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The Caribbean. Aka the West Indies. The Caribbean. Comprised of more than 700 islands The islands and the surrounding coastal regions are included Some islands are their own independent nations (Cuba, Jamaica)
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The Caribbean Aka the West Indies
The Caribbean • Comprised of more than 700 islands • The islands and the surrounding coastal regions are included • Some islands are their own independent nations (Cuba, Jamaica) • Others technically belong to other countries and are dependent territories (Anguilla and Turks & Caicos are part of the UK, Aruba and Curacao belong to the Netherlands)
West Indies • Sometimes the area is called ‘The West Indies’ • Christopher Columbus thought he had landed near India, so he called it the West Indies. • The East Indies are South Asia and Southeast Asia
Greater Antilles • Cuba • Puerto Rico • Jamaica • Cayman Islands • Haiti/ • Dominican Republic • 94% of the land mass • 90% of the population
Lesser Antilles • U.S. Virgin Islands • British Virgin Islands • Anguilla (UK) • Antigua & Barbuda • Saint Martin (France/Netherlands) • Saint Barthelemy (France) • Saint Kitts & Nevis • Monserrat (UK) • Guadeloupe (France)
Windward Islands • Dominica • Martinique (France) • Saint Lucia • Saint Vincent and the Grenadines • Grenada • Barbados • Trinidad and Tobago
Leeward Antilles • Aruba • Curacao • Bonaire • Some small Venezuelan islands
Where Does the Name Come From? • The region takes its name from that of the Carib, a Native group who lived there at the time of the Spanish conquest.
Its Geography • Some islands are very flat, example Aruba and the Bahamas • Others have rugged towering mountain-ranges like the islands of Cuba, Jamaica, Saint Lucia, etc
Its Weather and Climate • The region enjoys year-round sunshine • It is divided into 'dry' and 'wet' seasons, with the last six months of the year being wetter than the first half • Hurricane season lasts from June to November
Its Vegetation • Some places have lush jungle, ex: Puerto Rico • Some places have cacti and desert scrub ex: Aruba
Its Formation • Some islands were created by coral reefs, ex: Great Stirrup Cay, Bahamas • Others were formed by volcanic activity, ex: Grenada (pic is of Kick’em Jenny
What Languages Are Spoken There? • Papiamento – a Spanish/Portuguese type of Creole, spoken in the Dutch Antilles • Spanish (Cuba, Dom. Rep., Puerto Rico) • English (Jamaica, Bahamas) • French (Haiti, Martinique) • Dutch (Aruba, Curacao) • Haitian Creole
What are Patois and Creole? • Patois: came from a mix of older English and West African languages • Creole: came from a mix of old French with influences from Portuguese, Spanish, indigenous and West African languages. • These languages emerged from contact between European settlers and African slaves
Native Inhabitants • Native groups were called Arawak and Carib • Starting around 400 BCE the Arawak Indians sailed here and dug out canoes from their ancestral home in the Orinoco region in Guyana and Venezuela. • In the 13th century the vicious Carib Indians migrated from the Guyana region of South America and brought an end to the Arawaks’ peaceful existence. The man eating Caribs annihilated the Arawaks in the Windward and Leeward Islands
Columbus and his “New World” • Christopher Columbus (from Spain) landed in San Salvador, Bahamas in 1492 • Trying to find a western route from Europe to India • Instead Columbus found the Caribbean Islands, a “New World” • Established first European settlements on Hispaniola (island shared by Haiti and Dominican Republic)
Disease, Conquest, Gold • News of Columbus’ “New World” reached Europe • Britain, France and Netherlands set sail to claim territory in Caribbean • Looking for gold to bring back to Europe, but found very little • European explorers brought measles and smallpox, infected and killed many Caribbean natives
Pirates • Pirates roamed Caribbean Sea, robbing European ships laden with gold or goods for trade • Used numerous bays and channels of Bahamas as pirate bases • One of the most famous pirates was Edward Teach “Blackbeard”
The Pirate City • Port Royal, Jamaica was called “the wickedest city on Earth” • Was once the richest city in the Caribbean • Full of pirates, thieves and prostitutes • In 1692 there was a strong earthquake and 2/3 of the city fell into the ocean • https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wL2Wwld-yUA Port Royal,1:54
Caribbean Commodities European explorers came to Caribbean for exotic goods to sell in Europe • Sugarcane “Brown Gold” • Very valuable good to sell and trade around the world • Tobacco • Cattle • Bananas
“Sugar-Coated” Slavery • Sugar cane was cultivated on plantations in the Caribbean islands • Slaves brought from Africa to Caribbean to work on plantations • slave ships carried hundred in cramped and inhumane conditions • Disease and death common during trip from Africa to Caribbean • Estimated 10 million slaves brought to Caribbean
The Triangular Trade • Ships left Europe and first stopped in Africa • Trade European weapons, liquor, metal and cloth for African slaves • Ships travelled to Caribbean • Trade slaves for sugar, rum, salt, spices • Ships return to Europe • Sell Caribbean goods in European markets
Slavery • African slave population began to outnumber Europeans and Native Americans • Slave rebellions were common • Slave trade abolished in Caribbean • Britain 1834 • France 1838 • Netherlands 1863 • Spain 1880
Hurricanes and Their Impact • http://www.cnn.com/2017/09/13/americas/irma-impact-caribbean/index.html Hurricane Irma, 2:11 • http://www.cnn.com/2017/10/18/health/puerto-rico-one-month-without-water/index.html Puerto Rico still powerless, 3:42 • Hurricanes Irma and Maria devastated islands like Puerto Rico, Barbuda, St Martin, Cuba, Virgin Islands, etc • These islands are vulnerable to severe weather events because they’re remote and often poverty-stricken
Caribbean Cuisine • a fusion of African, Creole, Cajun, Indigenous, European, Portuguese, Spanish/Latin American, East Indian/South Asian, Arab, Chinese, Jewish, and Javanese/Indonesian cuisine
Food • Beans and rice • Ackee & saltfish • Jerk chicken • Rotis • Stewed goat • Dishes with rice, plantains, beans, cassava, cilantro (coriander), bell peppers, chickpeas, tomatoes, sweet potatoes, coconut
