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The Caribbean (Dutch: Cariben or Caraïben, or more commonly Antillen; French: Caraïbe or more commonly Antilles; Spanish: Caribe) 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 North 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. 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.

The Caribbean islands are an island chain 2,500 miles (4,020 km) long and no more than 160 miles (257 km) wide at any given point. They enclose the Caribbean Sea.^[1]

In the English-speaking Caribbean, someone from the Caribbean is usually referred to as a "West Indian," although the phrase "Caribbean person" is sometimes used.

Contents 1 Geography and climate 2 Biodiversity 3 Historical groupings 4 Present-day island territories 5 Continental countries with Caribbean coastlines and islands 6 Indigenous tribes 7 Political Economic Regionalism 8 Regional institutions 9 See also 10 Footnotes 11 Political Economics Footnotes 12 Further reading

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, Bahamas, Barbados, Bonaire, the Cayman Islands or Antigua. Others possess rugged towering mountain-ranges like the islands of Cuba, the Virgin Islands, Dominica, Hispaniola, Jamaica, Montserrat, Puerto Rico, Saba, Saint Kitts, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines and Trinidad and Tobago.

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 to host 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.

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 contains dozens of highly-threatened species, ranging from birds, to mammals and reptiles. Popular examples include the Puerto Rican Amazon, two species of solenodon (giant shrews) in Cuba and Hispaniola (Haiti and the Dominican Republic), as well as the Cuban crocodile. The hotspot is also remarkable for the diminutive nature of much of its fauna.

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:

• British West Indies/Anglophone Caribbean – Anguilla, Antigua and Barbuda, Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Bay Islands, British Virgin Islands, Cayman Islands, Dominica, Grenada, Guyana, Jamaica, Montserrat, Saint Croix (briefly), Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Trinidad and Tobago (from 1797) and the Turks and Caicos Islands
• Danish West Indies – present-day United States Virgin Islands
• Dutch West Indies – present-day Netherlands Antilles and Aruba, Virgin Islands, Saint Croix (briefly), Tobago and Bay Islands (briefly)
• French West Indies – Anguilla (briefly), Antigua and Barbuda (briefly), Dominica, Dominican Republic (briefly), Grenada, Haiti, Montserrat (briefly), Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Sint Eustatius (briefly), St Kitts (briefly), Tobago (briefly), Saint Croix, the current French overseas départements of Martinique and Guadeloupe (including Marie-Galante, La Désirade and Les Saintes), and the current French overseas collectivities of Saint Barthelemy and Saint Martin.
• Portuguese West Indies – present-day Barbados, known as Los Barbados in the 1500s when the Portuguese claimed the island en route to Brazil. The Portuguese left Barbados abandoned in 1533, nearly a century prior to the British arrival to the island.
• Spanish West Indies – Cuba, Hispaniola (present-day Dominican Republic, and until 1609, Haiti), Puerto Rico, Jamaica (until 1655), the Cayman Islands, Trinidad (until 1797) and Bay Islands (until 1643)
• Swedish West Indies – present-day French Saint-Barthélemy and Guadeloupe (briefly).

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 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.

Main article: List of islands in the Caribbean

See also: Caribbean South America and Caribbean basin

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. Nicaragua's Caribbean Coast, often referred to as the Mosquito Coast was also a former British colony and maintains many cultural ties to the Caribbean distinct to the Pacific coast. Guyana participates in West Indies cricket tournaments and many players from Guyana have been on the West Indies Test cricket team. The Turneffe Islands (and many other islands and reefs) are part of Belize and lie in the Caribbean Sea. The nation of Suriname, on the mainland of South America, is a former Dutch colony and also a member of CARICOM. Though not within the traditional boundaries, Miami is often considered the economic capital of the Caribbean region.

• Arawak
• Kalinago
• Ciboney
• Galibi
• Garifuna
• Igneri
• Lucayan
• Taino
• Ciguayo
• Macorix

Aruba	Anguilla	Barbados	Bonaire
British Virgin Islands	Dominica	Rastaman from Jamaica	Montserrat

Caribbean societies are very different from other western societies in terms of size, culture, and degree of mobility of their citizens.[1] The current economic and political problems that the states of the Caribbean face individually are common to all Caribbean states. Regional development has contributed in attempts to halt current problems and avoided projected problems. Regionalism in the Caribbean from a political economic perspective is an attempt to portray Caribbean states as active participants in current international affairs through collective coalitions. In 1973, the first true orientation of regionalism in the Caribbean Basin was created on the advances of the English-speaking Caribbean nations through the institutional vehicle known as the Caribbean Common Market and Community (CARICOM).[2] Certain scholars have argued both for and against generalizing the political structures of the Caribbean. On the one hand the Caribbean states are politically diverse, ranging from communist systems like Cuba to Westminster-style parliamentary systems like in the Commonwealth Caribbean. Other scholars argue that these differences are superficial, and that they tend to undermine commonalities in the various Caribbean states. Contemporary Caribbean systems seem to therefore 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.”[3] The political systems of the Caribbean states share similar practices. The influence of regionalism in the Caribbean is often marginalized. Some scholars believe that regionalism could not exist in the Caribbean because each small state is very unique. On the other hand, scholars also suggest that there are commonalities amongst the Caribbean nations which would suggest that regionalism exists. “Proximity as well as historical ties among the Caribbean nations has led to cooperation as well as a desire for collective action.”[4] These general attempts at regionalization owe a great deal to where the Caribbean stands in the international system and a desire to reposition itself to compete in the international economic system.[5] Furthermore, a lack of interest from the 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.”[6] The lack of international support for the Caribbean which was comprised of small, relatively poor states, helped regionalism prospers through the creation of regional associations. One of the most important associations that deal with regionalism amongst the nations of the Caribbean Basin is the Association of Caribbean States. Proposed by CARICOM in 1992, the ACS soon won the support of the other countries of the region and in July of 1994, the association came into existence. The ACS is concerned with attempting to maintain regionalism within the Caribbean on issues which are unique to the Caribbean Basin. Through coalition building, like the ACS and CARICOM, regionalism has become an undeniable part of the politics and economics of the Caribbean. The successes of region building initiatives are still debated by scholars, yet regionalism remains prevalent throughout the Caribbean.

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

• African diaspora
• Americas (terminology)
• British Afro-Caribbean community
• Caribbean English
• Tourism in Caribbean
• CONCACAF
• Council on Hemispheric Affairs
• History of the Caribbean
• Indo-Caribbean
• Islands of the Caribbean
• Latin American and Caribbean Congress in Solidarity with Puerto Rico’s Independence
• 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 Caribbean-related topics

[1] Gowricharn, Ruben. Caribbean Transnationalism: Migraton, Pluralization, and Social Cohesion. Lanham: Lexington Books, 2006. pp. 5

[2] Hillman, Richard S., and Thomas J. D'agostino, eds. Understanding the Contemporary Caribbean. London: Lynne Rienner, 2003. pp. 150

[3] Hillman, Richard S., and Thomas J. D'agostino, eds. Understanding the Contemporary Caribbean. London: Lynne Rienner, 2003. pp. 165

[4] Serbin, Andres. "Towards an Association of Caribbean States: Raising Some Awkward Questions." Journal of Interamerican Studies and World Affairs (2004): pp. 1

[5] Serbin, Andres. "Towards an Association of Caribbean States: Raising Some Awkward Questions." Journal of Interamerican Studies and World Affairs (2004): pp. 1

[6] Hillman, Richard S., and Thomas J. D'agostino, eds. Understanding the Contemporary Caribbean. London: Lynne Rienner, 2003. pp. 123

• de Kadt, Emanuel, (editor). Patterns of foreign influence in the Caribbean, London, New York, published for the Royal Institute of International Affairs by Oxford University Press, 1972.
• Kurlansky, Mark. 1992. A Continent of Islands: Searching for the Caribbean Destiny. Addison-Wesley Publishing. ISBN 0-201-52396-5.
• Digital Library of the Caribbean
• Eastern Caribbean Islands
• Develtere. Patrick, 1994. "Cooperation and Development, with special reference to the Commonwealth Caribbean" ACCO, Leuven, ISBN 90-334-3181-5
• Gowricharn, Ruben. Caribbean Transnationalism: Migraton, Pluralization, and Social Cohesion. Lanham: Lexington Books, 2006.
• Henke, Holger, and Fred Reno, eds. Modern Political Culture in the Caribbean. Kingston: University of West Indies P, 2003.
• Heuman, Gad. The Caribbean: Brief Histories. London: A Hodder Arnold Publication, 2006
• Hillman, Richard S., and Thomas J. D'agostino, eds. Understanding the Contemporary Caribbean. London: Lynne Rienner, 2003.
• Knight, Franklin W.. The Modern Caribbean. na: The University of North Carolina Press, 1989.
• Langley, Lester D. The United States and the Caribbean in the Twentieth Century. London: University of Georgia P, 1989.
• Maingot, Anthony P. The United States and the Caribbean: Challenges of an Asymmetrical Relationship. San Francisco: Westview P, 1994.
• Serbin, Andres. "Towards an Association of Caribbean States: Raising Some Awkward Questions." Journal of Interamerican Studies and World Affairs (2004): 1-19. (This scholar has many articles referencing the politics of the Caribbean)

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