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The Caribbean
by Brian Kidswen
http://www.fontcaribbean.com
Most people have heard of the Caribbean, but not many
know exactly where its located. The Caribbean aka the West
Indies is collection of islands that border along the
Caribbean Sea. Situated southeast of Mexico and northwest
of Venezuela, the seven thousand islands are made up of
reefs, caves, and tiny islands. Along with another 25
territories, these small pieces of land make up sovereign
states, overseas departments or dependencies.
They were named the West Indies because Christopher
Columbus mistakenly thought he landed in the actual Indies
just southeast of Asia. What he really landed on was
America. The Caribbean gets its name from the dominant
native groups of the region from the Europeans that arrived
there. The Caribbean is thought to be part of North
American however, it didn't become popular until after
World War II
Before becoming a tourist hot spot, the Caribbean was
inundated with different types of religious people and
explorers who heard of Columbus' discovery and ran there
probably to avoid some kind of oppression. Most of these
people were of African or European decent which helped with
the language barrier making it one of the most popular
tourist destinations of today.
The Caribbean's tropical climate, fishing and sailing, are
just a few of the things that make it so popular with
tourist today and golfers love golfing in Jamaica because
of its one-of-a-kind terrain and balmy weather. The energy
and culture of the New Years Day Junkanoo Parade, which is
a mix of Mardi Gras and an African tribal ritual, keep
people partying from downtown Nassau to the Trinidad and
Tobago's Carnival.
The Caribbean climate is tropical, moderated by the
prevailing northeast trade winds. Individual climatic
conditions depend on elevation. Typically, sea level
experiences little variation in temperature, regardless of
the time of the day or season. For example, in Kingston,
Jamaica, the mean temperature is 26 degrees Celsius, but in
Mandeville, at a little over 600 meters in elevation,
temperatures have dipped as low as 10?C.
There are few natural resources in the Caribbean islands.
Jamaica contains extensive deposits of bauxite, some of
which is mined and processed locally into aluminum for
export to the United States, which is its largest market.
Many of the islands contain small deposits of copper, lead,
manganese, and zinc, but they are not commercially viable.
What the territories do possess are beautiful beaches and a
pleasant climate, which have made tourism the Caribbean's
economic backbone.
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