Caribbean

The Caribbean is a region located in the Caribbean Sea. Thousands of islands, reefs, and cays exist in the region, including many island nations. The countries of the Caribbean are divided into two general categories: the Greater Antilles and the Lesser Antilles. The Greater Antilles is the grouping of larger islands in the Caribbean, and includes the Cayman Islands, Cuba, the Dominican Republic and Haiti (commonly grouped together as Hispaniola), Jamaica, and Puerto Rico. Together, the islands of the Greater Antilles make up about 90 percent of the total land area of the Caribbean islands, and are home to the great majority of the region’s population.

The Lesser Antilles is a smaller grouping of islands that form an arc in the southeastern portion of the Caribbean Sea. The Lesser Antilles can be further divided into three groupings. The first group is the Leeward Islands to the north, and includes Anguilla; Antigua and Barbuda; the British Virgin Islands (Anegaga, Jost Van Dyke, Virgin Gorda, and Tortola); Saba; Saint Martin; Sint Eustatius; Saint Barthélemy; Saint Kitts and Nevis; Guadeloupe; Montserrat; and the US Virgin Islands (Saint Croix, Saint John, Saint Thomas, and Water Island). The second group is the Windward Islands to the south, and includes Dominica; Grenada; Barbados; Martinique; Saint Lucia; Saint Vincent and the Grenadines; and Trinidad and Tobago. The third group is the Leeward Antilles to the west, and includes Aruba, Bonaire, and Curaçao. The Lesser Antilles islands are also sometimes grouped with the islands of the Lucayan Archipelago, which includes the Bahamas, Turks, and Caicos. Together, this region is often referred to as the West Indies.

The Gulf of Mexico and the North American continent border the Caribbean to the north. The Caribbean is located to the east of Central America and to the north of the South American continent. The region covers over one million square miles in total area, with about 92,000 square miles of total land area, according to CIA’s World Factbook figures. The Population Reference Bureau (PRB) gave the population of the Caribbean in 2022 as approximately 44 million people. Haiti is the Caribbean’s most populous country, with approximately 11.18 million people, according to PRB’s 2023 estimates. Cuba is the region’s largest country, covering nearly 41,000 square miles in area. Cuba and the Dominican Republic make up most of the rest of the area and population.

Many of the Caribbean islands have had varied political ownership throughout history. Some of the islands are completely independent countries, while some are still considered dependencies or territories of other nations. The United States, the United Kingdom, France, and the Netherlands still have territories in the region.

Historical Perspective

Before Christopher Columbus and other European explorers arrived in the region, indigenous groups inhabited the Caribbean islands, including the Taíno, Island Caribs, Guanajatabey, and Ciguayo people. The total estimated population at this time was around 900,000. After the Europeans arrived in the early 1500s, the indigenous population began to decrease, partially as a result of diseases, such as smallpox, the explorers brought with them to which the indigenous peoples had no resistance. Over the next few hundred years, however, the population of the islands grew once more, with the influx of settlers. Additionally, much of the population in colonial times was made up of slaves, brought to the Caribbean from Africa to work on plantations. By 1800, the estimated population of the Caribbean was over 2 million.

All of the Caribbean islands once fell under the rule of a European nation. The Spanish ruled over Cuba and the Dominican Republic. The British ruled over many Caribbean islands, including the Bahamas, Jamaica, Trinidad and Tobago, and Turks and Caicos. The Dutch also ruled over many islands including Aruba, Bonaire, and the Virgin Islands. France had many territories in the region as well, including Grenada and Haiti. Additionally, Denmark, Portugal, and Sweden once had territories in the Caribbean. Although many Caribbean islands have since gained independence, the influence of colonial occupation has had a lasting legacy.

Geography and Climate

The Caribbean region contains thousands of islands, smaller rocky islets, reefs, and cays. Many of the islands of the Caribbean are a result of volcanic activity, and many islands are home to currently active volcanoes. Some islands, such as Puerto Rico and Dominica, have beaches with black sand—a result of volcanic activity. Often the islands with volcanic history have impressive mountain ranges, such as Cuba and Jamaica. The highest peak in the Caribbean, Duarte Peak, is located in the Dominican Republic and reaches 10,417 feet. Additionally, much of the region is located on the Caribbean Plate, an oceanic tectonic plate that has been responsible for much seismic activity that has occurred in the Caribbean. Off the coast of Puerto Rico is the deepest point in the Atlantic Ocean—the Puerto Rico Trench—that reaches depths of about 27,500 feet.

Some Caribbean islands do not have volcanic origin however, and by contrast have flat terrain. A few of these islands include Aruba, Barbados, and the Cayman Islands. Many of these islands are also home to rainforests. Some of the islands were found to have land suited to agriculture, and during colonial times, Europeans began exploiting this fact. Many tobacco and sugarcane plantations were developed during this time. The climate of the Caribbean ranges from tropical to subtropical, and is generally categorized into two seasons—wet and dry. The rainy season is generally in the second half of the year, with hurricane season occurring between the months of June and November.

The Caribbean is notable for its biodiversity, and is considered to be one of the world’s biodiversity "hotspots." The region has a diverse range of animal and plant life as well as its varied terrestrial and marine ecosystems. In particular, approximately 10 percent of the planet’s coral reefs are found in the Caribbean. These coral reefs are home to more than 70 different species of hard coral and well over 500 unique species of fish. Additionally, the Caribbean’s fungal diversity is remarkable, and contains more than 11,000 species of fungi. Many natural areas of biodiversity in the Caribbean are increasingly being threatened by deforestation, pollution, and human intrusion. The coral reefs of the Caribbean in particular are sensitive to the threat of global warming, and it has been estimated that these ecosystems could be extinct in twenty years if trends continue.

Economy

The economies of Caribbean countries have historically relied heavily upon the exportation of agricultural goods, including sugar and bananas. Due to this reliance of just a few products, the health of many Caribbean economies is directly related to the economic well-being of other countries, such as the United States. This is the case with most Caribbean economies, apart from Cuba. In order to help stimulate Caribbean economies, a number of measures have been implemented over the years, including the Caribbean Basin Initiative (CBI). This was created by the United States during the 1980s and allows Caribbean nations access to the United States trade market, duty-free. Additionally, some Caribbean countries are starting to rely on exports from the mineral industry. In particular, bauxite reserves in Jamaica and petroleum in Trinidad have become successful exports. Ecotourism has also positively contributed to the economies of many Caribbean nations.

The Bahamas are one of the region’s wealthiest countries, with an economy bolstered by the tourism and banking industries. Trinidad and Tobago also has a high per capita income, one of the highest in both the Latin American and Caribbean regions. This is mostly due to Tobago’s petroleum reserves that attract many foreign investors. By contrast, Haiti is the poorest country in the entire Western Hemisphere, with a staggering 59 percent of the nation’s population living in poverty. A 7.0 magnitude earthquake and its significant aftershocks particularly devastated the Haitian economy in 2010, causing nearly $8 billion in damages.

Demographics

The countries of the Caribbean are quite urbanized, with an average of approximately 80 percent of people living in urban areas. Many languages are spoken across the islands of the Caribbean, as a result of their varied colonial histories. Spanish, English, French, Dutch, Haitian Creole, and Papiamento are the most common official languages of Caribbean countries. Spanish is the official language of Cuba, Puerto Rico (along with English), and the Dominican Republic. Papiamento is the language spoken in Aruba, Curaçao, and Bonaire, and is a Creole language with influence of many other European and African languages. Much of the ethnic makeup of the Caribbean islands is a result of the colonial legacy, with the majority of the region’s population ancestry belonging to African slaves. Additionally, some of the population is descended from Dutch, Spanish, French, or English ancestors, or are of mixed ethnicity.

The majority of Caribbean peoples identify as Christians, roughly 85 percent, a product of the European colonization of the area. However, other religions are practiced throughout the region, including Rastafarianism and other Afro-American religions such as Santería or Voodoo.

Bibliography

"The Bahamas" The World Factbook, 15 Jan. 2025, www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/countries/bahamas-the/. Accessed 20 Jan. 2025.

"Barbados." The World Factbook, 15 Jan. 2025, www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/countries/barbados/. Accessed 20 Jan. 2025.

"British Virgin Islands." The World Factbook, 15 Jan. 2025, www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/countries/british-virgin-islands/. Accessed 20 Jan. 2025.

"Cayman Islands." The World Factbook, 15 Jan. 2025, www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/countries/cayman-islands/

"Cuba." The World Factbook, 15 Jan. 2025, www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/countries/cuba/. Accessed 20 Jan. 2025. 

de Blij, Harm, Peter O. Muller, and Jan Nijman. Geography: Realms, Regions, and Concepts. 16th ed. Hoboken: Wiley, 2013. Print.

"Dominican Republic." The World Factbook, 15 Jan. 2025, www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/countries/dominican-republic/. Accessed 20 Jan. 2025. 

"Haiti." The World Factbook, 15 Jan. 2025, www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/countries/haiti/. Accessed 20 Jan. 2025. 

"Haiti." UNICEF, 2023, www.unicef.org/media/132191/file/2023-HAC-Haiti.pdf. Accessed 20 Jan. 2025. 

"Jamaica." The World Factbook, 15 Jan. 2025, www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/countries/jamaica/. Accessed 20 Jan. 2025. 

Knox, Paul, and Sallie A. Marston. Human Geography: Places and Regions in Global Context. 6th ed. Boston: Pearson Ed., 2013.

Population Reference Bureau. 2015 World Population Data Sheet. Washington, DC: Population Reference Bureau, 2015.

"Puerto Rico." The World Factbook, 15 Jan. 2025, www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/countries/puerto-rico/. Accessed 20 Jan. 2025. 

"Trinidad and Tobago." The World Factbook, 15 Jan. 2025, www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/countries/trinidad-and-tobago/. Accessed 20 Jan. 2025.