Caribbean Geography

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Caribbean Geography

• Mr. Langfords Class

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Overview

• Learn about leading island nations
• Learn about island locations
• Learn about some of the cultural aspects of these
  important nations
• Learn about some of the colonial mothers

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The Caribbean

• An area that includes over 7,000 islands
• Completely influenced by outsiders
• Volcano made
• Coral made
• Some of the greatest coral formations in the
  world
• Also known as the West Indies--why?

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Lesser Antilles

• Islands that are smaller than Puerto Rico
• Mostly south of Puerto Rico
• Stretches from the Bahamas to Trinidad Tobago

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Greater Antilles

• Four largest islands
• Jamaica, Hispaniola, Cuba and Puerto Rico
• Located southeast of Florida
• Generally located close to each

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Windward Islands

• Islands located closer to South America
• Form the bottom half of the crescent
• Tend to get more wind because of the wind
  patterns from the equator

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Leeward Islands

• Upper part of the crescent
• Name comes from a sailing term that equates to
  the opposite side of the boat that receives the
  wind
• NOTE All islands gets a breeze but these
  islands do not get as strong as a breeze than the
  Windward, typically

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Colonial Influences

• Who landed in this area in 1492?
• Many countries decided to conquer these lands for
  what purpose?
• What countries were interested in the Caribbean
  area?

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Colonial Power Map
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Spain

• The leader in colonization of the Caribbean
• Started as a mission for Catholicism and gold
• Claimed the larger islands--why?
• What was to be claimed in these areas?
• Killed many natives and placed thousands into
  servitude--what the main killer of the natives
  Great Biological Exchange

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England

• The newest colonial power
• Wanted to challenge Spain in all area of the
  world
• Exploited natives for labor
• One of the first to bring slaves
• Dominated sugar business

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France

• More of a follower into this region
• Wanted to investigate possibilities
• Also imposed Catholicism on the people
• Made many deals with Spain to gain
  land--Hispaniola
• Brought many slaves to the region

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The Dutch

• Smallest of the conquerors
• Kept colonies longer than the rest
• Gave more independence than the others
• Considered to be one of the best colonizers

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Cuba

• Communist government--Fidel Castro
• Guantanamo Bay--U.S. base
• Havana--capital and American play land before
  revolution
• Seen of the Spanish-American War--Rough Riders
• Long island--Biggest of the ___________

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Cuba
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Jamaica

• Newest economy is tourism
• Has rich mineral deposits
• Language-Petoi--a mix of French and Native
• Has a great contrast of rich and poor
• Center of island has a mountain range

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Haiti

• 1/2 owner of Hispaniola
• Predominately French influence
• Very poor
• Underdeveloped
• Coup detat occur often

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Dominican Republic

• Home of Sammy Sosa
• Also a poor country
• Influenced by Spain
• One of the countries with the most promise
• !/2 owner of what island?

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Puerto Rico

• Smallest of the Greater Antilles
• A U.S. territory
• Has many rights of the United States
• Influenced by Spain, then United States
• Tourism is the main economy

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Puerto Rico
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The Caymans

• Series of islands make up this country
• British protectorate
• Tourism main source of income
• Includes many banks--offshore
• Home of The Wall and Stingray City
• Is this good or bad?

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Bahamas

• Also a series of islands
• British protectorate
• Play land of the U.S. in the 70s
• Now, many casinos and hotels dot the shore
• What is their number one source of income?

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Some unique aspects

• St. Martin and St. Maarten--same island split in
  half, what is the influence
• Some islands are privately owned--companies or
  individuals
• The region is home to thousands of species
• Why?