Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS)
Map of the Eastern Caribbean showing OECS member states (dark green) and associate member states (light green)
Secretariat		Castries, St. Lucia
Membership		7 member states 2 associated states
Leaders
-	Chairman	Roosevelt Skerrit
-	Director General	Helen Ishmael
Establishment
-	Treaty of Basseterre	18 June 1981
Website www.oecs.org

  Member of both OECS and CARICOM

  Associate member of both OECS and CARICOM

  Member of CARICOM only

  Associate member of CARICOM only

The Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS), created in 1981, is an inter-governmental organisation dedicated to economic harmonisation and integration, protection of human and legal rights, and the encouragement of good governance between countries and dependencies in the Eastern Caribbean. It also performs the role of spreading responsibility and liability in the event of natural disaster, such as a hurricane.

The main organ of the OECS, the Secretariat, is based in the capital city of Castries, Saint Lucia.

History[link]

The OECS was created on 18 June 1981, with the Treaty of Basseterre, which was named after the city of the same name, the capital city of St. Kitts and Nevis. The OECS is the successor of the Leewards Islands' political organisation known as the West Indies Associated States (WISA).

One prominent aspect of the modern day OECS economic bloc has been the accelerated pace of trans-national integration among its member states.

All of the members-states of the OECS are either Full or Associate members of the Caribbean Community and were among the second batch of countries that joined the CARICOM Single Market and Economy (CSME).

Membership[link]

The OECS currently has nine members, spread across the Eastern Caribbean. Together, they form a near-continuous archipelago across the Leeward Islands and Windward Islands.

The two most geographically isolated members, Anguilla and the British Virgin Islands, have only associate membership of the organisation. As a result, diplomatic missions of the OECS do not represent these two states. For the purposes of further discussing the membership, they are treated as equals of the full members.

Six of the members were formerly colonies of the United Kingdom. The other three, Anguilla, the British Virgin Islands, and Montserrat remain overseas territories of the UK. Eight of the nine members consider Queen Elizabeth II to be sovereign (Dominica is a republic). There is no requirement for the members to have been British colonies, however the close historical, cultural and economic relationship fostered by them having all been British colonies is as much a factor in the membership of the OECS as their geographical proximity. As well, the Queen's likeness appears on the East Caribbean dollar's coins and banknotes.

All seven full members are also the founding members of the OECS, having been a part of the organisation since its founding on 18 June 1981. The British Virgin Islands was the first associate member, joining on 22 November 1984 and Anguilla is the latest associate member, having joined in 1995.

Membership is listed alphabetically

Membership status	Description
Membership	Antigua and Barbuda
	Dominica
	Grenada
	Montserrat
	Saint Kitts and Nevis
	Saint Lucia
	Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
Associate membership	Anguilla
	British Virgin Islands

Although all of the current full and associate members are all past or present British dependencies, other islands in the region have expressed interest in becoming associate members of the OECS. The first was the United States Virgin Islands, which applied for associate membership in February 1990^[1] and requested that US Federal Government allow the territory to participate as such.^[2] At that time, it was felt by the US government that it was not an appropriate time to make such a request. However, the US Virgin Islands remained interested in the OECS and, as of 2002, stated that it would revisit the issue with the US government at a later date.^[2] In 2001, Saba, an island of the Netherlands Antilles, decided to seek membership in the OECS. Saba's Island Council had passed a motion on May 30, 2001 calling for Saba's membership in the organisation and subsequently on June 7, 2001, the Executive Council of Saba decided in favour of membership. Saba's senator in the Netherlands Antilles parliament was then asked to present a motion requesting the Antillean parliament to support Saba's quest for membership. In addition to the support from the Antillean parliament, Saba also required a dispensation from the government of the Kingdom of the Netherlands to become an associate member of the OECS.^[3] Saba's bid for membership was reportedly supported by St. Kitts and Nevis and discussed at the 34th meeting of OECS leaders in Dominica in July.^[4] Also in 2001, Sint Maarten, another part of the Netherlands Antilles, explored the possibility of joining the OECS. After learning of Saba's intentions to join, St. Maarten suggested exploring ways in which Saba and St. Maarten could support each other in their pursuit of membership.^[5]

None of the prospective members have become associate members as yet, but Saba, St. Eustatius and St. Maarten do participate in the meetings of the Council of Tourism Ministers^[6] (as the Forum of Tourism Ministers of the Eastern Caribbean, along with representatives of Saint-Martin, Saint Barthélemy, Martinique and Guadeloupe).^[7]

Country or territory	Area (km²)[8]	Population (2008 est.)[9]	Population density (per km²)	Capital
Anguilla (UK)	&1000000000000009100000091	&1000000000001500000000015,000	164.8	The Valley
Antigua and Barbuda	&10000000000000442000000442	&1000000000008800000000088,000	199.1	St. John's
British Virgin Islands (UK)	&10000000000000151000000151	&1000000000002300000000023,000	152.3	Road Town
Dominica	&10000000000000751000000751	&1000000000006700000000067,000	89.2	Roseau
Grenada	&10000000000000344000000344	&10000000000104000000000104,000	302.3	St. George's
Montserrat (UK)	&10000000000000102000000102	&100000000000060000000006,000	58.8	Plymouth; Brades[10]
Saint Kitts and Nevis	&10000000000000261000000261	&1000000000005200000000052,000	199.2	Basseterre
Saint Lucia	&10000000000000539000000539	&10000000000172000000000172,000	319.1	Castries
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines	&10000000000000389000000389	&10000000000109000000000109,000	280.2	Kingstown
Total	&100000000000030700000003,070	&10000000000636000000000636,000	207.1

Political union with Trinidad and Tobago[link]

On 13 August 2008 the leaders of Trinidad & Tobago, Grenada, St. Lucia, and St. Vincent & the Grenadines announced their intention to pursue a sub-regional political union within CARICOM.^[11][12] As part of the preliminary discussions the Heads of Government for the involved states announced that 2011 would see their states entering into an economic union. Following that date, 2013 is supposed to be the date of full political union for the members involved.^[13][14]

Venezuela seeking membership[link]

In 2008 the heads of the OECS also received a request from Venezuela to join the grouping.^[15]

The OECS Director General Len Ishmael confirmed Venezuela's application was discussed at the 48th Meeting of the OECS Authority held in Montserrat. But she said OECS decision makers within the sub-region were yet to determine whether membership should be granted for Venezuela.

Supranational Caribbean Organisations

Organs[link]

Secretariat[link]

OECS Secretariat building.

The functions of the Organisation are set out in the Treaty of Basseterre and are coordinated by the Secretariat under the direction and management of the Director General.

The OECS functions in a rapidly changing international economic environment, characterised by globalisation and trade liberalisation which are posing serious challenges to the economic and social stability of their small island members.

It is the purpose of the Organisation to assist its Members to respond to these multi-faceted challenges by identifying scope for joint or coordinated action towards the economic and social advancement of their countries.

The restructuring of the Secretariat was informed by considerations of cost effectiveness in the context of the need to respond to the increasing challenges placed on it, taking into account the limited fiscal capacities of its members. The Secretariat consists of four main Divisions responsible for: External Relations, Functional Cooperation, Corporate Services and Economic Affairs. These four Divisions oversee the work of a number of specialised institutions, work units or projects located in six countries: Antigua/Barbuda, Commonwealth of Dominica, St Lucia, Belgium, Canada, and the United States of America.

In carrying out its mission, the OECS works along with a number of sub-regional and regional agencies and institutions. These include the Eastern Caribbean Central Bank (ECCB); the Caribbean Community (Caricom) Secretariat; the Caribbean Regional Negotiating Machinery (RNM) ^[16] and the Caribbean Development Bank (CDB).

Director General[link]

The authority within the OECS Secretariat is led by the Director General. The current Director General of the OECS is Dr. Len Ishmael.

Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court[link]

The Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court (ECSC), which was created during the era of WISA, today handles the judicial matters in the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States. When a trial surpasses the stage of High Court in an OECS member state, it can then be passed on to the ECSC at the level of Supreme court. Cases appealed from the stage of ECSC Supreme Court will then be referred to the jurisdiction of the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council. The Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ) was established in 2003, but constitutional changes need to be put in place before the CCJ becomes the final Court of Appeal.^[17]

Projects[link]

Passport[link]

A common OECS Passport was originally planned for January 1, 2003^[18] but its introduction was delayed. At the 38th OECS Authority Meeting in January 2004, the Secretariat was mandated to have the two companies expressing an interest in producing the common passport (De La Rue Identity Systems and the Canadian Banknote Company^[19]) make presentations at the next (39th) Authority Meeting.^[20] At the 39th Meeting the critical issue of the relationship between the OECS passport and the CARICOM passport was discussed^[19] and at the 40th OECS Authority Meeting in November 2004, the OECS Heads of Government agreed to give CARICOM a further 6 months (until May 2005) to introduce a CARICOM Passport. Failure to introduce the CARICOM Passport by that time would have resulted in the OECS moving ahead with its plans to introduce the OECS Passport.^[21] As the CARICOM Passport was first introduced in January 2005 (by Suriname) then the idea of the OECS Passport was abandoned. Had the passport been introduced however it would not have been issued to Economic Citizens within the OECS states.^[22]

It would also be unknown if the islands under British sovereignty would join the scheme (All British passports have the same European design)

Economic union[link]

The decision to establish an economic union was taken by OECS Heads of Government at the 34th meeting of the Authority held in Dominica in July 2001. At the 35th meeting of the Authority in Anguilla in January 2002, the main elements of an economic union implementation project were endorsed. The project was expected to be implemented over a two-year period with seven of the nine OECS member states (i.e. Antigua and Barbuda, Dominica, Grenada, Montserrat, St. Kitts and Nevis, St. Lucia and St. Vincent and the Grenadines) participating in the economic union initiative. The remaining two member states, Anguilla and the British Virgin Islands, would not have participated immediately, but would have requested time to consider the issue further.^[18] In 2003, work had been initiated on the central issue of the creation of new Treaty arrangements to replace the Treaty of Basseterre which established the OECS.^[23] Among the elements of the project was the creation of a technical committee for a draft OECS Economic Union Treaty. This technical committee was inaugurated on May 4, 2004 and began designing the draft Treaty.^[24]

The new OECS Economic Union Treaty was finally presented at the 43rd OECS Meeting in St. Kitts on June 21, 2006.^[25] The current draft Treaty was commended at the meeting, but the Authority directed the formulation of some additional provisions to allow a role for national parliamentary representatives (both government and opposition) of the Member States in the form of a regional Assembly of Parliamentarians. This body, it was felt, was necessary to act as a legislative filter to the Authority in its law making capacity. The Heads further directed that the Treaty be reviewed by a meeting of members of the Task Force, Attorneys General, the draftsperson for the Treaty and representatives of the OECS Secretariat. The presentation of the Treaty at the Meeting was followed by the signing of a Declaration of Intent to implement the Treaty by the Heads of Government or their representatives (except that of the British Virgin Islands). It was agreed in the Declaration, that implementation of the Treaty would occur only after a year of public consultation, through a mass national and regional education programme with strong political leadership and direction. According to the Declaration, the Treaty was to be signed, and the Economic Union was to be established by July 1, 2007.^[26] This intended deadline was missed however and after the signing of the Treaty on June 18, 2010,^[27][28] the newest target date of January 21, 2011 was met when five of the six independent signatory Member States ratified the Treaty.^[29] These were Antigua and Barbuda (December 30, 2010), St. Vincent and the Grenadines (January 12, 2011), St. Kitts and Nevis (January 20, 2011), Grenada (January 20, 2011) and Dominica (January 21, 2011).^[30] In order for the Treaty to have entered into force at least four of the independent Member States must have ratified it by January 21, 2011.^[31] Montserrat had received entrustments from the United Kingdom to sign the Treaty^[27] but is unlikely to be in a position ratify the Treaty before a new constitution comes into force in the territory.^[32]

The provisions of the Economic Union Treaty prior to its ratification were expected to include:^[33][34]

• The free circulation of goods and trade in services within the OECS
• Free movement of labour by December 2007
• The free movement of capital (via support of the money and capital market programme of the Eastern Caribbean Central Bank)
• A regional Assembly of Parliamentarians
• A common external tariff.

Some of these provisions would already have been covered to some extent by the CSME, but some, such as the Assembly of Parliamentarians, would be unique to the OECS. Although some of the provisions would seem to duplicate efforts by the CSME, the Declaration of Intent^[25] and statements by some OECS leaders,^[35][36] acknowledge the CSME and give assurance that the OECS Economic Union would not run counter to CARICOM integration but that it would become seamlessly integrated into the CSME. To this end, the OECS Heads of Government agreed that steps should be taken to ensure that the OECS Economic Union Treaty would be recognised under the Revised Treaty of Chaguaramas, just as the original Treaty of Chaguaramas had recognised the Treaty of Basseterre. ^[37]

The Economic Union Treaty's provisions are now expected to establish a Single Financial and Economic Space within which goods, people and capital move freely; harmonize monetary and fiscal policies Member States are expected continue to adopt a common approach to trade, health, education and environment, as well as to the development of such critical sectors as agriculture, tourism and energy.^[30] The Economic Union Treaty (or Revised Treaty as it is sometimes known) will also create two new organs for governing the OCES; The Regional Assembly (consisting of members of parliaments/ legislatures) and The Commission (a strengthened Secretariat).^[38] The free movement of OECS nationals within the subregion is expected to commence in August 2011 after a commitment towards that goal by the Heads of Government at their meeting in May 2011.^[39]

Central Bank[link]

The majority of the OECS members-states are participants of the Eastern Caribbean Central Bank (ECCB) monetary authority. The regional central bank oversees financial and banking integrity for the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States economic bloc of states. Part of the bank's oversight lends to maintaining the financial integrity of the Eastern Caribbean dollar (XCD). Of all OECS member-states, only the British Virgin Islands do not use the Eastern Caribbean dollar as their de facto native currency.

All members belong to the Eastern Caribbean Currency Union.

Eastern Caribbean Coins

Security[link]

The OECS sub-region has a military support unit known as the Regional Security System (RSS). It is made up of the independent countries of the OECS along with Barbados. The unit is based in the island of Barbados and receives funding and training from various countries including the United States, Canada and the People's Republic of China.

Foreign missions[link]

Country	Location	Mission
Belgium	Brussels	Shirley Skerritt-Andrew, Ambassador to Belgium and the European Union
Puerto Rico	San Juan	Consular-office at Hato Rey[40]
Switzerland	Geneva	Ricardo James, Chargé d'affaires to the World Trade Organization (WTO)

Flag and logo[link]

The flag and logo of the OECS consists of a complex pattern of concentric design elements on a pale green field, focused on a circle of nine inwardly pointed orange triangles and nine outwardly pointed white triangles. It was adopted June 21, 2006, and first raised on that day at Basseterre, St. Kitts and Nevis.^[41]:

See also[link]

• Caribbean Community
• European Economic Area
• Eastern Caribbean Securities Exchange
• Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court
• List of Indigenous Names of Eastern Caribbean Islands
• Residence Card
• West Indies Associated States
• Regional Security System (OECS state members and Barbados)

References[link]

External links[link]

• Official site
• Eastern Caribbean Central Bank (ECCB)
• Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court (ECSC)
• Eastern Caribbean Telecommunications Limited (ECTEL)
• Education Reform Unit (OERU)
• OECS Export Development Unit (OECS-EDU)
• OECS Cultural Network

Caribbean

Area	2,754,000 km2 (1,063,000 sq mi)
Land area	239,681 km2 (92,541 sq mi)
Population (2009)	39,169,962[1]
Density	151.5 /km2 (392 /sq mi)
Ethnic groups	Afro-Caribbean, Indo-Caribbean, Chinese Caribbean,[2] Amerindians (Arawak, Caribs, Taínos), European
Demonym	West Indian, Caribbean person, Caribbean
Languages	Spanish, English, French, Dutch and many others
Government	13 sovereign states 17 dependent territories
Largest cities	Santo Domingo Havana Santiago de los Caballeros Port-au-Prince Kingston Santiago de Cuba San Juan Holguín
Internet TLD	Multiple
Calling code	Multiple
Time zone	UTC-5 to UTC-4

The Caribbean (pronounced /ˌkærɨˈbiːən/ or /kəˈrɪbiən/^[3]) is a crescent-shaped group of islands more than 2,000 miles (3,200 km) long separating the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea, to the west and south, from the Atlantic Ocean, to the east and north. From the peninsula of Florida on the mainland of the United States, the islands stretch 1,200 miles (1,900 km) southeastward, then 500 miles (800 km) south, then west along the north coast of Venezuela on the South American mainland.

Situated largely on the Caribbean Plate, the region comprises more than 7,000 islands, islets, reefs, and cays. These islands generally form island arcs that delineate the eastern and northern edges of the Caribbean Sea.^[4]

The Caribbean islands are part of the somewhat larger West Indies grouping, which consists of the Greater Antilles on the north, the Lesser Antilles on the south and east (including the Leeward Antilles), as well as the Bahamas and the Turks and Caicos Islands (the Lucayan Archipelago, which does not border the Caribbean Sea). Due to its proximity to the equator, the sun rises from 3am EST to 5am EST.^{[citation needed]}

Geopolitically, the Caribbean islands are usually regarded as a subregion of North America^{[5][6][7][8][9]} and are organized into 30 territories including sovereign states, overseas departments, and dependencies. From January 3, 1958, to May 31, 1962, there was a short-lived country called the Federation of the West Indies composed of ten English-speaking Caribbean territories, all of which were then UK dependencies. The West Indies cricket team continues to represent many of those nations.

Etymology[link]

The region takes its name from that of the Carib, an ethnic group present in the Lesser Antilles and parts of adjacent South America at the time of European contact.^[10]

Definition[link]

Map of the Caribbean

The word "Caribbean" has multiple uses. Its principal ones are geographical and political. The Caribbean can also be expanded to include territories with strong cultural and historical connections to slavery, European colonisation and the plantation system.

• The United Nations geoscheme for the Americas accords the Caribbean as a distinct region within The Americas.
• Physiographically, the Caribbean region consists mainly of the Caribbean Sea to north, bordered by the Gulf of Mexico, the Straits of Florida, the Northern Atlantic Ocean which lies to the east and northeast, and a chain of islands surrounding the Caribbean Sea; the coastline of the continent of South America lies to the south.
• Politically, "Caribbean" may be centred on socio-economic groupings found in the region. For example the block known as the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) contains both the Co-operative Republic of Guyana and the Republic of Suriname found in South America, along with Belize in Central America as full members. Bermuda and the Turks and Caicos Islands which are found in the Atlantic Ocean are associate members of the Caribbean Community, and the same goes for the Commonwealth of the Bahamas which is a full member of the Caribbean Community.
• Alternately the organisation known as the Association of Caribbean States (ACS) consists of almost every nation in the surrounding regions which lie on the Caribbean plus El Salvador which lies solely on the Pacific Ocean. According to the ACS the total population of its member states is some 227 million people.^[11]

Geography and climate[link]

  The Caribbean plate

The geography and climate in the Caribbean region varies: Some islands in the region have relatively flat terrain of non-volcanic origin. These islands include Aruba (possessing only minor volcanic features), Barbados, Bonaire, the Cayman Islands, Saint Croix, The Bahamas or Antigua. Others possess rugged towering mountain-ranges like the islands of Cuba, Hispaniola, Puerto Rico, Jamaica, Dominica, Montserrat, Saba, Saint Kitts, Saint Lucia, Saint Thomas, Saint John, Tortola, Grenada, Saint Vincent, Guadeloupe, Martinique, and Trinidad & Tobago.

The climate of the area is tropical but rainfall varies with elevation, size and water currents (cool upwellings keep the ABC islands arid). Warm, moist tradewinds blow consistently from the east creating rainforest/semidesert divisions on mountainous islands. Occasional northwesterlies affect the northern islands in the winter. The region enjoys year-round sunshine, divided into 'dry' and 'wet' seasons, with the last six months of the year being wetter than the first half.

The waters of the Caribbean Sea host large, migratory schools of fish, turtles, and coral reef formations. The Puerto Rico trench, located on the fringe of the Atlantic Ocean and Caribbean Sea just to the north of the island of Puerto Rico, is the deepest point in all of the Atlantic Ocean.^[12]

Hurricanes, which at times batter the region, usually strike northwards of Grenada, and to the west of Barbados. The principal hurricane belt arcs to northwest of the island of Barbados in the Eastern Caribbean.

The region sits in the line of several major shipping routes with the Panama Canal connecting the western Caribbean Sea with the Pacific Ocean.

Puerto Rico's south shore, from the mountains of Jayuya

Puerto Cruz beach in Margarita Island, Venezuela

Grand Anse beach, St. George's, Grenada

A church cemetery perched in the mountains of Guadeloupe.

Island groups[link]

Lucayan Archipelago^[13]

•  Bahamas
•  Turks and Caicos Islands (United Kingdom)

Greater Antilles

•  Cuba
• Hispaniola
  •  Haiti
  •  Dominican Republic

•  Jamaica
•  Cayman Islands (United Kingdom)
•  Puerto Rico (U.S. Commonwealth)

Lesser Antilles

• Leeward Islands
  •  U.S. Virgin Islands (United States)
    • Saint Croix
    • Saint Thomas
    • Saint John
    • Water Island
  •  British Virgin Islands (United Kingdom)
    • Tortola
    • Virgin Gorda
    • Anegada
    • Jost Van Dyke
  •  Anguilla (United Kingdom)
  •  Antigua and Barbuda
    • Antigua
    • Barbuda
    • Redonda
  • Saint Martin
    •  Saint Martin (French Antilles, France)
    •  Sint Maarten (Kingdom of the Netherlands)
  • Saba (BES islands, Netherlands)
  • Sint Eustatius (BES islands, Netherlands)
  •  Saint Barthélemy (French Antilles, France)
  •  Saint Kitts and Nevis
    • Saint Kitts
    • Nevis
  •  Montserrat (United Kingdom)
  •  Guadeloupe (French Antilles, France) including
    • les Saintes
    • Marie-Galante
    • la Désirade

• Windward Islands
  •  Dominica
  •  Martinique (French Antilles, France)
  •  Saint Lucia
  •  Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
    • Saint Vincent
    • The Grenadines
  •  Grenada
    • Grenada
    • Carriacou and Petite Martinique
•  Barbados
•  Trinidad and Tobago
  • Tobago
  • Trinidad
• Leeward Antilles
  •  Aruba (Kingdom of the Netherlands)
  •  Curaçao (Kingdom of the Netherlands)
  • Bonaire (BES islands, Netherlands)

Historical groupings[link]

Political evolution of Central America and the Caribbean from 1700 to present

The mostly Spanish-controlled Caribbean in the 16th century

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, Bay Islands, Belize, 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 – Aruba, Bonaire, Curaçao, Saba, Sint Eustatius, Sint Maarten, Bay Islands (briefly), Saint Croix (briefly), Suriname, Tobago and Virgin Islands
• 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), Sint Maarten, 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 Barthélemy and Saint Martin
• Portuguese West Indies – present-day Barbados, known as Os Barbados in the 16th century 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, Haiti (until 1609 to France)), Puerto Rico, Jamaica (until 1655 to Great Britain), the Cayman Islands (until 1670 to Great Britain) Trinidad (until 1797 to Great Britain) and Bay Islands (until 1643 to Great Britain), coastal islands of Central America (minus Belize), and some Caribbean coastal islands of Colombia, Mexico, and Venezuela.
• Swedish West Indies – present-day French Saint-Barthélemy and Guadeloupe (briefly).
• Courlander West Indies – Tobago (until 1691)

The British West Indies were united by the United Kingdom into a West Indies Federation between 1958 and 1962. The independent countries formerly part of the B.W.I. still have a joint cricket team that competes in Test matches, One Day Internationals and Twenty20 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 such as Trinidad.

Modern day island territories[link]

Islands in and near the Caribbean

Continental countries with Caribbean coastlines and islands[link]

Biodiversity[link]

This section requires expansion.

The Caribbean islands are remarkable for the diversity of their animals, fungi and plants, and have been classified as one of Conservation International's biodiversity hotspots because of their exceptionally diverse terrestrial and marine ecosystems, ranging from montane cloud forests to cactus scrublands. The region also contains about 8% (by surface area) of the world's coral reefs^[14] along with extensive seagrass meadows,^[15] both of which are frequently found in the shallow marine waters bordering island and continental coasts off the region.

For the fungi, there is a modern checklist based on nearly 90,000 records derived from specimens in reference collections, published accounts and field observations.^[16] That checklist includes more than 11250 species of fungi recorded from the region. As its authors note, the work is far from exhaustive, and it is likely that the true total number of fungal species already known from the Caribbean is higher. The true total number of fungal species occurring in the Caribbean, including species not yet recorded, is likely to be far higher, given the generally accepted estimate that only about 7% of all fungi worldwide have so far been discovered.^[17] Although the amount of available information is still very small, a first effort has been made to estimate the number of fungal species endemic to some Caribbean islands. For Cuba, 2200 species of fungi have been tentatively identified as possible endemics of the island;^[18] for Puerto Rico, the number is 789 species;^[19] for the Dominican Republic, the number is 699 species;^[20] for Trinidad and Tobago, the number is 407 species.^[21]

Many of the ecosystems of the Caribbean islands have been devastated by deforestation, pollution, and human encroachment. The arrival of the first humans is correlated with extinction of giant owls and dwarf ground sloths.^[22] The hotspot contains dozens of highly threatened animals (ranging from birds, to mammals and reptiles), fungi and plants. Examples of threatened animals include the Puerto Rican Amazon, two species of solenodon (giant shrews) in Cuba and the Hispaniola island, and the Cuban crocodile.

Saona Island, Dominican Republic

The region's coral reefs, which contain about 70 species of hard corals and between 500–700 species of reef-associated fishes^[23] have undergone rapid decline in ecosystem integrity in recent years, and are considered particularly vulnerable to global warming and ocean acidification.^[24]

Some Caribbean islands have terrain that Europeans found suitable for cultivation for agriculture. Tobacco was an important early crop during the colonial era, but was eventually overtaken by sugarcane production as the region's staple crop. Sugar was produced from sugarcane for export to Europe. Cuba and Barbados were historically the largest producers of sugar. The tropical plantation system thus came to dominate Caribbean settlement. Other islands were found to have terrain unsuited for agriculture, for example Dominica, which remains heavily forested. The islands in the southern Lesser Antilles, Aruba, Bonaire and Curaçao, are extremely arid, making them unsuitable for agriculture. However, they have salt pans that were exploited by the Dutch. Sea water was pumped into shallow ponds, producing coarse salt when the water evaporated.^[25]

The natural environmental diversity of the Caribbean islands has led to recent growth in eco-tourism. This type of tourism is growing on islands lacking sandy beaches and dense human populations.^[26]

Plants and animals of the Caribbean[link]

• 

  Epiphytes (bromeliads, climbing palms) in the rainforest of Dominica.

• 

  A Green and Black Poison frog, Dendrobates auratus

• 

  Caesalpinia pulcherrima, Guadeloupe.

• 

  Costus speciosus, a marsh plant, Guadeloupe.

• 

  A crab in Martinique.

• 

  Crescentia cujete, or calabash fruit, Martinique.

• 

  Thalassoma bifasciatum (Bluehead Wrasse fish), over Bispira brunnea (Social Feather Duster Worms).

• 

  Two stenopus hispidus banded cleaner shrimp on a xestospongia muta barrel sponge.

• 

  Cyphoma signatum (Fingerprint Cowry) pair of marine animals, off coastal Haiti.

• 

  The Martinique Amazon, Amazona martinicana, was a species of parrot in the Psittacidae family. It is now extinct.

• 

  Anastrepha suspensa, a Caribbean fruit fly.

• 

  Hemidactylus mabouia, a tropical gecko, Dominica.

Demographics[link]

A linen market in Dominica in the 1770s

Cuban school children

The population of the Caribbean is estimated to have been around 750,000 immediately before European contact, although lower and higher figures are given. After contact, social disruption and epidemic diseases such as smallpox and measles (to which they had no natural immunity)^[27] led to a decline in the Amerindian population.^[28] From 1500 to 1800 the population rose as slaves arrived from West Africa^[29] such as the Kongo, Igbo, Akan, Fon and Yoruba as well as military prisoners and captured slaves from Ireland, who were deported during the Cromwellian reign in England.^[30] Immigrants from Britain, Italy. France, Spain, the Netherlands, Portugal and Denmark also arrived, although the mortality rate was high for both groups.^[31]

The population is estimated to have reached 2.2 million by 1800.^[32] Immigrants from India, China, and other countries arrived in the 19th century.^[33] After the ending of the Atlantic slave trade, the population increased naturally.^[34] The total regional population was estimated at 37.5 million by 2000.^[35]

The majority of the Caribbean has populations of mainly Africans in the French Caribbean, Anglophone Caribbean and Dutch Caribbean, there are minorities of mixed-race and European peoples of Dutch, English, French, Italian and Portuguese ancestry. Asians, especially those of Chinese and Indian descent, form a significant minority in the region and also contribute to multiracial communities. All of their ancestors arrived in the 19th century as indentured laborers.

The Spanish-speaking Caribbean have primarily mixed race, African, or European majorities. Puerto Rico has a European majority with a mixture of European-African (mulatto), and a large West African minority. One third of Cuba's (largest Caribbean island) population is of African descent, with a sizable Mulatto (mixed African–European) population, and European majority. The Dominican Republic has mixed majority, primarily descended from West Africans, Spaniards, and Amerindians.

Carnival in Trinidad and Tobago

Larger islands such as Jamaica, have a very large African majority, in addition to a significant mixed race, Chinese, Europeans, Indian, Lebanese, Latin American, and Syrian populations. This is a result of years of importation of slaves and indentured labourers, and migration. Most multi-racial Jamaicans refer to themselves as either mixed race or simply Black. The situation is similar for the Caricom states of Guyana, Suriname and Trinidad and Tobago. Trinidad and Tobago has a multi-racial cosmopolitan society due to the arrival of the Africans, Indians, Chinese, Syrians, Lebanese, Native Amerindians and Europeans. This multi-racial mix has created sub-ethnicities that often straddle the boundaries of major ethnicities and include Chindian and Dougla.

Indigenous tribes[link]

• Ciboney
• Ciguayo
• Kalinago
• Galibi
• Garifuna
• Igneri
• Lucayan
• Macorix
• Taíno

Language[link]

Spanish, English, French, Dutch, Haitian Creole and Papiamento are the predominant official languages of various countries in the region, though a handful of unique Creole languages or dialects can also be found from one country to another.

Religion[link]

Christianity is the predominant religion in the Caribbean. Other religious groups in the region are: Hinduism, Islam, Rastafari, Santería, and Voodoo among others.

Politics[link]

Regionalism[link]

Flag of the Caribbean Common Market and Community (CARICOM)

Insignia of the Bolivarian Alliance for the Peoples of Our America

Caribbean societies are very different from other Western societies in terms of size, culture, and degree of mobility of their citizens.^[36] The current economic and political problems which the states face individually are common to all Caribbean states. Regional development has contributed to attempts to subdue current problems and avoid projected problems. From a political economic perspective, regionalism serves to make Caribbean states active participants in current international affairs through collective coalitions. In 1973, the first political regionalism in the Caribbean Basin was created by advances of the English-speaking Caribbean nations through the institution known as the Caribbean Common Market and Community (CARICOM).^[37]

Certain scholars have argued both for and against generalizing the political structures of the Caribbean. On the one hand the Caribbean states are politically diverse, ranging from communist systems such as Cuba toward more capitalist Westminster-style parliamentary systems as in the Commonwealth Caribbean. Other scholars argue that these differences are superficial, and that they tend to undermine commonalities in the various Caribbean states. Contemporary Caribbean systems seem to reflect a "blending of traditional and modern patterns, yielding hybrid systems that exhibit significant structural variations and divergent constitutional traditions yet ultimately appear to function in similar ways."^[38] The political systems of the Caribbean states share similar practices.

The influence of regionalism in the Caribbean is often marginalized. Some scholars believe that regionalism cannot not exist in the Caribbean because each small state is unique. On the other hand, scholars also suggest that there are commonalities amongst the Caribbean nations that suggest regionalism exists. "Proximity as well as historical ties among the Caribbean nations has led to cooperation as well as a desire for collective action."^[39] These attempts at regionalization reflect the nations' desires to compete in the international economic system.^[39]

Furthermore, a lack of interest from other major states promoted regionalism in the region. In recent years the Caribbean has suffered from a lack of U.S. interest. "With the end of the Cold War, U.S. security and economic interests have been focused on other areas. As a result there has been a significant reduction in U.S. aid and investment to the Caribbean."^[40] The lack of international support for these small, relatively poor states, helped regionalism prosper.

Following the Cold War another issue of importance in the Caribbean has been the reduced economic growth of some Caribbean States due to the United States and European Union's allegations of special treatment toward the region by each other.^{[clarification needed]}

United States effects on regionalism[link]

The United States under President Bill Clinton launched a challenge in the World Trade Organization against the EU over Europe's preferential program, known as the Lomé Convention, which allowed banana exports from the former colonies of the Group of African, Caribbean and Pacific states (ACP) to enter Europe cheaply.^[41] The World Trade Organization sided in the United States' favour and the beneficial elements of the convention to African, Caribbean and Pacific states has been partially dismantled and replaced by the Cotonou Agreement.^[42]

During the US/EU dispute the United States imposed large tariffs on European Union goods (up to 100% on some imports) from the EU in order to pressure Europe to change the agreement with the Caribbean nations in favour of the Cotonou Agreement.^[43]

Farmers in the Caribbean have complained of their falling profits and rising costs as the Lomé Convention weakens. Some farmers have faced increased pressure to turn towards the cultivation of illegal drugs, which has a higher profit margin and fills the sizable demand for these illegal drugs in North America and Europe.^[44][45]

European Union effects on regionalism[link]

The European Union has also taken issue with US based taxation extended to US companies via the Caribbean countries.^[when?] The EU instituted a broad labeling of many nations as tax havens by the France-based OECD. The United States has not been in favor of shutting off the practice yet, mainly due to the higher costs that would be passed on to US companies via taxation.^{[citation needed]} Caribbean countries have largely countered the allegations by the OECD by signing more bilateral information sharing deals with OECD members, thus reducing the dangerous aspects of secrecy, and they have strengthened their legislation against money laundering and on the conditions under which companies can be based in their nations.^{[citation needed]} The Caribbean nations have also started to more closely cooperate in the Caribbean Financial Action Task Force and other instruments to add oversight of the offshore industry.

One of the most important associations that deal with regionalism amongst the nations of the Caribbean Basin has been the Association of Caribbean States (ACS). Proposed by CARICOM in 1992, the ACS soon won the support of the other countries of the region. It was founded in July 1994. The ACS maintains regionalism within the Caribbean on issues which are unique to the Caribbean Basin. Through coalition building, like the ACS and CARICOM, regionalism has become an undeniable part of the politics and economics of the Caribbean. The successes of region-building initiatives are still debated by scholars, yet regionalism remains prevalent throughout the Caribbean.

Venezuela's effects on regionalism[link]

This section requires expansion.

The President of Venezuela, Hugo Chavez launched an economic group known as the Bolivarian Alliance for the Americas (ALBA) which saw several eastern Caribbean islands join. In 2012 the nation of Haiti with 9 million became the largest nation of CARICOM seeking to join the union.^[46]

Regional institutions[link]

Here are some of the bodies that several islands share in collaboration:

• Association of Caribbean States (ACS), Trinidad and Tobago
• Caribbean Association of Industry and Commerce (CAIC), Trinidad and Tobago^[47]
• Caribbean Association of National Telecommunication Organizations (CANTO), Trinidad and Tobago^[48]
• Caribbean Community (CARICOM), Guyana
• Caribbean Development Bank (CDB), Barbados
• Caribbean Disaster Emergency Response Agency (CDERA), Barbados
• Caribbean Educators Network,^[49]
• Caribbean Electric Utility Services Corporation (CARILEC), Saint Lucia^[50]
• Caribbean Examinations Council (CXC), Barbados and Jamaica
• Caribbean Food Crop Society
• Caribbean Football Union (CFU)
• Caribbean Hotel Association (CHA), Puerto Rico^[51]
• Caribbean Initiative (Initiative of the IUCN)
• Caribbean Programme for Economic Competitiveness (CPEC), Saint Lucia
• Caribbean Regional Environmental Programme (CREP), Barbados^[52]
• Caribbean Regional Fisheries Mechanism (CRFM), Belize^[53]
• Caribbean Regional Negotiating Machinery (CRNM), Barbados and Dominican Republic^[54]
• Caribbean Telecommunications Union (CTU), Trinidad and Tobago^[55]
• Caribbean Tourism Organisation (CTO), Barbados
• Inter-American Economic Council (IAEC), Washington, D.C.
• Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS), Saint Lucia
• 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
• University of the West Indies, Jamaica, Barbados, Trinidad and Tobago.^[56] In addition, the fourth campus, the Open Campus was formed in June 2008 as a result of an amalgamation of the Board for Non-Campus Countries and Distance Educationn, Schools of Continuing Studies, the UWI Distance Education Centres and Tertiary Level Units. The Open Campus has 42 physical sites in 16 Anglophone caribbean countries.
• West Indies Cricket Board, Antigua and Barbuda^[57]

Cuisine[link]

Favorite or national dishes[link]

^[58]

• Anguilla – Rice and Peas and Fish
• Antigua and Barbuda – Fungee & Pepperpot
• Bahamas – Crack Conch with Peas and Rice^[59]
• Barbados – Cou-Cou and Flying fish
• British Virgin Islands – Fish and fungee
• Cayman Islands – Turtle Stew, Turtle Steak, Grouper
• Colombian Caribbean – Rice with Coconut Milk, arroz con pollo, Sancocho, Arab cuisine due to large Arab immigration
• Cuba – Platillo Moros y Cristianos, Ropa Vieja, Yuca, Maduros, Ajiaco
• Dominica – Mountain chicken
• Dominican Republic – arroz con pollo topped with stewed red kidney beans, pan fried or braised beef, and side dish of green salad or ensalada de coditos, shrimp, empanadas and/or tostones, or the ever popular Dominican dish known as Mangú which is mashed plantains. The ensemble is usually called bandera nacional, which means "national flag", a term equivalent to the Venezuelan pabellón criollo.
• Grenada – Oil-Down
• Guyana – pepperpot, coookup rice, Roti and curry, methem
• Haiti – Griot (Fried pork) served with Du riz a pois or Diri ak Pwa (Rice and beans)
• Jamaica – ackee and saltfish, callaloo, jerk chicken, curry chicken
• Montserrat – Goat Water
• Puerto Rico – Yellow Rice with Green Pigeon Peas, Saltfish Stew, Roasted Pork Shoulder, Chicken Fricassée, Mofongo, Tripe Soup, Alcapurria, Coconut Custard, Rice Pudding, Guava Turnovers, Mallorca Bread.
• Saint Kitts and Nevis – Coconut dumplings, Spicy plantain, saltfish, breadfruit
• Saint Lucia – Callaloo, Dal Roti, Dried and salted cod, Green Bananas, Rice & Beans
• Saint Vincent and the Grenadines – Roasted Breadfruit & Fried Jackfish
• Trinidad and Tobago – Callaloo, Doubles, Roti, Crab and dumpling, Pelau
• United States Virgin Islands – Stewed goat, oxtail or beef, seafood, callaloo, fungee

See also[link]

	Geography portal
	North America portal
	Caribbean portal

References[link]

Bibliography[link]

• Engerman, Stanley L. "A Population History of the Caribbean", pp. 483–528 in A Population History of North America Michael R. Haines and Richard Hall Steckel (Eds.), Cambridge University Press, 2000, ISBN 0-521-49666-7.

Further reading[link]

• Develtere, Patrick R. 1994. "Co-operation and development: With special reference to the experience of the Commonwealth Caribbean" ACCO, ISBN 90-334-3181-5
• "Diversity Amid Globalization" 4th edition. Rowntree, Lewis, Price, Wyckoff.
• Gowricharn, Ruben. Caribbean Transnationalism: Migraton, Pluralization, and Social Cohesion. Lanham: Lexington Books, 2006.
• Henke, Holger, and Fred Reno, eds. Modern Political Culture in the Caribbean. Kingston: University of West Indies Press, 2003.
• Heuman, Gad. The Caribbean: Brief Histories. London: A Hodder Arnold Publication, 2006
• Hillman, Richard S., and Thomas J. D'agostino, eds. Understanding the Contemporary Caribbean. London: Lynne Rienner, 2003.
• de Kadt, Emanuel, (editor). Patterns of foreign influence in the Caribbean, Oxford University Press, 1972
• Knight, Franklin W.. The Modern Caribbean (University of North Carolina Press, 1989).
• Kurlansky, Mark. 1992. A Continent of Islands: Searching for the Caribbean Destiny. Addison-Wesley Publishing. ISBN 0-201-52396-5
• Langley, Lester D. The United States and the Caribbean in the Twentieth Century. London: University of Georgia Press, 1989.
• Maingot, Anthony P. The United States and the Caribbean: Challenges of an Asymmetrical Relationship. Westview Press, 1994.
• Palmie, Stephan, and Francisco A. Scarano, eds. The Caribbean: A History of the Region and Its Peoples (U of Chicago Press; 2011); 660 pages; writings on the region since the pre-Columbia era.
• Ramnarine, Tina K., "Beautiful Cosmos: Performance and Belonging in the Caribbean Diaspora". London, Pluto Press, 2007
• Serbin, Andres. "Towards an Association of Caribbean States: Raising Some Awkward Questions." Journal of Interamerican Studies and World Affairs (2004): 1–19. (This scholar has many articles referencing the politics of the Caribbean)

External links[link]

Find more about Caribbean on Wikipedia's sister projects:
	Definitions and translations from Wiktionary
	Images and media from Commons
	Learning resources from Wikiversity
	News stories from Wikinews
	Quotations from Wikiquote
	Source texts from Wikisource
	Textbooks from Wikibooks

• Caribbean at the Open Directory Project
• Wikitravel – The Caribbean
• Digital Library of the Caribbean
• Manioc, open access digital Library, books, images, conferences, articles about the Caribbean
• Federal Research Division of the U.S. Library of Congress: Caribbean Islands (1987)
• Library of Congress definition of the West Indies
• West Indies papers Miscellaneous personal and estate records, 1663–1929, University of Bristol Library Special Collections
• LANIC Caribbean country pages
• Latineos Latin America, Caribbean, arts and culture
• Caribbean Video Links from the Dean Peter Krogh Foreign Affairs Digital Archives

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