CARIB MOD 1&2 DECK

• West Indies


  Alternative term for the Caribbean, referring specifically to the islands rather than the mainland territories
• The Caribbean region is usually defined using coordinates of latitude and longitude, stretching from approximately 60°W to 85°W and from near the Equator (5°N) to beyond 25°N
• The northernmost limit of the Caribbean region is debatable, sometimes extended to 30°N to accommodate Bermuda
• The name 'West Indies' comes from a misunderstanding by Columbus and others, who thought the islands were part of the East Indies
• The map shows the main territories, islands, archipelagos, subregions and water bodies found in the Caribbean
• We must be careful to distinguish between islands and continental countries and avoid over-generalisation as in statements such as 'the islands of the Caribbean'
• The territory of Belize in Central America is a large landmass that is nevertheless considered to be as 'Caribbean' as any of the islands
• The Pacific Ocean is close to the Caribbean at the isthmus of Panama
• Greater Antilles


  The larger islands, Cuba, Jamaica, Hispaniola and Puerto Rico
• Lesser Antilles


  The smaller islands, further subdivided into the Windward and Leeward Islands
• The geographic conception of the Caribbean is based on a view of the Caribbean Sea as a basin with the surrounding territories representing the limits of the basin
• This definition is not comprehensive as it would exclude countries that are normally accepted as Caribbean countries, such as Guyana, Barbados, Bermuda and the Bahamas
• Barbados and Guyana are located to the east of the Caribbean Basin, in the Atlantic Ocean
• The Bahamas are located further north, off the coast of Florida
• In the distant past, when the earliest Amerindian groups settled in the Caribbean, some territories that are now islands were still attached to the mainland
• The movement of the Caribbean tectonic plate is pushing the Caribbean islands eastwards, away from the mainland
• The cultural background of Caribbean countries is just as important as their geography in defining the Caribbean region
• Guyana is considered to be Caribbean although it borders the Atlantic Ocean rather than the Caribbean Basin, because the social and cultural experiences of its people are similar to those of the people of the islands in the Caribbean Sea
• There are some countries which are not widely accepted as 'Caribbean' although they are 'washed by the Caribbean Sea'
• Countries such as Mexico, Honduras, Panama or Nicaragua may be perceived by West Indian peoples as belonging to the Latin American mainland, and not the Caribbean at all, even though they may have a coast on the Caribbean Sea
• International agreements such as the Caribbean Basin Initiative (CBI) and regional organisations such as the Association of Caribbean States (ACS) include these countries as part of the 'Wider Caribbean' region
• The Caribbean Plate is a significant geological entity on which to build a conception of the Caribbean region, but it does not include Guyana, the Bahamas, and much of Cuba
• The historical processes that shaped the Caribbean territories include occupation by indigenous people, European exploration and settlement, genocide and war against the indigenes, African slavery and Indian indentureship, colonialism, socioeconomic developments related to the plantation, and independence
• The Caribbean reflects the legacy of a particular combination of European nations who were intruders into the original Spanish Main, while the European heritage of the majority of Latin American countries is rooted in the Iberian Peninsula
• People in the Caribbean islands are somewhat reluctant to embrace only geography in defining the Caribbean. They feel that geography is important but not as important as history.
• The European heritage of the majority of Latin American countries is rooted in the Iberian Peninsula (Spain and Portugal), while the countries of the Caribbean encompass the varied legacies of Britain, France, Holland and (to a lesser extent) Denmark overlaid on an earlier Spanish foundation.
• History is written by the victors, and by those who rule. Latin America and the Caribbean are divided by differences in the culture of their colonial masters rather than by their shared history.
• Language


  Embodies the cultural differences and presents the major distinguishing factor between the Caribbean and the wider Latin American region
• Cuba, the Dominican Republic, and Puerto Rico, though geographically located in the Caribbean, have histories that link them more closely to the Spanish-speaking countries of Central and South America.
• In the West Indies, the historical and cultural ties which people acknowledge as more important than geography in defining their region are aligned mainly along the differences wrought by the European legacy - one of the most evident and immediate being language.
• With the coming of CARICOM, cultural and linguistic ties between some Caribbean territories and their metropoles have weakened and the links between some countries with different European heritages have become stronger.
• The Caribbean as a single political entity is as yet only an ideal raised by Caribbean visionaries, statesmen and those deeply involved in the integration movement.
• Citizenship in the Caribbean today represents a varied set of relationships between citizens and their governments, and sometimes with governments outside the region.
• The Caribbean has been politically stable compared to Central and South America, which have had a long history of being independent, of being republics with a succession of dictators, and of struggling with democratic rule.
• Forms of government in the Caribbean

  • Communist (Cuba)
  • Socialist republic (Guyana)
  • Revolutionary empire, dictatorship, American protection, fragile democracy (Haiti)
  • Parliamentary democracy with British monarch as head of state (Barbados, other former British colonies)
  • Self-governing territories associated with the Netherlands (Curaçao, Bonaire, Saba, Sint Eustatius, Sint Maarten)
  • Integral part of France (Cayenne, Guadeloupe, Martinique, St Martin)
  • Free state in association with the US (Puerto Rico)
• The diversity of political forms in the Caribbean has a historical basis bound up in European colonisation and the efforts by Caribbean people either to garner their independence or to develop viable relationships with the 'mother country' for growth and development.
• What it means to be a Caribbean citizen varies considerably depending on whether one is in a dependency, a département, or an independent country.
• Colonies differ according to how much autonomy or freedom they have in controlling their affairs. Even if self-governing, a colony's laws cannot run counter to those of the colonial power.
• Citizenship


  What it means to be a Caribbean citizen in a dependency or a département vs an independent country
• Colonies


  • Territory owned and administered by a metropolitan country
  • Laws, regulations and procedures must be in accordance with those of the metropolitan country
  • Even if self-governing, laws cannot run counter to those of the colonial power
  • People are automatically citizens of the metropolitan country