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Caribbean Overview

Caribbean Overview. 25 countries and dependent territories Greater Antilles (Cuba, Hispaniola, Jamaica, Puerto Rico) Large mountains (DR: 10,000’; Jamaica Blue Mtns. 7000’, Cuba 6000’ (refuges for runaway slaves) Fertile farmlands, but fragile Lesser Antilles Double arc

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Caribbean Overview

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  1. Caribbean Overview • 25 countries and dependent territories • Greater Antilles (Cuba, Hispaniola, Jamaica, Puerto Rico) • Large mountains (DR: 10,000’; Jamaica Blue Mtns. 7000’, Cuba 6000’ (refuges for runaway slaves) • Fertile farmlands, but fragile • Lesser Antilles • Double arc • Netherlands Antilles (ABC islands) • Setting boundaries not easy: • Sometimes Belize/ Guyana's (Guyana, Suriname and French Guiana) • Sometimes the “rimlands” of Central American countries • Bahamas included even though they are technically in the Atlantic Ocean

  2. Greater Antilles

  3. Lesser Antilles

  4. Lesser Antilles

  5. Why a region? • Commonalities: Cultural and economic history different than Latin America • Diverse European influence • Strong African imprint and slavery • Virtually no indigenous legacy • Export plantation economy • Grossly uneven distribution of land and resources • Environmental impacts • Environmental/physical geographies • Names: • The Indies, the Spanish Main, Mar del Norte • 18th C: first use of the name Caribbean

  6. Caribbean Diversity • Territorial Size: • Cuba:: 101,000 Km. Sq. • Montserrat: 100 km. Sq. • Population • Hispaniola (Haiti and Dominican Republic): 16 million • Turks and Caicos: 12,000 pop • Cultural Heritage • Spanish: Puerto Rico, Cuba, Dominican Republic • French: Haiti, Guadeloupe, Martinique, St. Martin • Dutch: ABC, St. Maartin • English: • Patois: many islands • Economic and social indicators

  7. Caribbean Overview • Historically: “proxy” battleground for European rivalries • Plantation economies • Sugar, sugar, sugar • Bananas, citrus, coffee, spices • By 1900’s: US dominates the region politically and economically • Other and more recent economic development • timber • nickel and bauxite, gold • tourism • Non traditional exports • Off shore banking

  8. Caribbean Overview • Contradictions: • “Island Paradise” v. impoverishment and dependency • “Isolated proximity” • Fertility washed away • Cyclical migration: migrants returning

  9. Environmental Geographies • Geologies, climate and vegetation • Tectonic Plates • Tropical, wet climate that supports forests • Palm savannas—best soils • Mangrove swamps • Arid zones (rain shadows) • Hurricanes • Reworked landscapes • Environmental degradation • Deforestation • Sugarcane fields • Jamaica and DR still have 30% • Cuba has 20% (charcoal production for energy needs) • Rimlands are much more intact • Belize and Guyana had successful environmental initiatives • Seas and marine resources • Never supported commercial fishing

  10. Plantation economies • Spanish discoveries • Jumping off point for exploration and ports for trading from Mexico, CA and SA • Colonists demographic collapse of indigenous Arawaks and Caribs • Fragments survive only on the rimland • Competition from France, England, Holland; Pirates • “Plantation America” from Brazil up through SE US. • Mono crop system: sugar • Insatiable demand for sugar and rum • Asian migrants indentured labor • Suriname: 1/3 pop is of S. Asian descent, 16% Javanese • Guyana and Trinidad: India • English colonies: Chinese • Slave labor-Elaborate racial hierarchy

  11. ‘Plantation America”

  12. Caribbean Cultures • Much diversity, but also many similarities which provide glue • European plantation economies similar social structures (like CA) • African influence • Creolization • Culture, language, music

  13. African heritages • African diaspora • West Africa: Senegal to Angola • Est. 10 million crossed the Atlantic (2 million died on the way) between 16th and 19th c. • Intentional mixing so no one source would dominate • hybridity of cultures, religions, and languages • Maroon societies (palenques) • Maintenance of historical religions • Obi, Obeah • Bush Negroes • African religions • Voodoo, Santeria, Obeah • Extensive use • Diffused to the US along with migrants

  14. African heritage and hybridity • Creolization • Rich forms (VS Naipal, Bob Marley) • Garifuna or Black Carib • African/Carib on St. Vincent forcibly resettled by British to Bay Islands of Honduras • Maintain Indian religion, eat manioc • Languages • Spanish: 24 million • French: 8 million • English: 6 million • Dutch: .5 million • Alternatives: papiamento, patois, • Music • Reggae, calypso, merengue, rumba, zouk, steel drums of Trinidad, etc. • Haitian ra-ra musicians have been exiled when too political • Reggae, esp. Bob Marley, strong political content

  15. Political Histories • Independence: • Haiti is the first in 1804 (v. US in 1776) • But it was seen as a threat by other islands and shunned by the mainland CA countries • Dominican Republic in 1844 • Cuba and PR in 1898 from Spain US involvement • British colonies: revolts starting in 1930’s but independence in 1960’s, 70’s and 80’s

  16. Selected British colonies: dates of independence

  17. Present day political status • British colonies: • Cayman Islands, Turks and Caicos, Anguilla, Montserrat—21,000 pop. • High standard of living: offshore banking • French islands: • some remain connected to colonial rulers and use this as an asset. • Martinique, Guadeloupe and French Guyana are “departments” of France (900,000 pop) • Dutch former colonies • Curacao, Bonaire, St. Martin, Saba, St. Eustatius • “Federation of the Netherlands Antilles” • Autonomous, yet part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands

  18. US influence after 1898: • Monroe Doctrine No tolerance for European powers in the Western hemisphere • Spanish-American war 1898 • “America’s Backyard”US asserts neocolonial control over persistent colonies of the English, French and Dutch • “Free it from European tyranny an foster democratic governance” BUT: • Roosevelt: Panama canal and open sea-lanes • Good Neighbor Policy (1930’s) • Alliance for Progress (1960’s) • Caribbean Basin Initiative (1980’s) • FTAA possibilities

  19. Economic Development • Decline of agriculture: • Turbulent and declining commodity prices • Decline in preferential trade agreements with former colonial countries • Soils are overworked/No frontier • Mechanization of sugarless labor needed • Examples: • Haiti • 1955: 70% of foreign exchange through coffee • 1990: 11% • DR: • 1955: 60% of foreign exchange through sugar • 1990: 20%

  20. Economic DevelopmentAgriculture today • Exception to complete decline: Cuba • sugar 80% of foreign exchange 1950’s-1990’s. • Diversification after 1989. • Now Cuba grows about 30% of the world’s coffee • Coffee is grown by small producers • Interspersed with subsistence crops • Bananas • NTEX crops

  21. Economic DevelopmentBananas and Banana wars • Banana production • Most in CA • Vulnerable to hurricanes, • Still, several states are dependent on bananas (Dominica, St. Vincent, St. Lucia) • Landowners are the laborers2-4x income • 1996: WTO case • US, Mexico, Ecuador, Guatemala and Honduras sue EU over preferential trade agreements with Caribbean countries • Exacerbated by consumer preferences • Result: Non traditional exports: • Okra, tomatoes, avocados, marijuana

  22. Economic DevelopmentExport Processing Production • 1950’s in Puerto Rico “Operation Bootstrap” • By 1970, 40% of GDP comes from manufacturing • Today, 50%, but competition from other islands and locations is threatening PR’s lead • Other EPZ’s or Free Trade Zones • Jamaica—15% of GDP • DR: “Hong Kong of the Caribbean” • Map

  23. DR EPZ/ free trade zones

  24. Economic DevelopmentOffshore Banking • Specialized services that are confidential and tax-exempt • Localities make money through registration fees • Began in Bahamas in 1920s • Competition from other islands, Hong Kong and Singapore--Cayman Islands is current leader • 50,000 registered companies • Est. Cayman banks $800 billion on deposit. • Highest per capita PPP in region • Concerns about corruption and money laundering of drug fundsreforms • But still, drug influences=drug consumption, corruption and violence • US raises new concerns about privacy after 9/11

  25. Off shore banking

  26. Economic DevelopmentTourism • Began in 19th C. • 1930’s: Cuba is a leader • Bahamas distant second • 5 leaders: • Puerto Rico: • after commonwealth status 1952 • Largest home port for cruise lines • Bahamas: • 30% of pop employed in tourism, mainly American • Dominican Republic: • many visitors are nationals who live overseas • $2.5 billion, leading foreign exchange earner • Jamaica • $1.2 billion • Cuba

  27. Economic DevelopmentRegional Initiatives • Caribbean Basin Initiative • CARICOM • 1973 • 13 member states: • Former English colonies • Haiti • Other associate members • Caribbean Development Bank • University of the West Indies • Limited success

  28. Modern Demographics • Varied population densities • Demographic trends • Fertility decline • Rise of HIV/AIDS • Emigration “Caribbean diaspora” • Barbadians--England • Surinamese--Netherlands • PR—NY • Cubans—Miami • Intraregional migration • Haitians– DR • Circular migration • Chain migration • Rural-Urban migration

  29. Caribbean cities • Initially, just administrative centers for business of the plantations • Most people lived in rural areas • Only Havana has extensive colonial architecture and urban design (the key colonial city in the region) • Paramailbo (Suriname) looks like a tiny Holland • Recent migrations caused by • Mechanization of agriculture • Offshore industrialization • Rapid population growth • Only 4 are >1 million (Santo Domingo 2.6 m; Havana 2.2 m; Port-au-Prince 1.5m; San Juan 1m) • Modern cities reflect historical rural social and economic patterns: • “Houseyards” • Rural subsistence, economic survival, matriarchal social structure

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