THE CARIBBEAN ISLANDS 11 2 I PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS

THE CARIBBEAN ISLANDS 11 -2

I. PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS • A. 3 islands groups: • 1. Greater Antilles – Cuba, Jamaica, Hispaniola (Haiti/Dominican Republic), & Puerto Rico • 2. Lesser Antilles – Aruba, Trinidad & Tobago, Netherland Antilles, and the remaining smaller Caribbean islands • 3. Bahamas – archipelago, or group of islands, consists of almost 700 islands

• B. Island Formations • 1. the Greater Antilles and some of the Lesser Antilles are the tops of volcanic mountains that have been pushed up from the ocean floor • 2. some of the Lesser Antilles islands were formed by recent volcanoes & are still active (Martinique & St. Vincent) • 3. Coral Islands – those with flatter terrain, were formed by the remains of colonies of coral (Bahamas) • C. Marine Climate

II. ETHNIC ROOTS • A. Original Inhabitants • 1. most Natives vanished after Europeans arrived • 2. many died from disease and others died from the Europeans cruel treatment • B. African Descent • 1. the colonists needed people to work on their plantations, so they brought with them millions of enslaved Africans

III. CARIBBEAN NATIONS TODAY • A. 90% of the population live in independent countries • B. The other Caribbean islands are still politically linked to European countries or the US • 1. United Kingdom – British Virgin Islands, Cayman Islands, Montserrat, and some smaller islands • 2. US Territories – U. S. Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico • 3. France – Guadeloupe and Martinique • 4. Netherlands – Antilles and Aruba (govern themselves)

IV. ECONOMIC ACTIVITIES • A. Much of the world’s sugar, bananas, coconuts, cocoa, rice, and cotton are produced here • C. Besides growing these goods, many people in the islands work in industries related to them (like refining, packaging, loading, shipping, etc. ) • D. Tourism is a very large part of the economy

V. MIGRATION • A. The sugar plantation’s busy season only lasts for 4 months, so during the dead season (“tiempo muerto”) workers pack up and move to find work in other islands, Central America, or the US

• B. Unhappiness at Home • 1. some political changes have forced people to move to other places • 2. Cuba – after Fidel Castro set up a communist government, they were supported by the Soviet Union…when the Soviet Union fell in 1991, Cuba plunged into poverty • 3. Haiti – ruled by military dictators and very poor…so many people have fled to find better opportunities