However, the predominating languages are Spanish, English, French, Dutch and various creole dialects. Fortunately for travelers from the U. Still, before visiting a country here, do some research about the languages that are most commonly spoken to ensure that you are as prepared as possible for your visit.
As for religion, Christianity is practiced across the majority of the region. In fact, it is the official religion of several territories and countries here. In addition to having a diverse population, the Caribbean boasts a diverse array of terrains and topographies. Not surprisingly, attractions involving the water tend to be the most popular. Sun worshipping, or just laying out on the beach in the sun, is among the most popular pastimes here.
However, visitors also enjoy snorkeling, scuba diving, kayaking, windsurfing, diving, sailing and other water-related activities. Depending on where you go in the Caribbean, you can also avail yourself of numerous other fun activities. A few examples include horseback riding, biking, hiking, rock climbing and spelunking, or exploring caves. Historical and cultural attractions include forts, plantations, museums, lighthouses and much more.
Many cities, towns and villages boast amazing colonial and Victorian architecture too. It is comprised of the Turks and Caicos The Bahamas. Its proximity to the U. As the most-visited region in the Caribbean, the Greater Antilles sees a massive influx of tourists every year.
It also accounts for more than 94 percent of the total landmass of the West Indies and more than 90 percent of its population, so it is a major standout in the region. Thanks to its proximity to North America, it is a convenient option for anyone who wants to experience the best that the Caribbean has to offer. They are located in the northern part of the West Indies and are made up of much smaller islands than those of the Greater Antilles.
The islands here are further divided into three regions:. Hundreds of tiny islands, including various territories and sovereign states, make up the Leeward Islands of the Caribbean. They are located in the hurricane band of the Caribbean, so it is generally best not to plan a vacation here between July and October. These include vacation hotspots like the Barbados, St. Lucia and Trinidad and Tobago, and cruise ships stop in ports of call throughout the region.
This last batch of islands rounds up the Lesser Antilles. One of the top perks of vacationing here is that they are out of the dreaded hurricane belt, so you can more safely plan a trip here virtually any time of year. The name of this group of islands comes from the first initial of the three territories and states of which it is comprised: Aruba, Bonaire and Curacao. The islands along the north coast of Venezuela and politically part of that country are also considered part of the Lesser Antilles:.
Saint Barthelemy Known more commonly as St Barts, this French-speaking island is high-end and packed full of luxury resorts and designer shops — but of course, like all of the islands, it comes with idyllic beaches! Just eight square miles in size, asides from the designer yachts, luxury hotels and celebs, you will meet charming locals descendant of the original French settlers and a large population of iguanas! Once the land of sugar plantations they are now geared towards tourism.
Offering picture-perfect inns and boutique hotels, set to a backdrop of stunning beaches and mountains that reach the clouds! Saint Lucia Another of the more well-known Caribbean islands — its tourist board touts this as the place to come for romance, rejuvenation and adventure.
It is yet another example of an outstanding island with beaches galore, palm-lined with stunning views of mountains, are its specialty — along with world-class accommodation and spas! St Martin This island is an interesting one, like Hispaniola it actually comprises of two separate countries.
Split in half there is the northern French side also called Saint Martin and the southern Dutch side called Sint Maarten. Both sides have a busy beach culture — the island is a popular stop off of many Caribbean cruises because of the stunning beaches! It also has a lively night-life and many designer shops, well-know among Brits for selling duty free alcohol and fine jewellery. Its main island, St. Visited mainly by residents of other Caribbean islands, a trip to St.
Vincents will give you an experience of true island life. These peaceful, secluded islands are definitely great for honeymooners — with, yes you guessed it… beautiful beaches! Yet, this is where their similarities end. What is most interesting about these two nations, is the fact that they remain pretty untouched by the tourism industry, so they are perfect for independent travellers who like to do things themselves.
Favoured by celebrities this island has luxury hotels, bars and restaurants, perfect for those looking for a peaceful yet classy retreat. For tourists, the islands have legendary diving and world-class hospitality — one to check out for sure. US Virgin Islands Territory of the US — as the name suggested, these islands are picturesque and perhaps the perfect example of how we all think of Caribbean islands.
Life is relaxed and lived on the beach — with rum and West-Indian food in abundance. We certainly think that there is a whole Caribbean world out there waiting to be discovered, all slightly different, yet with one thing in common….
Skip to content. Low hills and fertile valleys cover more than half the island. The pristine waters of the Caribbean that surround the island make for some of the most attractive tourism locations in the Caribbean region. It has been estimated that as many as one hundred thousand Amerindians inhabited Cuba when Christopher Columbus first landed on the island in Except for brief control by the British, the island was a Spanish colony until Plantation agriculture was established, and slaves provided the labor.
History indicates that more than eight hundred thousand African slaves were brought to Cuba between and The African influence can still be witnessed today in the main religion of the island, Santeria, which is an overlay of African-based spirits on top of Catholic saints.
At the present time, an estimated 70 percent of Cubans practice some aspect of Santeria. The building is a tourist area and no longer used for the government.
The old US cars in the photo were made before the Cuban Revolution but are still used and make up about half the motor vehicles in Havana.
Photo by R. With the defeat of Spain in the Spanish-American War, the United States gained possession of the Spanish possessions of Cuba, Puerto Rico, Guam, the Philippines, and various other islands and thus became a colonial power. Cuba technically became independent in but remained under US influence for decades.
Sugar plantations and the sugar industry came to be owned and operated by US interests, and wealthy Americans bought up large haciendas large estates , farmland, and family estates, as well as industrial and business operations. Organized crime syndicates operated many of the nightclubs and casinos in Havana. As long as government leaders supported US interests, things went well with business as usual. In January of , with the encouragement of the US government, Fulgencio Batista led a coup that took control of the Cuban government.
Fidel Castro, once a prisoner under Batista and having fled to Mexico in exile for a number of years, returned to Cuba to start a revolution. Starting in the remote and rugged Sierra Maestras in the east, Castro rallied the support of the Cuban people. Castro gained power and had the support of most of the Cuban population. Castro worked to recover Cuba for Cubans.
The government cleared rampant gambling from the island, forcing organized crime operations to shut down or move back to the United States. Castro nationalized all foreign landholdings and the sugar plantations, as well as all the utilities, port facilities, and other industries.
Foreign ownership of land and businesses in Cuba was forbidden. Large estates, once owned by rich US families, were taken over and recovered for Cuban purposes.
As a result, US president Dwight D. Eisenhower severed diplomatic relations with Cuba in and issued an executive order implementing a partial trade embargo to prohibit the importation of Cuban goods. Later presidents implemented a full-scale embargo, restricting travel and trade with Cuba. To deter any further US plans of invading or destabilizing Cuba, Castro sought economic and military assistance from the Soviet Union. Soviet premier Nikita Khrushchev agreed to secretly send missiles armed with nuclear weapons capable of hitting targets within the United States.
In September , US spy planes identified the missile sites. On October 22, , President John F. Kennedy announced a naval blockade of the island and informed Khrushchev that any Soviet ship crossing the blockade would be sunk.
At the last second, the two leaders resolved this dispute called the Cuban Missile Crisis before it erupted into a potential nuclear war. Khrushchev recalled the ships and agreed to dismantle the Cuban missile sites.
With the loss of Soviet aid, the s were a harsh time for Cubans, a period of transition. Castro turned to tourism and foreign investment to shore up his failing economy. Tensions between the United States and Cuba did not improve. At the turn of the twenty-first century, Cuba emerged as the lone Communist state in the Americas. Castro was the longest-governing leader of any country in the world. He never kept his promises of holding free elections; instead, he cracked down on dissent and suppressed free speech.
The island has natural resources, a great climate, and an excellent location but is also struggling economically. Cuba has a high literacy rate and has standardized health care, though medical supplies are often in short supply. The Cubans who live in dire poverty look to the future for relief. Personal freedoms have been marginal, and reforms are slowly taking place in the post-Fidel era. As the largest island in the Caribbean, Cuba has the potential to become an economic power for the region.
Cubans use all available resources and opportunities to get by. These people are catching a ride on a dump truck to get where they want to go. Cuba today is in transition from a socialist to a more capitalist economy and relies on outside sources for energy and food. In , the average wage in Cuba was about twenty dollars per month. There was almost total employment, and everyone was on an equal footing in regard to free health care, education, and housing.
At the same time, the underground informal economy was thriving and was pushing the formal economy to make changes. Cubans are now allowed to have cell phones and computers, though Internet access has been restricted by the Cuban government.
More goods and money are being brought in from Cuban family members who live in the United States. The US government grants general licenses to allow a number of categories of people to travel to Cuba. It is only a matter of time before full travel restrictions are lifted. Cuba is counting on tourism for an added economic boost. With some of the finest beaches and the clearest waters in the Caribbean, Cuba is a magnet for tourists and water sports enthusiasts.
Its countryside is full of wonders and scenic areas. Cuba is gearing up for an increase in tourism when travel restrictions are lifted by the United States. There is already a focus on improving tourism services to people traveling there from China, Australia, Japan, and other countries. Millions more from the United States are expected to travel to Cuba once the travel restrictions are lifted. The Cuban economy is banking on tourism to forge a path to a more prosperous future.
In , Hurricanes Gustav and Ike devastated the tobacco crops, but the region is recovering and is a major tourist area. In , after four hundred years of colonial rule, during which the indigenous population was nearly exterminated and African slave labor was introduced, Puerto Rico was ceded to the United States as a result of the Spanish-American War.
Puerto Ricans were granted US citizenship in Popularly elected governors have served since In , a constitution was enacted providing for internal self-government. In elections held in , , and , Puerto Rican voters chose to retain the commonwealth status, although they were almost evenly split between total independence and becoming a US state.
Puerto Rico is the smallest of the four islands of the Greater Antilles and is only slightly larger than the US state of Delaware.
The commonwealth arrangement allows Puerto Ricans to be US citizens without paying federal income taxes, but they cannot vote in US presidential elections. Puerto Rico has one of the most dynamic economies in the Caribbean Basin; still, about 60 percent of its population lives below the poverty line. A diverse industrial sector has far surpassed agriculture as the primary area of economic activity.
Encouraged by duty-free access to the United States and by tax incentives, US firms have invested heavily in Puerto Rico since the s, even though US minimum wage laws apply. Sugar production has lost out to dairy production and other livestock products as the main source of income in the agricultural sector. Tourism has traditionally been an important source of income, with estimated arrivals of more than five million tourists a year. San Juan is the number one port for cruise ships in the Caribbean outside Miami.
The future of Puerto Rico as a political unit remains unclear. Some in Puerto Rico want total independence, and others would like to become the fifty-first US state; the commonwealth status is a compromise. Puerto Rico is not an independent country as a result of colonialism. Many of the islands and colonies in the Caribbean Basin have experienced dynamics similar to Puerto Rico in that they are still under the political jurisdiction of a country that colonized it.
Sharing the island of Hispaniola are the two countries of Haiti and the Dominican Republic. The island became a possession of Spain under European colonialism after it was visited by Columbus in and The Tiano-Arawak people were nonviolent and welcomed the Europeans, who in turn pressed them into servitude and slavery. French buccaneers settled on the western portion of Hispaniola and started growing tobacco and agricultural crops. France and Spain finally agreed to divide the island into two colonies: the western side would be French, and the eastern side would be Spanish.
The Dominican Republic holds the largest share of Hispaniola. A former Spanish colony, the Dominican Republic has weathered the storms of history to become a relatively stable democratic country. It is not, of course, without its problems. The mountainous interior and the coastal beaches are attractive to the tourism market, and tourism remains the main source of economic income.
The economy is highly dependent on the United States, which is the destination for nearly 60 percent of its exports.
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