The Caribbean
The Caribbean shelf is an underwater ridge running from just north of the Yucatan Peninsula to the northwest of Venezuela. Some 7,000 islands lie along the Shelf in what is called the Caribbean Sea. Historically known as the “ West Indies,” from Columbus’ misapprehension that they were Asian, the Caribbean has been colonized by the British, Danish, Dutch, French, and Spanish. As a result, much of the indigenous population has disappeared, either decimated or assimilated into other ethnic groups. The Caribbean, in its high colonial period, served as a trade post for governing powers. Many islands (most notably, Cuba) were drop-off points in the slave trade. Barbados served as a trading ground between the British and the Confederacy in the American Civil War.
In 1803, Haiti became the first colony to gain independence from Europe, against the French. England relinquished most of its Caribbean colonies by 1962. Many islands are to this day territories of European powers. In the region, the United States controls one territory - the Virgin Islands, and an outpost in Cuba - Guantanamo Bay.
The Caribbean was, for Europe, a plethora of resources and perfect setting for easy trade and travel. As such, the high colonial era of the Caribbean saw much sea transport of expensive goods by many different nations. The result was that, from 1560 to 1720, the Caribbean Sea became a center of piracy. Often, these pirates were mercenaries hired by one European powers for protection or to impede another’s profit. However, the Caribbean developed its own unique brand of pirate, the Buccaneer. Buccaneers lived on their ships, operated independently of any nation, and practiced a sort of marine democracy. They were known as the most vicious pirates of their time, as they answered to no code of law and survived only by their yield.
Though the age of Caribbean piracy ended in the first half of the 18 th century, one man came to power as a pirate in 1947. Boysie Singh was a gangster in Trinidad before taking to the seas, where his crew terrorized fisherman for profit until 1956, when he was arrested and hanged in Port of Spain.
CARIBBEAN NATIONS
AnguillaAntigua & Barbuda
Aruba
The Bahamas
Belize
Barbados
Bermuda
Bonaire
British Virgin Islands
Cancun
Cayman Islands Cozumel
Cuba
Curacao
Dominica
Dominican Republic
Grenada
Guyana
Guadeloupe
Haiti
Honduras
Jamaica Martinique
Montserrat
Puerto Rico
Saba & St. Eustatius
St. Barthelemy
St. Kitts-Nevis
St. Lucia
St. Maarten & St. Martin
St. Vincent & The Grenadines
Trinidad & Tobago
Turks & Caicos Island
U.S. Virgin Islands
Thursday, September 2