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The Caribbean (Dutch: Cariben or Caraïben, or more commonly Antillen; French:  Caraïbe or more commonly Antilles; Spanish: Caribe) is a region of the Americas consisting of the Caribbean Sea, its islands (most of which enclose the sea), and the surrounding coasts. The region is located southeast of North America, east of Central America, and to the north and west of South America.

Map Of The Caribbean

Situated largely on the Caribbean Plate, the area comprises more than 7,000 islands, islets, reefs, and cays. The West Indies consist of the Antilles, divided into the larger Greater Antilles which bound the sea on the north and the Lesser Antilles on the south and east (including the Leeward Antilles), and the Bahamas. Geopolitically, the West Indies are usually reckoned as a subregion of North America and are organised into 28 territories including sovereign states, overseas departments, and dependencies. At one time, there was a short-lived country called the Federation of the West Indies composed of ten English-speaking Caribbean territories.

The Caribbean islands are an island chain 2,500 miles (4,020 km) long and no more than 160 miles (257 km) wide at any given point. They enclose the Caribbean Sea.

In the English-speaking Caribbean, someone from the Caribbean is usually referred to as a "West Indian," although the rather cumbersome phrase "Caribbean person" is sometimes used.

The Geography And Climate 

The climate of the region mainly ranges between sub-tropical to tropical and depends a great deal upon location in proximity to the tradewinds from the Atlantic. The tradewinds blow towards the Eastern Caribbean islands heading northwest up the chain of Windward islands.

When the tradewinds arrive close to the island of Cuba they tend to be overcome by other minor jet streams across the Caribbean region.

In the waters of the Caribbean Sea, the region can be found to host migratory, large 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 said to be the deepest point in the entire Atlantic Ocean.

In the majority of cases, 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 History

Antigua and Barbuda is an island nation located in the eastern Caribbean Sea, on its boundary with the Atlantic Ocean. This country has two major islands: Antigua (IPA: [ænˈtiːgə]) and Barbuda (IPA: [bɑrˈbjuːdə]), which are close neighbours within the middle of the Leeward Islands, roughly 17 degrees north of the equator. Antigua and Barbuda are part of the Lesser Antilles archipelago with the islands of Guadeloupe, Dominica, Martinique, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Barbados, Grenada, Trinidad and Tobago to the south, Montserrat to the southwest, Saint Kitts and Nevis to the west and Saint Barthélemy, Saint Martin and Anguilla to the northwest.

Pre-ceramic Amerindians were the first to inhabit the islands of Antigua and Barbuda in 2400 BC. Later Arawak and Carib Amerindian tribes populated the islands. The island of Antigua was named Wadadli by these natives and is today called Wadadli by locals. Christopher Columbus landed on his second voyage in 1493 and named the island Santa Maria de la Antigua after a church in Seville, Spain. Early settlement by the Spanish was replaced by English rule from 1632, with a French interlude in 1666. Slavery, established to run the sugar plantations on Antigua, was abolished in 1834.

The islands became an independent state within the Commonwealth of Nations on 1 November 1981, with Elizabeth II as the first Queen of Antigua and Barbuda, and the Right Honourable Vere Cornwall Bird became the first prime minister.

The Political Makeup 

The country consists of a number of islands, of which Antigua is the largest and most populous. St. John is the capital city and Barbuda, just north of Antigua, is the other main island. The islands have a warm, tropical climate, with fairly constant temperatures throughout the year. Redonda, another nearby island which was annexed in the 1860s when its phosphate resources were discovered, and is also the territory of Antigua and Barbuda, although it has been unoccupied since 1930. Antigua is divided into 6 parishes - St. George, St. John, St. Mary, St. Paul, St. Peter and St. Philip.

The Antigua Racer Snake is the rarest snake in the world, with only about two hundred living. It is found on Bird Island, an island off the coast of Antigua.

The Economy

Manufacturing comprises enclave-type assembly for export with major products being bedding, handicrafts, and electronic components. Prospects for economic growth in the medium term will continue to depend on income growth in the industrialised world, especially in the United States, which accounts for about one-third of all tourist arrivals.

The national currency for Antigua and Barbuda is the East Caribbean Dollar.

The Demographics

The majority of the population are of people of African or mixed African and European (predominately British) ancestry. There is a minority of people of Portuguese and mixed Portuguese and African ancestry, due to Portuguese indentured servants brought to the West Indies after the abolition of slavery. The remainder of the population are Europeans, notably Irish and British, and Christian Levantine Arabs (primarily of Syrian, Lebanese and Palestinian descent). There is also a small population of Sephardic Jews.

An increasingly large percent of the population live abroad, most notably in the United States, Canada, and England. A minority of the Antiguan residents are immigrants from other countries, particularly Dominica, Guyana and Jamaica with an increasing number of immigrants from the Dominican Republic, St. Vincent and the Grenadines and Nigeria. There is also a significant population of American citizens estimated at 4500 people which would make it one of the largest American citizen populations in the English speaking Eastern Caribbean.

Almost all Antiguans are Christians (74%), with the Anglican Church (about 44%) being the largest denomination. Catholicism is the other significant denomination, with the remainder being other Protestants: including Methodists, Moravians, Pentecostals and Seventh-Day Adventists. There are also Jehovah's Witnesses. Non-Christian religions practiced on the islands include Rastafari, Islam, Judaism, and Baha'i.

The Culture

An independent scientific study ranked Antiugua and Barbuda as the 16th happiest country in the world. The culture is predominantly British which is evident throughout many aspects of the society. American popular culture also has a heavy influence. Family and religion play an important role in the lives of Antiguans. There is a national Carnival celebration during the month of August each year: historically Carnival commemorates the abolition of slavery in the British West Indies. The annual Carnival includes pageants, shows, contests and festive activities, and is a notable tourist attraction.

The Music

Documented music in Antigua and Barbuda began only with the discovery of Antigua, then populated by Arawak and Caribs, by Christopher Columbus in 1493. The islands' early music, however, remains little studied. In the 1780s, documentation exists for African workers participating in outdoor dances accompanied by the banjar (later bangoe, perhaps related to the banjo) and toombah (later tum tum), a drum decorated with shell and tin jingles. By the 1840s, sophisticated subscription balls were common, held biweekly with European-derived quadrilles accompanied by fiddle, tambourine and triangle.

Colonial era churches and missionary activity displaced and disrupted the music of African slaves, who adopted elements of European-derived religious music. The brass bands of the Salvation Army are an important example. In the mid- to late 19th century, a number of Portuguese indentured workers came to Antigua, bringing with them their styles of music. When most of the Portuguese left in the 1880s, Lebanese music was brought to the island by immigrants from that country.

During the period of French colonial rule, African slaves were prohibited from celebrating in Carnival; they continued to do so, secretly, at home. There, an Afro-Caribbean style of percussion, dance and song called benna developed. Later, Antiguan and Barbudan folk music became more dominated by Trinidadian calypso and steelpan.

 

The national bird of Antigua is The Magnificent Frigatebird (Fregata magnificens) which was sometimes previously known as Man O'War, reflecting its rakish lines, speed, and aerial piracy of other birds.

It is widespread in the tropical Atlantic, breeding colonially in trees in Florida, the Caribbean and Cape Verde Islands. It also breeds along the Pacific coast of the Americas, Mexico to Ecuador including the Galapagos Islands.

It has occurred as a vagrant on the Isle of Man in 1998 and in Denmark and Spain. A male was found exhausted at Whitchurch, Shropshire, many miles from the sea, in November 2005. This individual was taken to Chester Zoo but died a few days later.

The Magnificent Frigatebird is 100 cm (39 inches) long with a 215 cm (85 inch) wingspan. Males are all black with a scarlet throat pouch which is inflated like a balloon in the breeding season. Although the feathers are black, the scapular feathers are iridescent and produce a purple colour when they refract sunlight. Females are black, but have a white breast and lower neck sides, a brown band on the wings and a blue eye ring. Immature birds have a white head and underparts.

The National Fruit Of Antigua

Originally introduced by the Arawakan speaking people, the Antiguan Black Pineapple (Ananas comosus) was used for making twine, cloth and for healing purposes. Today it is mainly grown on the south side of Antigua.

The National Dish Of Antigua

The national dish of Antigua and Barbuda is fungie (pronounced "foon-jee") and pepper pot. Fungie is a dish very similar to the Italian Polenta, and is almost completely made from cornmeal. Other local dishes include ducana, season rice, Saltfish and lobster (from Barbuda). There are also local confectionaries which include: sugarcake, fudge, raspberry and tamarind stew and peanut brittle.

Although these foods are indigenous to Antigua and Barbuda and to some other Caribbean countries, the local diet has diversified and now include the local dishes of Jamaica (e.g. jerk pork), Guyana (e.g. Roti) and other Caribbean countries. Chinese restaurants have also begun to become more mainstream. The supermarkets sell a wide variety of food, from American to Italian. Meals also vary depending on social class.

Lunches here typically include a starch, like rice/macaroni/pasta, vegetables/salad, an entree (fish, chicken, pork, beef etc.) and a side dish like macaroni pie, scalloped potatoes or plantains. Local drinks are mauby, seamoss, tamarind juice, raspberry juice, mango juice, lemonade, coconut milk, hibiscus juice, ginger beer, passion fruit juice, guava juice etc. Adults favor beers and rums, many of which are made locally, including Wadadli beer (named after the original name of the island) and the award winning English Harbour Rum.

Sunday is the main day most go to church in the country and is the day when the culture is mostly reflected in the food. For breakfast one might have saltfish, eggplant (aka troba), eggs and lettuce. Dinner on Sundays is eaten earlier (around 2:00 pm) because parents are usually off from work and can stay home and cook. It may include pork, baked chicken, stewed lamb, or turkey, alongside rice (prepared in a variety of ways), macaroni pie, salads, and a local drink. Dessert may be ice cream and cake or an apple pie (mango and pineapple pie in their season) or Jello.

 The History Of Aruba

Aruba's first inhabitants were the Caquetios Indians from the Arawak tribe, who migrated there from Venezuela to escape attacks by the Caribs. Fragments of the earliest known Indian settlements date back to about 1,000 A.D. Due to Aruba's mostly distant location from other Caribbean islands and strong currents in the sea which made canoe travel to the other islands difficult, the Caquetios remained more tied to South America than the Caribbean.

Europeans first learned of Aruba when Amerigo Vespucci and Alonso de Ojeda came across it in August 1499. Vespucci in one of his four letters to Lorenzo di Pierfrancesco de' Medici describes his voyage to the islands along the coast of Venezuela and describes an island where most trees are of brazilwood, and that from this island he went to one ten leagues of where they had houses built as in Venice. In another letter he describes an island inhabited by very large people, that as small as it was, first they thought was not inhabited.

In 1508 Alonso de Ojeda was appointed as Spain's first Governor of Aruba, as part of "Nueva Andalucia".

It remained a Spanish colony for over a century. The Cacique or Indian Chief in Aruba Simas welcomed the first priests in Aruba and received from them a wooden Cross as a gift .

  (Alonso de Ojeda)

Another governor appointed by Spain was Juan Martinez de Ampues.

A "cédula real" decreed in November 1525, gave Juan Martinez de Ampués, factor of Española, the right to repopulate the depopulated islands of Aruba, Curaçao and Bonaire. The natives under Spanish rule enjoyed a certain measure of liberty, with their liberties being actually greater than that of the average northern European farmer of the period.

Ampues was later replaced in 1528 by a representative of the "House of Welser"

Aruba has been under Dutch administration since 1647, initially under Peter Stuyvesant. Under the Dutch W.I.C. administration, as "New Netherlands and Curacao" from 1648-1664 and the Dutch government regulations of 1629, also applied in Aruba. The Dutch administration appointed an Irishman as "Commandeur" in Aruba in 1667.

Aruba was under British occupation from 1799-1802, and again from 1805-1816. General Francisco de Miranda and a group of 200 freedom fighters on their voyage to liberate Venezuela from Spain stayed for several weeks in Aruba in August 1806.

The island's economy has been dominated by four main industries: gold mining, aloepetroleum, and tourism.

During World War II Aruba became a British protectorate from 1940-1942 and a U.S. protectorate from 1942-1945.

On February 16, 1942, its oil processing refinery, which was at the time one of the largest in the region, was attacked by a German submarine (U-156) under the command of Werner Hartenstein. Miraculously, the mission failed. Aruba's Refinery was the main supplier of oil to the Allies at the time. The U-156 was later destroyed by a US plane as the crew was sunbathing, only one survived.

In March 1944: Eleanor Roosevelt paid a brief visit to the American troops stationed in Aruba during World War II. In attendance during Mrs. Roosevelt's visit were: His Excellency, Dr. P. Kasteel, the Governor of Curaçao, and his aide, Lieutenant Ivan Lansberg; Rear Admiral T. E. Chandler and his Aide, Lieutenant W. L. Edgington; Captain Jhr. W. Boreel and his Aide, Lieutenant E. O. Holmberg; and the Netherlands Aide to Mrs. Roosevelt, Lieutenant Commander v.d. Schatte Olivier.

In August 1947, Aruba presented its first "Staatsreglement", for the status of a completely autonomous State within the Kingdom of the Netherlands, under the authority of the crown, which is defined the same as in Britain's Statute of Westminster, an equal status of the Dominion Parliaments with the British Parliament, establishing that the Dominions were under the authority of the Crown, and not the government of Britain.

In 1972, at a conference in Surinam, Betico Croes (MEP) proposed a "sui-generis" Dutch Commonwealth of four states: Aruba, the Netherlands, Surinam and the Netherlands Antilles. Mr. C. Yarzagaray, a parliamentary member representing the AVP political party proposed a referendum to be held in Aruba for the people of Aruba to determine Aruba's separate status or "Status Aparte" as a completely autonomous state under the authority of the crown.

In 1976, preparing the people of Aruba to exercise Aruba's self-determination Right and Independence, the National Flag and National Anthem were introduced by a special committee appointed by Betico Croes. The National Flag symbolized Aruba's "Status Aparte", obtaining hereby for Aruba the status of an autonomous state, with special ties with a Commonwealth of Nations.

In 1977, the first Referendum for Self Determination was held with the support of the United Nations.

In 1983, Aruba reached a final official agreement with the State of the Netherlands, the State of the Netherlands Antilles and the Island Governments, to become a Member State within the Kingdom of the Netherlands, with its own Constitution/Grondwet. Aruba's constitution and autonomy were unanimously approved and proclaimed in August 1985, and an election was held for the people to elect the State of Aruba's first national parliament and institute its first national government.

Aruba gained independence from the Netherlands Antilles on January 1, 1986, as an autonomous, self-governing member state of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, in preparation for its full independence in 1996. This last achievement is largely due to the diplomatic prowess of the late Betico Croes and his political support of other nations like the USA, Panama, Venezuela and various European Countries. Movement toward full independence by 1996 was postponed upon the request of Aruba's prime minister, Nelson O. Oduber, in 1990. It was decided to postpone Aruba's independence date until the people decide otherwise through a referendum. Betico Croes, after his death in 1986, was proclaimed as the Libertador di Aruba.

The Geography

One of the Lesser Antilles, specifically in the Leeward Antilles island arc, Aruba is a generally flat, riverless island renowned for its white, sandy beaches. Most of these are located on the western and southern coasts of the island, which are relatively sheltered from fierce ocean currents. The northern and eastern coasts, lacking this protection, are considerably more battered by the sea and have been left largely untouched by humans. The interior of the island features some rolling hills, the better two of which are called Hooiberg at 165 metres (541 ft) and Mount Jamanota, which is the highest on the island, at 188 metres (617 ft) above sea level. Oranjestad is the capital.

As a separate member state of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, the island has no administrative subdivisions. To the east are Curaçao and Bonaire, two island territories which form the southwest part of the Netherlands Antilles; Aruba and these two Netherlands Antilles islands are also known as the ABC islands.

The local climate is a pleasant tropical marine climate. Little seasonal temperature variation exists, which helps Aruba to attract tourists all year round. Temperatures are almost constant at about 28 °C (82 °F), moderated by constant trade winds from the Atlantic Ocean.

The Economy

Aruba enjoys one of the highest standards of living in the Caribbean region and the lowest crime rate; low poverty and unemployment rates are also positives for Aruba. About half of the Aruban gross national product is earned through tourism or related activities. Most of the tourists are from Venezuela, the European Union (The Netherlands, Spain, England) and the United States ( East/ south), which is Aruba's largest trading partner. Before the Status Aparte (secession from the Netherlands Antilles), oil processing was the dominant industry in Aruba despite expansion of the tourism sector. Today, the influence of the oil processing business is minimal. The size of the agriculture and manufacturing sectors also remains minimal.
 

The G.D.P. per capita for Aruba is calculated to be around $23,600, one of the highest in the Americas.

Deficit spending has been a staple in Aruba's history, and modestly high inflation has been present as well. Recent efforts at tightening monetary policy may correct this. Aruba receives some development aid from the Dutch government each year, which will cease in 2009 as part of a deal in which the Netherlands will lower its financial help to the island each successive year. The Aruban florin is pegged to the United States dollar, with a fixed exchange rate where 1.79 florin equals 1 U.S. dollar.

In 2006 the Aruban government has also changed several tax laws in order to further reduce the deficit. Direct taxes have been converted to indirect taxes as proposed by the IMF. The inflation for 2006 has been calculated at 2.5%.

Aruba is situated in the deep southern part of the Caribbean. Because of almost no rainfall, Aruba was saved from plantation and the economics of the slave trade.

Aruba's population is estimated to be about 80 % Arawak Amerindian and 20% white and other. The Dutch, who took control almost two centuries later, left the Arawaks, who spoke the "broken Spanish" their ancestors had learned in Hispaniola, to farm and graze livestock, using the island as a source of meat for other Dutch possessions in the Caribbean. The Arawak heritage is stronger on Aruba than on most Caribbean islands. No full-blooded Aboriginals remain, but the features of the islanders clearly indicate their genetic Arawak heritage . The majority of the population is descended mostly from Arawak. And to a lesser extent Spanish, Italian and Dutch and a few French, British and African ancestors.

Recently there has been another substantial immigration to the island from neighboring American and Caribbean nations, attracted by the lure of well-paying jobs.

 

The Culture

On March 18 Aruba celebrates its National Day. In 1976, Aruba presented its National Anthem (Aruba Dushi Tera) and Flag.

The origins of the population and location of the island give Aruba a mixed culture. Dutch influence can still be seen, as in the celebration of the "Sinterklaas" Day on December 5 and 6 and other national Holidays like April 30, when in Aruba and the Dutch Kingdom celebrates the Queen's birthday or "Dia di Reina" (Koninginnedag).

Christmas and New Year are celebrated with the typical music and songs of gaitas for Christmas and the dande for New Year, and the "ayaca", the "ponchi crema" and "ham", and other typical foods and drinks. Millions of dollars worth of fireworks are burnt at midnight on New Year's.

In June there is the celebration of the "Dia di San Juan", with the song of "Dera Gay".

Tourism from the United States has recently also increased the visibility of American culture on the island, with such celebrations as Halloween and Thanksgiving Day in November.

The holiday of Carnival is also an important one in Aruba, as it is in many Caribbean and Latin American countries, and, like Mardi Gras, celebrates the day before Lent. Its celebration in Aruba started, around the 1950's,influenced by the inhabitants from the nearby islands (Venezuela,St Vincent, Trinidad, Barbados and Amquilla)who came to work for the oil refinery. Over the years the Carnival Celebration has changed and now starts from the beginning of January till the Tuesday before Ash Wednesday with a large parade on the last Sunday of the festivities (Sunday before Ash Wednesday).

According to the Bureau Burgelijke Stand en Bevolkingsregister (BBSB), as of 2005 there are ninety-two different nationalities living on the island.

Aruba's Queen Beatrix International Airport is located near Oranjestad. This airport has daily flights to various cities across the United States, to San Juan, Puerto Rico; Miami, Florida; Chicago, Illinois; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; Houston, Texas; Atlanta, Georgia; Charlotte, North Carolina; New York, and Boston, Massachusetts. It also connects Aruba with Canada and South America, with daily flights to the international airports of Venezuela, Colombia, Peru, Brazil, Spain, England and most of Europe through the Schiphol Airport in the Netherlands.

According to the Aruba Airport Authority, in 2005 almost 1.7 millions travelers used the airport, of which 61% were Americans.

The Music

The music of Aruba is a mixture of native, African and European elements, and is closely connected with trends from neighboring islands like Martinique, Trinidad and Guadeloupe, as well as the mainland former Dutch possession of Suriname, which has exported kaseko Curaçao and Bonaire likely have the most active and well-known music scenes. 

 

The inhabitants, hold impromptu street dances called road blocks, using booming car stereos. Saba has a number of dances at various restaurants, , including a wide variety of hip hop, disco, soca, zouk, reggae and merengue.

 

The National Flower Of Aruba

 

Efforts to ascertain the national flower of Aruba has proven very difficult to confirm. Our research shows us that it is reasonable to assume that the national flower of Aruba could indeed be the Tulip as this is the national flower for the Netherlands, of which, Aruba is officially a part. Further research has shown us that the Tulip is not indeginous to a Tropical climate and would have to force-grown. Reference is also made to the fact that the yellow strips on the Aruba flag represent the Wanglo flower, a tropical rainforest flower grown in Aruba. We leave this one to our Caribbean Celebrities.Com community to assist us with as we have not managed to unearth any info. to confirm any of the above.

 

The National Bird Of Aruba

 

The national bird of Aruba is the Burrowing Owl (Athene cunicularia) which is a small, long-legged owl found mostly throughout open landscapes of North and South America. Burrowing owls can be found in grasslands, rangelands, agricultural areas, deserts, or any other dry, open area with low vegetation (Lewis 2005). They nest and roost in burrows. Unlike most owls, burrowing owls are often active during the day. However, most hunting is done at dusk or at night.

Burrowing owls are able to live for at least 9 years in the wild and over 10 years in captivity. They are often killed by vehicles when crossing roads, and have many natural enemies, including  domestic cats, dogs.and snakes. 

 

The National Dish Of Aruba

The national dish of Aruba is Keshi Yena, a traditional recipe which literally translated means 'Stuffed Cheese'. Developed from leftovers on a Dutch plantation in Curacao and made from the leftovers of the Masters dinner many years ago. This dish is also popular in Curacao.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The History

On 12 October 1492, Christopher Columbus made his first landfall in the Western Hemisphere in the Bahamas. He encountered Arawak Indians and exchanged gifts with them. They were of the Lucayan tribe, and some traveled with Columbus in his return to Europe.

Spanish slave traders later captured native Lucayan Indians to work in gold mines in Hispaniola, and within 25 years, all the Lucayans perished . Without a source of slaves, the Spanish did not colonize the islands, though they had claimed them.

When Europeans first arrived, they reported the Bahamas were lushly forested. The forests were cleared during plantation days and have not regrown.

In 1647, during the English Civil War, a group of Puritan religious refugees from the royalist colony of Bermuda, the "Eleutheran Adventurers", founded the first permanent European settlement in the Bahamas and gave Eleuthera Island its name.

Similar groups of settlers formed settlements in the Bahamas, but the isolated cays sheltered pirates and wreckers throughout the 17th century. Charles II granted land in the Bahamas to the Lords proprietors of Province of Carolina, but the islands were left entirely to themselves. After Charles Town was destroyed by a joint French and Spanish fleet in 1703, the local pirates proclaimed an anarchic 'Privateers' Republic' with Edward Teach, better known as Blackbeard, as chief magistrate. Nassau was the main port preferred by the pirates during this time.

When the islands became a British Crown Colony in 1717, the first Royal Governor, a reformed pirate named Woodes Rogers, brought law and order to the Bahamas in 1718, when he expelled the buccaneers who had used the islands as bases. Instead, the pirates still working in these waters became privateers. Rogers is best known for his capture of pirates Calico Jack, Anne Bonny, and Mary Read.

During the American War of Independence the Bahamas fell to Spanish forces under General Galvez in 1782. After the American Revolution, the British government issued land grants to a group of British Loyalists, and the sparse population of the Bahamas tripled in a few years. The planters thought to grow cotton, but the limy soil was unsuited to it, and the plantations soon failed. Many of the current inhabitants are descended from the slaves brought to work on the Loyalist plantations. When the UK outlawed the slave trade in 1807, the Royal Navy began intercepting ships and depositing freed slaves in the Bahamas. Plantation life was finished after the emancipation of remaining slaves in 1834.

During the American Civil War, the Bahamas prospered as a center of Confederate blockade-running, producing cotton for the mills of England and running in arms and munitions. After World War I, the islands served as a base for American rum-runners.

During World War II, the Allies centered their flight training and antisubmarine operations for the Caribbean in the Bahamas. Since Havana was closed to American tourists in 1961, the Bahamas has developed into a major tourist resort. At the same time, the establishment of Freeport as a free trade zone (1955) developed an off-shore financial services center with a reputation for a tolerant atmosphere.

Bahamians achieved self-government through a series of constitutional and political steps, attaining internal self-government in 1964 and full independence within the Commonwealth of Nations on July 10, 1973.

The Geography 

The closest island to the United States is Bimini, which also known as the gateway to the Bahamas. The island of Abaco is to the east of Grand Bahama. The most southeastern island is Great Inagua. Other notable islands include the Bahamas' largest island, Andros Island, and Eleuthera, Cat Island, Long Island, San Salvador Island, Acklins, Crooked Island, Exuma and Mayaguana. Nassau, The Bahamas capital city, lies on the island of New Providence.

To the southeast, the Turks and Caicos Islands, and three more extensive submarine features called Mouchoir Bank, Silver Bank, and Navidad Bank, are geographically a continuation of the Bahamas, but not part of the Commonwealth of the Bahamas.

The climate of the Bahamas is subtropical to tropical, and is moderated significantly by the waters of the Gulf Stream, particularly in winter. Conversely, this often proves very dangerous in the summer and autumn, when hurricanes pass near or through the islands. Hurricane Andrew hit the northern islands during the 1992 Atlantic hurricane season, and Hurricane Floyd hit most of the islands during the 1999 Atlantic hurricane season.

                                                                                    An Aerial View Of The Bahamas

Hurricane Frances hit in 2004; the Atlantic hurricane season of 2004 was expected to be the worst ever for the islands. Also in 2004, the northern Bahamas were hit by a less potent Hurricane Jeanne. In 2005 the northern islands were once again struck, this time by Hurricane Wilma. In Grand Bahama, tidal surges and high winds destroyed homes and schools, floated graves and made roughly 1,000 people homeless, most of whom lived on the west coast of the island. They are still recovering to this day.

The Demographics

Eighty-five percent of the Bahamian population is of African heritage. About two-thirds of the population lives on New Providence Island (the location of Nassau). And about half of the remaining one-third lives on Grand Bahama (the location of Freeport).

The islands were sparsely settled and a haven for pirates until the late 1700s when thousands of British loyalists and their slaves were given compensatory land grants following the American Revolution. At the turn of the 20th century the total population was only 53,000.

School attendance is compulsory between the ages of five and 16. There are 158 public schools and 52 private schools in The Bahamas catering to more than 66,000 students. The College of The Bahamas, established in Nassau in 1974, provides programmes leading to bachelors and associate degrees. The college is now converting from a 2-year to a 4-year institution.

The Economics

The Bahamian economy is almost entirely dependent on tourism and financial services to generate foreign exchange earnings. Tourism alone provides an estimated 60% of the gross domestic product (GDP) and employs about half the Bahamian work force. In 2004, over 5 million tourists visited The Bahamas, most of whom are from the United States.

Financial services constitute the second-most important sector of the Bahamian economy, accounting for up to 15% of GDP, due to the country's status as a tax haven offshore banking center. As of December 1998, the government had licensed 418 banks and trust companies in The Bahamas. The national currency of Bahamas is the Bahamas Dollar.

Bahamian culture is related to other creole cultures throughout the Caribbean Basin, but also to the Gullah culture in coastal South Carolina and Georgia in the United States. Many Gullah people were taken to the Bahamas after the American Revolutionary War.

Junkanoo Music is indigenous to the Bahamas. It is associated primarily with Junkanoo, a type of street carnival which occurs on Boxing Day (December 26) and New Year's Day, January 1). The parades are characterised by spectacular costumes made of crepe paper and powerful rhythms beaten traditionally on goatskin drums (accompanied more recently with tom-tom drums or bongo drums) as well as rich Brassbands and shaking cowbells. Bahamian music also incorporates other Caribbean forms such as Calypso, Trinidadian Soca and Jamaician Reggae, as well as American-inspired Rap and Hip-Hop.

The Bahamas has long been a coveted location for films due to its beautiful environment, and cheap taxation and duty laws.

Film makers have gone to the island chain since 1916, when a portion of 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea was shot there. More recent films include Flipper, My Father the Hero, and recent blockbusters Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest and Casino Royale.

African aspects of Bahamian culture are found in local cuisine, Bahamian Dialect and certain religious beliefs and practices. Foods such as okra, black-eyed peas (or moi-moi), benny (sesame seeds) and benny cakes are connected with Africa.

Story telling and folklore play a large role in traditional entertainment in Bahamian communities, which goes way back to the days before modern television. Many of these highly amusing tales also carry wise lessons. Classic characters include B'bouki, B'rabbie, B'debil and Anancy.

The National Flower

The national flower of the Bahamas is The Yellow Elder or Tecoma stans. It has many Spanish names as well, including esperanza, which is Spanish for "hope." It is native to South and Central America, as well as Mexico and the southwestern United States. It has been introduced to several other regions, including southern Africa and Hawaii.

The Yellow Elder is an attractive plant which is cultivated as an ornamental. It has sharply-toothed, lance-shaped green leaves and bears large, showy, bright golden yellow trumpet-shaped flowers. It is drought-tolerant and grows well in warm climates. The flowers attract bees, butterflies, and hummingbirds. The plant produces pods containing yellow seeds with papery wings. The plant is desirable fodder when it grows in fields grazed by livestock.

The leaves and roots of the plant contain bioactive compounds, especially monoterpenes, which may have medicinal uses.

The National Bird

The national bird of the Bahamas is the Caribbean Flamingo (Phoenicopterus ruber) which is a large species of flamingo closely related to the Greater Flamingo and Chilean Flamingo, with which it is sometimes considered conspecific.

The Caribbean Flamingo breeds in the Galapagos Islands, coastal Colombia and nearby islands Venezuela, the Yucatán Peninsula of Mexico, and in the northern Caribbean in the Bahamas, Hispaniola, Cuba and Turks and Caicos. Most sightings in southern Florida are usually considered to be escapees, although at least one bird banded as a chick in the Yucatán Peninsula has been sighted in Everglades National Park, and others may be genuine wanderers from Cuba.

The habitat is similar to that of its relatives, including saline lagoons, mudflats and shallow brackish coastal or inland lakes. Like all flamingos, it lays a single chalky white egg on a mud mound.

The Caribbean Flamingo is 120–140 cm in length; males weigh 2.8 kg and females 2.2 kg. Most of their plumage is pink, giving rise to its earlier name of Rosy Flamingo and differentiating adults from the much paler European species. The wing coverts are red, and the primary and secondary flight feathers are black. It is the only flamingo which naturally inhabits North America.

The National Dish

The national dish of Bahamas is Crack Conch with Peas and Rice. (This dish is sometimes served with optional side dishes of potato salad, macaroni & cheese (Bahamian style - so thick, you can cut it like cake, with a knife), cole slaw and fried plantains. Crack conch with Peas & Rice is served as a main entre.

The History

The origin of the name Barbados is controversial. It was the Portuguese that were the first to conquer (discover) and name the island. As early as 1511, the island is referred to as Ilha dos Barbados (island of the bearded ones) in an official Portuguese document. It is a matter of conjecture whether the word "bearded" refers to the long, hanging roots of the bearded fig-tree (Ficus citrifolia), indigenous to the island, to bearded Amerindians occupying the island, or to the foam spraying over the outlying reefs giving the impression of a beard. In 1519, a map produced by the Genoese mapmaker Vesconte de Maggiola showed and named Barbados in its correct position north of Tobago.

The first indigenous people were Amerindians (pictured right) who arrived here from Venezuela around 350 CE. The Arawak people were the second wave of migrants, arriving from South America around 800 CE. Arawak settlements on the island include Stroud Point, Chandler Bay, Saint Luke's Gully and Mapp's Cave. According to accounts by descendants of the aboriginal Arawak tribes on other local islands, the original name for Barbados was Ichirouganaim. In the thirteenth century, the Caribs arrived from South America in the third wave.

Portuguese conquistadors seized many Caribs on Barbados and used them as slave labour on plantations. Other Caribs fled the island. British sailors who landed on Barbados in 1625 at the site of present-day Holetown on the Caribbean coast found the island uninhabited. From the arrival of the first British settlers in 1627–1628 until independence in 1966, Barbados was under uninterrupted British control. Nevertheless, Barbados always enjoyed a large measure of local autonomy. Its House of Assembly began meeting in 1639. Among the initial important British figures was Sir William Courten.

Starting in the 1620s, an increasing number of black slaves were brought to the isle. 5000 locals died of fever in 1647, and hundreds of slaves were executed by Royalist planters during the English Civil War in the 1640s, because they feared that the ideas of the Levellers might spread to the slave population if Parliament took control of Barbados.

Large numbers of Celtic people, mainly from Ireland and Scotland, went to Barbados as indentured servants. Over the next several centuries the Celtic population was used as a buffer between the Anglo-Saxon plantation owners and the larger African population, variously serving as members of the Colonial militia and playing a strong role as allies of the larger African slave population in a long string of colonial rebellions. As well, in 1659, the English shipped many Irishmen and Scots off to Barbados as slaves, and King James II and others of his dynasty also sent Scots and English off to the isle: for example, after the crushing of the Monmouth Rebellion in 1685. The modern descendants of this original slave population are sometimes derisively referred to as Red Legs (pictured right), or locally 'ecky becky', and are some of the poorest inhabitants of modern Barbados. There has also been large-scale intermarriage between the African and Celtic populations on the islands.

With the increased implementation of slave codes, which created differential treatment between Africans and the white settlers, the island became increasingly unattractive to poor whites. Black or slave codes were implemented in 1661, 1676, 1682, and 1688. In response to these codes, several slave rebellions where attempted or planned during this time, but none succeeded. However, an increasingly repressive legal system caused the gap between the treatment of typically white indentured servants and black slaves to widen. Imported slaves became much more attractive for the rich planters who would increasingly dominate the island not only economically but also politically. Some have speculated that, because the Africans could withstand tropical diseases and the climate much better than the white slave population, the white population decreased. This is inconsistent with the fact that many poor whites simply immigrated to neighbouring islands and remained in tropical climates. Nevertheless, as those poor whites who had or acquired the means to emigrate often did so, and with the increased importation of African slaves, Barbados turned from mainly Celtic in the seventeenth century to overwhelmingly black by the nineteenth century.

As the sugar industry developed into its main commercial enterprise, Barbados was divided into large plantation estates that replaced the smallholdings of the early British settlers. Some of the displaced farmers moved to British colonies in North America, most notably South Carolina. To work the plantations, West Africans were transported and enslaved on Barbados and other Caribbean islands. The British abolished the slave trade in 1807. In 1816, the continuation of slavery caused the largest major slave rebellion in the island's history. One thousand people died in the revolt for freedom, with 144 slaves executed and 123 deported by the king's army. Slavery was abolished in the British Empire 18 years later in 1834. In Barbados and the rest of the British West Indian colonies, full emancipation from slavery was preceded by an apprenticeship period that lasted four years.

However, plantation owners and merchants of British descent still dominated local politics, owing to the high income qualification required for voting. More than 70% of the population, many of them disenfranchised women, were excluded from the democratic process. It was not until the 1930s that the descendants of emancipated slaves began a movement for political rights. One of the leaders of this movement, Sir Grantley Adams (pictured left), founded the Barbados Labour Party, then known as the Barbados Progressive League, in 1938. Though a staunch supporter of the monarchy, Adams and his party demanded more rights for the poor and for the people. Progress toward a more democratic government in Barbados was made in 1942, when the exclusive income qualification was lowered and women were given the right to vote. By 1949 governmental control was wrested from the planters and, in 1958, Adams became Premier of Barbados.

The Geography

Barbados is a relatively flat island, rising gently to the central highland region, the highest point being Mount Hillaby, in the Scotland district, at 336 metres (1,100 ft) above sea level. The island is located in a slightly excentric position in the Atlantic Ocean, to the east of the other Caribbean islands. The climate is tropical, with a rainy season from June to October.

Barbados is often spared the worst effects of the region's tropical storms and hurricanes during the rainy season as its far eastern location in the Atlantic Ocean puts it just outside the principal hurricane strike zone, and one only hits about every 26 years.

Barbados has a population of about 279,000 and a population growth rate of 0.33% (Mid-2005 estimates). Close to 90 percent of all Barbadians (also known colloquially as Bajan) are of African descent ("Afro-Bajans"), mostly descendants of the slave labourers on the sugar plantations. The remainder of the population includes groups of Europeans ("Anglo-Bajans" / "Euro-Bajans") mainly from Britain, Ireland, Chinese locally known as Bajan-Chiney, Bajan Hindus from India and Muslims from Bangladesh and Pakistan, and an influential "Arab-Bajans" group mainly of Syrian and Lebanese descent. On the island are many people of Creole descent, a mixture of Afro-Caribbean and European descent (Primarily British, Portuguese, Irish); many Afro-Bajans are of creole descendency.

Other groups in Barbados include people from the United States, Canada, United Kingdomexpatriates from Latin America. Barbadians who return after years of residence in the U.S. are called "Bajan Yankees"; this term is considered derogatory by some.

 

Citizens are officially called Barbadians; Barbados' residents, however, colloquially refer to themselves or the products of the country as "Bajan". The term "Bajan" may have come from a localized pronunciation of the word Barbadian which at times can sound more like "Bar-bajan".

 

Photo Of Sir Garfield Sobers in action (left) 

 

 

 

Photo From Barbados Crop Over 2007 

The largest carnival-like cultural event which takes place on the island is the Crop Over festival, second only in size to the carnival held in Trinidad and Tobago.

As in many other Caribbean and Latin American countries, Crop Over is an important event for many people on the island, as well as the thousands of tourists that flock to the island to participate in the annual events.

The Crop Over festival includes various musical competitions and other traditional activities. It gets under way from the beginning of July, and ends with the costumed parade on Kadooment Day, held on the first Monday of August.

Barbados retains a strong British influence and is referred to by its neighbours as "Little England".

The music of Barbados includes distinctive national styles of folk and popular music, as well as elements of Western classical and religious music. The culture of Barbados is a syncretic mix of African and British elements, and the island's music reflects this mix through song types and styles, instrumentation, dances and aesthetic principles.

Barbadian folk traditions include the Landship movement, which is a satirical, informal organization based on the British navy, tea meetings, tuk bands and numerous traditional songs and dances. In modern Barbados, popular styles include calypso, spouge and other styles, most of them imported from Trinidad and Tobago, the United States or elsewhere. Barbados is, along with Trinidad, Cuba, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands, one of the few centers for Caribbean jazz.

The National Flower

The national flower of Barbados is the "Pride Of Barbados" or Poinciana aka The Peacock Flower (Caesalpinia pulcherrim). It is a shrub growing to 3 m tall, native to tropical America. The leaves are bipinnate, 20-40 cm long, bearing 3-10 pairs of pinnae, each with 6-10 pairs of leaflets 15-25 mm long and 10-15 mm broad. The flowers are borne in racemes up to 20 cm long, each flower with five yellow, orange or red petals. The fruit is a pod 6-12 cm long. It is a striking ornamental plant, widely grown in many caribbean tropical gardens. It is also depicted on the Queen's personal flag of Barbados.

Medicine men in the Amazon Rainforest have long known some of the medicinal uses for the Pride Of Barbados, which is known as ayoowiri. The juice from the leaves is said to cure fever, the juice from the flower cures sores, and the seeds cure bad cough, breathing difficulty, and chest pain. Four grams from the root is also said to induce abortion in the first trimester of pregnancy.

 

 

The National Bird

Barbados does not officially have a national bird, however, it is recognised as one of the Caribbean countries with the widest and possibly largest species of birds that inhabit the island. The current total runs at 214 different species of which 2 are endemic, 5 have been introduced by humans and 147 are rare or have appeared on the island accidentally. The Egret or Heron is one of the birds that exist in the largest numbers in Barbados with 14 out of the 61 world-wide known species inhabiting Barbados.

 

 

                                                                                      The Egret or Heron 

Ducks, Geese and Swans also exist in quite large numbers and in many different species in Barbados. Of the 131 worldwide species of ducks, geese and swan, 22 of them are native to Barbados. The Blue-winged Teal is a variety of the duck species that although not indigenous to Barbados, make their home in the country's marshes and ponds.

Hummingbirds can also be seen in Barbados as with most of the Caribbean islands and of the 337 varieties that exist worldwide, only 3 are natives of Barbados - the Purple-throated Carib, the Green-throated Carib and the Antillean Crested Hummingbird.

The national dish of Barbados is widely accepted as Flying Fish and Cou-Cou. Cou-Cou consists mainly of corn meal (yellow maize) and ochro (also spelled okra). The cornmeal which comes readily packaged and is available at supermarkets island wide and the ochro which is accessible at supermarkets, vegetable markets and home gardens are very inexpensive ingredients. It is because these main components are inexpensive that the dish became so common for many residents in Barbados’ early history. Cou-Cou derives from the island’s African ancestry and was a regular meal for those slaves who were brought over from Africa to Barbados.

A unique cooking utensil called a ‘cou-cou stick’ is used in its preparation. A cou-cou stick is made of wood and has a long, flat rectangular shape. It is believed by Barbadians to be essential in stirring the cou-cou as cou-cou takes on a firm texture and the cou-cou stick makes it easier to stir.

The Flying Fish is either served in Gravy or is lightly battered and fried - many natives prefer it in either of the 2 styles. 

The Virgin Islands were first settled by Arawak Indians from South America around 100 BC (though there is some evidence of Amerindian presence on the islands as far back as 1500 BC). The Arawaks inhabited the islands until the fifteenth century when they were displaced by the more aggressive Caribs, a tribe from the Lesser Antilles islands, after whom the Caribbean Sea is named. (Some historians, however, believe that this popular account of warlike Caribs chasing peaceful Arawaks out of the Caribbean islands is rooted in simplistic European stereotypes, and that the true story is more complex.)

                                                                                  (Christopher Colombus) 

The first European sighting of the Virgin Islands was by Christopher Columbus in 1493 on his second voyage to the Americas. Columbus gave them the fanciful name Santa Ursula y las Once Mil Vírgenes (Saint Ursula and her 11,000 Virgins), shortened to Las Vírgenes (The Virgins), after the legend of Saint Ursula.

The Spanish Empire claimed the islands by discovery in the early sixteenth century, but never settled them, and subsequent years saw the English, Dutch, French, Spanish and Danish all jostling for control of the region, which became a notorious haunt for pirates. There is no record of any native Amerindian population in the British Virgin Islands during this period, although the native population on nearby St. Croix was decimated.

The Dutch established a permanent settlement on the island of Tortola by 1648. In 1672, the English captured Tortola from the Dutch, and the British annexation of Anegada and Virgin Gorda followed in 1680. Meanwhile, over the period 1672–1733, the Danish gained control of the nearby islands of St. Thomas, St. John and St. Croix.

The British islands were considered principally a strategic possession, but were planted when economic conditions were particularly favourable. The British introduced sugar cane which was to become the main crop and source of foreign trade, and slaves were brought from Africa to work on the sugar cane plantations. The islands prospered economically until the middle of the 1800s, when a combination of the abolition of slavery in the Territory, a series of disastrous hurricanes, and the growth in the sugar beet crop in Europe and the United States significantly reduced sugar cane production and led to a period of economic decline.

In 1917, the United States purchased St. John, St. Thomas and St. Croix from Denmark for US$25 million, renaming them the United States Virgin Islands. Technically the name of the Territory is simply the "Virgin Islands", but in practice since 1917 they have been almost universally referred to as the "British Virgin Islands" to distinguish the islands from the American Territory. To add to the regional confusion, the Puerto Rican islands of Culebra, Vieques and surrounding islands began referring to themselves as the "Spanish Virgin Islands" as part of a tourism drive in the early 2000s. Administratively, these islands are part of Spanish speaking Puerto Rico, and were historically ruled by Spain.

The British Virgin Islands were administered variously as part of the British Leeward Islands or with St. Kitts and Nevis, with an Administrator representing the British Government on the Islands. Separate colony status was gained for the Islands in 1960 and the Islands became autonomous in 1967. Since the 1960s, the Islands have diversified away from their traditionally agriculture-based economy towards tourism and financial services, becoming one of the richest areas in the Caribbean.

The Geography

The British Virgin Islands comprise around sixty semi-tropical Caribbean islands, ranging in size from the largest, Tortola 20 km (approx. 12 mi) long and 5 km (approx. 3 mi) wide, to tiny uninhabited islets. They are located in the Virgin Islands archipelago, a few miles east of the U.S. Virgin Islands. The North Atlantic Ocean lies to the north of the islands, and the Caribbean Sea lies to the south. Most of the islands are volcanic in origin and have a hilly, rugged terrain. Anegada is geologically distinct from the rest of the group and is a flat island composed of limestone and coral. The capital is Road Town on the island of Tortola.

Map Of The British Virgin Islands (Left)

The Politics

Executive authority in British Virgin Islands is invested in The Queen and is exercised on her behalf by the Governor of the British Virgin Islands. The Governor is appointed by the Queen on the advice of the British Government. Defence and Foreign Affairs remain the responsibility of the United Kingdom.

The British Virgin Islands is a member of the Organisation Of Eastern Caribbean States 

A new constitution was adopted in 2007 (the Virgin Islands Constitution Order, 2007) and came into force when the Legislative Council was dissolved for the 2007 general election. The Head of Government under the new constitution is the Premier (prior to the new constitution the office was referred to as Chief Minister), who is elected in a general election along with the other members of the ruling government as well as the members of the opposition. An Executive Council is nominated by the Chief Minister and appointed by the Governor. There is a unicameral Legislative Council made up of 13 seats.

The Economy

The British Virgin Islands enjoys one of the more prosperous economies of the Caribbean region. 

The Islands have long been for the "twin pillars" of the Territory's economy – tourism and financial services. Politically, tourism is the more important of the two, as it employs a greater number of people within the Territory, and a larger proportion of the businesses in the tourist industry are locally owned, as are a number of the highly tourism-dependent sole traders (e.g. taxi drivers and street vendors). Economically, however, financial services are by far the more important. Nearly 50% of the Government's revenue comes directly from licence fees for offshore companies, and considerable further sums are raised directly or indirectly from payroll taxes relating to salaries paid within the trust industry sector (which tend to be higher on average than those paid in the tourism sector).

Tourism accounts for 45% of national income. The official currency is the U.S. Dollar.

The Demographics

The population of the Islands stands at around 23552. The majority of the population (83%) are Afro-Caribbean, descended from the slaves brought to the islands by the British. Other large ethnic groups include those of British and other European origin.

The last census in 1999 reported that the islands ethnic makeup comrpised:

* includes British, Portuguese, and Syrian/Lebanese.

The islands are predominantly Protestant Christian (86%). The largest individual denominations are Methodist (33%), Anglican (17%), and Catholic (10%).

The Music and Culture

"scratch bands", use instruments ranging from calabash, washboard, bongos and ukulele, to more traditional western instruments like keyboard, banjo, guitar, bass, triangle and saxophone. Apart from being a form of festive dance music, fungi often contains humorous social commentaries, as well as BVI oral history.