The Island of Southern Caribbean
The Caribbean Islands are made up of approximately ten Islands. namely
Aruba(Netherland
Antilles)
Capital City : Oranjestad: Population: 103,484
Barbados
Capital City: Bridgetown: Population: 294,210
Grenada (Windward Islands)
Capital City: St George's: Population: 103,000
St Lucia
Capital City:
Castries: Population: 170,000
St. Vincent & The
Grenadines (Windward Islands)
Capital City: Kingstown: Population:125,000
Trinidad and
Tobago
Capital City: Port of Spain: Population: 1,305,000
Other Island that make up the Southern Caribbean Islands are Bonaire (Netherland
Antilles) Curacao (Netherland Antilles) and
Martinique (Windward Islands)
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Geologically Of The Caribbean Islands
The islands of Southern Caribbean are referred to as being a sub-continent of North America,
although most islands sit on the South American continental plate. All of the Southern Caribbean
islands are small, and are either volcanic or made of limestone coral, as they form at the ridge of
the Caribbean and South American tectonic plates.
Weather: Due
to the close proximity of the equator, the Southern Caribbean has all year around tropical
weather. Islands such as Aruba and Barbados occasionally suffer droughts, while Grenada
receives a great deal of rainfall.
History
The Caribbean had been inhabited for about 7000 years by the Arawaks, Caribs, Tainos and their
ancestors, who came to the Southern Caribbean on canoes from South America (primarily Venezuela).
In the late 1400s and early 1500s, European explorers and colonizers arrived. The Europeans
replaced virtually the entire population of the native tribes through various means.
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Culture
Like other
Caribbean nations, the Southern Caribbean island states share similar cultures. Trinidad invented the Caribbean
Carnival, and they (followed by Barbados) hold the biggest Carnivals in the Caribbean. Cricket is
widely enjoyed in the region and rum is the local drink. African traditions are primarily influential on these
islands, particularly in Grenada and St Lucia. Influences from the European cultures are heavily based in Barbados
and the Netherlands Antilles. Other than English, the main language, French creole, Portuguese creole, Dutch,
Spanish, and Papiamento are also spoken in the region, as well as Hindi.
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The Southern
Caribbean is very diverse, with over 70% of its population of
Afro-Caribbean descent, who originated from West Africa and were brought to the Caribbean as slaves
to work on plantations. Indo-Caribbeans originally from India and Bangladesh are primarily in
Trinidad, although large numbers can also be found in Barbados and St Vincent, many more live on
the other islands too. Chinese arrived in the region as laborers from Hong Kong, and are found on
most islands. Europeans are found all over the West Indies due to colonization of the region by
countries such as France, Spain, United Kingdom, The Netherlands, and Portugal. French Creoles may
be found inhabiting the islands of St Lucia, Trinidad and Grenada; while Portuguese people make up
a sizeable group of Barbados' European population - numbering over 2,000 - third in size to the
English and Irish people on the island. Spanish people settled on Trinidad and still have small
numbers of descendants, while the Dutch people have a strong influence on ABC islands. Neighboring
South America has had a massive influence on the ethnic diversity of the Southern Caribbean. Many
Brazilian mulattoes and Brazilian Jews went to Barbados, where their descendants still live. Many
Venezuelans arrive in Trinidad, Barbados, and Aruba each year, and many Puerto Ricans and Dominican
people migrate to the Southern Caribbean along with many Guyanese. In addition, the area receives a
lot of expatriates from the USA, Canada, and Europe.
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Other Southern Caribbean Islands Links
Aruba|Barbados |
Bonaire | Curacao
|Grenada |Martinique |
St. Lucia|
St. Vincent & The Grenadines | Trinidad & Tobago
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