, the only former British colony on the mainland of 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 such as Trinidad.

Continental countries with Caribbean coastlines and islands

Biodiversity

The Caribbean islands have one of the world's most diverse ecosystems. The animals, fungi, and plants are Conservation International biodiversity hotspots because of their exceptionally diverse terrestrial and marine ecosystems, ranging from montane cloud forests to tropical rainforest to cactus scrublands. In the Caribbean, the area of forest increased by 55,500 hectares per year in 1990–2000, 64,200 ha per year in 2000–2015 and 14,200 ha per year in 2015–2025.[30]

The region also contains about 8% (by surface area) of the world's coral reefs[31] along with extensive seagrass meadows,[32] often found in the shallow marine waters bordering the region's island and continental coasts.

For the fungi, there is a checklist based on nearly 90,000 records derived from specimens in reference collections, published accounts, and field observations.[33] It includes more than 11,250 species of fungi recorded in the region. The checklist is not exhaustive, and it is likely that the true number of fungal species already known in the Caribbean is higher. The number of fungal species in the Caribbean, including species not yet recorded, is likely far higher, given the generally accepted estimate that only about 7% of all fungi worldwide have been discovered.[34] Estimates have been made for endemic fungal species on some Caribbean islands. For Cuba, 2,200 species of fungi have been tentatively identified as possible endemics of the island;[35] for Puerto Rico, the number is 789;[36] for the Dominican Republic, 699;[37] for Trinidad and Tobago, 407.[38]

Many ecosystems in the Caribbean islands have been affected by deforestation, pollution, and human encroachment. The arrival of the first humans is correlated with extinction of giant owls and dwarf ground sloths.[39] The hotspot contains dozens of highly threatened animals (birds, mammals, and reptiles), fungi, and plants. The threatened animals include the Puerto Rican amazon, two species of solenodon (giant shrews) in Cuba and Hispaniola, and the Cuban crocodile.

The region's coral reefs, which contain about 70 species of hard corals and 500 to 700 species of reef-associated fishes,[40] have undergone rapid decline in ecosystem integrity and are considered vulnerable to global warming and ocean acidification.[41] According to a UNEP report, the Caribbean coral reefs might go extinct in next 20 years due to human population explosion along the coastlines, overfishing, pollution of coastal areas, and global warming.[42]

Some Caribbean islands have terrain that Europeans found suitable for cultivation for agriculture. Tobacco was an important early crop during the colonial era, but was eventually overtaken by sugarcane production as the region's staple crop. Sugar was produced from sugarcane for export to Europe. Cuba and Barbados were historically the largest producers of sugar. The tropical plantation system came to dominate Caribbean settlement. Other islands were found to have terrain unsuited for agriculture, for example Dominica, which remains heavily forested. The islands in the southern Lesser Antilles, Aruba, Bonaire and Curaçao, are extremely arid, making them unsuitable for agriculture, but they have salt pans that were exploited by the Dutch. Sea water was pumped into shallow ponds, producing coarse salt when the water evaporated.[43]

The natural environmental diversity of the Caribbean islands has led to recent growth in eco-tourism. This type of tourism is growing on islands lacking sandy beaches and dense human populations.[44]

Plants and animals

See also: List of invasive marine fish in the Caribbean

Politics

Regionalism

Caribbean societies are very different from other Western societies in terms of size, culture, and degree of mobility of their citizens.[45] The current economic and political problems the states face individually are common to all Caribbean states.[citation needed] Regional development has contributed to attempts to subdue current problems and avoid projected problems. From a political and 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),[46] in Guyana.

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 socialist systems toward more capitalist Westminster-style parliamentary systems. 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".[47] The political systems of the Caribbean states share similar practices.

The influence of regionalism in the Caribbean is often marginalized.[citation needed] Some scholars believe that regionalism cannot 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".[48] These attempts at regionalization reflect the nations' desires to compete in the international economic system.[48]

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."[49] 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. [clarification needed]

United States–European Union trade dispute

See also: Lomé Convention

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, came into effect in 1976.[50] In 1999, the United States under President Bill Clinton launched a challenge in the World Trade Organization against the European Union over Europe's preferential program, known as The World Trade Organization sided in the United States' favour and the beneficial elements of the convention to African, Caribbean and Pacific states have been partially dismantled and replaced by the Cotonou Agreement.[51]

During the US/EU dispute, the United States threatened to impose large tariffs on European Union goods (up to 100%) to pressure Europe to change the agreement with the Caribbean nations in favour of the Cotonou Agreement.[52]

Farmers in the Caribbean have complained of falling profits and rising costs as the Lomé Convention weakens.[53] Some farmers have faced increased pressure to turn toward the cultivation of illegal drugs, which has a higher profit margin and fills the sizable demand for these illegal drugs in North America and Europe.[54][55]

African Union relations

Many Caribbean nations have sought to deepen ties with the continent of Africa. The African Union-bloc has referred to the Caribbean as the potential "Sixth Region" of the African Union.[56] Some Caribbean states have already moved to join Africa institutions including Barbados, Grenada, Guyana, and The Bahamas, which have all become members of the African Export Import Bank.[57] And the Caribbean Development Bank signing a cooperation strategic partnership agreement with the African Development Bank (AfDB)[58] At present Antigua and Barbuda, Barbados, Jamaica, Guyana, and Suriname are at various stages of establishing direct air flights with Africa to boost person-to-person links and boost trade between both regions.

The first inter-regional Africa-Caribbean Community (CARICOM) Summit took place in September 2021. In August 2023 the African Union's African Export–Import Bank officially opened its first Caribbean Community office in Barbados beginning the process of integrating willing Caribbean states as the 6th region of the African Union.AFREXIMBANK opens Caribbean office in Barbados CARICOM Office Of Afreximbank Bank Open For Business In Barbados With US$1.5 Billion Line Of Credit Now Available To CARICOM States.

Caribbean Financial Action Task Force and Association of Caribbean States

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 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.

Bolivarian Alliance

The President of Venezuela, Hugo Chavez launched an economic group called the Bolivarian Alliance for the Americas (ALBA), which several eastern Caribbean islands joined.

List of countries and territories

Main article: List of Caribbean islands
See also: Caribbean South America and West Indies
FlagCountry or territory[59][60][61]SovereigntyStatusArea
(km2)[62]		Population
( est.)		Density
(people per km2)		Capital
AnguillaUnited KingdomOverseas territory164.8The Valley
Antigua and BarbudaIndependentConstitutional monarchy199.1St. John's
ArubaKingdom of the NetherlandsConstituent kingdom594.4Oranjestad
The Bahamas[63]IndependentConstitutional monarchy24.5Nassau
BarbadosIndependentRepublic595.3Bridgetown
Bay Islands DepartmentHondurasDepartment480Coxen Hole
Coastal areas of BelizeIndependentConstitutional monarchy17.79Belmopan
Bermuda[c][4][5]United KingdomOverseas territory[d]Hamilton
BonaireKingdom of the NetherlandsSpecial Municipality[64]41.1Kralendijk
British Virgin IslandsUnited KingdomOverseas territory152.3Road Town
Cayman IslandsUnited KingdomOverseas territory212.1George Town
Caribbean coastal areas of ColombiaIndependentRepublic46.15Bogotá
CubaIndependentRepublic102.0Havana
CuraçaoKingdom of the NetherlandsConstituent kingdom317.1Willemstad
DominicaIndependentRepublic89.2Roseau
Dominican RepublicIndependentRepublic207.3Santo Domingo
Federal Dependencies of VenezuelaVenezuelaDependency6.3Gran Roque
Coastal areas of French GuianaFranceOverseas department3.6Cayenne
GrenadaIndependentConstitutional monarchy302.3St. George's
GuadeloupeFranceOverseas department246.7Basse-Terre
Coastal areas of GuyanaIndependentRepublic3.502Georgetown
HaitiIndependentRepublic361.5Port-au-Prince
JamaicaIndependentConstitutional monarchy247.4Kingston
Limón ProvinceCosta RicaRepublic51.19Limón
MartiniqueFranceOverseas department352.6Fort-de-France
MontserratUnited KingdomOverseas territory58.8Plymouth (Brades)[65]
Navassa IslandUnited States/HaitiTerritory (uninhabited)0.0n/a
North Caribbean Coast Autonomous RegionNicaraguaRepublic17.01Puerto Cabezas
Nueva EspartaVenezuelaDependency427.5La Asunción
Coastal areas of PanamaIndependentRepublic150Panama City
Puerto RicoUnited StatesCommonwealth448.9San Juan
Quintana RooMexicoState42Chetumal
SabaNetherlandsSpecial municipality[64]118.2The Bottom
San Andrés and ProvidenciaColombiaDepartmentSan Andrés
Saint BarthélemyFranceOverseas collectivity354.7Gustavia
Saint Kitts and NevisIndependentConstitutional monarchy199.2Basseterre
Saint LuciaIndependentConstitutional monarchy319.1Castries
Saint MartinFranceOverseas collectivity552.2Marigot
Saint Vincent and the GrenadinesIndependentConstitutional monarchy280.2Kingstown
Sint EustatiusNetherlandsSpecial municipality[64]130.4Oranjestad
Sint MaartenKingdom of the NetherlandsConstituent kingdomPhilipsburg
South Caribbean Coast Autonomous RegionNicaraguaRepublic15.93Bluefields
Coastal areas of SurinameIndependentRepublic3.9Paramaribo
Trinidad and TobagoIndependentRepublic271.2Port of Spain
Turks and Caicos Islands[66]United KingdomOverseas territory34.8Cockburn Town
United States Virgin IslandsUnited StatesTerritory317.0Charlotte Amalie
Coastal areas of VenezuelaIndependentRepublic32Caracas
Total44,636,789189.4

Demographics

Life expectancy

Main article: List of countries in the Americas by life expectancy

Life expectancy in some countries of the Caribbean in 2023, according to estimation of the World Bank Group:[67][68][69]

Countries and
territories		2023Historical datarecovery from
COVID-19:
2019→2023
AllMaleFemaleSex gap20142014
→2019		20192019
→2020		20202020
→2021		20212021
→2022		20222022
→2023		2023
81.6978.0385.247.2180.041.4081.44−1.4380.01−0.2479.77−0.3479.432.2681.690.25
80.5277.3083.906.6078.870.8079.670.1579.820.2580.070.2580.320.2080.520.85
80.3677.9882.874.8977.861.1979.050.1879.230.0779.300.6879.980.3780.361.31
80.2276.7783.847.0779.730.3580.080.0180.080.1280.210.0380.24−0.0180.220.15
78.0875.6780.524.8577.83−0.4177.41−0.0177.41−4.2173.204.4377.630.4678.080.67
78.0175.8380.304.4777.210.4877.69−0.1977.50−0.2777.230.6877.920.0978.010.32
77.6074.5580.295.7476.910.2677.17−0.0177.160.0477.200.2977.480.1177.600.43
77.2874.5380.055.5276.530.3276.840.0576.89−1.6075.301.8877.180.1077.280.43
76.8072.4680.828.3776.380.1176.490.0176.50−0.8175.691.0476.730.0776.800.31
76.3773.7079.535.8375.73−0.0575.68−0.6875.00−0.5074.501.6876.180.1976.370.69
76.3573.7078.785.0875.260.7676.02−0.6175.41−1.7573.662.5776.230.1376.350.33
76.1873.6378.614.9875.930.5776.500.1576.65−0.0776.58−0.9075.680.5076.18−0.32
75.2072.3678.365.9975.05−0.0774.970.0575.02−0.5074.520.6375.150.0575.200.23
74.5570.9178.197.2874.03−2.6271.411.5972.99−2.2470.753.7474.490.0674.553.14
73.7270.5376.976.4473.14−0.0373.11−0.4872.64−0.8871.762.4574.21−0.4973.720.61
73.4970.3876.686.3172.90−0.0672.84−0.1972.64−1.5371.112.2273.330.1673.490.65
World73.3370.9575.844.8971.781.0972.87−0.6872.18−0.9771.221.7572.970.3673.330.46
Caribbean small states73.0369.8276.366.5471.260.5671.82−0.1971.63−2.2369.403.2172.610.4273.031.22
72.7069.3176.306.9972.68−0.4372.250.0672.31−3.1969.123.5572.670.0372.700.45
72.1468.5776.027.4571.230.3171.54−0.3671.18−1.9169.271.0470.311.8372.140.60
71.4868.9773.995.0272.36−0.8371.53−0.0871.45−2.3769.082.4071.480.0071.48−0.05
71.2368.6674.315.6570.360.6470.99−1.3969.61−0.4769.132.0671.190.0471.230.24
71.1368.2174.556.3371.190.1271.31−0.0471.27−1.4469.831.2571.080.0571.13−0.17
64.9461.7368.306.5762.971.3664.33−0.5563.77−1.1662.611.3463.950.9964.940.61

Indigenous groups

Main article: Indigenous peoples of the Caribbean

At the time of European contact, the dominant ethnic groups in the Caribbean included the Taíno of the Greater Antilles and northern Lesser Antilles, the Island Caribs of the southern Lesser Antilles, and smaller distinct groups such as the Guanajatabey of western Cuba and the Ciguayo of eastern Hispaniola. The population of the Caribbean is estimated to have been about 750,000 before European contact. After contact, social disruption and epidemic diseases such as smallpox and measles (to which they had no natural immunity)[70] led to a decline in the Amerindian population,[71][72] such as the Kongo, Igbo, Akan, Fon, and Yoruba, as well as military prisoners from Ireland, who were deported during the Cromwellian reign in England.[citation needed] Immigrants from Britain, Italy, France, Spain, the Netherlands, Portugal, and Denmark also arrived, although the mortality rate was high for both groups.[73]

The population is estimated to have reached 2.2 million by 1800.[74] Immigrants from India, China, Indonesia, and other countries arrived in the mid-19th century as indentured servants.[75] After the Atlantic slave trade ended, the population increased naturally.[76] The regional population was estimated at 37.5 million by 2000.[77]

In Haiti and most of the French, Anglophone and Dutch Caribbean, the population is predominantly of African origin; on many of the islands/nations there are also significant populations of mixed racial origin (including Mulatto-Creole, Dougla, Mestizo, Quadroon, Cholo, Castizo, Criollo, Zambo, Pardo, Chindian, Cocoa panyols, and Eurasian). On the Cayman Islands, Aruba and Belize mixed-race people form the majority of the population. There are also populations of European ancestry; English, French, Dutch, Italian, Portuguese and Spanish ancestry. Asians, especially those of Chinese, Indian descent, and Javanese Indonesians, form a significant minority in parts of the region. Indians form a plurality of the population in Trinidad and Tobago, Guyana, and Suriname. Most of their ancestors arrived in the 19th century as indentured laborers.

The Spanish-speaking Caribbean populations are primarily of European, African, or racially mixed origins. Cuba has a European majority, along with a significant population of African ancestry. Puerto Rico has a mixed race majority with a mixture of European-African-Native American (tri-racial), and a large White and West African (black) minority. The Dominican Republic has the largest mixed-race population, primarily descended from Europeans, West Africans, and Amerindians.

The majority of Jamaica is of West African origin, in addition to a significant population of mixed racial background and minorities of Chinese, Europeans, Indians, Indigenous, Jews, and Arabs. This is a result of years of importation of slaves and indentured laborers, and migration. Most multi-racial Jamaicans call themselves either mixed-race or brown. Similar populations can be found in the Caricom states of Belize, Guyana, Suriname and Trinidad and Tobago. Trinidad and Tobago has a multiracial cosmopolitan society due to the arrivals of Africans, Indians, Chinese, Arabs and Europeans along with the native indigenous Amerindians population. This multiracial mix has created sub-ethnicities that often straddle the boundaries of major ethnicities, such as the Mulatto-Creole, Mestizo, Pardo, Zambo, Dougla, Chindian, Afro-Asians, Eurasian, and Cocoa panyols.

Language

Main article: Languages of the Caribbean

Spanish (64%), French (25%), English (14%), Dutch, Haitian Creole, and Papiamento are the predominant official languages of various countries in the region. Almost every Caribbean country has a distinct creole language or dialect that serves as its vernacular language. Most of these do not have official status, with the aforementioned Haitian Creole and Papiamento as notable exceptions. Other languages such as Caribbean Hindustani, Chinese, Javanese, Arabic, Hmong, Amerindian languages, other African languages, other European languages, and other Indian languages like Telugu are also spoken.

Religion

See also: Religion in the Caribbean

Christianity is the predominant religion in the Caribbean (84.7%).[78] Other religions in the region are Hinduism, Islam, Judaism, Rastafari, Buddhism, Chinese folk religion (incl. Taoism and Confucianism), Baháʼí, Jainism, Sikhism, Kebatinan, Traditional African religions, Yoruba (incl. Trinidad Orisha), Afro-American religions, (incl. Santería, Palo, Umbanda, Brujería, Hoodoo, Candomblé, Quimbanda, Orisha, Xangô de Recife, Xangô do Nordeste, Comfa, Espiritismo, Santo Daime, Obeah, Abakuá, Kumina, Winti, Sanse, Cuban Vodú, Dominican Vudú, Louisiana Voodoo, Haitian Vodou, and Vodun).

Culture

Main article: Culture of the Caribbean

Cuisine

Main article: Caribbean cuisine

Favourite or national dishes

Major sights and landmarks in the region

Regional institutions

Here are some of the bodies that several islands share in collaboration:

See also

Geography:

Notes

  1. ^ Pronounced /ˌkærɪˈbiːən,_kəˈrɪbiən/ KARR-ih-BEE-ən-,_-kə-RIB-ee-ən, /ˈkærɪbiæn/ KARR-ih-bee-an;[21] Spanish: el Caribe; French: les Caraïbes; Dutch: de Caraïben.
  2. ^ The Lucayan Archipelago is excluded from some definitions of "Caribbean" and instead classified as Atlantic; this is primarily a geological rather than cultural or environmental distinction.
  3. ^ Bermuda is an associate member of the Caribbean Community.
  4. ^ 2019 estimate

References

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Bibliography

  • Engerman, Stanley L. "A Population History of the Caribbean", pp. 483–528 in A Population History of North America Michael R. Haines and Richard Hall Steckel (Eds.), Cambridge University Press, 2000, ISBN 0-521-49666-7.
  • Hillman, Richard S., and Thomas J. D'agostino, eds. Understanding the Contemporary Caribbean, London: Lynne Rienner, 2003 ISBN 1-58826-663-X.

Further reading

  • Develtere, Patrick R. 1994. "Co-operation and development: With special reference to the experience of the Commonwealth Caribbean" ACCO, ISBN 90-334-3181-5
  • Gowricharn, Ruben, ed. Caribbean Transnationalism: Migration, Pluralization, and Social Cohesion. Lanham, Maryland: Lexington Books, 2006. ISBN 978-0-7391-1167-3
  • Henke, Holger, and Fred Reno, eds. Modern Political Culture in the Caribbean. Kingston: University of West Indies Press, 2003. ISBN 976-640-135-7
  • Heuman, Gad. Brief Histories: The Caribbean. London: Hodder Arnold, 2006. ISBN 9780340763636
  • de Kadt, Emanuel, (editor). Patterns of foreign influence in the Caribbean, Oxford University Press, 1972. ISBN 0-19-214988-1
  • Knight, Franklin W. and Colin A. Palmer, eds. The Modern Caribbean (The University of North Carolina Press, 1989). ISBN 0-8078-1825-9
  • Kurlansky, Mark. 1992. A Continent of Islands: Searching for the Caribbean Destiny. Addison-Wesley Publishing. ISBN 0-201-52396-5
  • Langley, Lester D. The United States and the Caribbean in the Twentieth Century. London: University of Georgia Press, 4th edition, 1989. ISBN 0-8203-1153-7
  • Maingot, Anthony P. The United States and the Caribbean: Challenges of an Asymmetrical Relationship. Westview Press, 1994. ISBN 0-8133-2242-1
  • Palmié, Stephan, and Francisco A. Scarano, eds. The Caribbean: A History of the Region and Its Peoples (University of Chicago Press; 2011); 660 pp.; writings on the region since the pre-Columbian era. ISBN 978-0-226-64506-3
  • Ramnarine, Tina K. Beautiful Cosmos: Performance and Belonging in the Caribbean Diaspora. London: Pluto Press, 2007. ISBN 978-0-7453-1767-0
  • Rowntree, Lester, Martin Lewis, Marie Price, William Wyckoff. Diversity Amid Globalization: World Regions, Environment, Development, Upper Saddle River, New Jersey: Pearson Prentice Hall, 4th edition, 2009. ISBN 978-0-13-600554-4