Table of Contents:
Caribbean
Tourisms business is very important: Caribbean countries derive close to half their GDP from tourism (World Resources Institute), although we don't have the specific numbers, except for the Dominican Republic and some countries in Central America- which do not come close to 50 percent.
Impacts of trends: Tourism in the Caribbean is impacted by a (relatively) new rule requiring US visitors to carry a passport. What impact will this have on tourism going forward?
Caribbean Countries we review at KookyPlan:
The main industry of the Caribbean these days is Tourism. Travel industry business models. As far as geopolitical influence, there is always political risk of the USA (control of waters). The US sees the Caribbean as in its "sphere of influence". Race is an important issue in the Caribbean, as apart of an ethnicity issue. Throughout the Caribbean, the socio-economic conditions are low. It has been relatively poor, and backwards for many years. There has been a boom recently as a result of tourism and real estate development.
Venezuela influence in the Caribbean:
There is no doubt that Venezuelan influence in Central America and the Caribbean is expanding. More than a dozen generally small and relatively weak countries in the Caribbean Basin are benefiting from cheap oil through their membership of Petrocaribe, under which Venezuela converts 40 per cent of bills owed for oil into long-term low interest rate credits. Understandably as a result of rising oil and food prices Guatemala and Costa Rica, as well as Honduras, have all joined the pact this year. Among English speaking Caribbean countries Venezuelan influence is also rising. Petrocaribe funds have been loaned to Jamaica's port, sugar company and airline, for example. David Jessop, director of the London-based Caribbean Council, who has in the past lamented the decline in US and European interest in the region, wrote recently that "Venezuela has clearly emerged as by far the Caribbean Basin's single most important global development partner".
ALBA, the trade and investment pact launched by President Hugo Chávez in an explicit bid to undermine US influence. ALBA currently embraces five countries: Bolivia, Cuba, Nicaragua and the tiny Eastern Caribbean Island of Dominica, as well as Mr Chávez's Venezuela.
Brief History of the Caribbean
Columbus discovered the Bahamas first, then went to San Salvador, Waatling Islands. He was looking for gold. The Indians there told him to go south, which he did, and ended up in Dominican Republic "La Espanolia", and on to Cuba. When he returned to Europe, he brought with him gold, and Indians. The gold was to convince them of the potential riches, the indians were to convince them of the potential of converting people to Christianity. When Columbus returned, he went to the Dominican Republic to find the soldier that he left behind, but found that they had been eaten by the Carib Indians, who were cannibals...oops, sorry for leaving you behind! These Indians had originally come from South America and had followed the path from island to island till finally reaching D.R.
The Spanish also settled Puerto Rico, Cuba, and St Augistine, Florida. Some of the main explorers of the time were Cortez, Ponce de Leon (Florida looking for the fountain of youth...Silver Springs, near Ocala, FL), Pizzaro, and De Soto. In general, they were looking for gold in all parts of the Caribbean. Eventually, they found, and settled in Veracruz, Mexico.
The Caribbean became the major transit point for gold from the new world to Europe. Twice per year, the ships would make a counter clockwise circle around the Caribbean starting in Cartagena Colombia, and working up to Veracruz Mexico, passing by Havana Cuba and San Juan, Puerto Rico, before last stopping in St. Augustine Florida before heading back to Europe. In each location, they built up large fort towns to protect the ships from pirates.
All of the major European powers wanted a piece of the Caribbean...England, France, Spain, Holland, Portugal, and Denmark (St. Thomas, St. John, St. Croiz...were all eventually sold to the USA)
Then, Europe transitioned from Feudalism to mercantilism. They decided that they needed colonies and their natural resources. They would establish exclusive trading partners, and supply routes. Raw materials would be sent from colony to Europe, and finished goods would be sent back. Each colony was only allowed to trade with the mother European country. Because of this monopoly condition, prices in the colonies was very high. It was very expensive to own any finished goods because you had to pay monopolistic prices from the one European supplier that was authorized to sell to you (even if there were other ships nearby that might have similar goods for other islands). As a consequence, goods might be 3-4 times as expensive as they should have been. While it may have been a bad deal for the colonies, it was a superb deal for Europe.
The 17th century brought wars in Europe. England was determined to mess up Spain's gold trade in the Caribbean (which they were using to pay for their wars). So, the British hired bandits to be licensed pirates, and to attack the Spanish ships. They called these licensed pirates as "buccaneers". Most of them lived in and around Freetown, Jamaica. As a result of this activitiy, Jamaica was rich. The reason that Jamaica was selected? location, location, location!
Also, in the 17th Century, Europe developed a taste for sugar. This one commodity would later go on to define the history of the Caribbean. Sugar was originally imported to Europe from India, and was so until the Ottomans of Turkey decided to cut off the supply route, and so the Europeans shifted production to the Caribbean. From that point on, pretty much every island was developed with the intention of growing sugar. Enter the Dutch, British, French and Danish (from North to South heading toward Latin America). The main method for developing sugar back then was molasis (I guess because refined sugar was too difficult).
One of the main drinks from molasses is Rum, of which the British loved to drink (more so than the other European immigrants). One of the main trade routes was then established between British colonies in the Caribbean and the colonies in the mainland (USA, later). This produced lots of trade between molasses and manufactured goods of the US. This basically explains why / how the historical ties were developed between the USA and Cuba, Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic. But, after the American independence from the UK, the British decided to halt all rum trade with the US. In response the embargo, the US developed a homegrown version to satisfy the local demand...whiskey from corn, and the result is that Americans have a history with Whiskey, and very little with Rum (not a good financial decision on behalf of the Caribbean industry!). Lesson; even if your mad...keep selling!
But, question: if most of the Caribbean was Spanish....and if the DR was where Columbus first landed...then how did the island end up French and Black? This dates back to when Napoleon won a war vs. the Spanish and took control of the island. The French then brought slaves to run the sugar plantations on the island. At one time, the French managed the biggest slave sugar plantation in the world. There were so many slaves in relation to French, that the slaves revolted and won their independece from the French (they killed all of the French). When the Spanish found out, they sent an armada (troops), and took back half of the island, and this explains why 1/2 of the island today is Spanish (Dominican Republic), the other half is French/ Black (Haiti).
In Cuba, the Cubans were fighting for independence from Spain from 1810-1890 (approx), but the Spanish were firm that this was the one island that they were not willing to allow independence. This was the one place they would fight to keep. As a result, they committed "atrocities". A US based reporter from Tampa (Jose Marti) caught the news, and began reporting in the US main press. As a result of reading of these terrible things that Spain was doing, the Americans got really upset. The US sent a ship to Havanna, but while it was there, it blew up, and sank, killing all US sailors. The reaction was the US delaring war on Spain, a war that lasted just 6 weeks, with a clear US vicotry. As a result of this victory, the US took control of Cuba, Puerto Rico, and the Philippines. For the next 20-30 years, the US ran Cuba. They finally gave independence back to Cuba, but not before cementing firm business ties, prime real estate and strong influence on the island. Puerto Rico is still under the US. One other location in the Caribbean that also asked to become apart of the US was Santa Domingo (Dominican Republic) but it was denied request by the US congress. Many believe that the reason for the rejection was due to race. At the time, the US was not ready for a "black" state.
As of recent history, the Caribbean has been a relative disaster as far as economy goes. The only main exceptions has been Puerto Rico because of its strong ties with the USA, and Cuba because of its massive size, population and wealth of sugar plantations. But, ever since the 1960's, the main industry of the Caribbean has been tourism, specifially the Cruise Ship Industry, and real estate (condos).
Historical groupings (wikipedia)
All islands at some point were, and a few still are, colonies of European nations; a few are overseas or dependent territories:
- British West Indies/Anglophone Caribbean – Anguilla, Antigua and Barbuda, Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Bay Islands, British Virgin Islands, Cayman Islands, Dominica, Grenada, Guyana, Jamaica, Montserrat, Saint Croix (briefly), Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Trinidad and Tobago (from 1797) and the Turks and Caicos Islands
- Danish West Indies – present-day United States Virgin Islands
- Dutch West Indies – present-day Netherlands Antilles and Aruba, Virgin Islands, Saint Croix (briefly), Tobago and Bay Islands (briefly)
- French West Indies – Anguilla (briefly), Antigua and Barbuda (briefly), Dominica, Dominican Republic (briefly), Grenada, Haiti, Montserrat (briefly), Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Sint Eustatius (briefly), St Kitts (briefly), Tobago (briefly), Saint Croix, the current French overseas départements of Martinique and Guadeloupe (including Marie-Galante, La Désirade and Les Saintes), and the current French overseas collectivities of Saint Barthelemy and Saint Martin.
- Portuguese West Indies – present-day Barbados, known as Los Barbados in the 1500s when the Portuguese claimed the island en route to Brazil. The Portuguese left Barbados abandoned in 1533, nearly a century prior to the British arrival to the island.
- Spanish West Indies – Cuba, Hispaniola (present-day Dominican Republic, and until 1609, Haiti), Puerto Rico, Jamaica (until 1655), the Cayman Islands, Trinidad (until 1797) and Bay Islands (until 1643)
- Swedish West Indies – present-day French Saint-Barthélemy and Guadeloupe (briefly).
The British West Indies were formerly united by the United Kingdom into a West Indies Federation. The independent countries which were once a part of the B.W.I. still have a unified composite cricket team that competes in Test matches and One-Day Internationals. The West Indian cricket team includes the South American nation of Guyana, the only former British colony on that continent.
In addition, these countries share the University of the West Indies as a regional entity. The university consists of three main campuses in Jamaica, Barbados and Trinidad and Tobago, a smaller campus in the Bahamas and Resident Tutors in other contributing territories.
Regional institutions
Here are some of the bodies that several islands share in collaboration:
- Caribbean Community (CARICOM), Guyana
- Association of Caribbean States (ACS), Trinidad and Tobago
- Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS), Saint Lucia
- Caribbean Development Bank (CDB), Barbados
- Caribbean Disaster Emergency Response Agency (CDERA), Barbados
- Caribbean Examinations Council (CXC), Barbados and Jamaica
- Caribbean Programme for Economic Competitiveness (CPEC), Saint Lucia
- Caribbean Tourism Organisation (CTO), Barbados
- Inter-American Economic Council (IAEC), Washington, D.C.
- Latin American and Caribbean Internet Addresses Registry (LACNIC), Brazil and Uruguay
- United Nations - Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC), Chile and Trinidad and Tobago
- Caribbean Association of Industry and Commerce (CAIC), Trinidad and Tobago [1]
- Caribbean Association of National Telecommunication Organizations (CANTO), Trinidad and Tobago [2]
- Caribbean Electric Utility Services Corporation (CARILEC), Saint Lucia [3]
- Caribbean Hotel Association (CHA), Puerto Rico [4]
- Caribbean Regional Environmental Programme (CREP), Barbados [5]
- Caribbean Regional Fisheries Mechanism (CRFM), Belize [6]
- Caribbean Regional Negotiating Machinery (CRNM), Barbados and Dominican Republic [7]
- Caribbean Telecommunications Union (CTU), Trinidad and Tobago [8]
- West Indies Cricket Board, Antigua and Barbuda [9]
- University of the West Indies, Jamaica, Barbados, Trinidad and Tobago [10]
Islands
Travel Info
Caribbean Islands
The Caribbean (Dutch: Caraïben; German: Karibik; French: Caraïbes; Spanish: Caribe; Portuguese: Caribe or Caraíbas) is a region of the Americas consisting of the Caribbean Sea, its islands (most of which enclose the sea), and the surrounding coasts. The region is located southeast of Northern America, east of Central America, and to the north and west of South America. Situated largely on the Caribbean Plate, the area comprises more than 7,000 islands, islets, reefs, and cays. The West Indies consist of the Antilles, divided into the larger Greater Antilles which bound the sea on the north and the Lesser Antilles on the south and east (including the Leeward Antilles), and the Bahamas. Bermuda lies much further to the north in the Atlantic Ocean and is in the West Indies. Geopolitically, the West Indies are usually reckoned as a subregion of North America and are organised into 28 territories including sovereign states, overseas departments, and dependencies. The geography and climate in the Caribbean region varies from one place to another. Some islands in the region have relatively flat terrain of non-volcanic origin. Such islands include Aruba, Barbados, Bonaire, the Cayman Islands or Anguilla. Others possess rugged towering mountain-ranges like the islands of Cuba, the British Virgin Islands, Dominica, Hispaniola, Jamaica, Montserrat, Puerto Rico, Saba, Saint Kitts, Saint Lucia, Antigua and Trinidad.
The climate of the region mainly ranges between sub-tropical to tropical and depends a great deal upon location in proximity to the tradewinds from the Atlantic. The Tradewinds blow towards the Eastern Caribbean islands heading northwest up the chain of Windward islands.
Antigua Travel info - St Johns & more
US Virgin Islands Travel Info - St Thomas, St Johns & more
other countries that need reviews and recommendations
add more...
Some general information from Wikipedia
source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Portal:Caribbean
The Caribbean (Dutch: Caraïben; French: Caraïbes; Spanish: Caribe) is a region of the Americas consisting of the Caribbean Sea, its islands (most of which enclose the sea), and the surrounding coasts. The region is located southeast of Northern America, east of Central America, and to the north and west of South America.
Situated largely on the Caribbean Plate, the area comprises more than 7,000 islands, islets, reefs, and cayes. The West Indies consist of the Antilles, divided into the larger Greater Antilles which bound the sea on the north and the Lesser Antilles on the south and east (including the Leeward Antilles), and the Bahamas which are northeast of the sea. Bermuda lies much further to the north in the Atlantic Ocean and is sometimes included in the West Indies. Geopolitically, the West Indies are usually reckoned as a subregion of North America and are organised into 28 territories including sovereign states, overseas departments, and dependencies. At one time, there was a short-lived country called the Federation of the West Indies composed of ten English-speaking Caribbean territories.
The name "Caribbean" is named after the Caribs, one of the dominant Amerindian groups in the region at the time of European contact during the late 15th century. The analogous "West Indies" originates from Christopher Columbus' idea that he had landed in the Indies (then meaning all of south and east Asia) when he had actually reached the Americas. The Spanish term Antillas was commonly assigned to the newly discovered lands; stemming from this, "Sea of the Antilles" is a common alternate name for the Caribbean Sea in various European languages.
In the English-speaking Caribbean, someone from the Caribbean is usually referred to as a "West Indian", although the rather cumbersome phrase "Caribbean person" is sometimes used. The use of the words "Caribbean" and "Caribbeans" to refer to a West Indian or West Indians is largely unknown in the English-speaking Caribbean.
Wikipedia links
- African diaspora
- Americas (terminology)
- British Afro-Caribbean community
- Caribbean English
- Tourism in Caribbean
- CONCACAF
- Council on Hemispheric Affairs
- History of the Caribbean
- Indo-Caribbean
- Islands of the Caribbean
- Latin American and Caribbean Congress in Solidarity with Puerto Rico’s Independence
- Middle America (Americas)
- Music of the Caribbean
- Piracy in the Caribbean
- Pirates of the Caribbean
- Politics of the Caribbean
- Tongue of the Ocean
- West Indies Federation
- List of Caribbean-related topics
No comments:
Post a Comment