View source for Caribbean

{{Short description|Islands and coastal region surrounded by the Caribbean Sea}}
{{About|the group of islands|the body of water surrounding them|Caribbean Sea|the Indigenous inhabitants of the Caribbean or people of Caribbean descent|Caribbean people|other uses}}

{{Infobox continent
|title          = Caribbean
|image          = CIA map Central America & Caribbean.png
|image_size     = 400
|caption        = Map of the Caribbean region, including dependent territories
|area           = {{convert|239,681|km2|sqmi|abbr=on}}
|population     = {{UN_Population|Caribbean}}{{UN_Population|ref}}
|density        = {{convert|151.5|/km2|abbr=on}}
|GDP_nominal    = 
|GDP_per_capita = 
|ethnic_groups  = [[Afro-Caribbean]], [[Latin Americans|Latino]] or [[Hispanic]], ([[Spanish people|Spanish]], [[Portuguese people|Portuguese]], [[Criollo people|Criollo]], [[Mestizo]], [[Mulatto]], [[Pardo]], and [[Zambo]]), [[Indo-Caribbean|Indian]], [[White Caribbean|European]], [[Chinese Caribbean|Chinese]], [[Jewish]], [[Arab]], [[Indigenous peoples of the Caribbean|Amerindian]], [[Javanese people|Javanese]],<ref>{{cite book |last=McWhorter |title=Defining Creole |page=379 |publisher=Oxford University Press US |year=2005 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=zdxJJVY54nYC&pg=PT387 |isbn=978-0-19-516670-5|first=John H.}}</ref> [[Hmong people|Hmong]], [[Multiracial]]
|religions = [[Christianity]], [[Hinduism]], [[Islam]], [[African diaspora religions|Afro-American religions]], [[Traditional African religions]], [[Rastafari]], [[Native American religions]], [[Judaism]], [[Buddhism]], [[Chinese folk religion]]s (incl. [[Confucianism]] and [[Taoism]]), [[Baháʼí Faith|Baháʼí]], [[Kejawèn|Kebatinan]], [[Sikhism]], [[Irreligion]], others
|demonym = [[Caribbean people|Caribbean]], [[West Indian]]
|countries = [[List of sovereign states and dependent territories in the Caribbean#Sovereign states|16]]
|dependencies = [[List of sovereign states and dependent territories in the Caribbean#Dependent territories|12]]
|languages = {{Plainlist|
* [[Caribbean English|English]]
* [[Caribbean Spanish|Spanish]]
* [[French language|French]]
* [[Dutch language|Dutch]]
* [[French-based creole languages|French Creoles]]
* [[English-based creole languages|English Creoles]]
* [[Dutch-based creole languages|Dutch Creoles]]
* [[Spanish-based creole languages|Spanish Creoles]]
* [[Papiamento]]
* [[Caribbean Hindustani]]
* [[Chinese language|Chinese]]
* [[Languages of the Caribbean|among others]]}}
|time = [[UTC−05:00]] to [[UTC−04:00]]
|internet = [[List of Internet top-level domains|Multiple]]
|calling_code = [[List of country calling codes|Multiple]]
|cities = {{Collapsible list| title = [[List of metropolitan areas in the West Indies]]|[[Greater Santo Domingo|Santo Domingo]]|[[Port-au-Prince]]|[[San Juan–Bayamón–Caguas metropolitan area|San Juan]]|[[Havana]]|[[Kingston, Jamaica|Kingston]]|[[Santiago de los Caballeros]]|[[Santiago de Cuba]]|[[Willemstad]]|[[Oranjestad, Aruba|Oranjestad]]|[[Punta Cana]]|[[Cap-Haïtien]]|[[Nassau, Bahamas|Nassau]]|[[Paramaribo]]|[[Chetumal]]|[[Spanish Town]]|[[Porlamar]]|[[Cayenne]]|[[Georgetown, Guyana|Georgetown]]|[[Bridgetown]]|[[San Fernando, Trinidad and Tobago|San Fernando]]|[[Belize City]]}}
|m49 = <code>029</code> – Caribbean<br /><code>419</code> – [[Latin America and the Caribbean]]<br /><code>019</code> – [[Americas]]<br /><code>001</code> – [[World]]
}}

The '''Caribbean''' ({{IPAc-en|ˌ|k|ær|ɪ|ˈ|b|iː|ən|,_|k|ə|ˈ|r|ɪ|b|i|ən}} {{respell|KARR|ib|EE|ən|,_|kə|RIB|ee|ən}}, {{IPAc-en|local|ˈ|k|ær|ɪ|b|i|æ|n}} {{respell|KARR|ib|ee|an}};<ref name=dce/> {{langx|es|el Caribe}}; {{langx|fr|les Caraïbes}}; {{langx|nl|de Caraïben}}), is a subregion in the middle of the [[Americas]] centered around the [[Caribbean Sea]] in the [[Atlantic Ocean|North Atlantic Ocean]]. Bordered by [[North America]] to the north, [[Central America]] to the west, and [[South America]] to the south, it comprises numerous [[List of Caribbean islands|islands]], cays, islets, reefs, and banks. It includes the [[Lucayan Archipelago]], [[Greater Antilles]], and [[Lesser Antilles]] of the [[West Indies]]; the [[Quintana Roo]] [[Municipalities of Quintana Roo#Municipalities|islands]] and [[Districts of Belize#List|Belizean]] [[List of islands of Belize|islands]] of the [[Yucatán Peninsula]]; and the [[Bay Islands Department#Islands|Bay Islands]], [[Miskito Cays]], [[Archipelago of San Andrés, Providencia and Santa Catalina|Archipelago of San Andrés, Providencia, and Santa Catalina]], and [[Corn Islands]] of Central America. It also includes the coastal areas on the [[Mainland|continental mainland]] of the Americas bordering the region from the Yucatán Peninsula in North America through Central America to the [[The Guianas|Guianas]] in South America.<ref>{{Cite book|pages= 483–528|title= A Population History of North America|publisher = Cambridge University Press|date=  2000|isbn =978-0-521-49666-7|last=Engerman|first=Stanley L.|editor-last=Haines|editor-first=Michael R.|chapter=A Population History of the Caribbean|oclc=41118518|editor-last2=Steckel|editor-first2=Richard Hall }}</ref><ref>{{Cite book|title=Understanding the contemporary Caribbean|last=|first=|publisher=Lynne Rienner|year=2003|isbn=978-1588266637|editor-last=Hillman|editor-first=Richard S.|location=London, UK|pages=|oclc=300280211|editor-last2=D'Agostino|editor-first2=Thomas J.}}</ref>

{{CSS image crop
|Image = Atlantic continents at night by VIIRS.jpg
|bSize = 585
|cWidth = 225
|cHeight = 200
|oTop = 325
|oLeft = 0
|Location =
|Description = Caribbean as seen from [[Outer space|space]] at night, 2012
}}

== Overview ==
[[File:West Indies - Island Groups.svg |thumb|250px|Island groups comprising the [[West Indies]] in the Caribbean]]Situated largely on the [[Caribbean Plate]], the region has thousands of islands, [[islet]]s, [[reef]]s, and [[cay]]s.<ref name="brief">{{cite book
| first=Jan
| last=Rogoziński
| year=1999
| title=A Brief History of the Caribbean
| edition=Revised
| publisher=Facts on File, Inc.
| location=New York
| pages=[https://archive.org/details/briefhistoryofca00rogo_0/page/3 3–4]
| isbn=0-8160-3811-2
| url-access=registration
| url=https://archive.org/details/briefhistoryofca00rogo_0/page/3|via=Internet Archive|access-date=15 July 2024}}</ref> [[Island arc]]s delineate the northern and eastern edges of the [[Caribbean Sea]]:<ref name="brief" /> the [[Greater Antilles]] in the north and the [[Lesser Antilles]], which includes the [[Leeward Islands]], [[Windward Islands]], and the [[Leeward Antilles]], to the east and south. The nearby northwestern [[Lucayan Archipelago]], comprising [[The Bahamas]] and the [[Turks and Caicos Islands]], and the island of [[Barbados]] in the Lesser Antilles, are considered to be a part of the Caribbean despite not bordering the Caribbean Sea. All the islands in the [[Antilles]], including the Lucayan Archipelago, form the [[West Indies]], a term often interchangeable with the ''Caribbean''. The [[Bermuda|archipelago of Bermuda]] is not part of the Caribbean, as it lies in the [[Sargasso Sea]] to the north, but it is an associate member of the [[Caribbean Community]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Bermuda Government after General Election of October 1 2020 |url=http://bermuda-online.org/bdagovt.htm |access-date=2024-10-17 |website=bermuda-online.org}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Jacobs |first=Stevenson |date=2003-07-03 |title=Premier signs Caricom deal |url=https://www.royalgazette.com/article/20030703/NEWS/307039988 |access-date=2024-10-17 |website=www.royalgazette.com |language=en-US}}</ref>

[[File:Map of the Territorial Waters in the Caribbean.png|thumb|250px|[[Exclusive economic zone]]s (EEZ) in the Caribbean, with [[Exclusive economic zone#United States|American]] zones in blue, [[Exclusive economic zone#United Kingdom|British]] in pink, [[Exclusive economic zone#France|French]] in purple, [[Kingdom of the Netherlands|Dutch]] in yellow, and [[Exclusive economic zone#Ecuador|Ecuadorian]] in green]]

On the continental [[mainland]] of the [[Americas]], the Caribbean coasts of [[Mexico]], Central America, and South America, including the [[Yucatán Peninsula]] of Mexico, [[Bay Islands Department]] of Honduras, the [[North Caribbean Coast Autonomous Region|North]] and [[South Caribbean Coast Autonomous Region|South Caribbean Autonomous Regions]] of Nicaragua, the [[Limón Province]] of Costa Rica, [[Cartagena, Colombia|Cartagena]] and [[Barranquilla]] in Colombia, [[Maracaibo]] and [[Cumaná]] in Venezuela, are considered part of Caribbean.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Higman|first1=B. W.|title=A Concise History of the Caribbean|date=2011|publisher=Cambridge University Press|location=Cambridge|isbn=978-0521043489|page=xi}}</ref> As with the coastal areas of the mainland, [[Belize]], [[Panama]], [[Guyana]], [[Suriname]], and [[French Guiana]] are often completely included within the Caribbean due to their strong [[political geography|political]] and [[cultural geography|cultural]] ties with the region.

Geopolitically, the [[list of Caribbean islands|islands of the Caribbean]] are often<!-- The EB also says that N.Am. is bordered to the south by the Caribbean, so they're ambiguous --> regarded as a subregion of [[North America]], though sometimes they are included in [[Middle America (Americas)|Middle America]], or regarded as its own subregion as the ''Caribbean''.<ref>[http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/418612/North-America "North America"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150503170221/http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/418612/North-America |date=3 May 2015 }}. ''Britannica Concise Encyclopedia''; "... associated with the continent is Greenland, the largest island in the world, and such offshore groups as the Arctic Archipelago, the Bahamas, the Greater and Lesser Antilles, the Queen Charlotte Islands, and the Aleutian Islands," but also "North America is bounded ... on the south by the Caribbean Sea," and "according to some authorities, North America begins not at the Isthmus of Panama but at the narrows of [[Tehuantepec]]."</ref><ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20070612212614/https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/xx.html ''The World: Geographic Overview''], The World Factbook, Central Intelligence Agency; "North America is commonly understood to include the island of Greenland, the isles of the Caribbean, and to extend south all the way to the Isthmus of Panama"</ref> Alternately, the term ''Caribbean'' may have the {{clarify span|intended exclusion, or even unintentional inclusion, as part of [[Latin America]].|date=November 2024}}
[[File:ECHO Caribbean Basemap A3 Landscape v2.png|thumb|250x250px|Political map of Caribbean]]
Generally, the Caribbean region is organized into 33 [[polity|political entities]], including 13 [[sovereign state]]s, 12 [[dependent territory|dependencies]], 7 [[Territory#Overseas territory|overseas territories]], and various [[Territorial dispute|disputed territories]]. From 15 December 1954 to 10 October 2010, there was a territory known as the [[Netherlands Antilles]] composed of five islands, all of which were [[Kingdom of the Netherlands|Dutch]] dependencies.<ref>[http://www.economist.com/node/16015552 The Netherlands Antilles: The joy of six], The Economist Magazine, 29 April 2010</ref> From 3 January 1958 to 31 May 1962, there was also a short-lived political union called the British [[West Indies Federation]] composed of ten English-speaking Caribbean territories, all of which were then British dependencies.

The modern Caribbean is one of the most ethnically diverse regions on the planet, as a result of [[European colonization of the Americas|colonization]] by the [[Spanish colonization of the Americas|Spanish]], [[British colonization of the Americas|English]], [[Dutch colonization of the Americas|Dutch]], and [[French colonization of the Americas|French]]; the [[Atlantic slave trade]] from [[Sub-Saharan Africa]]; [[indentured servitude]] from the [[Indian subcontinent]] and [[Asia]]; as well as modern immigration from around the world.

==Etymology and pronunciation==
The region takes its name from the [[Kalinago|Caribs]], an ethnic group present in the [[Lesser Antilles]] and parts of adjacent South America at the time of the [[Spanish colonization of the Americas|Spanish conquest of the Americas]].<ref>{{cite encyclopedia
 |url=https://www.britannica.com/eb/article-9020323/Carib 
 |title=Carib 
 |encyclopedia=[[Encyclopædia Britannica]] 
 |access-date=20 February 2008 
 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080430031852/https://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/95780/Carib
 |archive-date=30 April 2008
 |quote=inhabited the Lesser Antilles and parts of the neighbouring South American coast at the time of the Spanish conquest. 
 |url-status=dead
 }}</ref>

The two most prevalent pronunciations of "Caribbean" outside the Caribbean are {{IPAc-en|ˌ|k|ær|ɪ|ˈ|b|iː|ə|n}} ({{respell|KARR|ə|BEE|ən}}), with the primary [[Stress (linguistics)|stress]] on the third [[syllable]], and {{IPAc-en|k|ə|ˈ|r|ɪ|b|i|ə|n}} ({{respell|kə|RIB|ee|ən}}), with the stress on the second. Most authorities of the last century preferred the stress on the third syllable.<ref>Elster, Charles Harrington. "Caribbean", from [https://books.google.com/books?id=YtojrMr0Ft4C&dq=caribbean+pronunciation&pg=PA78 ''The Big Book of Beastly Mispronunciations''] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230317023751/https://books.google.com/books?id=YtojrMr0Ft4C&dq=caribbean+pronunciation&pg=PA78 |date=17 March 2023}}. p.78. (2d ed. 2005)</ref> This is the older of the two pronunciations, but the stressed-second-syllable variant has been established for over 75 years.<ref>In the early 20th century, only the pronunciation with the primary stress on the third syllable was considered correct, according to [[Frank Horace Vizetelly]], ''A Desk-Book of Twenty-five Thousand Words Frequently Mispronounced'' (Funk and Wagnalls, 1917), p. 233.</ref> It has been suggested that speakers of [[British English]] prefer {{IPAc-en|ˌ|k|ær|ɪ|ˈ|b|iː|ə|n}} ({{respell|KARR|ə|BEE|ən}}) while [[North American English|North American speakers]] more typically use {{IPAc-en|k|ə|ˈ|r|ɪ|b|i|ə|n}} ({{respell|kə|RIB|ee|ən}}),<ref>{{cite book |last1= Ladefoged |first1= Peter  |last2= Johnson |first2=Keith |title= A Course in Phonetics |url= https://books.google.com/books?id=FjLc1XtqJUUC&pg=PA86|year=2011|publisher=Cengage Learning |isbn=978-1-4282-3126-9|pages=86–}}</ref> but major American dictionaries and other sources list the stress on the third syllable as more common in [[American English]] too.<ref>[https://www.infoplease.com/dictionary/Caribbean Random House Dictionary]</ref><ref>[https://www.ahdictionary.com/word/search.html?q=Caribbean American Heritage Dictionary]</ref><ref>[https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/Caribbean Merriam Webster]</ref><ref>See, e.g., Elster, ''supra''.</ref> According to the American version of Oxford Online Dictionaries, the stress on the second syllable is becoming more common in UK English and is increasingly considered "by some" to be more up to date and more "correct".<ref name=oed>[https://web.archive.org/web/20160926223357/https://en.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/us/Caribbean Oxford Online Dictionaries]</ref>

The Oxford Online Dictionaries claim the stress on the second syllable is the most common pronunciation in the Caribbean itself, but according to the [[Dictionary of Caribbean English Usage]], the most common pronunciation in [[Caribbean English]] stresses the first syllable instead, {{IPAc-en|ˈ|k|ær|ɪ|b|i|æ|n}} ({{respell|KARR|ih|bee|an}}).<ref name=dce>{{cite book|last1=Allsopp|first1=Richard |last2=Allsopp|first2=Jeannette |title=Dictionary of Caribbean English Usage|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=PmvSk13sIc0C&q=%22analogy+of+European%22|year=2003|publisher=University of the West Indies Press|isbn=978-976-640-145-0|page=136–}}</ref><ref name=oed/>

==Definition==
[[File:Caribbean general map.png |thumb|upright=1.35|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 Africa, [[slavery]], [[European colonization of the Americas|European colonisation]] and the [[plantation system]].
* The [[United Nations geoscheme for the Americas]] presents the Caribbean as a distinct region within the [[Americas]].
* Physiographically, the Caribbean region is mainly a chain of islands surrounding the Caribbean Sea. To the north, the region is bordered by the [[Gulf of Mexico]], the [[Straits of Florida]] and the Northern [[Atlantic Ocean]], which lies to the east and northeast. To the south lies the coastline of the [[continent]] of [[South America]].

==Countries and territories list==
{{Main|List of Caribbean islands}}
{{See also|Caribbean South America|West Indies}}
{{clear}}
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="border:1px solid #aaa;"
|- style="background:#ececec;"
! class="unsortable" style="width:20px" | [[Flag]]
! Country or territory<ref name="spp">{{cite web |url=http://www.spp.gov/ | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080618182224/http://www.spp.gov/ |archive-date=18 June 2008|title=SPP Background |publisher=Security and Prosperity Partnership of North America |work=CommerceConnect.gov |access-date=14 November 2010}}</ref><ref name="epa">{{cite web |url= http://www.epa.gov/wed/pages/ecoregions/na_eco.htm |title= Ecoregions of North America |publisher= [[United States Environmental Protection Agency]] |access-date= 30 May 2011 |archive-date= 14 May 2011 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20110514012048/http://www.epa.gov/wed/pages/ecoregions/na_eco.htm |url-status= live }}</ref><ref name=About.com>{{cite web |url=http://geography.about.com/library/faq/blqzamericas.htm |title=What's the difference between North, Latin, Central, Middle, South, Spanish and Anglo America? |website=About.com |access-date=21 February 2023 |archive-date=10 April 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160410093459/http://geography.about.com/library/faq/blqzamericas.htm |url-status=dead }}</ref>
! [[Sovereignty]]
! Status
! [[List of countries by area|Area]]<br />(km<sup>2</sup>)<ref>Unless otherwise noted, land area figures are taken from {{Cite book | section-url=http://unstats.un.org/unsd/demographic/products/dyb/dyb2008/Table03.pdf | title=Demographic Yearbook | section=Table 3: Population by sex, rate of population increase, surface area and density | publisher=United Nations Statistics Division | year=2008 | access-date=14 October 2010 | archive-date=25 December 2018 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181225215827/https://unstats.un.org/unsd/demographic/products/dyb/dyb2008/Table03.pdf%0A | url-status=live }}</ref>
! [[List of countries by population|Population]]<br />({{UN_Population|Year}} est.){{UN_Population|ref}}
! [[List of sovereign states and dependent territories by population density|Density]]<br />(people per km<sup>2</sup>)
! Capital
|-
| style="text-align:center" | {{flagicon|Anguilla}}
| [[Anguilla]] 
| [[United Kingdom]]
| [[British Overseas Territories|Overseas territory]]
| style="text-align:right;"| {{nts|91}}
| style="text-align:right;"| {{nts|{{UN_Population|Anguilla}}}}
| style="text-align:right;"| 164.8
| [[The Valley, Anguilla|The Valley]]
|-
| style="text-align:center" | {{flagicon|Antigua and Barbuda}}
| [[Antigua and Barbuda]]
| Independent
| [[Commonwealth Realm|Constitutional monarchy]]
| style="text-align:right;"| {{nts|442}}
| style="text-align:right;"| {{nts|{{UN_Population|Antigua and Barbuda}}}}
| style="text-align:right;"| 199.1
| [[St. John's, Antigua and Barbuda|St. John's]]
|-
| style="text-align:center" | {{flagicon|Aruba}}
| [[Aruba]] 
| [[Kingdom of the Netherlands]]
| Constituent kingdom
| style="text-align:right;"| {{nts|180}}
| style="text-align:right;"| {{nts|{{UN_Population|Aruba}}}}
| style="text-align:right;"| 594.4
| [[Oranjestad, Aruba|Oranjestad]]
|-
| style="text-align:center" | {{flagicon|The Bahamas}}
| [[The Bahamas]]<ref>Since the [[Lucayan Archipelago]] is located in the Atlantic Ocean rather than [[Caribbean Sea]], the [[The Bahamas|Bahamas]] are part of the [[West Indies]] but are not technically part of the Caribbean, although the United Nations groups them with the Caribbean.</ref>
| Independent
| [[Commonwealth Realm|Constitutional monarchy]]
| style="text-align:right;"| {{nts|13943}}
| style="text-align:right;"| {{nts|{{UN_Population|Bahamas}}}}
| style="text-align:right;"| 24.5
| [[Nassau, Bahamas|Nassau]]
|-
| style="text-align:center" | {{flagicon|Barbados}}
| [[Barbados]]
| Independent
| Republic
| style="text-align:right;"| {{nts|430}}
| style="text-align:right;"| {{nts|287,025}}
| style="text-align:right;"| 595.3
| [[Bridgetown]]
|-
| style="text-align:center" | {{flagicon|Honduras}}
| [[Bay Islands Department]] 
| [[Honduras]]
| [[Departments of Honduras|Department]]
| style="text-align:right;"| {{nts|229}}
| style="text-align:right;"| {{nts|110,000}}
| style="text-align:right;"| 480
| [[Coxen Hole]]
|-
| style="text-align:center" | {{flagicon|Belize}}
| [[Belize]]
| Independent
| [[Commonwealth Realm|Constitutional monarchy]]
| style="text-align:right;"| {{nts|22,966}}
| style="text-align:right;"| {{nts|{{UN_Population|Belize}}}}
| style="text-align:right;"| 17.79
| [[Belmopan]]
|-

| style="text-align:center" | {{flagicon|Bonaire}}
| [[Bonaire]] 
| [[Netherlands]]
| [[Public body (Netherlands)|Special Municipality]]
| style="text-align:right;"| {{nts|294}}
| style="text-align:right;"| {{nts|20104}}<ref name="nethant"/>
| style="text-align:right;"| 41.1
| [[Kralendijk]]
|-
| style="text-align:center" | {{flagicon|British Virgin Islands}}
| [[British Virgin Islands]]
| [[United Kingdom]]
| [[British Overseas Territories|Overseas territory]]
| style="text-align:right;"| {{nts|151}}
| style="text-align:right;"| {{nts|{{UN_Population|British Virgin Islands}}}}
| style="text-align:right;"| 152.3
| [[Road Town]]
|-
| style="text-align:center" | {{flagicon|Cayman Islands}}
| [[Cayman Islands]]
| [[United Kingdom]]
| [[British Overseas Territories|Overseas territory]]
| style="text-align:right;"| {{nts|264}}
| style="text-align:right;"| {{nts|{{UN_Population|Cayman Islands}}}}
| style="text-align:right;"| 212.1
| [[George Town, Cayman Islands|George Town]]
|-
| style="text-align:center" | {{flagicon|Cuba}}
| [[Cuba]]
| Independent
| Republic
| style="text-align:right;"| {{nts|109886}}
| style="text-align:right;"| {{nts|{{UN_Population|Cuba}}}}
| style="text-align:right;"| 102.0
| [[Havana]]
|-
| style="text-align:center" | {{flagicon|Curaçao}}
| [[Curaçao]] 
| [[Kingdom of the Netherlands]]
| Constituent kingdom
| style="text-align:right;"| {{nts|444}}
| style="text-align:right;"| {{nts|{{UN_Population|Curaçao}}}}
| style="text-align:right;"| 317.1
| [[Willemstad]]
|-
| style="text-align:center" | {{flagicon|Dominica}}
| [[Dominica]]
| Independent
| Republic
| style="text-align:right;"| {{nts|751}}
| style="text-align:right;"| {{nts|{{UN_Population|Dominica}}}}
| style="text-align:right;"| 89.2
| [[Roseau]]
|-
| style="text-align:center" | {{flagicon|Dominican Republic}}
|[[Dominican Republic]]
| Independent
| Republic
| style="text-align:right;"| {{nts|48671}}
| style="text-align:right;"| {{nts|{{UN_Population|Dominican Republic}}}}
| style="text-align:right;"| 207.3
| [[Santo Domingo]]
|-
| style="text-align:center" | {{flagicon|Federal Dependencies of Venezuela}}
| [[Federal Dependencies of Venezuela]] 
| [[Venezuela]]
| [[States of Venezuela|Dependency]]
| style="text-align:right;"| {{nts|342}}
| style="text-align:right;"| {{nts|2,155}}
| style="text-align:right;"| 6.3
| [[Gran Roque]]
|-
| style="text-align:center" | {{flagicon|French Guiana|local}}
| [[French Guiana]]
| [[France]]
| [[Overseas department]]
| style="text-align:right;"| {{nts|83,846}}
| style="text-align:right;"| {{nts|{{UN_Population|French Guiana}}}}
| style="text-align:right;"| 3.6
| [[Cayenne]]
|-
| style="text-align:center" | {{flagicon|Grenada}}
| [[Grenada]]
| Independent
| [[Commonwealth Realm|Constitutional monarchy]]
| style="text-align:right;"| {{nts|344}}
| style="text-align:right;"| {{nts|{{UN_Population|Grenada}}}}
| style="text-align:right;"| 302.3
| [[St. George's, Grenada|St. George's]]
|-
| style="text-align:center" | {{flagicon|Guadeloupe|local}}
| [[Guadeloupe]] 
| [[France]]
| [[Overseas department]]
| style="text-align:right;"| {{nts|1628}}
| style="text-align:right;"| {{nts|{{UN_Population|Guadeloupe}}}}
| style="text-align:right;"| 246.7
| [[Basse-Terre]]
|-
| style="text-align:center" | {{flagicon|Guyana}}
| [[Guyana]]
| Independent
| Republic
| style="text-align:right;"| {{nts|214,970}}
| style="text-align:right;"| {{nts|{{UN_Population|Guyana}}}}
| style="text-align:right;"| 3.502
| [[Georgetown, Guyana|Georgetown]]
|-
| style="text-align:center" | {{flagicon|Haiti}}
| [[Haiti]]
| Independent
| Republic
| style="text-align:right;"| {{nts|27750}}
| style="text-align:right;"| {{nts|{{UN_Population|Haiti}}}}
| style="text-align:right;"| 361.5
| [[Port-au-Prince]]
|-
| style="text-align:center" | {{flagicon|Jamaica}}
| [[Jamaica]]
| Independent
| [[Commonwealth Realm|Constitutional monarchy]]
| style="text-align:right;"| {{nts|10991}}
| style="text-align:right;"| {{nts|{{UN_Population|Jamaica}}}}
| style="text-align:right;"| 247.4
| [[Kingston, Jamaica|Kingston]]
|-
| style="text-align:center" | {{flagicon|Martinique}}
| [[Martinique]] 
| [[France]]
| [[Overseas department]]
| style="text-align:right;"| {{nts|1128}}
| style="text-align:right;"| {{nts|{{UN_Population|Martinique}}}}
| style="text-align:right;"| 352.6
| [[Fort-de-France]]
|-
| style="text-align:center" | {{flagicon|Montserrat}}
| [[Montserrat]]
| [[United Kingdom]]
| [[British Overseas Territories|Overseas territory]]
| style="text-align:right;"| {{nts|102}}
| style="text-align:right;"| {{nts|{{UN_Population|Montserrat}}}}
| style="text-align:right;"| 58.8
| [[Plymouth, Montserrat|Plymouth]] ([[Brades, Montserrat|Brades]])<ref>Because of ongoing activity of the [[Soufriere Hills volcano]] beginning in July 1995, much of Plymouth was destroyed and government offices were relocated to Brades. Plymouth remains the ''de jure'' capital.</ref>
|-
| style="text-align:center" | 
| [[Navassa Island]]
| [[United States]]/[[Haiti]]
| Territory (uninhabited)
| style="text-align:right;"| {{nts|5}}
| style="text-align:right;"| {{nts|0}}
| style="text-align:right;"| 0.0
| n/a
|-
| {{flag icon|Panama}}
| [[Panama]]
| Independent
| Republic
| style="text-align:right;"| {{nts|8409.3}}
| style="text-align:right;"| {{nts|4,351,267}}
| style="text-align:right;"| 150
| [[Panama city]]
|-
| 
{{flagicon|Puerto Rico}}
| [[Puerto Rico]]
| [[United States]]
| [[Commonwealth (U.S. insular area)|Commonwealth]]
| style="text-align:right;"| {{nts|9100}}
| style="text-align:right;"| {{nts|{{UN_Population|Puerto Rico}}}}
| style="text-align:right;"| 448.9
| [[San Juan, Puerto Rico|San Juan]]
|-
| style="text-align:center" | {{flagicon|Quintana Roo}}
| [[Quintana Roo]]
| [[Mexico]]
| [[List of states of Mexico|State]]
| style="text-align:right;"| {{nts|44,705.2}}
| style="text-align:right;"| {{nts|1,857,985}}
| style="text-align:right;"| 42
| [[Chetumal]]
|-
| style="text-align:center" | {{flagicon|Saba}}
| [[Saba (island)|Saba]] 
| [[Netherlands]]
| [[Public body (Netherlands)|Special municipality]]
| style="text-align:right;"| {{nts|13}}
| style="text-align:right;"| {{nts|1537}}<ref name="nethant">Population estimates are taken from the {{cite web |author=Central Bureau of Statistics Netherlands Antilles |title=Statistical information: Population |url=http://www.cbs.an/population/population_b2.asp |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100501150627/http://www.cbs.an/population/population_b2.asp |archive-date=1 May 2010 |access-date=14 October 2010 |publisher=Government of the Netherlands Antilles}}</ref>
| style="text-align:right;"| 118.2
| [[The Bottom]]
|-
| style="text-align:center" | {{flagicon|San Andrés y Providencia}}
| [[Archipelago of San Andrés, Providencia and Santa Catalina|San Andrés and Providencia]]
| [[Colombia]]
| [[Departments of Colombia|Department]]
| style="text-align:right;"| {{nts|52.5}}
| style="text-align:right;"| {{nts|75167}}
| style="text-align:right;"| 1431
| [[San Andrés, San Andrés y Providencia|San Andrés]]
|-
| style="text-align:center" | {{flagicon|Saint Barthélemy|local}}
| [[Saint Barthélemy]] 
| [[France]]
| [[Overseas collectivity]]
| style="text-align:right;"| {{nts|21}}
| style="text-align:right;"| {{nts|7448}}
| style="text-align:right;"| 354.7
| [[Gustavia, Saint Barthélemy|Gustavia]]
|-
| style="text-align:center" | {{flagicon|Saint Kitts and Nevis}}
| [[Saint Kitts and Nevis]]
| Independent
| [[Commonwealth Realm|Constitutional monarchy]]
| style="text-align:right;"| {{nts|261}}
| style="text-align:right;"| {{nts|{{UN_Population|Saint Kitts and Nevis}}}}
| style="text-align:right;"| 199.2
| [[Basseterre]]
|-
| style="text-align:center" | {{flagicon|Saint Lucia}}
| [[Saint Lucia]]
| Independent
| [[Commonwealth Realm|Constitutional monarchy]]
| style="text-align:right;"| {{nts|539}}
| style="text-align:right;"| {{nts|{{UN_Population|Saint Lucia}}}}
| style="text-align:right;"| 319.1
| [[Castries]]
|-
| style="text-align:center" | {{flagicon|Saint Martin}}
| [[Collectivity of Saint Martin|Saint Martin]] 
| [[France]]
| [[Overseas collectivity]]
| style="text-align:right;"| {{nts|54}}
| style="text-align:right;"| {{nts|29820}}
| style="text-align:right;"| 552.2
| [[Marigot, St. Martin|Marigot]]
|-
| style="text-align:center" | {{flagicon|Saint Vincent and the Grenadines}}
| [[Saint Vincent and the Grenadines]]
| Independent
| [[Commonwealth Realm|Constitutional monarchy]]
| style="text-align:right;"| {{nts|389}}
| style="text-align:right;"| {{nts|{{UN_Population|Saint Vincent and the Grenadines}}}}
| style="text-align:right;"| 280.2
| [[Kingstown]]
|-
| style="text-align:center" | {{flagicon|Sint Eustatius}}
| [[Sint Eustatius]] 
| [[Netherlands]]
| [[Public body (Netherlands)|Special municipality]]
| style="text-align:right;"| {{nts|21}}
| style="text-align:right;"| {{nts|2739}}<ref name="nethant"/>
| style="text-align:right;"| 130.4
| [[Oranjestad, Sint Eustatius|Oranjestad]]
|-
| style="text-align:center" | {{flagicon|Sint Maarten}}
| [[Sint Maarten]] 
| [[Kingdom of the Netherlands]]
| Constituent kingdom
| style="text-align:right;"| {{nts|34}}
| style="text-align:right;"| {{nts|{{UN_Population|Sint Maarten (Dutch part)}}}}
| style="text-align:right;"| 1176.7
| [[Philipsburg, Sint Maarten|Philipsburg]]
|-
| style="text-align:center" | {{flagicon|Suriname}}
| [[Suriname]]
| Independent
| Republic
| style="text-align:right;"| {{nts|163,821}}
| style="text-align:right;"| {{nts|{{UN_Population|Suriname}}}}
| style="text-align:right;"| 3.9
| [[Paramaribo]]
|-
| style="text-align:center" | {{flagicon|Trinidad and Tobago}}
| [[Trinidad and Tobago]]
| Independent
| Republic
| style="text-align:right;"| {{nts|5130}}
| style="text-align:right;"| {{nts|{{UN_Population|Trinidad and Tobago}}}}
| style="text-align:right;"| 261.0
| [[Port of Spain]]
|-
| style="text-align:center" | {{flagicon|Turks and Caicos Islands}}
| [[Turks and Caicos Islands]]<ref>Since the [[Lucayan Archipelago]] is located in the Atlantic Ocean rather than [[Caribbean Sea]], the [[Turks and Caicos Islands]] are part of the [[West Indies]] but are not technically part of the Caribbean, although the United Nations groups them with the Caribbean.</ref>
| [[United Kingdom]]
| [[British Overseas Territories|Overseas territory]]
| style="text-align:right;"| {{nts|948}}
| style="text-align:right;"| {{nts|{{UN_Population|Turks and Caicos Islands}}}}
| style="text-align:right;"| 34.8
| [[Cockburn Town]]
|-
| style="text-align:center" | {{flagicon|United States Virgin Islands}}
| [[United States Virgin Islands]]
| [[United States]]
| [[Territories of the United States|Territory]]
| style="text-align:right;"| {{nts|347}}
| style="text-align:right;"| {{nts|{{UN_Population|United States Virgin Islands}}}}
| style="text-align:right;"| 317.0
| [[Charlotte Amalie, United States Virgin Islands|Charlotte Amalie]]
|- style=" font-weight:bold; " class="sortbottom"
! colspan="4" | Total
| style="text-align:right;"| {{nts|235897}} 
| style="text-align:right;"| 44,636,789
| style="text-align:right;"| 189.4
|
|}

==History==
{{main|History of the Caribbean}}

[[File:Languages of the Caribbean.png|thumb|upright=1.5|Pre-Columbian languages of the West Indies. [[Ciboney Taíno]], [[Classic Taíno]], and [[Iñeri language|Iñeri]] were Arawakan, [[Karina language|Karina]] and [[Yao language (Trinidad)|Yao]] were Cariban. [[Macorix language|Macorix]], [[Ciguayo language|Ciguayo]] and [[Guanahatabey language|Guanahatabey]] are unclassified.]]

The oldest evidence of humans in the Caribbean is in southern [[Trinidad]] at [[Banwari Trace]], where remains have been found from 7,000 years ago. These pre-ceramic sites, which belong to the Archaic (pre-ceramic) age, have been termed [[Ortoiroid]]. The earliest archaeological evidence of human settlement in [[Hispaniola]] dates to about 3600 BC, but the reliability of these finds is questioned. Consistent dates of 3100 BC appear in [[Cuba]]. The earliest dates in the [[Lesser Antilles]] are from 2000 BC in [[Antigua]]. A lack of pre-ceramic sites in the [[Windward Islands]] and differences in technology suggest that these Archaic settlers may have Central American origins. Whether an Ortoiroid colonization of the islands took place is uncertain, but there is little evidence of one.

[[DNA]] studies changed some of the traditional beliefs about pre-Columbian indigenous history. According to [[National Geographic]], "studies confirm that a wave of pottery-making farmers—known as Ceramic Age people—set out in canoes from the northeastern coast of South America starting some 2,500 years ago and island-hopped across the Caribbean. They were not, however, the first colonizers. On many islands they encountered a foraging people who arrived some 6,000 or 7,000 years ago...The ceramicists, who are related to today's [[Arawak language|Arawak]]-speaking peoples, supplanted the earlier foraging inhabitants—presumably through disease or violence—as they settled new islands."<ref>{{cite news |last1=Lawler |first1=Andrew |title=Invaders nearly wiped out Caribbean's first people long before Spanish came, DNA reveals |url=https://www.nationalgeographic.com/history/2020/12/invaders-nearly-wiped-out-caribbeans-first-people-long-before-spanish-came-dna-reveals/ |work=National Geographic |date=23 December 2020 |access-date=4 January 2021 |archive-date=30 January 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210130021113/https://www.nationalgeographic.com/history/2020/12/invaders-nearly-wiped-out-caribbeans-first-people-long-before-spanish-came-dna-reveals/ |url-status=dead }}</ref>

Between 400 BC and 200 BC, the first ceramic-using agriculturalists, the [[Saladoid culture]], entered Trinidad from South America. They expanded up the Orinoco River to Trinidad, and then spread rapidly up the islands of the Caribbean. Some time after 250 AD another group, the Barancoid, entered Trinidad. The Barancoid society collapsed along the Orinoco around 650 AD and another group, the Arauquinoid, expanded into these areas and up the Caribbean chain. Around 1300 AD a new group, the Mayoid, entered Trinidad and remained the dominant culture until Spanish settlement.

At the time of the European discovery of most of the islands of the Caribbean, three major Amerindian indigenous peoples lived on the islands: the [[Taíno]] in the [[Greater Antilles]], [[the Bahamas]] and the [[Leeward Islands]]; the [[Kalinago|Island Caribs]] and [[Galibi]] in the Windward Islands; and the [[Ciboney]] in western Cuba. The Taínos are subdivided into Classic Taínos, who occupied [[Puerto Rico]] and part of Hispaniola; Western Taínos, who occupied the Bahamian archipelago, Cuba, [[Jamaica]], and part of Hispaniola; and the Eastern Taínos, who occupied the northern [[Lesser Antilles]]. The southern Lesser Antilles, including [[Guadeloupe]], [[Dominica]], and Trinidad, were inhabited by both [[Kalinago language|Carib-speaking]] and Arawak-speaking groups.

=== European contact ===
{{see also|Slavery in the British and French Caribbean|Encomienda#Deaths, disease, and accusations of ethnocide or genocide}}

Soon after [[Christopher Columbus]] came to the Caribbean, both Portuguese and Spanish explorers began claiming territories in Central and South America. These early colonies brought gold to Europe; most specifically England, the Netherlands, and France. These nations hoped to establish profitable colonies in the Caribbean. Colonial rivalries made the Caribbean a cockpit for European wars for centuries.

Columbus, and the early colonists of Hispaniola, treated the indigenous peoples brutally, even enslaving children.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Beazley |first1=C. Raymond |last2=Olson |first2=Julius E. |last3=Bourne |first3=Edward Gaylord |date=April 1907 |title=The Northmen, Columbus and Cabot, 985-1503 |url=http://dx.doi.org/10.2307/1832434 |journal=The American Historical Review |volume=12 |issue=3 |pages=654 |doi=10.2307/1832434 |jstor=1832434 |issn=0002-8762|hdl=2027/loc.ark:/13960/t7mp5d39r |hdl-access=free }}</ref> In 1512, after pressure from Dominican friars, the [[Laws of Burgos]] were introduced by the Spanish Crown to better protect the rights of the New World natives. The Spanish used a form of slavery called the ''[[Encomienda]]'', where slaves would be awarded to the conquistadors, who were charged with protecting and converting their slaves. This had a devastating impact on the population,<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Livi-Bacci |first=Massimo |date=June 2006 |title=The Depopulation of Hispanic America after the Conquest |journal=Population and Development Review |language=en |volume=32 |issue=2 |pages=199–232 |doi=10.1111/j.1728-4457.2006.00116.x |issn=0098-7921 |doi-access=free }}</ref> so starting in 1503, slaves from Africa were imported to the colony.

While early slave traders were Portuguese and Spanish, known as the First Atlantic System, by the 17th century the trade became dominated by British, French, and Dutch merchants. This was known as the Second Atlantic System. 5 million African slaves would be taken to the Caribbean, and around half would be traded to the British Caribbean islands. Slavery was abolished first in the Dutch Empire in 1814. Spain abolished slavery in its empire in 1811, with the exceptions of Cuba, Puerto Rico, and Santo Domingo. Slavery was not abolished in Cuba until 1886.<ref>{{Cite web |title=End of Slavery in Cuba |url=http://www.historyofcuba.com/history/race/EndSlave.htm |access-date=19 December 2022 |website=www.historyofcuba.com |archive-date=19 December 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221219185222/http://www.historyofcuba.com/history/race/EndSlave.htm |url-status=live }}</ref> Britain [[Slave Trade Act 1807|abolished the slave trade in 1807]], and [[Slavery Abolition Act 1833|slavery proper in 1833]]. France abolished slavery in its colonies in 1848.[[File:The Battle of the Saints, 12 April 1782 RMG BHC0444.jpg|thumb|The [[Battle of the Saintes]] between British and French fleets in 1782, by [[Nicholas Pocock]]]]
	
The Caribbean was known for [[piracy in the Caribbean|pirates]], especially between 1640 and 1680. The term "[[buccaneer]]" is often used to describe a pirate operating in this region. The Caribbean region was war-torn throughout much of its colonial history, but the wars were often based in Europe, with only minor battles fought in the Caribbean. Some wars, however, were born of political turmoil in the Caribbean itself.

In 1791, [[Haitian Revolution|a slave rebellion]] in the French colony of Saint-Domingue led to the establishment in 1804 of [[Haiti]], the first republic in the Caribbean. Neighboring Santo Domingo (now [[Dominican Republic]]) would attain its independence on three separate occasions in 1821, 1844 and 1865.  Cuba became independent in 1898 following American intervention in the [[Cuban War of Independence|War of Independence]] during the [[Spanish–American War|Spanish-American war]]. Following the war, Spain's last colony in the Americas, [[Puerto Rico]], became an unincorporated territory of the United States.

==== Decolonisation and modern period ====
Between the 1960s and 80s, most of the British holdings in the Caribbean achieved political independence, starting with [[Jamaica Independence Act 1962|Jamaica in 1962]], then [[Trinidad and Tobago Independence Act 1962|Trinidad and Tobago]] (1962), [[British Guiana]] (1966), [[Barbados Independence Act 1966|Barbados]] (1966), [[the Bahamas]] (1973), [[Grenada]] (1974), [[Dominica]] (1978), [[Saint Lucia|St. Lucia]] (1979), [[Saint Vincent and the Grenadines|St. Vincent]] (1979), [[Antigua and Barbuda]] (1981), and [[Saint Kitts and Nevis|St. Kitts and Nevis]] (1983). Presently, the United States, Britain, France and the Netherlands still have some [[History of the Caribbean#Islands currently under colonial administration|Caribbean possessions]].

The decline of the export industries meant a need to diversify the economies of the Caribbean territories. [[Tourism in the Caribbean|The tourism industry]] started developing in the early 20th century, rapidly developing in the 1960s when regular international flights made vacations affordable and is now a $50 billion industry. Another industry that developed in the early 20th century was [[Offshore bank|offshore banking and financial services]], particularly in The Bahamas and the [[Cayman Islands]], as the proximity of the Caribbean islands to North America made them an attractive location for branches of foreign banks seeking to avail themselves of less complicated regulations and lower tax rates.

===US interventions===
{{More citations needed section|date=November 2024}}
{{see also|Foreign interventions by the United States|American imperialism}}
The [[United States]] has conducted military operations in the Caribbean for at least 100 years.<ref>{{cite web|last=Dosal|first=Paul|title=THE CARIBBEAN WAR. The United States in the Caribbean, 1898–1998|url=http://www.cercles.com/n5/dosal.pdf|publisher=University of South Florida|access-date=22 June 2023|archive-date=7 August 2004|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20040807185729/http://www.cercles.com/n5/dosal.pdf|url-status=live}}</ref>

Since the [[Monroe Doctrine]], the United States gained a major influence on most Caribbean nations. In the early part of the 20th century this influence was extended by participation in the [[Banana Wars]]. Victory in the Spanish–American War and the signing of the [[Platt Amendment]] in 1901 ensured that the United States would have the right to interfere in Cuban political and economic affairs, militarily if necessary. After the [[Cuban Revolution]] of 1959, relations deteriorated rapidly leading to the [[Bay of Pigs Invasion]], the [[Cuban Missile Crisis]], and successive US attempts to destabilize the island, based upon [[Cold War]] fears of the [[Soviet]] threat. The US invaded and occupied Hispaniola for 19 years (1915–34), subsequently dominating the Haitian economy through aid and loan repayments. The US invaded Haiti again [[Operation Uphold Democracy|in 1994]]. After the [[2004 Haitian coup d'état]], the US were accused by [[CARICOM]] of arranging it to remove elected Haitian leader Jean-Bertrand Aristide. In 1965, 23,000 US troops were sent to the Dominican Republic to quash a local uprising against military rule (see [[Dominican Civil War]]). President Lyndon Johnson had ordered the invasion to stem what he deemed to be a "Communist threat." However, the mission appeared ambiguous and was roundly condemned throughout the hemisphere as a return to [[gunboat diplomacy]]. In 1983, the US [[United States invasion of Grenada|invaded Grenada]] to remove populist left-wing leader Maurice Bishop. The US maintains a naval military base in Cuba at [[Guantanamo Bay Naval Base|Guantanamo Bay]]. The base is one of five unified commands whose "area of responsibility" is [[Latin America]] and the Caribbean. The command is headquartered in Miami, Florida.

<gallery mode="packed" heights="150px">
File:Attack near Playa Giron. April 19, 1961. - panoramio.jpg|Counter-attack by [[Cuban Revolutionary Armed Forces]] supported by [[T-34]] tanks near Playa Giron during the [[Bay of Pigs Invasion]], 19 April 1961.
File:DR1965-5 (8161964889).jpg|A [[United States Marine Corps|Marine]] heavy machine gunner monitors a position along the international neutral corridor in Santo Domingo, 1965.
File:BTR-60PB Urgent Fury.jpg|A Soviet-made [[BTR-60]] armored personnel carrier seized by US forces during [[Operation Urgent Fury]] (1983)
File:US Army helicopters on forward flight deck of USS Eisenhower (CVN-69) off Haiti in 1994.JPEG|US Army [[Sikorsky UH-60 Black Hawk]], [[Bell AH-1 Cobra]] and [[Bell OH-58 Kiowa]] helicopters on deck of the US Navy aircraft carrier USS ''Dwight D. Eisenhower'' ([[CVN-69]]) off Haiti, 1994.
</gallery>

==Geography and geology==
[[File:Tectonic plates Caribbean.png|thumb|right|{{legend|#FAD4AF|The [[Caribbean Plate]] is the reason islands exist here. On the north, [[obduction]] has scraped rocks onto the [[North American Plate]] (such as [[Geology of Cuba|in western Cuba]]). On the east, the [[Lesser Antilles subduction zone]] produces [[volcanism]] and an [[island arc]]. Complex interactions with the [[South American Plate]] has created islands along the southern boundary. [[Coral island]]s are found in [[Archipelago of San Andrés, Providencia and Santa Catalina|insular Colombia]] near the east coast of Central America.}}]]
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]] (which has minor volcanic features), [[Curaçao]], [[Barbados]], [[Bonaire]], the [[Cayman Islands]], [[Saint Croix]], [[the Bahamas]], and [[Antigua]]. Others possess rugged towering mountain-ranges like the islands of [[Saint Martin (island)|Saint Martin]], [[Cuba]], [[Hispaniola]], [[Puerto Rico]], [[Jamaica]], [[Dominica]], [[Montserrat]], [[Saba (island)|Saba]], [[Sint Eustatius]], [[Saint Kitts]], [[Saint Lucia]], [[Saint Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands|Saint Thomas]], [[Saint John, U.S. Virgin Islands|Saint John]], [[Tortola]], [[Grenada]], [[Saint Vincent (Antilles)|Saint Vincent]], [[Guadeloupe]], [[Martinique]] and [[Trinidad and Tobago]].

Definitions of the terms Greater Antilles and Lesser Antilles often vary. The Virgin Islands as part of the Puerto Rican bank are sometimes included with the Greater Antilles. The term Lesser Antilles is often used to define an island arc that includes Grenada but excludes Trinidad and Tobago and the Leeward Antilles.

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.<ref>{{cite web| url=http://oceanexplorer.noaa.gov/explorations/03trench/welcome.html| title=Puerto Rico Trench 2003: Cruise Summary Results| author=ten Brink, Uri| publisher=National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration| access-date=21 February 2008| archive-date=24 July 2013| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130724090028/http://oceanexplorer.noaa.gov/explorations/03trench/welcome.html| url-status=live}}</ref>

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

===Climate===
[[File:Johny Cay.jpg|thumb|left|Tropical monsoon climate in [[San Andrés (island)|San Andrés island]], Caribbean, [[Colombia]].]]
[[File:Koppen-Geiger Map Caribbean present.svg|thumb|left|[[Köppen climate classification|Köppen climate]] map of the islands of the Caribbean.]]

The climate of the area is [[tropical]], varying from [[tropical rainforest climate|tropical rainforest]] in some areas to [[tropical monsoon climate|tropical monsoon]] and [[tropical savanna climate|tropical savanna]] in others. There are also some locations that are [[arid]] climates with considerable drought in some years, and the peaks of mountains tend to have cooler [[temperate climate]]s.

Rainfall varies with elevation, size and water currents, such as the cool upwellings that keep the [[ABC islands (Lesser Antilles)|ABC islands]] arid. Warm, moist [[trade winds]] blow consistently from the east, creating both rain forest and semi arid climates across the region. The tropical rainforest climates include lowland areas near the Caribbean Sea from [[Costa Rica]] north to [[Belize]], as well as the [[Dominican Republic]] and [[Puerto Rico]], while the more seasonal dry tropical savanna climates are found in [[Cuba]], northern  [[Colombia]] and [[Venezuela]], and southern [[Yucatán Peninsula|Yucatán, Mexico]]. Arid climates are found along the extreme northern coast of Venezuela out to the islands including [[Aruba]] and [[Curacao]], as well as the northwestern tip of Yucatán.

While the region generally is sunny much of the year, the wet season from May through November sees more frequent cloud cover (both broken and overcast), while the dry season from December through April is more often clear to mostly sunny. Seasonal rainfall is divided into 'dry' and 'wet' seasons, with the latter six months of the year being wetter than the first half. The air temperature is hot much of the year, varying from 25 to 33 C (77 F to 90 F) between the wet and dry seasons. Seasonally, monthly mean temperatures vary from only about 5 C (7 F) in the northern most regions, to less than 3 C  in the southernmost areas of the Caribbean.

Hurricane season is from June to November, but they occur more frequently in August and September and more common in the northern islands of the Caribbean. [[Hurricanes]] that sometimes 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. A great example being recent events of [[Hurricane Irma]] devastating the island of Saint Martin during the 2017 hurricane season.

Sea surface temperatures change little annually, normally running from 30&nbsp;°C (87&nbsp;°F) in the warmest months to 26&nbsp;°C (76&nbsp;°F) in the coolest months. The air temperature is warm year round, in the 70s, 80s and 90s, and only varies from winter to summer about 2–5 degrees on the southern islands and about a 10–20 degrees difference on the northern islands of the Caribbean. The northern islands, like the Bahamas, Cuba, Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic, may be influenced by continental masses during winter months, such as cold fronts.

'''Aruba: Latitude 12°N'''
{{Weather box
| location = Oranjestad, Aruba (1981–2010, extremes 1951–2010)
| metric first=Yes
| single line = yes
| collapsed  = yes
|Jan record high C = 32.5
|Feb record high C = 33.0
|Mar record high C = 33.9
|Apr record high C = 34.4
|May record high C = 34.9
|Jun record high C = 35.2
|Jul record high C = 35.3
|Aug record high C = 36.1
|Sep record high C = 36.5
|Oct record high C = 35.4
|Nov record high C = 35.0
|Dec record high C = 34.8
|year record high C =
|Jan high C = 30.0
|Feb high C = 30.4
|Mar high C = 30.9
|Apr high C = 31.5
|May high C = 32.0
|Jun high C = 32.2
|Jul high C = 32.0
|Aug high C = 32.6
|Sep high C = 32.7
|Oct high C = 32.1
|Nov high C = 31.3
|Dec high C = 30.4
|year high C = 31.5
|Jan mean C = 26.7
|Feb mean C = 26.8
|Mar mean C = 27.2
|Apr mean C = 27.9
|May mean C = 28.5
|Jun mean C = 28.7
|Jul mean C = 28.6
|Aug mean C = 29.1
|Sep mean C = 29.2
|Oct mean C = 28.7
|Nov mean C = 28.1
|Dec mean C = 27.2
|year mean C = 28.1
|Jan low C = 24.5
|Feb low C = 24.7
|Mar low C = 25.0
|Apr low C = 25.8
|May low C = 26.5
|Jun low C = 26.7
|Jul low C = 26.4
|Aug low C = 26.8
|Sep low C = 26.9
|Oct low C = 26.4
|Nov low C = 25.8
|Dec low C = 25.0
|year low C = 25.9
|Jan record low C = 21.3
|Feb record low C = 20.6
|Mar record low C = 21.4
|Apr record low C = 21.5
|May record low C = 21.8
|Jun record low C = 22.7
|Jul record low C = 21.2
|Aug record low C = 21.3
|Sep record low C = 22.1
|Oct record low C = 21.9
|Nov record low C = 22.0
|Dec record low C = 20.5
|year record low C =
|Jan precipitation mm = 39.3
|Feb precipitation mm = 20.6
|Mar precipitation mm = 8.7
|Apr precipitation mm = 11.6
|May precipitation mm = 16.3
|Jun precipitation mm = 18.7
|Jul precipitation mm = 31.7
|Aug precipitation mm = 25.8
|Sep precipitation mm = 45.5
|Oct precipitation mm = 77.8
|Nov precipitation mm = 94.0
|Dec precipitation mm = 81.8
|source 1 = DEPARTAMENTO METEOROLOGICO ARUBA,<ref name=climate>{{cite web
|url= http://www.meteo.aw/files/Download/climatnormals19812010.pdf
|publisher= Departamento Meteorologico Aruba
|title= Summary Climatological Normals 1981–2010
|access-date= 15 October 2012
|archive-date= 9 September 2020
|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20200909213542/http://www.meteo.aw/files/Download/climatnormals19812010.pdf
|url-status= live
}}</ref> (extremes)<ref name=extremes>{{cite web
|url= http://www.meteo.aw/climate.php
|publisher= Departamento Meteorologico Aruba
|title= Climate Data Aruba
|access-date= 15 October 2012
|archive-date= 9 December 2020
|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20201209090235/http://www.meteo.aw/climate.php
|url-status= live
}}</ref>
| date=February 2011
}}

'''Puerto Rico: Latitude 18°N'''
{{Weather box
|metric first=Yes
|location = San Juan, Puerto Rico
|single line = Y
|collapsed   = yes
|Jan record high F = 92
|Feb record high F = 96
|Mar record high F = 96
|Apr record high F = 97
|May record high F = 96
|Jun record high F = 97
|Jul record high F = 95
|Aug record high F = 95
|Sep record high F = 97
|Oct record high F = 97
|Nov record high F = 98
|Dec record high F = 96
|year record high F= 94
|Jan high F = 83
|Feb high F = 84
|Mar high F = 85
|Apr high F = 86
|May high F = 87
|Jun high F = 89
|Jul high F = 88
|Aug high F = 88
|Sep high F = 89
|Oct high F = 88
|Nov high F = 86
|Dec high F = 84
|year high F=
|Jan low F = 72
|Feb low F = 72
|Mar low F = 73
|Apr low F = 74
|May low F = 76
|Jun low F = 78
|Jul low F = 78
|Aug low F = 78
|Sep low F = 78
|Oct low F = 77
|Nov low F = 75
|Dec low F = 73
|year low F=
|Jan record low F = 61
|Feb record low F = 62
|Mar record low F = 60
|Apr record low F = 64
|May record low F = 64
|Jun record low F = 66
|Jul record low F = 69
|Aug record low F = 68
|Sep record low F = 69
|Oct record low F = 67
|Nov record low F = 65
|Dec record low F = 62
|year record low F= 61
|Jan precipitation mm = 95
|Feb precipitation mm = 60
|Mar precipitation mm = 49
|Apr precipitation mm = 118
|May precipitation mm = 150
|Jun precipitation mm = 112
|Jul precipitation mm = 128
|Aug precipitation mm = 138
|Sep precipitation mm = 146
|Oct precipitation mm = 142
|Nov precipitation mm = 161
|Dec precipitation mm = 126
|year precipitation mm= 1431
|source 1 = The National Weather Service <ref name="weather1">{{cite web |url=http://www.weather.com/weather/wxclimatology/monthly/graph/USPR0060?from=month_bottomnav_undeclared |title=Average Weather for Mayaguez, PR – Temperature and Precipitation |publisher=Weather.com |date= |access-date=7 June 2012 |archive-date=6 February 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190206081045/https://weather.com/weather/wxclimatology/monthly/graph/USPR0060?from=month_bottomnav_undeclared |url-status=live }}</ref>
|date=June 2012
}}

'''Cuba: at Latitude 22°N'''
{{clear}}
{{Weather box
|location = Havana
|metric first = Y
|single line = Y
|collapsed   = yes
|Jan record high C = 32.5
|Feb record high C = 33.0
|Mar record high C = 35.9
|Apr record high C = 36.4
|May record high C = 36.9
|Jun record high C = 37.2
|Jul record high C = 38.0
|Aug record high C = 36.1
|Sep record high C = 37.5
|Oct record high C = 35.4
|Nov record high C = 35.0
|Dec record high C = 34.8
|year record high C =
|Jan high C = 25.8
|Feb high C = 26.1
|Mar high C = 27.6
|Apr high C = 28.6
|May high C = 29.8
|Jun high C = 30.5
|Jul high C = 31.3
|Aug high C = 31.6
|Sep high C = 31.0
|Oct high C = 29.2
|Nov high C = 27.7
|Dec high C = 26.5
|year high C = 28.8
|Jan mean C = 22.2
|Feb mean C = 22.4
|Mar mean C = 23.7
|Apr mean C = 24.8
|May mean C = 26.1
|Jun mean C = 27.0
|Jul mean C = 27.6
|Aug mean C = 27.9
|Sep mean C = 27.4
|Oct mean C = 26.1
|Nov mean C = 24.5
|Dec mean C = 23.0
|year mean C = 25.2
|Jan low C = 18.6
|Feb low C = 18.6
|Mar low C = 19.7
|Apr low C = 20.9
|May low C = 22.4
|Jun low C = 23.4
|Jul low C = 23.8
|Aug low C = 24.1
|Sep low C = 23.8
|Oct low C = 23.0
|Nov low C = 21.3
|Dec low C = 19.5
|year low C = 21.6
|Jan record low C = 5.1
|Feb record low C = 5.6
|Mar record low C = 5.4
|Apr record low C = 11.5
|May record low C = 16.8
|Jun record low C = 19.7
|Jul record low C = 18.2
|Aug record low C = 19.3
|Sep record low C = 19.1
|Oct record low C = 11.9
|Nov record low C = 10.0
|Dec record low C = 7.5
|year record low C =
|Jan rain mm = 64.4
|Feb rain mm = 68.6
|Mar rain mm = 46.2
|Apr rain mm = 53.7
|May rain mm = 98.0
|Jun rain mm = 182.3
|Jul rain mm = 105.6
|Aug rain mm = 99.6
|Sep rain mm = 144.4
|Oct rain mm = 180.5
|Nov rain mm = 88.3
|Dec rain mm = 57.6
|source 1 = [[World Meteorological Organisation]] ([[United Nations|UN]]),<ref name= WMO >{{cite web
|url=http://worldweather.wmo.int/131/c00280.htm
|title=World Weather Information Service – Havana
|access-date=26 June 2010
|publisher=Cuban Institute of Meteorology
|date=June 2011
|archive-date=9 December 2020
|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201209090111/http://worldweather.wmo.int/131/c00280.htm
|url-status=live
}}</ref> Climate-Charts.com<ref name = "Relative Humidity" >{{cite web
|url = http://www.climate-charts.com/Locations/c/CU78325.php
|title = Casa Blanca, Habana, Cuba: Climate, Global Warming, and Daylight Charts and Data
|access-date = 26 June 2010
|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20110623233609/http://www.climate-charts.com/Locations/c/CU78325.php
|archive-date = 23 June 2011
|url-status = dead
}}</ref>
|date=August 2010
}}
[[File:Tobacco field cuba1.jpg|thumb|A field in [[Pinar del Rio]] planted with [[Cuba]]n tobacco]]
[[File:Jayuya.jpg|thumb|[[Puerto Rico]]'s south shore, from the [[Cordillera Central (Puerto Rico)|Cordillera Central]] in [[Jayuya, Puerto Rico|Jayuya]]]]
[[File:Grand Anse Beach Grenada.jpg|thumb|right|Grand Anse beach, St. George's, [[Grenada]]]]
[[File:Guadeloupe (Le cimetière de Gourbeyre).jpg|thumb|A church cemetery perched in the mountains of [[Guadeloupe]]]]
[[File:Stkitts-view-lookingatsea.jpg|thumb|A view of [[Nevis]] island from the southeastern peninsula of [[Saint Kitts]]]]

===Island groups===
'''[[Lucayan Archipelago]]'''{{efn|The [[Lucayan Archipelago]] is excluded from some definitions of "Caribbean" and instead classified as [[Atlantic Ocean|Atlantic]]; this is primarily a geological rather than cultural or environmental distinction.}}
* {{flag|The Bahamas}}
* {{flag|Turks and Caicos Islands}} (United Kingdom)
'''[[Greater Antilles]]'''
* {{flag|Cayman Islands}} (United Kingdom)
* {{flag|Cuba}}
* [[Hispaniola]]
** {{flag|Haiti}}
** {{flag|Dominican Republic}}
* {{flag|Jamaica}}
* {{flag|Puerto Rico}} ([[commonwealth (U.S. insular area)|U.S. Commonwealth]])
** [[Spanish Virgin Islands]]
* {{flagicon|United States}} [[Navassa Island]] 
'''[[Lesser Antilles]]'''
* '''[[Leeward Islands]]'''
** {{flag|United States Virgin Islands}}  (U.S.)
*** [[Saint Croix]]
*** [[Saint Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands|Saint Thomas]]
*** [[Saint John, U.S. Virgin Islands|Saint John]]
*** [[Water Island, U.S. Virgin Islands|Water Island]]
** {{flag|British Virgin Islands}} (United Kingdom)
*** [[Tortola]]
*** [[Virgin Gorda]]
*** [[Anegada]]
*** [[Jost Van Dyke]]
** {{flag|Anguilla}} (United Kingdom)
** {{flag|Antigua and Barbuda}}
*** [[Antigua]]
*** [[Barbuda]]
*** [[Redonda]]
** [[Saint Martin (island)|Saint Martin]], politically divided between
*** {{flag|Saint Martin}} (France)
*** {{flag|Sint Maarten}} ([[Kingdom of the Netherlands]])
** {{flag|Saba}} ([[Caribbean Netherlands]], Netherlands)
** {{flag|Sint Eustatius}} ([[Caribbean Netherlands]], Netherlands)
** {{flag|Saint Barthélemy}} ([[French Antilles]], France)
** {{flag|Saint Kitts and Nevis}}
*** [[Saint Kitts]]
*** [[Nevis]]
** {{flag|Montserrat}} (United Kingdom)
** {{flag|Guadeloupe}} ([[French Antilles]], France) including
*** [[Les Saintes]]
*** [[Marie-Galante]]
*** [[La Désirade]]
* '''[[Windward Islands]]'''
** {{flag|Dominica}}
** {{flag|Martinique}} ([[French Antilles]], France)
** {{flag|Saint Lucia}}
** {{flag|Saint Vincent and the Grenadines}}
*** [[Saint Vincent (island)|Saint Vincent]]
*** [[The Grenadines]]
** {{flag|Grenada}}
*** [[Grenada]]
*** [[Carriacou and Petite Martinique]]
** {{flag|Barbados}}
**{{flag|Trinidad and Tobago}}
*** [[Tobago]]
*** [[Trinidad]]
* '''[[Leeward Antilles]]'''
** {{flag|Aruba}} ([[Kingdom of the Netherlands]])
** {{flag|Curaçao}} ([[Kingdom of the Netherlands]])
** {{flag|Bonaire}} ([[Caribbean Netherlands]], Netherlands)

===Historical groupings===
{{Main|History of the Caribbean}}
[[File:Spanish Caribbean Islands in the American Viceroyalties 1600.png|thumb|upright=1.35|Spanish Caribbean Islands in the American Viceroyalties 1600]]
[[File:Political Evolution of Central America and the Caribbean 1700 and on.gif|thumb|Political evolution of Central America and the Caribbean from 1700 to present]]
[[File:Political Evolution of Central America and the Caribbean 1784 na.png|thumb|right|The mostly Spanish-controlled Caribbean in the 18th century]]
[[File:Caribbean spanish names.PNG|thumb|right|The mostly Spanish-controlled Caribbean in the 16th century]]
All islands at some point were, and a few still are, [[colony|colonies]] of European nations; a few are [[Dependent territory|overseas or dependent territories]]:
* '''[[British West Indies]]/[[Anglophone Caribbean]]''' – [[Anguilla]], [[Antigua and Barbuda]], [[Bahamas]], [[Barbados]], [[Bay Islands Department|Bay Islands]], [[Guyana]], [[Belize]], [[British Virgin Islands]], [[Cayman Islands]], [[Dominica]], [[Grenada]], [[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]]''' – Possession of [[Denmark-Norway]] before [[Norwegian Constitution|1814]], then [[Denmark]], present-day [[United States Virgin Islands]]
* '''[[Dutch West Indies]]''' – [[Aruba]], [[Bonaire]], [[Curaçao]], [[Saba (island)|Saba]], [[Sint Eustatius]], [[Sint Maarten]], [[Bay Islands Department|Bay Islands]] (briefly), [[Saint Croix]] (briefly), [[Tobago]], [[Suriname|Surinam]] and [[Virgin Islands]]
* '''[[French West Indies]]''' – [[Anguilla]] (briefly), [[Antigua and Barbuda]] (briefly), [[Dominica]], [[Dominican Republic]] (briefly), [[Grenada]], [[Haiti]] (formerly [[Saint-Domingue]]), [[Montserrat]] (briefly), [[Saint Lucia]], [[Saint Vincent and the Grenadines]], [[Sint Eustatius]] (briefly), [[Sint Maarten]], [[St. Kitts]] (briefly), [[Tobago]] (briefly), [[Saint Croix]], the current French [[Département d'outre-mer|overseas ''départements'']] of [[French Guiana]], [[Martinique]] and [[Guadeloupe]] (including [[Marie-Galante]], [[La Désirade]] and [[Les Saintes]]), the current French [[Collectivité d'outre-mer|overseas collectivities]] of [[Saint Barthélemy]] and [[Collectivity of Saint Martin|Saint Martin]]
* '''[[Portugal|Portuguese West Indies]]''' – present-day [[Barbados]], known as ''{{lang|pt|Os Barbados}}'' in the 16th century when the Portuguese claimed the island en route to Brazil. The Portuguese left Barbados abandoned years before the British arrived.
* '''[[Spanish West Indies]]''' – [[Cuba]], [[Hispaniola]] (present-day [[Dominican Republic]]), [[Haiti]] (until 1659, lost to France), [[Puerto Rico]], [[Jamaica]] (until 1655, lost to Great Britain), the [[Cayman Islands]] (until 1670 to Great Britain) [[Trinidad]] (until 1797, lost to Great Britain) and [[Bay Islands Department|Bay Islands]] (until 1643, lost to Great Britain), coastal islands of [[Central America]] (except Belize), and some Caribbean coastal islands of [[Panama]], [[Colombia]], [[Mexico]], and [[Venezuela]].
* '''[[Swedish West Indies]]''' – present-day French [[Saint-Barthélemy]], [[Guadeloupe]] (briefly) and [[Tobago]] (briefly).
* '''[[Courland colonization of the Americas|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 cricket|Test matches]], [[One Day International]]s and [[Twenty20 International]]s. The [[West Indian cricket team]] includes the South American nation of [[Guyana]], the only former British colony on the mainland of 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.

===Continental countries with Caribbean coastlines and islands===
{{Colbegin}}
* '''{{BLZ}}'''
** [[Ambergris Caye]]
** [[Caye Caulker]]
** [[Glover's Reef]]
** [[Hick's Cayes]]
** [[Lighthouse Reef]]
** [[St. George's Caye]]
** [[Tobacco Caye]]
** [[Turneffe Atoll]]
* '''{{COL}}'''
** [[Archipelago of San Andrés, Providencia and Santa Catalina]]
***[[Bajo Nuevo Bank]]
***[[Crab Cay]]
***[[Quita Sueño Bank]]
***[[Roncador Bank]]
***[[Roncador Cay]]
***[[San Andrés (island)]]
***[[Santa Catalina Island (Colombia)]]
***[[Serrana Bank]]
***[[Serranilla Bank]]
** [[Rosario Islands]]
* '''{{CRI}}'''
**[[Brava, Costa Rica|Brava Island, Costa Rica]]
**[[Isla Calero]]
**[[Uvita Island]]
* '''{{GTM}}'''
* '''{{HON}}'''
** [[Islas de la Bahía]]
*** [[Cayos Cochinos]]
*** [[Guanaja]]
*** [[Roatán]]
*** [[Swan Islands, Honduras|Swan Islands]]
*** [[Útila]]
***[[Cayos Cochinos]]
***[[Cayo Gorda]]
**[[Bobel Cay]]
* '''{{NIC}}'''
** [[Corn Islands]]
** [[Miskito Cays]]
** [[Pearl Cays]]
***[[Calala Island]]
**[[Rama Cay]]
* '''{{PAN}}'''
** Archipelago off [[Guna Yala]] coast (including the [[San Blas Islands]])
** [[Bocas del Toro Archipelago]] (approximately 300 islands)
** [[Galeta Island (Panama)]]
**[[Isla Grande]]
**[[Soledad Miria]]
***[[Cayos Limones]]
* '''{{MEX}}'''
** [[Quintana Roo]]
*** [[Banco Chinchorro]]
*** [[Cozumel]]
*** [[Isla Mujeres Municipality|Isla Blanca]]
*** [[Isla Contoy]]
*** [[Isla Holbox]]
*** [[Isla Mujeres]]
* '''{{VEN}}'''
** [[Blanquilla Island]]
** [[Coche Island]]
** [[Cubagua|Cubagua Island]]
** [[Isla Aves]]
** [[Islas Los Frailes]]
** [[Isla Margarita]]
** [[La Orchila]]
** [[La Sola Island]]
** [[La Tortuga Island]]
** [[Las Aves archipelago]]
** [[Los Hermanos Archipelago]]
** [[Los Monjes Archipelago]]
** [[Los Roques archipelago]]
** [[Los Testigos Islands]]
** [[Patos Island (Venezuela)|Patos Island]]
{{colend}}
[[File:Clear water of Cayo de Agua - Agua cristalina de Cayo de Agua.JPG|thumb|Cayo de Agua, [[Los Roques Archipelago]], Venezuela]]
[[File:Palancar Beach aerial Cozumel Mexico (21398553341).jpg|thumb|right|Palancar Beach in [[Cozumel Island]], Mexico]]
[[File:Guanaja Honduras.jpg|thumb|Guanaja Island, Bay Islands, Honduras]]

==Biodiversity==
The Caribbean islands have one of the most diverse eco systems in the world. The animals, fungi and plants, and have been classified as one of [[Conservation International]]'s [[biodiversity hotspot]]s because of their exceptionally diverse terrestrial and marine ecosystems, ranging from montane [[cloud forests]], to [[tropical rainforest]],  to [[cactus]] [[scrubland]]s. The region also contains about 8% (by surface area) of the world's coral reefs<ref>{{cite book|first1=Mark|last1=Spalding|first2=Corinna|last2=Ravilious|first3=Edmund Peter|last3=Green|title=World Atlas of Coral Reefs|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=LUI2fLpxIRwC|access-date=25 June 2012|date=10 September 2001|publisher=University of California Press|isbn=978-0-520-23255-6}}</ref> along with extensive seagrass meadows,<ref>Littler, D. and Littler, M. (2000) ''Caribbean Reef Plants''. OffShore Graphics, Inc., {{ISBN|0967890101}}.</ref> both of which are frequently found in the shallow marine waters bordering the island and continental coasts of 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.<ref>Minter, D.W., Rodríguez Hernández, M. and Mena Portales, J. (2001) ''Fungi of the Caribbean. An annotated checklist''. PDMS Publishing, {{ISBN|0-9540169-0-4}}.</ref> That checklist includes more than 11,250 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 far higher given the generally accepted estimate that only about 7% of all fungi worldwide have been discovered.<ref>{{cite book|author1=Kirk, P. M.  |author2=Ainsworth, Geoffrey Clough |title=Ainsworth & Bisby's Dictionary of the Fungi|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=IFD4_VFRDdUC|year=2008|publisher=CABI|isbn=978-0-85199-826-8}}</ref> Though the amount of available information is still 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;<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.cybertruffle.org.uk/cubafung/eng/endelist.htm |title=Fungi of Cuba – potential endemics |publisher=cybertruffle.org.uk |access-date=9 July 2011 |archive-date=27 September 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110927173309/http://www.cybertruffle.org.uk/cubafung/eng/endelist.htm |url-status=live }}</ref> for [[Puerto Rico]], the number is 789 species;<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.cybertruffle.org.uk/puerfung/eng/endelist.htm |title=Fungi of Puerto Rico – potential endemics |publisher=cybertruffle.org.uk |access-date=9 July 2011 |archive-date=27 September 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110927173352/http://www.cybertruffle.org.uk/puerfung/eng/endelist.htm |url-status=live }}</ref> for the [[Dominican Republic]], the number is 699 species;<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.cybertruffle.org.uk/dorefung/eng/endelist.htm |title=Fungi of the Dominican Republic – potential endemics |publisher=cybertruffle.org.uk |access-date=9 July 2011 |archive-date=27 September 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110927173420/http://www.cybertruffle.org.uk/dorefung/eng/endelist.htm |url-status=live }}</ref> for Trinidad and Tobago, the number is 407 species.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.cybertruffle.org.uk/trinfung/eng/endelist.htm |title=Fungi of Trinidad & Tobago – potential endemics |publisher=cybertruffle.org.uk |access-date=9 July 2011 |archive-date=27 September 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110927173130/http://www.cybertruffle.org.uk/trinfung/eng/endelist.htm |url-status=live }}</ref>

Many of the [[ecosystem]]s of the Caribbean islands have been devastated by [[deforestation]], pollution, and human encroachment. The arrival of the first humans is correlated with extinction of [[Tyto pollens|giant]] [[Ornimegalonyx|owls]] and [[Megalocnus|dwarf ground sloths]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.thegreatstory.org/charts/NA-extinctions.html |title=North American Extinctions v. World |publisher=The Great Story |access-date=23 August 2010 |archive-date=27 September 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190927060621/http://www.thegreatstory.org/charts/NA-extinctions.html |url-status=live }}</ref> 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]].
{{wide image|Isla Saona.jpg|750px| align-cap=center| [[Saona Island]], Dominican Republic}}

The region's coral reefs, which contain about 70 species of hard corals and from 500 to 700 species of reef-associated fishes<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.coral-reef-info.com/caribbean-coral-reefs.html|title=Caribbean Coral Reefs|work=coral-reef-info.com|date=9 November 2020|access-date=29 October 2010|archive-date=8 July 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110708192816/http://www.coral-reef-info.com/caribbean-coral-reefs.html|url-status=live}}</ref> have undergone rapid decline in ecosystem integrity in recent years, and are considered particularly vulnerable to global warming and ocean acidification.<ref>{{cite journal|doi=10.1126/science.1152509 |title=Coral Reefs Under Rapid Climate Change and Ocean Acidification |journal=Science |year=2007|last1=Hoegh-Guldberg|first1=O.|last2=Mumby|first2=P. J.|last3=Hooten|first3=A. J.|last4=Steneck|first4=R. S.|last5=Greenfield|first5=P.|last6=Gomez|first6=E.|last7=Harvell|first7=C. D.|last8=Sale|first8=P. F.|last9=Edwards|first9=A. J.|last10=Caldeira |first10=K. |last11=Knowlton |first11=N. |last12=Eakin |first12=C. M. |last13=Iglesias-Prieto |first13=R. |last14=Muthiga |first14=N. |last15=Bradbury |first15=R. H. |last16=Dubi |first16=A. |last17=Hatziolos |first17=M. E. |volume=318|issue=5857|pages=1737–42|pmid=18079392|bibcode=2007Sci...318.1737H |display-authors=8 |citeseerx=10.1.1.702.1733 |s2cid=12607336 }}</ref> According to a [[UNEP]] report, the Caribbean coral reefs might get extinct in next 20 years due to population explosion along the coast lines, overfishing, the pollution of coastal areas and global warming.<ref>{{cite web|title=Caribbean coral reefs may disappear within 20 years: Report|url=http://news.biharprabha.com/2014/07/caribbean-coral-reefs-may-disappear-within-20-years-report/|work=IANS|publisher=news.biharprabha.com|access-date=3 July 2014|archive-date=16 August 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140816191151/http://news.biharprabha.com/2014/07/caribbean-coral-reefs-may-disappear-within-20-years-report/|url-status=live}}</ref>

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.<ref>{{cite book|last=Rogoziński|first=Jan|title=A Brief History of the Caribbean|publisher=Penguin|year=2000|isbn=978-0-452-28193-6|page=65}}</ref>

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.<ref>{{cite book|last=Rogoziński|first=Jan|title=A Brief History of the Caribbean|publisher=Penguin|year=2000|isbn=978-0-452-28193-6|page=356}}</ref>

===Plants and animals===
{{see also|List of invasive marine fish in Florida{{!}}List of invasive marine fish in the Caribbean}}
<gallery>
File:Epiphytes (Dominica).jpg|alt=Epiphytes (bromeliads, climbing palms) in the rainforest of Dominica.|Epiphytes (bromeliads, climbing palms) in the [[rainforest]] of [[Dominica]]
File:Jumping frog.jpg|A green and black poison frog, ''[[Dendrobates auratus]]''
File:Caesalpinia pulcherrima, Guadeloupe.jpg|alt=Caesalpinia pulcherrima, Guadeloupe.|''[[Caesalpinia pulcherrima]]'', [[Guadeloupe]]
File:Costus speciosus Guadeloupe.JPG|alt=Costus speciosus, a marsh plant, Guadeloupe.|''[[Costus speciosus]]'', a marsh plant, [[Guadeloupe]]
File:Ocypode quadrata (Martinique).jpg|alt=An Atlantic ghost crab (Ocypode quadrata) in Martinique.|An [[Atlantic ghost crab]] (''Ocypode quadrata'') in [[Martinique]]
File:Calebassier.jpg|alt=Crescentia cujete, or calabash fruit, Martinique.|''[[Crescentia cujete]]'', or calabash fruit, [[Martinique]]
File:Thalassoma bifasciatum (Bluehead Wrasse) juvenile yellow stage over Bispira brunnea (Social Feather Duster Worms).jpg|alt=Thalassoma bifasciatum (bluehead wrasse fish), over Bispira brunnea (social feather duster worms).|''[[Thalassoma bifasciatum]]'' (bluehead wrasse fish), over ''[[Bispira brunnea]]'' (social feather duster worms)
File:Stenopus hispidus (Banded cleaner shrimp).jpg|alt=Two Stenopus hispidus (banded cleaner shrimp) on a Xestospongia muta (giant barrel sponge).|Two ''[[Stenopus hispidus]]'' (banded cleaner shrimp) on a ''[[Xestospongia muta]]'' (giant barrel sponge)
File:Cyphoma signata (Fingerprint Cowry) pair.jpg|alt=A pair of Cyphoma signatum (fingerprint cowry), off coastal Haiti.|A pair of ''[[Cyphoma signatum]]'' (fingerprint cowry), off coastal [[Haiti]]
File:Extinctbirds1907 P18 Amazona martinicana0317.png|The [[Martinique amazon]], ''Amazona martinicana'', is an extinct species of parrot in the family Psittacidae.
File:Anastrepha suspensa 5193019.jpg|alt=Anastrepha suspensa, a Caribbean fruit fly.|''[[Anastrepha suspensa]]'', a Caribbean fruit fly
File:Hemidactylus mabouia (Dominica).jpg|alt=Hemidactylus mabouia, a tropical gecko, in Dominica Edited by: Taniya Brooks.|''[[Hemidactylus mabouia]]'', a tropical gecko, in [[Dominica]]. Edited by: Taniya Brooks
</gallery>

==Demographics==

===Life expectancy===
{{Main|List of countries in the Americas by life expectancy}}
[[Life expectancy]] in some countries of the Caribbean in 2022, according to estimation of the [[World Bank Group]]:<ref name="wbg_total">{{cite web|title=Life expectancy at birth, total|url=https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/SP.DYN.LE00.IN|publisher=The World Bank Group|date=30 May 2024|access-date=16 June 2024}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Life expectancy at birth, male|url=https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/SP.DYN.LE00.MA.IN|publisher=The World Bank Group|date=30 May 2024|access-date=16 June 2024}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Life expectancy at birth, female|url=https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/SP.DYN.LE00.FE.IN|publisher=The World Bank Group|date=30 May 2024|access-date=16 June 2024}}</ref>

{{static row numbers}}{{sort under}}
{| class="wikitable sortable static-row-numbers sort-under" style="text-align:right;"
|- class="static-row-header" style="text-align:center;vertical-align:bottom;"
! rowspan=2 style="vertical-align:middle;"|Countries &<br>territories
! colspan=4|2022
! colspan=9 style="border-left-width:2px;"|Historical data
! rowspan=2 style="border-left-width:2px; text-align:middle;"|{{nobr|recovery from}}<br>[[COVID-19]]:<br>2019→2022
|- class="static-row-header" style="text-align:center;vertical-align:bottom;"
! style="vertical-align:middle;width:4em;"|All
! style="vertical-align:middle;"|Male
! style="vertical-align:middle;"|Female
! style="vertical-align:middle; width:3em;"|{{tooltip|Sex gap|Difference in life expectancy for female and male}}
! style="border-left-width:2px; vertical-align:middle; width:4em; padding-left:1em;"|2014
! style="text-align:left;"|{{tooltip|2014<br>→2019|Change of life expectancy from 2014 to 2019}}
! style="vertical-align:middle; width:3em;"|2019
! style="text-align:left;"|2019<br>→2020
! style="vertical-align:middle; width:3em;"|2020
! style="text-align:left;"|2020<br>→2021
! style="vertical-align:middle; width:3em;"|2021
! style="text-align:left;"|2021<br>→2022
! style="vertical-align:middle; width:3em;"|2022
|-
|align=left|{{flaglist|Saint Martin}} ||style="text-align:center; background:#e0ffd8;"| 80.55 ||style="text-align:center; background:#eaf3ff;"| 77.50 ||style="text-align:center; background:#fee7f6;"| 83.66 ||style="text-align:center; background:#fff8dc;"| 6.16 ||style="text-align:center; border-left-width:2px; padding-left:1em;"| 79.97 ||style="background:#fffae0; color:darkgreen;"| 0.02 ||style="text-align:center;"| 79.98 ||style="background:#fffae0; color:darkgreen;"| 0.17 ||style="text-align:center;"| 80.15 ||style="background:#fffae0; color:darkgreen;"| 0.23 ||style="text-align:center;"| 80.38 ||style="background:#fffae0; color:darkgreen;"| 0.17 ||style="text-align:center; background:#e0ffd8;"| 80.55 ||style="background:#fffae0; border-left-width:2px; color:darkgreen;"| 0.57
|-
|align=left|{{flaglist|Virgin Islands (U.S.)}} ||style="text-align:center; background:#e0ffd8;"| 80.32 ||style="text-align:center; background:#eaf3ff;"| 77.10 ||style="text-align:center; background:#fee7f6;"| 83.70 ||style="text-align:center; background:#fff8dc;"| 6.60 ||style="text-align:center; border-left-width:2px; padding-left:1em;"| 78.87 ||style="background:#fffae0; color:darkgreen;"| 0.80 ||style="text-align:center;"| 79.67 ||style="background:#fffae0; color:darkgreen;"| 0.15 ||style="text-align:center;"| 79.82 ||style="background:#fffae0; color:darkgreen;"| 0.25 ||style="text-align:center;"| 80.07 ||style="background:#fffae0; color:darkgreen;"| 0.25 ||style="text-align:center; background:#e0ffd8;"| 80.32 ||style="background:#fffae0; border-left-width:2px; color:darkgreen;"| 0.65
|-
|align=left|{{flaglist|Puerto Rico}} ||style="text-align:center; background:#e0ffd8;"| 79.72 ||style="text-align:center; background:#eaf3ff;"| 75.58 ||style="text-align:center; background:#fee7f6;"| 83.90 ||style="text-align:center; background:#fff8dc;"| 8.32 ||style="text-align:center; border-left-width:2px; padding-left:1em;"| 78.93 ||style="background:#fffae0; color:darkgreen;"| 0.13 ||style="text-align:center;"| 79.06 ||style="background:#fffae0; color:crimson;"| −1.02 ||style="text-align:center;"| 78.04 ||style="background:#fffae0; color:darkgreen;"| 2.12 ||style="text-align:center;"| 80.16 ||style="background:#fffae0; color:crimson;"| −0.44 ||style="text-align:center; background:#e0ffd8;"| 79.72 ||style="background:#fffae0; border-left-width:2px; color:darkgreen;"| 0.66
|-
|align=left|{{flaglist|Antigua and Barbuda}} ||style="text-align:center; background:#e0ffd8;"| 79.24 ||style="text-align:center; background:#eaf3ff;"| 76.51 ||style="text-align:center; background:#fee7f6;"| 81.64 ||style="text-align:center; background:#fff8dc;"| 5.14 ||style="text-align:center; border-left-width:2px; padding-left:1em;"| 77.86 ||style="background:#fffae0; color:darkgreen;"| 0.83 ||style="text-align:center;"| 78.69 ||style="background:#fffae0; color:darkgreen;"| 0.15 ||style="text-align:center;"| 78.84 ||style="background:#fffae0; color:crimson;"| −0.34 ||style="text-align:center;"| 78.50 ||style="background:#fffae0; color:darkgreen;"| 0.74 ||style="text-align:center; background:#e0ffd8;"| 79.24 ||style="background:#fffae0; border-left-width:2px; color:darkgreen;"| 0.55
|-
|align=left|{{flaglist|Cuba}} ||style="text-align:center; background:#e0ffd8;"| 78.16 ||style="text-align:center; background:#eaf3ff;"| 75.79 ||style="text-align:center; background:#fee7f6;"| 80.56 ||style="text-align:center; background:#fff8dc;"| 4.77 ||style="text-align:center; border-left-width:2px; padding-left:1em;"| 77.85 ||style="background:#fffae0; color:crimson;"| −0.24 ||style="text-align:center;"| 77.61 ||style="background:#fffae0; color:crimson;"| −0.04 ||style="text-align:center;"| 77.57 ||style="background:#fffae0; color:crimson;"| −3.88 ||style="text-align:center;"| 73.68 ||style="background:#fffae0; color:darkgreen;"| 4.47 ||style="text-align:center; background:#e0ffd8;"| 78.16 ||style="background:#fffae0; border-left-width:2px; color:darkgreen;"| 0.54
|-
|align=left|{{flaglist|Barbados}} ||style="text-align:center; background:#e0ffd8;"| 77.71 ||style="text-align:center; background:#eaf3ff;"| 75.68 ||style="text-align:center; background:#fee7f6;"| 79.58 ||style="text-align:center; background:#fff8dc;"| 3.90 ||style="text-align:center; border-left-width:2px; padding-left:1em;"| 76.48 ||style="background:#fffae0; color:darkgreen;"| 0.78 ||style="text-align:center;"| 77.26 ||style="background:#fffae0; color:darkgreen;"| 0.14 ||style="text-align:center;"| 77.39 ||style="background:#fffae0; color:darkgreen;"| 0.18 ||style="text-align:center;"| 77.57 ||style="background:#fffae0; color:darkgreen;"| 0.14 ||style="text-align:center; background:#e0ffd8;"| 77.71 ||style="background:#fffae0; border-left-width:2px; color:darkgreen;"| 0.45
|-
|align=left|{{flaglist|British Virgin Islands}} ||style="text-align:center; background:#e0ffd8;"| 76.37 ||style="text-align:center; background:#eaf3ff;"| 73.62 ||style="text-align:center; background:#fee7f6;"| 79.26 ||style="text-align:center; background:#fff8dc;"| 5.63 ||style="text-align:center; border-left-width:2px; padding-left:1em;"| 75.61 ||style="background:#fffae0; color:darkgreen;"| 0.25 ||style="text-align:center;"| 75.86 ||style="background:#fffae0; color:crimson;"| −0.01 ||style="text-align:center;"| 75.85 ||style="background:#fffae0; color:crimson;"| −1.36 ||style="text-align:center;"| 74.49 ||style="background:#fffae0; color:darkgreen;"| 1.88 ||style="text-align:center; background:#e0ffd8;"| 76.37 ||style="background:#fffae0; border-left-width:2px; color:darkgreen;"| 0.51
|-
|align=left|{{flaglist|Grenada}} ||style="text-align:center; background:#e0ffd8;"| 75.33 ||style="text-align:center; background:#eaf3ff;"| 72.59 ||style="text-align:center; background:#fee7f6;"| 78.30 ||style="text-align:center; background:#fff8dc;"| 5.71 ||style="text-align:center; border-left-width:2px; padding-left:1em;"| 74.98 ||style="background:#fffae0; color:crimson;"| −0.12 ||style="text-align:center;"| 74.86 ||style="background:#fffae0; color:darkgreen;"| 0.06 ||style="text-align:center;"| 74.92 ||style="background:#fffae0; color:darkgreen;"| 0.01 ||style="text-align:center;"| 74.94 ||style="background:#fffae0; color:darkgreen;"| 0.40 ||style="text-align:center; background:#e0ffd8;"| 75.33 ||style="background:#fffae0; border-left-width:2px; color:darkgreen;"| 0.47
|-
|align=left|{{flaglist|Aruba}} ||style="text-align:center; background:#e0ffd8;"| 74.99 ||style="text-align:center; background:#eaf3ff;"| 72.14 ||style="text-align:center; background:#fee7f6;"| 77.68 ||style="text-align:center; background:#fff8dc;"| 5.54 ||style="text-align:center; border-left-width:2px; padding-left:1em;"| 75.60 ||style="background:#fffae0; color:darkgreen;"| 0.65 ||style="text-align:center;"| 76.25 ||style="background:#fffae0; color:crimson;"| −0.53 ||style="text-align:center;"| 75.72 ||style="background:#fffae0; color:crimson;"| −1.10 ||style="text-align:center;"| 74.63 ||style="background:#fffae0; color:darkgreen;"| 0.37 ||style="text-align:center; background:#e0ffd8;"| 74.99 ||style="background:#fffae0; border-left-width:2px; color:crimson;"| −1.26
|-
|align=left|{{flaglist|Turks and Caicos Islands}} ||style="text-align:center; background:#e0ffd8;"| 74.92 ||style="text-align:center; background:#eaf3ff;"| 72.17 ||style="text-align:center; background:#fee7f6;"| 77.99 ||style="text-align:center; background:#fff8dc;"| 5.82 ||style="text-align:center; border-left-width:2px; padding-left:1em;"| 77.14 ||style="background:#fffae0; color:crimson;"| −1.81 ||style="text-align:center;"| 75.33 ||style="background:#fffae0; color:crimson;"| −0.32 ||style="text-align:center;"| 75.00 ||style="background:#fffae0; color:crimson;"| −0.41 ||style="text-align:center;"| 74.59 ||style="background:#fffae0; color:darkgreen;"| 0.34 ||style="text-align:center; background:#e0ffd8;"| 74.92 ||style="background:#fffae0; border-left-width:2px; color:crimson;"| −0.40
|-
|align=left|{{flaglist|Trinidad and Tobago}} ||style="text-align:center; background:#e0ffd8;"| 74.71 ||style="text-align:center; background:#eaf3ff;"| 71.31 ||style="text-align:center; background:#fee7f6;"| 78.15 ||style="text-align:center; background:#fff8dc;"| 6.85 ||style="text-align:center; border-left-width:2px; padding-left:1em;"| 74.22 ||style="background:#fffae0; color:darkgreen;"| 0.01 ||style="text-align:center;"| 74.23 ||style="background:#fffae0; color:darkgreen;"| 0.18 ||style="text-align:center;"| 74.41 ||style="background:#fffae0; color:crimson;"| −1.44 ||style="text-align:center;"| 72.97 ||style="background:#fffae0; color:darkgreen;"| 1.74 ||style="text-align:center; background:#e0ffd8;"| 74.71 ||style="background:#fffae0; border-left-width:2px; color:darkgreen;"| 0.48
|-
|align=left|{{flaglist|Sint Maarten}} ||style="text-align:center; background:#e0ffd8;"| 74.41 ||style="text-align:center; background:#eaf3ff;"| 71.96 ||style="text-align:center; background:#fee7f6;"| 77.14 ||style="text-align:center; background:#fff8dc;"| 5.18 ||style="text-align:center; border-left-width:2px; padding-left:1em;"| 76.77 ||style="background:#fffae0; color:crimson;"| −1.34 ||style="text-align:center;"| 75.44 ||style="background:#fffae0; color:crimson;"| −0.85 ||style="text-align:center;"| 74.58 ||style="background:#fffae0; color:crimson;"| −0.61 ||style="text-align:center;"| 73.97 ||style="background:#fffae0; color:darkgreen;"| 0.44 ||style="text-align:center; background:#e0ffd8;"| 74.41 ||style="background:#fffae0; border-left-width:2px; color:crimson;"| −1.03
|-
|align=left|{{flaglist|Bahamas}} ||style="text-align:center; background:#e0ffd8;"| 74.36 ||style="text-align:center; background:#eaf3ff;"| 70.76 ||style="text-align:center; background:#fee7f6;"| 77.84 ||style="text-align:center; background:#fff8dc;"| 7.09 ||style="text-align:center; border-left-width:2px; padding-left:1em;"| 73.37 ||style="background:#fffae0; color:crimson;"| −2.16 ||style="text-align:center;"| 71.20 ||style="background:#fffae0; color:darkgreen;"| 1.47 ||style="text-align:center;"| 72.68 ||style="background:#fffae0; color:crimson;"| −1.08 ||style="text-align:center;"| 71.60 ||style="background:#fffae0; color:darkgreen;"| 2.76 ||style="text-align:center; background:#e0ffd8;"| 74.36 ||style="background:#fffae0; border-left-width:2px; color:darkgreen;"| 3.15
|-
|align=left|{{flaglist|Dominican Republic}} ||style="text-align:center; background:#e0ffd8;"| 74.17 ||style="text-align:center; background:#eaf3ff;"| 71.04 ||style="text-align:center; background:#fee7f6;"| 77.54 ||style="text-align:center; background:#fff8dc;"| 6.49 ||style="text-align:center; border-left-width:2px; padding-left:1em;"| 72.87 ||style="background:#fffae0; color:darkgreen;"| 0.71 ||style="text-align:center;"| 73.58 ||style="background:#fffae0; color:crimson;"| −0.69 ||style="text-align:center;"| 72.89 ||style="background:#fffae0; color:crimson;"| −0.27 ||style="text-align:center;"| 72.61 ||style="background:#fffae0; color:darkgreen;"| 1.56 ||style="text-align:center; background:#e0ffd8;"| 74.17 ||style="background:#fffae0; border-left-width:2px; color:darkgreen;"| 0.59
|-
|align=left|{{flaglist|Dominica}} ||style="text-align:center; background:#e0ffd8;"| 72.98 ||style="text-align:center; background:#eaf3ff;"| 69.88 ||style="text-align:center; background:#fee7f6;"| 76.45 ||style="text-align:center; background:#fff8dc;"| 6.58 ||style="text-align:center; border-left-width:2px; padding-left:1em;"| 69.43 ||style="background:#fffae0; color:darkgreen;"| 4.12 ||style="text-align:center;"| 73.56 ||style="background:#fffae0; color:darkgreen;"| 0.09 ||style="text-align:center;"| 73.65 ||style="background:#fffae0; color:crimson;"| −0.84 ||style="text-align:center;"| 72.81 ||style="background:#fffae0; color:darkgreen;"| 0.17 ||style="text-align:center; background:#e0ffd8;"| 72.98 ||style="background:#fffae0; border-left-width:2px; color:crimson;"| −0.58
|-
|align=left|{{flaglist|St. Kitts and Nevis}} ||style="text-align:center; background:#e0ffd8;"| 72.03 ||style="text-align:center; background:#eaf3ff;"| 68.68 ||style="text-align:center; background:#fee7f6;"| 75.67 ||style="text-align:center; background:#fff8dc;"| 6.98 ||style="text-align:center; border-left-width:2px; padding-left:1em;"| 70.97 ||style="background:#fffae0; color:darkgreen;"| 0.61 ||style="text-align:center;"| 71.57 ||style="background:#fffae0; color:darkgreen;"| 0.05 ||style="text-align:center;"| 71.63 ||style="background:#fffae0; color:darkgreen;"| 0.06 ||style="text-align:center;"| 71.68 ||style="background:#fffae0; color:darkgreen;"| 0.34 ||style="text-align:center; background:#e0ffd8;"| 72.03 ||style="background:#fffae0; border-left-width:2px; color:darkgreen;"| 0.45
|-class=static-row-header
|align=center| '''World''' ||style="text-align:center; background:#e0ffd8;"| '''72.00''' ||style="text-align:center; background:#eaf3ff;"| '''69.60''' ||style="text-align:center; background:#fee7f6;"| '''74.53''' ||style="text-align:center; background:#fff8dc;"| '''4.93''' ||style="text-align:center; border-left-width:2px; padding-left:1em;"| '''71.88''' ||style="background:#fffae0; color:darkgreen;"| '''1.10''' ||style="text-align:center;"| '''72.98''' ||style="background:#fffae0; color:crimson;"| '''−0.74''' ||style="text-align:center;"| '''72.24''' ||style="background:#fffae0; color:crimson;"| '''−0.92''' ||style="text-align:center;"| '''71.33''' ||style="background:#fffae0; color:darkgreen;"| '''0.67''' ||style="text-align:center; background:#e0ffd8;"| '''72.00''' ||style="background:#fffae0; border-left-width:2px; color:crimson;"| '''−0.98'''
|-
|style="text-align:left; padding-left: 35px;"|Caribbean small states ||style="text-align:center; background:#e0ffd8;"| 71.63 ||style="text-align:center; background:#eaf3ff;"| 68.84 ||style="text-align:center; background:#fee7f6;"| 74.50 ||style="text-align:center; background:#fff8dc;"| 5.66 ||style="text-align:center; border-left-width:2px; padding-left:1em;"| 72.68 ||style="background:#fffae0; color:crimson;"| −0.16 ||style="text-align:center;"| 72.52 ||style="background:#fffae0; color:darkgreen;"| 0.06 ||style="text-align:center;"| 72.58 ||style="background:#fffae0; color:crimson;"| −1.58 ||style="text-align:center;"| 71.00 ||style="background:#fffae0; color:darkgreen;"| 0.63 ||style="text-align:center; background:#e0ffd8;"| 71.63 ||style="background:#fffae0; border-left-width:2px; color:crimson;"| −0.89
|-
|align=left|{{flaglist|St. Lucia}} ||style="text-align:center; background:#e0ffd8;"| 71.29 ||style="text-align:center; background:#eaf3ff;"| 68.00 ||style="text-align:center; background:#fee7f6;"| 74.89 ||style="text-align:center; background:#fff8dc;"| 6.88 ||style="text-align:center; border-left-width:2px; padding-left:1em;"| 72.86 ||style="background:#fffae0; color:darkgreen;"| 0.58 ||style="text-align:center;"| 73.44 ||style="background:#fffae0; color:crimson;"| −0.03 ||style="text-align:center;"| 73.42 ||style="background:#fffae0; color:crimson;"| −2.30 ||style="text-align:center;"| 71.11 ||style="background:#fffae0; color:darkgreen;"| 0.18 ||style="text-align:center; background:#e0ffd8;"| 71.29 ||style="background:#fffae0; border-left-width:2px; color:crimson;"| −2.15
|-
|align=left|{{flaglist|Jamaica}} ||style="text-align:center; background:#e0ffd8;"| 70.63 ||style="text-align:center; background:#eaf3ff;"| 68.53 ||style="text-align:center; background:#fee7f6;"| 72.74 ||style="text-align:center; background:#fff8dc;"| 4.20 ||style="text-align:center; border-left-width:2px; padding-left:1em;"| 72.98 ||style="background:#fffae0; color:crimson;"| −1.22 ||style="text-align:center;"| 71.77 ||style="background:#fffae0; color:darkgreen;"| 0.10 ||style="text-align:center;"| 71.87 ||style="background:#fffae0; color:crimson;"| −1.37 ||style="text-align:center;"| 70.50 ||style="background:#fffae0; color:darkgreen;"| 0.13 ||style="text-align:center; background:#e0ffd8;"| 70.63 ||style="background:#fffae0; border-left-width:2px; color:crimson;"| −1.14
|-
|align=left|{{flaglist|St. Vincent and the Grenadines}} ||style="text-align:center; background:#e0ffd8;"| 68.97 ||style="text-align:center; background:#eaf3ff;"| 66.69 ||style="text-align:center; background:#fee7f6;"| 71.73 ||style="text-align:center; background:#fff8dc;"| 5.04 ||style="text-align:center; border-left-width:2px; padding-left:1em;"| 74.47 ||style="background:#fffae0; color:crimson;"| −1.64 ||style="text-align:center;"| 72.83 ||style="background:#fffae0; color:crimson;"| −0.71 ||style="text-align:center;"| 72.13 ||style="background:#fffae0; color:crimson;"| −2.50 ||style="text-align:center;"| 69.63 ||style="background:#fffae0; color:crimson;"| −0.66 ||style="text-align:center; background:#e0ffd8;"| 68.97 ||style="background:#fffae0; border-left-width:2px; color:crimson;"| −3.86
|-
|align=left|{{flaglist|Haiti}} ||style="text-align:center; background:#e0ffd8;"| 63.73 ||style="text-align:center; background:#eaf3ff;"| 60.89 ||style="text-align:center; background:#fee7f6;"| 66.69 ||style="text-align:center; background:#fff8dc;"| 5.80 ||style="text-align:center; border-left-width:2px; padding-left:1em;"| 62.99 ||style="background:#fffae0; color:darkgreen;"| 1.27 ||style="text-align:center;"| 64.25 ||style="background:#fffae0; color:crimson;"| −0.20 ||style="text-align:center;"| 64.05 ||style="background:#fffae0; color:crimson;"| −0.86 ||style="text-align:center;"| 63.19 ||style="background:#fffae0; color:darkgreen;"| 0.54 ||style="text-align:center; background:#e0ffd8;"| 63.73 ||style="background:#fffae0; border-left-width:2px; color:crimson;"| −0.53
|-
|align=left|{{flaglist|Cayman Islands}} ||style="text-align:center; background:#e0ffd8;color:silver;"| — ||style="text-align:center; background:#eaf3ff;color:silver;"| — ||style="text-align:center; background:#fee7f6;color:silver;"| — ||style="text-align:center; background:#fff8dc;color:silver;"| — ||style="text-align:center; border-left-width:2px; padding-left:1em;color:silver;"| — ||style="background:#fffae0;color:silver;"| — ||style="text-align:center;color:silver;"| — ||style="background:#fffae0;color:silver;"| — ||style="text-align:center;color:silver;"| — ||style="background:#fffae0;color:silver;"| — ||style="text-align:center;"| 82.01 ||style="background:#fffae0;color:silver;"| — ||style="text-align:center; background:#e0ffd8;color:silver;"| — ||style="background:#fffae0; border-left-width:2px;color:silver;"| —
|}

{{Multiple image|total_width = 750
| align        = center
| direction    = horizontal
| image1       = Life expectancy map -Caribbean -2019 -with names.png
| image2       = Life expectancy map -Caribbean -2020 -with names.png
| image3       = Life expectancy map -Caribbean -2021 -with names.png
| footer_align = center
| footer       = Change in life expectancy in the Caribbean from 2019 to 2021<ref name="wbg_total" />
}}

===Indigenous groups===
{{main|Indigenous peoples of the Caribbean}}
* [[Arawak peoples]]
** [[Igneri]]
** [[Taíno people|Taíno]]
* [[Caquetio people]]
* [[Ciboney]]
* [[Neo-Taíno nations#Ciguayo|Ciguayo]]
* [[Garifuna people|Garifuna]]
* [[Kalina people|Kalina]]
* [[Island Caribs|Kalinago]]
* [[Lucayan people|Lucayan]]
* [[Neo-Taíno nations#Macorix|Macorix]]
* [[Raizal]]

[[File:Agostino Brunias - Linen Market, Dominica - Google Art Project.jpg|thumb|A linen market in [[Dominica]] in the 1770s]]
[[File:Agostino Brunias. Free Women of Color with Their Children and Servants in a Landscape, ca. 1770-1796.jpg|thumb|Agostino Brunias. Free Women of Color with Their Children and Servants in a Landscape [[Brooklyn Museum]]]]
[[File:East Indian Coolies in Trinidad - Project Gutenberg eText 16035.jpg|thumb|[[Indo-Trinidadian and Tobagonian|Asian Indians]] in the late nineteenth century singing and dancing in [[Trinidad and Tobago]]]]
[[File:Matanzas street scene 2011-07-21 Flickr.jpg|thumb|Street scene, [[Matanzas]], Cuba]]
At the time of [[European colonization of the Americas|European contact]], the dominant ethnic groups in the Caribbean included the [[Taíno]] of the [[Greater Antilles]] and northern [[Lesser Antilles]], the [[Island Caribs]] of the southern Lesser Antilles, and smaller distinct groups such as the [[Guanajatabey]] of western Cuba and the [[Ciguayo]] of eastern Hispaniola. 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)<ref>{{Cite book
 |first = Joseph Patrick
 |last = Byrne
 |title = Encyclopedia of Pestilence, Pandemics, and Plagues: A-M
 |url = https://books.google.com/books?id=5Pvi-ksuKFIC
 |publisher = ABC-CLIO
 |year = 2008
 |page = 413
 |isbn = 978-0-313-34102-1
 }}{{Dead link|date=May 2023 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref> led to a decline in the Amerindian population.<ref>Engerman, p. 486</ref><ref>[http://countrystudies.us/caribbean-islands/8.htm The Sugar Revolutions and Slavery] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110622222104/http://countrystudies.us/caribbean-islands/8.htm |date=22 June 2011 }}, ''U.S. Library of Congress''</ref> such as the [[Kongo people|Kongo]], [[Igbo people|Igbo]], [[Akan people|Akan]], [[Fon people|Fon]] and [[Yoruba people|Yoruba]] as well as military prisoners from [[Ireland]], who were deported during the Cromwellian reign in [[England]].{{citation needed|date=April 2016}} Immigrants from [[Great Britain|Britain]], [[Italy]], [[France]], [[Spain]], the [[Netherlands]], [[Portugal]] and [[Denmark]] also arrived, although the mortality rate was high for both groups.<ref>Engerman, pp. 488–492</ref>

The population is estimated to have reached 2.2 million by 1800.<ref>Engerman, Figure 11.1</ref> Immigrants from [[India]], [[China]], [[Indonesia]], and other countries arrived in the mid-19th century as indentured servants.<ref>Engerman, pp. 501–502</ref>  After the ending of the [[Atlantic slave trade]], the population increased naturally.<ref>Engerman, pp. 504, 511</ref> The total regional population was estimated at 37.5 million by 2000.<ref name=p2000>Table A.2, [http://gisweb.ciat.cgiar.org/population/download/report.pdf Database documentation], Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) Population Database, version 3, International Center for Tropical Agriculture, 2005.  Accessed on line 20 February 2008.</ref>

In [[Haiti]] and most of the [[French Caribbean|French]], [[Anglophone Caribbean|Anglophone]] and [[Dutch West Indies|Dutch Caribbean]], the population is predominantly of [[Afro-Caribbean|African]] origin; on many islands there are also significant populations of mixed racial origin (including [[Mulatto]]-[[Creole peoples|Creole]], [[Dougla]], [[Mestizo]], [[Quadroon]], [[Cholo]], [[Castizo]], [[Criollo people|Criollo]], [[Zambo]], [[Pardo]], [[Asian Latin Americans]], [[Chindian]], [[Cocoa panyols]], and Eurasian), as well as populations of European ancestry:  [[Dutch people|Dutch]], [[English people|English]], [[French people|French]], [[Italian people|Italian]], [[Portuguese people|Portuguese]] and [[Spanish people|Spanish]] ancestry. [[Asians]], especially those of [[Chinese Caribbean|Chinese]], [[Indo-Caribbean|Indian]] descent, and [[Javanese people|Javanese]] [[Indonesian people|Indonesians]], form a significant minority in parts of the region. [[Indo-Caribbean|Indians]] form a plurality of the population in [[Trinidad and Tobago]], [[Guyana]], and [[Suriname]]. Most of their ancestors arrived in the 19th century as indentured laborers.

The [[Spanish Caribbean|Spanish-speaking Caribbean]] populations are primarily of [[White Latin American|European]], African, or racially mixed origins. [[Cubans|Cuba]] has a European majority, along with a significant population of African ancestry. Puerto Rico has a mixed race majority with a mixture of European-African-Native American (tri-racial), and a large White and West African (black) minority. The Dominican Republic has the largest mixed-race population, primarily descended from Europeans, [[West African]]s, and Amerindians.
[[File:Revellers Wine at Trinidad Carnival.jpg|thumb|upright|Carnival in Trinidad and Tobago]]

The majority of [[Jamaica]] is of West African origin, in addition to a significant population of mixed racial background, and has minorities of [[Chinese people|Chinese]], Europeans, [[Indian people|Indians]], [[Latin Americans|Latino]]s, [[Jews]], and [[Arab]]s. This is a result of years of importation of slaves and indentured laborers, and migration. Most multi-racial Jamaicans refer to themselves as either mixed race or brown. Similar populations can be found in the [[Caricom]] states of [[Belize]], [[Guyana]] and [[Trinidad and Tobago]]. [[Trinidad and Tobago]] has a multi-racial cosmopolitan society due to the arrivals of [[Afro-Trinidadian|Africans]], [[Indo-Trinidadian|Indians]], [[Chinese Trinidadian|Chinese]], [[Arabs]], [[Jews]], [[Latin Americans|Latino]]s, and [[White Trinidadian|Europeans]] along with the [[Amerindians|native indigenous Amerindians]] population. This multi-racial mix of the Caribbean has created sub-ethnicities that often straddle the boundaries of major ethnicities and include [[Mulatto]]-[[Creole peoples|Creole]], [[Mestizo]], [[Pardo]], [[Zambo]], [[Dougla]], [[Chindian]], [[Afro-Asians]],  Eurasian, [[Cocoa panyols]], and [[Asian Latin Americans|Asian Latinos]].

===Language===
{{Main|Languages of the Caribbean}}

[[Caribbean Spanish|Spanish]] (64%),  [[French language|French]] (25%), [[Caribbean English|English]] (14%), [[Dutch language|Dutch]], [[Haitian Creole]], and [[Papiamento]] are the predominant official languages of various countries in the region. However, virtually every Caribbean country has a distinct [[creole language]] or dialect that often  serves as its [[vernacular language]]. Most of these do not enjoy official status, with the aforementioned Haitian Creole and Papiamento being notable exceptions. Other languages such as [[Caribbean Hindustani]], [[Chinese language|Chinese]], [[Javanese language|Javanese]], [[Arabic]], [[Hmong language|Hmong]], [[Indigenous languages of the Americas|Amerindian languages]], other [[African languages]], other [[Languages of Europe|European languages]], and other [[Languages of India|Indian languages]] can also be found.

===Religion===
{{See also|:Category:Religion in the Caribbean{{!}}Religion in the Caribbean}}
[[File:Kathedrale Havanna 001.jpg|thumb|[[Havana Cathedral]] (Catholic) in [[Cuba]] completed in 1777]]
[[File:TnT PoS Cathedral of the Holy Trinity (back view).jpg|thumb|[[Holy Trinity Cathedral, Port of Spain|Holy Trinity Cathedral]], an [[Anglican]] [[Christianity|Christian]] [[cathedral]] in [[Trinidad and Tobago]]]]
[[File:Waterloo Temple, Trinidad.jpg|thumb|[[Temple in the Sea]], a [[Hindu]] [[mandir]] in [[Trinidad and Tobago]]]]
[[File:TnT St. Joseph Mohammed Ali Jinnah Memorial Mosque.jpg|thumb|[[Muhammad Ali Jinnah]] Memorial Masjid, a [[Muslim]] [[mosque|masjid]] in [[Trinidad and Tobago]]]]
[[File:KITLV - 12680 - Dutch Israelite synagogue in Paramaribo - circa 1890.tif|thumb|A [[Jewish]] [[synagogue]] in [[Suriname]]]]

[[File:Haitian vodou altar to Petwo, Rada, and Gede spirits; November 5, 2010..jpg|thumb|A [[Haitian Vodou]] altar]]
[[Christianity]] is the predominant religion in the Caribbean (84.7%).<ref>[http://wwwgordonconwell.com/netcommunity/CSGCResources/ChristianityinitsGlobalContext.pdf Christianity in its Global Context] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130815184022/http://wwwgordonconwell.com/netcommunity/CSGCResources/ChristianityinitsGlobalContext.pdf |date=2013-08-15 }}</ref> Other religions in the region are [[Hinduism in the West Indies|Hinduism]], [[Islam]], [[Judaism]], [[Rastafari]], [[Buddhism]], [[Chinese folk religion]] (incl. [[Taoism]] and [[Confucianism]]), [[Baháʼí Faith|Baháʼí]], [[Jainism]], [[Sikhism]], [[Kebatinan]], [[Traditional African religions]], [[Yoruba religion|Yoruba]] (incl. [[Trinidad Orisha]]), [[Afro-American religions]],  (incl. [[Santería]], [[Palo (religion)|Palo]], [[Umbanda]], [[Brujería]], [[Hoodoo (folk magic)|Hoodoo]], [[Candomblé]], [[Quimbanda]], [[Orisha]], Xangô de Recife, Xangô do Nordeste, Comfa, [[Espiritismo]], [[Santo Daime]], [[Obeah]], [[Candomblé]], [[Abakuá]], [[Kumina]], [[Winti]], Sanse, [[Cuban Vodú]], [[Dominican Vudú]], [[Louisiana Voodoo]], [[Haitian Vodou]], and [[West African Vodun|Vodun]]).

==Politics==

===Regionalism===
[[File:Flag of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM).svg|thumb|Flag of the Caribbean Common Market and Community (CARICOM)]]
Caribbean societies are very different from other Western societies in terms of size, culture, and degree of mobility of their citizens.<ref>Gowricharn, Ruben. ''Caribbean Transnationalism: Migration, Pluralization, and Social Cohesion'', Lanham: Lexington Books, 2006. p. 5 {{ISBN|0-7391-1167-1}}</ref> The current economic and political problems the states face individually are common to all Caribbean states.{{citation needed|date=November 2024}} Regional development has contributed to attempts to subdue current problems and avoid projected problems. From a political and economic perspective, [[Regionalism (international relations)|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]])<ref>Hillman, p. 150</ref> which is located in Guyana.

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 socialist systems towards more capitalist Westminster-style parliamentary systems. 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."<ref>Hillman, p. 165</ref> The political systems of the Caribbean states share similar practices.

The influence of regionalism in the Caribbean is often marginalized.{{citation needed|date=November 2024}} Some scholars believe that regionalism cannot 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."<ref name=serbin>{{cite journal|author=Serbin, Andres|title=Towards an Association of Caribbean States: Raising Some Awkward Questions|journal=Journal of Interamerican Studies and World Affairs|year=1994|pages=61–90|volume=36|issue=4|jstor=166319|doi=10.2307/166319|s2cid=158660832}}</ref> These attempts at regionalization reflect the nations' desires to compete in the international economic system.<ref name=serbin />

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."<ref>Hillman, p. 123</ref>  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. {{clarify|date=December 2011}}

====United States–EU trade dispute====

{{See also|Lomé Convention}}
The [[Lomé Convention]], which allowed [[banana]] exports from the former colonies of the [[ACP countries|Group of African, Caribbean and Pacific states]] (ACP) to enter Europe cheaply, came into effect in 1976.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.ustr.gov/Document_Library/Press_Releases/2001/April/The_US-EU_Banana_Agreement.html |title=The U.S.-EU Banana Agreement |website=USTR |date=2001 |access-date=23 November 2008 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090506012800/http://www.ustr.gov/Document_Library/Press_Releases/2001/April/The_US-EU_Banana_Agreement.html |archive-date=6 May 2009 }} See also: {{cite web |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/caribbean/news/story/2008/05/080516_sanders190508.shtml |first1=Ronald |last1=Sanders |title=Dominica: Poverty and Potential |publisher=BBC |date=16 May 2008 |access-date=6 December 2008 |archive-date=5 December 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081205172045/http://www.bbc.co.uk/caribbean/news/story/2008/05/080516_sanders190508.shtml |url-status=live }}</ref> In 1999, 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 World Trade Organization sided in the United States' favour and the beneficial elements of the convention to African, Caribbean and Pacific states have been partially dismantled and replaced by the [[Cotonou Agreement]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.eubusiness.com/news-eu/1196354821.32/ |title=WTO rules against EU banana import practices |access-date=23 November 2008 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090416002704/http://www.eubusiness.com/news-eu/1196354821.32/ |archive-date=16 April 2009 |website= eubusiness.com |date=29 November 2007}}</ref>

During the US/EU dispute, the United States threatened to impose large tariffs on European Union goods (up to 100%) to pressure Europe to change the agreement with the Caribbean nations in favour of the Cotonou Agreement.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/293114.stm |title=No truce in banana war |work=BBC News |date=8 March 1999 |access-date=23 August 2010 |archive-date=2 December 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101202124003/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/293114.stm |url-status=live }}</ref>

Farmers in the Caribbean have complained of falling profits and rising costs as the Lomé Convention weakens.<ref>[https://www.nytimes.com/1997/05/11/world/clinton-in-caribbean-no-bananas-today.html Clinton In Caribbean: No Bananas Today], 11 May 1997, NY Times.</ref>  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.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/296008.stm |title=World: Americas St Vincent hit by banana war |work=BBC News |date=13 March 1999 |access-date=23 August 2010 |archive-date=2 December 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101202123858/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/296008.stm |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/caribbean/news/story/2005/01/050117_ukparliament-concern.shtml |title=Concern for Caribbean farmers |publisher=Bbc.co.uk |date=7 January 2005 |access-date=23 August 2010 |archive-date=2 December 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101202103940/http://www.bbc.co.uk/caribbean/news/story/2005/01/050117_ukparliament-concern.shtml |url-status=live }}</ref>

==== African Union relations ====
Many Caribbean nations have sought to deepen ties with the continent of [[Africa]].  The African Union-bloc has referred to the Caribbean as the potential "Sixth Region" of the [[African Union]].<ref>[https://www.thestateofafricandiaspora.com/headquarters/ African Union 6th Region Diaspora Headquarters to be established in Accompong, Jamaica] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230311035309/https://thestateofafricandiaspora.com/headquarters/ |date=11 March 2023 }}, 24 January 2018.</ref> Some Caribbean states have already moved to join Africa institutions including Barbados, Grenada, Guyana, and the Bahamas which have all became members of the African Export Import Bank.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.cbc.bb/cbctest/news/local-news/barbados-inks-mou-with-african-export-import-bank/ |title=Barbados inks MOU with African Export-Import Bank |access-date=17 July 2022 |archive-date=17 July 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220717182615/https://www.cbc.bb/cbctest/news/local-news/barbados-inks-mou-with-african-export-import-bank/ |url-status=live }}</ref> And the Caribbean Development Bank signing a cooperation strategic partnership agreement with the African Development Bank (AfDB)<ref>[https://www.businessamlive.com/afdb-cdb-move-to-deepen-africa-caribbean-cooperation-sign-mou/ AfDB, CDB move to deepen Africa, Caribbean cooperation, sign MoU] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220625194438/https://www.businessamlive.com/afdb-cdb-move-to-deepen-africa-caribbean-cooperation-sign-mou/ |date=25 June 2022 }}, 18 June 2022</ref>  At present Antigua and Barbuda, Barbados, Jamaica, Guyana, and Suriname are at various stages of establishing direct air flights with Africa to boost person-to-person links and boost trade between both regions.

The first inter-regional Africa-Caribbean Community (CARICOM) Summit took place in September 2021. In August 2023 the African Union's [[African Export–Import Bank]] officially opened its first Caribbean Community office in Barbados beginning the process of integrating willing Caribbean states as the 6th region of the African Union.[https://guardian.ng/business-services/afreximbank-opens-caribbean-office-in-barbados/][https://www.thestkittsnevisobserver.com/caricom-office-of-afreximbank-bank-open-for-business-in-barbados-with-us1-5-billion-line-of-credit-now-available-to-caricom-states/]

====Caribbean Financial Action Task Force and Association of Caribbean States====
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 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.

====Bolivarian Alliance====
The President of [[Venezuela]], [[Hugo Chavez]] launched an economic group called the [[Bolivarian Alliance for the Americas]] (ALBA), which several eastern Caribbean islands joined.

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

* [[African, Caribbean and Pacific Group of States]]
* [[Association of Caribbean States]] (ACS), Trinidad and Tobago
* Caribbean Association of Industry and Commerce (CAIC), Trinidad and Tobago
* Caribbean Association of National Telecommunication Organizations (CANTO), Trinidad and Tobago<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.canto.org/ |title=CANTO Caribbean portal |publisher=Canto.org |access-date=6 December 2008 |archive-date=20 November 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081120232235/http://www.canto.org/ |url-status=live }}</ref>
* [[Caribbean Community]] (CARICOM), Guyana
* [[Caribbean Development Bank]] (CDB), Barbados
* [[Caribbean Disaster Emergency Management Agency]] (CDERA), Barbados
* Caribbean Educators Network<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.caribbeaneducatorsnetwork.com/ |title=Caribbean Educators Network |publisher=CEN |access-date=6 December 2008 |archive-date=14 April 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090414112803/http://www.caribbeaneducatorsnetwork.com/ |url-status=live }}</ref>
* Caribbean Electric Utility Services Corporation (CARILEC), Saint Lucia<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.carilec.com/ |title=Carilec |publisher=Carilec.com |access-date=6 December 2008 |archive-date=3 December 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081203120114/http://www.carilec.com/ |url-status=live }}</ref>
* [[Caribbean Environment Programme]] (CEP), UN Environment Programme–administered [[United Nations Environment Programme#The Regional Seas Programme|Regional Seas Programme]], secretariat located in Kingston, Jamaica<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.unep.org/cep/who-we-are|title=Who we are|website=The Caribbean Environment Programme and Cartagena Convention Secretariat|publisher=United Nations Environment Programme|access-date=8 July 2024}}</ref>
* [[Caribbean Examinations Council]] (CXC), Barbados and Jamaica
* [[Caribbean Financial Action Task Force]] (CFATF), Trinidad and Tobago
* [[Caribbean Food Crops Society]], Puerto Rico
* [[Caribbean Football Union]] (CFU), Jamaica
* Caribbean Hotel & Tourism Association (CHTA), Florida and Puerto Rico<ref>{{cite web|title=About Us|url=http://www.caribbeanhotelassociation.com/AboutCHTA.php|publisher=Caribbean Hotel & Tourism Association|access-date=17 June 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140402111250/http://www.caribbeanhotelassociation.com/AboutCHTA.php|archive-date=2 April 2014|url-status=dead}}</ref>
* [[Caribbean Initiative]] (Initiative of the IUCN)
* [[Caribbean Programme for Economic Competitiveness]] (CPEC), Saint Lucia
* Caribbean Regional Environmental Programme (CREP), Barbados<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.crepnet.net |title=Caribbean Regional Environmental Programme |publisher=Crepnet.net |access-date=6 December 2008 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080611084623/http://www.crepnet.net/ |archive-date=11 June 2008 }}</ref>
* Caribbean Regional Fisheries Mechanism (CRFM), Belize<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.caricom-fisheries.com/ |title=Caribbean Regional Fisheries Mechanism |publisher=Caricom-fisheries.com |access-date=6 December 2008 |archive-date=24 October 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081024022036/http://www.caricom-fisheries.com/ |url-status=live }}</ref>
* Caribbean Regional Negotiating Machinery (CRNM), Barbados and Dominican Republic<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.crnm.org/ |title=Official website of the RNM |publisher=Crnm.org |access-date=6 December 2008 |archive-date=22 April 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090422053457/http://www.crnm.org/ |url-status=live }}</ref>
* Caribbean Telecommunications Union (CTU), Trinidad and Tobago
* [[Caribbean Tourism Organization]] (CTO), Barbados
* [[Community of Latin American and Caribbean States]] (CELAC)
* [[Foundation for the Development of Caribbean Children]], Barbados
* [[Latin America and Caribbean Network Information Centre]] (LACNIC), Brazil and [[Uruguay]]
* [[Latin American Economic System|Latin American and the Caribbean Economic System]], Venezuela
* [[Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States]] (OECS), Saint Lucia
* [[United Nations Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean]] (ECLAC), [[Chile]] and Trinidad and Tobago
* [[University of the West Indies]], Jamaica, Trinidad and Tobago, Barbados, and Antigua & Barbuda.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.uwi.edu/ |title=University of the West Indies |publisher=Uwi.edu |access-date=6 December 2008 |archive-date=4 December 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081204114142/http://www.uwi.edu/ |url-status=live }}</ref>  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 Education, 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<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.windiescricket.com/ |title=West Indies Cricket Board WICB Official Website |publisher=Windiescricket.com |access-date=6 December 2008 |archive-date=3 January 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140103005917/http://windiescricket.com/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

== Culture ==
{{Main|Culture of the Caribbean}}

=== Cuisine ===
{{Main|Caribbean cuisine}}

==== Favourite or national dishes ====
{{unreferenced section|date=August 2018}}

[[File:FOOD Doubles 2.jpg|thumb|[[Doubles (food)|Doubles]], one of the national dishes of [[Trinidad and Tobago]]]]
[[File:Arroz con gandules.jpg|thumb|[[Arroz con gandules]], one of the national dishes of [[Puerto Rico]]]]

* [[Anguilla]] – rice, peas and fish
* [[Antigua and Barbuda cuisine|Antigua and Barbuda]] – [[fungee]] and [[Guyana pepperpot|pepperpot]]
* [[Bahamas]] – [[Guava duff]], Conch Salad, Peas n' Rice, and [[conch fritter]]s
* [[Barbados]] – [[cou-cou]] and [[flying fish]]
* [[Belize]] – rice and beans, stew chicken with potato salad; white rice, stew beans and fry fish with cole slaw
* [[British Virgin Islands]] – fish and [[fungee]]
* [[Cayman Islands]] – turtle stew, turtle steak, [[grouper]], conch stew, Cayman-style beef with rice and beans, cassava cake
* [[Colombian cuisine|Colombian]] Caribbean – rice with coconut milk, [[arroz con pollo]], [[sancocho]], [[Arab cuisine]] (due to the large Arab population)
* [[Cuban cuisine|Cuba]] – [[platillo Moros y Cristianos]], [[ropa vieja]], [[lechon]], [[plantain (cooking)|maduros]], [[ajiaco]]
* [[Dominica cuisine|Dominica]] – [[mountain chicken]], rice and peas, dumplings, saltfish, dashin, bakes (fried dumplings), coconut confiture, curry goat, cassava [[farine]], oxtail
* [[Dominican Republic cuisine|Dominican Republic]] – [[arroz con pollo]] with stewed red [[kidney bean]]s, [[pan fry|pan fried]] or [[braised]] beef, salad/ ensalada de coditos, [[empanadas]], [[Mangú (dish)|mangú]], sancocho
* [[Grenadan cuisine|Grenada]] – [[oil down]], Roti and rice & chicken
* [[Guyana]] – [[roti]] and [[curry]], [[Guyana pepperpot|pepperpot]], cook-up rice, metemgee, [[pholourie]]
* [[Haitian cuisine|Haiti]] – griot (fried pork) served with du riz a pois or diri ak pwa ([[rice and beans]])
* [[Jamaican cuisine|Jamaica]] – [[ackee and saltfish]], [[callaloo]], [[jerk chicken]], [[curry chicken]]
* [[Montserrat]] – [[Goat water]]
* [[Puerto Rican cuisine|Puerto Rico]] – yellow rice with green [[pigeon pea]]s, saltfish stew, roasted pork shoulder, Puerto Rican style pasteles (root vegetable meat patties), chicken fricassée, [[pasteles]], [[mofongo]], tripe soup, [[tostones]], [[alcapurria]], codfish fritters, coconut custard, rice pudding, guava turnovers, Mallorca bread
* [[Saint Kitts and Nevis]] – [[goat water]], coconut dumplings, spicy [[plantain (cooking)|plantain]], [[saltfish]], [[breadfruit]]
* [[Saint Lucian cuisine|Saint Lucia]] – [[callaloo]], [[dal]] [[roti]], [[dried and salted cod]], green [[banana]]s, [[rice and beans]]
* [[Saint Vincent and the Grenadines]] – roasted [[breadfruit]] and fried jackfish
* [[Suriname]] – brown beans and rice, [[roti]] and [[curry]], [[peanut soup]], battered [[fried plantain]] with [[peanut sauce]], [[nasi goreng]], moksi-alesi, [[Vada (food)|bara]], [[Pom (dish)|pom]]
* [[Trinidad and Tobago cuisine|Trinidad and Tobago]] – [[doubles (food)|doubles]], [[curry]] with [[roti]] or [[dal bhat]], [[aloo pie]], [[Pholourie|phulourie]], [[callaloo]], [[Bake and Shark|bake and shark]], curry crab and dumpling
* [[United States Virgin Islands]] – stewed goat, oxtail or beef, seafood, [[callaloo]], [[cou-cou|fungee]]
* [[Venezuelan cuisine|Venezuela]] Caribbean – fried fish with salad and rise, [[tostones]], [[sancocho]], [[patacon]], [[Pabellón criollo|pabellon]]

=== Sport ===
{{Excerpt|Sport in the Caribbean|Sport|paragraphs=1-4}}

== See also ==
{{portal|Caribbean|Geography|Islands|North America}}
{{div col|colwidth=26em}}
* [[African diaspora]]
* [[Anchor coinage]]
* [[British African-Caribbean people]]
* [[Caribbean people]]
* [[Climate change in the Caribbean]]
* [[CONCACAF]]
* [[Council on Hemispheric Affairs]]
* [[Economy of the Caribbean]]
* [[South Asian diaspora]]
** [[Indo-Caribbean]]
*** [[Indo-Caribbean diaspora]]
* [[List of Caribbean music genres]]
* [[List of sovereign states and dependent territories in the Caribbean]]
* [[Non-resident Indian and person of Indian origin]]
* [[Piracy in the Caribbean]]
* [[Politics of the Caribbean]]
* [[Democracy in the Caribbean]]
* [[Tourism in the Caribbean]]

'''Geography:'''
* [[Americas (terminology)]]
* [[List of archipelagos by number of islands]]
* [[List of Caribbean islands]]
* [[List of indigenous names of Eastern Caribbean islands]]
* [[List of mountain peaks of the Caribbean]]
* [[List of Ultras of the Caribbean]]
* [[Middle America (Americas)]]
* [[Latin America and the Caribbean]]
{{div col end}}

== Notes ==
{{notelist}}

== References ==
{{reflist|30em}}

== Bibliography ==
* Engerman, Stanley L. "A Population History of the Caribbean", pp.&nbsp;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}}.
* Hillman, Richard S., and Thomas J. D'agostino, eds. ''Understanding the Contemporary Caribbean'', London: Lynne Rienner, 2003 {{ISBN|1-58826-663-X}}.

== Further reading ==
* Develtere, Patrick R. 1994. "Co-operation and development: With special reference to the experience of the Commonwealth Caribbean" ACCO, {{ISBN|90-334-3181-5}}
* Gowricharn, Ruben, ed. ''Caribbean Transnationalism: Migration, Pluralization, and Social Cohesion''. Lanham, Maryland: Lexington Books, 2006. {{ISBN|978-0-7391-1167-3}}
* Henke, Holger, and Fred Reno, eds. ''Modern Political Culture in the Caribbean''. Kingston: [[University of West Indies]] Press, 2003.  {{ISBN|976-640-135-7}}
* Heuman, Gad. ''Brief Histories: The Caribbean''. London: Hodder Arnold, 2006.  {{ISBN|9780340763636}}
* de Kadt, Emanuel, (editor). ''Patterns of foreign influence in the Caribbean'', [[Oxford University Press]], 1972.  {{ISBN|0-19-214988-1}}
* Knight, Franklin W. and Colin A. Palmer, eds. ''The Modern Caribbean'' (The University of North Carolina Press, 1989).  {{ISBN|0-8078-1825-9}}
* 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]], 4th edition, 1989.  {{ISBN|0-8203-1153-7}}
* Maingot, Anthony P. ''The United States and the Caribbean: Challenges of an Asymmetrical Relationship''. Westview Press, 1994.  {{ISBN|0-8133-2242-1}}
* Palmié, Stephan, and Francisco A. Scarano, eds. ''The Caribbean: A History of the Region and Its Peoples'' (University of Chicago Press; 2011); 660 pp.; writings on the region since the pre-Columbian era.  {{ISBN|978-0-226-64506-3}}
* Ramnarine, Tina K. ''Beautiful Cosmos: Performance and Belonging in the Caribbean Diaspora''. London: Pluto Press, 2007.  {{ISBN|978-0-7453-1767-0}}
* Rowntree, Lester, Martin Lewis, Marie Price, William Wyckoff. ''Diversity Amid Globalization: World Regions, Environment, Development'', Upper Saddle River, New Jersey: Pearson Prentice Hall, 4th edition, 2009.  {{ISBN|978-0-13-600554-4}}

== External links ==
{{Sister project links|voy=Caribbean}}
* [http://www.dloc.com/ Digital Library of the Caribbean]
* [https://lacli.info/ Latin American, Caribbean, Latinx, and Iberian Free Online Resources (LACLI)]). 
* [http://www.manioc.org/ Manioc, open access digital Library, books, images, conferences, articles about the Caribbean ]
* [http://countrystudies.us/caribbean-islands/ Federal Research Division of the U.S. Library of Congress]: Caribbean Islands (1987)
* {{commons category-inline|Caribbean}}

{{Caribbean topic}}
{{Caribbean topics}}
{{Regions of the world}}

{{Authority control}}
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[[Category:Caribbean| ]]