The Caribbean boasts dazzling white sandy beaches
and turquoise waters, which provide ideal conditions for water
sports such as scuba diving and sailing. Its rich cultural diversity
is reflected in music, dance and cuisine, which are influenced by
African, European and indigenous traditions. Historical sites such
as old colonial towns and plantations offer glimpses into the past,
while the relaxed atmosphere and hospitality of the locals make the
Caribbean a unique destination.
The Caribbean or West Indian
islands have long been the clichéd destination of choice for
honeymooners and retirees. They have now opened up to package, eco
and backpack tourism and thus to independent travel. With good
weather all year round (except for the hurricane season in late
summer and early fall), reasonable airfares from Europe and North
America and hundreds of islands to explore, the Caribbean has
something for everyone.
The Caribbean region is divided into the "Greater
Antilles" and the "Lesser Antilles". Large because the islands are large
(Cuba,
Jamaica, Hispaniola) and small
because the others (Barbados, Martinique, Saint Lucia) are small in
terms of surface area.
The Lesser Antilles are also divided into
the Leeward Islands and the Windward Islands.
Greater Antilles
(Greater Antilles). The islands of the Greater Antilles offer a colorful
mix of natural wonders, wonderful beaches, rich culture and historical
sites.
Cuba (República de Cuba). Cuba impresses with the colonial
architecture of Havana and a lively music scene. Varadero attracts with
white sandy beaches and crystal clear water, ideal for swimming and
snorkeling. The Viñales Valley offers spectacular limestone landscapes
and tobacco plantations.
Hispaniola (La Española) is divided into
the Dominican Republic and
Haiti. The Dominican Republic is home to the
oldest European settlement in the New World in Santo Domingo with
well-preserved colonial buildings. Punta Cana offers luxurious resorts
and beautiful beaches, while the Samaná Peninsula is known for its
pristine coastline and whale watching. Haiti impresses with the
Citadelle Laferrière, a massive UNESCO World Heritage Site, and the
picturesque town of Jacmel with French colonial architecture. Labadee is
a popular destination for cruise ships.
Jamaica,
known for reggae music and warm hospitality, impresses with the Bob
Marley Museum in Kingston. Montego Bay and Negril offer beautiful
beaches and first-class resorts. Inland, hikes through dense rainforests
and coffee plantations in the Blue Mountains beckon.
Puerto Rico. Puerto Rico
combines American modernity with Spanish heritage. San Juan impresses
with a well-preserved old town and historic fortresses. The El Yunque
rainforest offers hiking trails and waterfalls.
Lesser Antilles .
They are almost entirely volcanic in nature. They can be further divided
into the Windward Islands and the Leeward Islands. The latter are
further divided into Windward and Leeward Islands in English. infoedit
From north to south:
British Virgin Islands. Known for sailing, quiet bays,
and beautiful beaches such as The Baths on Virgin Gorda.
U.S.
Virgin Islands. St. Thomas with historical sites and shopping,
St. John with the Virgin Islands National Park and beautiful beaches
such as Trunk Bay.
Anguilla. (British overseas territory).
Famous for luxurious resorts, exclusive beaches such as Shoal Bay, and
excellent cuisine.
Saint-Martin (Sint Maarten) . (French
territorial entity). Divided between France (Saint-Martin) and the
Netherlands (Sint Maarten), known for lively entertainment, casinos, and
Maho Beach, where planes fly extremely close to the beach.
Netherlands Antilles (Nederlandse Antillen, ABC
Islands) . (Sint Maarten, Saba,
Sint Eustatius). Aruba
for its beaches and nightlife, Curacao for the colorful architecture of
Willemstad and diving opportunities, Bonaire for its excellent diving.
Saint-Barthélemy. French territorial entity. A luxury destination with
exclusive resorts, fine restaurants, and beautiful bays such as Anse de
Grand Cul-de-Sac.
Saint Kitts and Nevis.
Saint Kitts offers historical sites such as Brimstone Hill Fortress,
Nevis is known for its plantation houses and relaxed atmosphere.
Antigua and Barbuda. Antigua has some of the best
beaches in the Caribbean, historic Nelson's Dockyard and annual sailing
week. Barbuda is famous for its pristine beaches and bird sanctuaries.
Montserrat . British overseas territory. Montserrat is known for its
active volcano, black sand beaches, cultural heritage and hiking
opportunities.
Guadeloupe . French overseas department with
rainforests, volcanoes such as La Grande Soufrière, and beautiful
beaches.
Dominica
Island
(Commonwealth of Dominica) . Also known as the "Nature
Island of the Caribbean", the island is characterized by its lush and
unspoiled nature. The island is famous for its rainforests, waterfalls
and hot geothermal springs, making it a popular destination for nature
lovers and hikers.
Martinique is a French Caribbean
island with a rich mix of European and Caribbean culture. It is known
for its beautiful beaches, volcanic landscapes, rum distilleries and
Creole cuisine.
Saint Lucia is known for its stunning
landscape with steep volcanic cones, tropical rainforests, coral reefs
and beautiful beaches. The island offers a variety of activities such as
diving, hiking and luxurious resorts.
Saint Vincent and the
Grenadines. This archipelago
consists of the main island of St. Vincent and numerous smaller islands
and islets, the Grenadines. Known for its pristine beaches, sailing
opportunities and quiet island paradises, the region offers an authentic
Caribbean experience away from the crowds.
Barbados is
known for its white sandy beaches, crystal clear waters and vibrant
culture. The island offers a mix of historical attractions, water sports
activities, shopping and a lively local scene.
Grenada. Also known
as the "Spice Isle", Grenada is famous for its spice plantations,
especially nutmeg. The island boasts lush scenery with rainforests,
waterfalls and secluded beaches, making it a peaceful and relaxed
destination.
Nueva Esparta . Venezuelan state consisting of several
Caribbean islands, most notably Isla Margarita. Known for beaches such
as Playa El Agua and Playa Parguito, shopping and water sports.
Trinidad and Tobago. Known for beaches such as Playa El Agua and Playa
Parguito, shopping and water sports.
The Cayman Islands are part
of the Lesser Antilles in terms of size, but are located west of the
Greater Antilles of Cuba and Jamaica. San Andrés y Providencia are
located east of the coast of Nicaragua, but politically belong to
Colombia.
Strictly geographically, the Bahamas,
Bermuda and the
Turks and Caicos Islands are not in the Caribbean, but in the Atlantic.
However, many travelers still count them as part of the Caribbean (or
the somewhat broader, old term "West Indies").
The Mexican state
of Quintana Roo, the east and north coasts of Belize, Guatemala,
Honduras, Costa Rica, Panama, Colombia and Venezuela also border the
Caribbean Sea on the Central and South American mainland.
Turks and Caicos Islands are famous for its coral reefs and diverse marine wild life.
The highest mountains can be found in the Dominican Republic (two
three-thousand-meter peaks: 3175m and 3039m, as well as about half a
dozen peaks between 2500m and 3000m), Haiti (2715m), Cuba (2375m) and
Jamaica (2341m), while the highest island in the Lesser Antilles,
Guadeloupe, only rises to just under 1500m.
Virtually all
Caribbean destinations (with the exception of Haiti) can be recommended
for beach holidays.
Culture and history are best experienced in Cuba.
Music of various genres can be experienced on almost all Caribbean
islands:
Salsa, especially in Cuba and Colombia
Merengue in the
Dominican Republic and Puerto Rico
Cumbia in Colombia and Venezuela
Calypso and Soca in Trinidad and Tobago
Bachata in the Dominican
Republic
Reggae and Dancehall, mainly in Jamaica
and finally
the trend music of the early 21st century, Reggaetón, a mixture of
Dancehall Reggae and Hip Hop, originally in Puerto Rico and Panama, now
everywhere in the Caribbean
Spanish or English is spoken on most of the islands. Haitian Creole
and French are spoken in Haiti. French is spoken on the islands of
Guadeloupe and Martinique, and Dutch is spoken in the Netherlands
Antilles.
Interestingly, none of the Lesser Antilles is
Spanish-speaking, while the vast majority of Central and South America
is Spanish-speaking: the Lesser Antilles are English-, French- or
Dutch-speaking, which is the result of colonization.
From Europe to:
Antigua and Barbuda (ANU) from London (LGW),
Frankfurt am Main (FRA) with BA, Condor
Barbados, Bridgetown (BGT)
from London, Manchester with BA, BWIA, Frankfurt am Main with Condor
to the Dominican Republic from many airports with Condor to Puerto Plata
(POP), Punta Cana (PUJ), La Romana (LRM), Samaná (AZS) or Santo Domingo
(SDQ).
Cuba from many airports to Havana, Holguín, Santiago de Cuba
or Varadero.
Jamaica from many airports to Montego Bay or Kingston
Saint Lucia, Hewanorra (UVF) from London with BA, BWIA
Martinique
Fort-de-France (FDF) from Paris with Air France, Air Caribes
Tobago
(TAB), from Frankfurt am Main, London with BA, Condor
Trinidad,
Port-of-Spain (POS)
Direct flights from other European airports
KLM from Amsterdam to Bonaire, Curaçao, Dominican Republic, Sint
Maarten, Cuba. http://klm.com
Martinair from Amsterdam to Aruba,
Curaçao, Dominican Republic, Cuba. http://martinair.com
TUIfly from
Amsterdam to Aruba, Bonaire, Curaçao, Jamaica, Cuba.
http://www.tuifly.nl/
British Airways from London Gatwick to Antigua,
Barbados, Bermuda, Grenada, St. Lucia, St. Kitts, Tobago, Trinidad;
British Airways from London Heathrow to Bahamas, Cayman Islands, Turks &
Caicos. http://britishairways.com
Virgin Atlantic from London Gatwick
to Antigua, Barbados, Jamaica, Cuba, Puerto Rico, Saint Lucia, Tobago;
Virgin Atlantic from London Heathrow to Jamaica, Cuba, Puerto Rico.
http://virgin-atlantic.com
Iberia from Madrid to Cuba, Dominican
Republic, Puerto Rico. http://iberia.com
Air France from Paris to
Dominican Republic, Guadeloupe, Cuba, Martinique, Saint Martin, French
Guiana. http://airfrance.de
Corsairfly from Paris Orly to Dominican
Republic, Guadeloupe, Cuba, Martinique, St. Martin.
http://corsairfly.com
Edelweiss Air from Zurich to Dominican
Republic, Cuba. http://edelweissair.ch
Caribbean Airlines from London
Gatwick to Barbados (with connections to Antigua, Sint Maarten,
Trinidad, Guyana, Suriname, Venezuela). http://caribbean-airlines.com
Intra-Caribbean flights
Caribbean Airlines (ex BWIA),
http://caribbean-airlines.com
LIAT, destinations: Anguilla, Antigua,
Barbados, Canouan, Curaçao, Dominica, Grenada, Guyana, Guadeloupe,
Martinique, Nevis, San Juan (Puerto Rico), Santo Domingo, St. Kitts, St.
Lucia, St. Maarten, St. Croix, St. Thomas, St. Vincent, Tortola, Tobago,
Trinidad. http://liatairline.com
Insel Air, destinations: Aruba,
Bonaire, Curacao, Haiti, Miami, Puerto Rico, St. Maarten, Sto. Domingo,
Suriname. http://fly-inselair.com
Winair, destinations: Anguilla,
Antigua, Barbuda, Saba, St. Maarten, St. Barth, St. Eustatius, Nevis,
Monstserrat. http://fly-winair.com
Air Caraibes (French Antilles),
connects Guadeloupe with: St. Barths, St. Maarten, Martinique, Cuba, Les
Saintes, Marie-Galante, Dom Rep, St. Lucia. http://aircaraibes.com
Air Antilles Express, French Antilles. http://airantilles.com
Bahamasair. http://bahamasair.com
Sisserou Airways, destinations:
British Virgin Island, Dominica, Puerto Rico, St. Maarten, St Croix, St.
Thomas, St. Lucia. http://sisserouairways.com
St. Barth Commuter,
destinations: from St. Barths to all other Caribbean islands except
Montserrat. http://stbarthcommuter.com
Dutch Antillean Express (DAE)
Netherlands Antilles, http://flydae.com
Divi Divi (ABC Islands),
destinations: Aruba, Bonaire, Curaçao, Punto Fijo, Valencia (Venezuela).
http://flydivi.com
Take Airlines, destinations: Barbados, Haiti,
Dominican Republic, Dominica, Guadeloupe, Guyana, Matinique, St. Martin,
St. Lucia. http://takeairlines.com
Aserca, destinations: ABC Islands,
Dominican Republic, mainland South America. http://asercaairlines.com
Cubana de Aviación, destinations: Cuba, Dominican Republic, mainland
Central and South America. http://cubana.cu
Air Turks & Caicos,
destinations: Turks & Caicos, Haiti, Dominican Republic, Jamaica,
Bahamas. http://flyairtc.com
Water sports enthusiasts such as windsurfers or kitesurfers will find
great conditions in Cabarete (Dominican Republic) and on Isla Margarita
as well as on Aruba (both islands are off Venezuela).
Belize on
the Central American mainland (second largest barrier reef in the world
after Australia!) and Bonaire (off Venezuela) are particularly suitable
for diving. Grenada is particularly well-known for wreck diving, and you
can dive with sharks in the Bahamas, for example. In general, there are
interesting diving spots almost everywhere in the Caribbean.
For
other adventure sports such as river rafting, canyoning or mountain
biking, the mountains in the Dominican Republic near Jarabacoa and the
volcanic islands of Guadeloupe and Martinique are particularly suitable.
The US dollar is accepted as currency on many Caribbean islands, and
in some areas it is the official means of payment.
The East
Caribbean dollar EC$ is the official currency in the following areas:
Anguilla, Antigua and Barbuda, Dominica, Grenada, Montserrat, Saint
Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
The
EC$ is pegged to the US$. The official rate is 1 US$ = 2.67 EC$. You can
therefore pay with the US$ almost everywhere, but sometimes you only get
2.50 EC$ for it. The euro is not accepted everywhere due to exchange
rate fluctuations.
Hardly anything is known about the early inhabitants of the Caribbean
islands. On the one hand, they left no written documents behind, and on
the other hand, they did not build any monumental buildings like the
Mayas or Incas. Oral traditions are also kept to a minimum because the
Spanish conquerors wiped out the Indians in just a few decades.
People probably lived on the Caribbean islands as early as 4,000 BC. In
the past, they were mistakenly called Ciboney Indians. However, this
Indian tribe originally came from what is now Florida and only inhabited
the large Antilles islands in the north of the region. In other sources,
they are also referred to as Stone Age people. This is not entirely
wrong. They were a simple people of gatherers and fishermen who were
unfamiliar with farming. Over time, they probably visited all the larger
islands in their canoes. Archaeological excavations in Guanahacabibes in
Cuba and in Mordan in the Dominican Republic date their finds to around
2,000 BC. Extensive traces of them have also been discovered in Puerto
Rico and Haiti. The oldest finds of these first known Caribbean
inhabitants were discovered in Ortoire in Trinidad. For this reason,
archaeologists call them Ortoiroids.
The smaller islands were
settled from South America. From the Orinoco Basin in Venezuela, it was
initially Barrancoid and Guayabitoid Indians who, aided by wind and
ocean currents, sailed north through the chain of islands via Trinidad.
Their richly decorated pottery was found on various islands. They were
followed by various other groups of Indians, all of whom belonged to the
same language group - the Arawak Indians. This language group came
predominantly from the Amazon river basin, from the Orinoco delta and
from the coast in the area of today's Guiana. The Igneri group was
mainly represented on Trinidad and Tobago, but by 400 AD had spread as
far north as Dominica. The Lacayo or Lucayans were at home on almost all
of the Bahama Islands and traces of the Taino Indian group can be found
on Jamaica. They had narrow, flat-bottomed canoes with which they could
sail quickly and thus reach all of the Caribbean islands. They brought
cassava, corn, pineapples, cotton and tobacco from South America, which
they grew on burned fields. Their huts were made of worked tree trunks
with a woven roof. They knew how to play hammocks and ball games. There
is only more extensive information about the Taino Indians' habits,
their customs, their beliefs and the political hierarchy.
Presumably in the 13th century, warlike Carib Indians from the coastal
area of Guyana and Surinam moved north in fast dugout canoes. They
attacked the Arawak Indians, enslaved the male population and lived with
the women of the defeated. Various reports also claim that they were
cannibals. When Columbus reached the Caribbean, the Caribs had spread as
far as the Virgin Islands. Scientists estimate that 10 million Indians
lived between Cuba and Trinidad. They repeatedly attacked the first
settlements of the colonists and on some islands they were able to
defend themselves against the European invaders for around 250 years.
Around 1640, the French priest Raymond Breton lived with Carib Indians
on the island of Dominica. From his notes we know what the Caribs called
themselves: the women called their fellow Caribs "Calliponam" and the
men "Callinango". Since the French language did not yet have a "K" at
that time, today, taking into account the pronunciation, we must speak
of the Kalinago. The Carib Indians populated the Windward Islands from
about 1400 to 1700, and on the islands of Dominica and Saint Vincent for
about a generation longer. On Saint Vincent they mixed with escaped or
kidnapped "Negro slaves". Together they fought the English until 1796.
Then 5,000 of them were deported to the island of Ruatan off the coast
of Honduras. From there they moved on to an area that is now southern
Belize. They are still represented there today as the ethnic group of
"black Carib Indians". In the Caribbean itself there is now only a small
reservation on the island of Dominica, where a minority of them live.
In the 15th century, there were already important trade relations
with Asia and China by land. At that time, the belief that the earth was
flat was still prevalent. The "Sea of Fire" was thought to lie west of
the Azores, but the world beyond the Azores was unknown. However, there
were reports from northern Europe that sailors had reached land on their
way west. Columbus was also aware of these reports.
Christopher
Columbus was born in 1451 as the son of a wine merchant in the Italian
port city of Genoa. He studied mathematics and natural sciences, married
the daughter of the governor of Madeira and studied navigation. For six
years he submitted petitions to the Spanish royal court in order to
reach India by western sea. On September 6, 1492, he finally sailed west
via Gomera with the three small ships Santa Maria, Pinta and Nina, which
were hardly larger than a sailing yacht today. After five weeks, they
reached land, probably the Bahamian island of San Salvador. On November
21st, the captain of the Pinta deserted with his ship and crew to search
for gold on his own. On December 24th, the Santa Maria ran aground on a
reef off Hispaniola and broke into two pieces. Columbus set off on the
return journey with the last ship. Part of the crew had to stay behind.
The fortified settlement "La Navidad" was built for them.
On
September 25th, 1493, Columbus left Spain for a second voyage of
discovery with a fleet of 17 ships and 1,500 crew members, with horses,
cows, pigs and seeds. On November 3rd, he reached the islands of
Dominica, Guadeloupe and Trinidad. Three weeks later, the fleet arrived
at La Navidad. In the meantime, the settlement had been attacked and
destroyed by Indians, and no survivors were found.
In March 1498,
he set off on his third voyage with eight ships. This time he sailed to
Trinidad and reached the South American mainland.
On his fourth
voyage, he discovered Martinique in 1502. He sailed via Hispaniola to
the Central American mainland, to Honduras and Panama. Here he became
involved in Indian battles. He had to endure storms and long periods of
calm. But this time he also found gold. With completely overloaded
ships, he ran aground on the island of Jamaica in May. It took almost a
year and a half until a ship from Hispaniola came to take him back to
Spain, where he arrived in November 1504. He died there on May 20, 1506,
suffering from gout.
A royal decree of November 7, 1508 and July
3, 1512 allowed settlers on the islands of Barbados, Dominica, Grenada,
Martinique, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and Tobago to take Caribbean
Indians as slaves.
After Spain gained supremacy over the western sea route to India in
the Treaty of Tordesillas in 1494, mediated by Pope Alexander VI, access
to the treasures of the Caribbean and Central America was secured and
brought peace and stability to the region for a few years. However, the
treaty could not prevent the other major European powers England, France
and the Netherlands from handing over the monopoly of the New World to
Spain without a fight. In 1516, Charles V (1500–1558) became King of
Spain. His grandfather Maximilian I (d. 1519) left him Austria, and his
father, Philip I, gave him Burgundy and the Netherlands. In 1520 he was
crowned German Emperor in Aachen. Ten years later he was elected Emperor
of the Holy Roman Empire of the German Nation. Spain thus became a world
empire on which the sun never set.
Henry VIII, King of England,
was divorced from Catherine of Aragon, the daughter of King Ferdinand of
Spain, in 1533. This was a scandal at the time that turned Catholic
Europe against England. In this context, a state church independent of
Rome was founded in England, the Anglican Church, whose head was the
king. In England, this led to a quarter of a century of religious and
political unrest. Edward VI opened himself to the Reformation on the
mainland. But after his death in 1553, his half-sister Mary, the
staunchly Catholic daughter of the divorced Catherine of Aragon,
restored Catholicism. After her marriage to the Spanish heir to the
throne, Philip, a bloody re-Catholicization took place throughout
England until 1558.
Under the rule of Queen Elizabeth I
(1558-1603), who was a staunch Protestant, the Anglican Church was made
the state church again. Under her rule, England developed into a great
power. The queen allowed her sailors to capture Spanish ships. As a
result, Spain broke off all economic relations with England between 1568
and 1574.
In 1562, the merchant and privateer John Hawkins
(1532–1595) broke the Portuguese monopoly on slave transport by bringing
them himself from the West African coast to the Caribbean. In 1564–65
and 1567–69, he made further trips there. In 1571, he became a member of
the English Parliament and treasurer of the navy. His younger cousin
Francis Drake (1539–1596) was the most famous pirate of the time. At
first, he had only captured ships off the Spanish coast. In 1570, he
made the first exploratory voyage to "New Spain." In 1572, he sailed
with the two ships "Pasha" and "Swan" through the Caribbean to the coast
of Panama. There he robbed the city of Nombre de Dios, attacked several
cargo caravans, captured Spanish ships and returned to England a year
later. In 1577 the Queen knighted him. In 1585 he sailed to the
Caribbean, a year later he plundered the Colombian city of Cartagena,
and in 1587 he attacked the Spanish fleet in Cádiz. In 1595 he commanded
an expedition to the Spanish colonies in Central and South America
together with John Hawkins. The fleet consisted of 27 ships with 1,500
sailors and 1,000 soldiers. John Hawkins fell ill on the outward journey
and died off San Juan, two months later Drake fell ill with dysentery
off the coast of Panama and also died.
In 1655 a royal fleet
under the command of Penn and Venables landed on Barbados with 60 ships
and 4,000 men. From here they attempted to occupy the island of
Hispaniola, but the attack on Santo Domingo failed with heavy losses. In
order not to fall out of favor with the king, they changed course and
successfully took possession of the island of Jamaica for England.
In 1697, England, France, the Netherlands and Spain made peace. This
was sealed in the Treaty of Rijswijk. In it, Saint Domingue (Dominican
Republic and Haiti) was formally recognized by the Spanish as a French
possession, while the French colonies on Guadeloupe, Martinique and
Saint Kitts, as well as the English and Dutch colonies, were not
mentioned, which these nations interpreted as recognition of their
claims. In return, the other three states pledged to help the Spanish
against the pirates and privateers in the Gulf of Mexico and the
Caribbean.
Between 1756 and 1763, differing views on land and
naval bases led to fighting between English and French troops far beyond
the motherland. Both sides tried to conquer the other side's colonies as
collateral for negotiations over land ownership in Europe and America.
In the Treaty of Paris, the islands of Dominica, Grenada, the
Grenadines, Saint Vincent and Tobago fell to England.
The Norman nobleman and sailor Pierre Belain d'Esnambuc (1585-1637)
was promoted by Richelieu, the advisor to King Louis XIII. On behalf of
the king, he founded the Compagnie des Iles d'Amérique. This company was
tasked with bringing volunteers to the new American possessions, who had
to work off their travel expenses in the form of three-year work
contracts. The king also appointed d'Esnambuc as governor of the island
of Sainte Christophe (Saint Kitts). D'Esnambuc left Le Havre with three
ships and 530 men. When he arrived there in 1624, he was still
accompanied by 250 men. The colonists each received 20 hectares of land
on which they grew indigo, ginger and tobacco for the company.
In
1634, d'Esnambuc persuaded Cardinal Richelieu to explore the islands of
Guadeloupe, Dominica and Martinique through Guillaume d'Orange. At the
end of the same year, he ordered his two compatriots Charles Liénard de
l'Olive and Jean Duplessis d'Ossonville to take possession of the island
of Martinique for France. However, the men were driven away by Carib
Indians after just one day. So they sailed on to Guadeloupe with their
550 volunteers, where they landed on the south coast near Basse-Terre on
June 28, 1635. In 1635, d'Esnambuc himself attempted to land on
Martinique. A cross was erected at the landing site and a fort was built
a few kilometers north, near the present-day town of Saint-Pierre, which
proved impregnable even for the Indians.
D'Esnambuc died of
syphilis in 1637, and Monsigneur Longvilliers de Poincy became his
successor in the company. When the company went bankrupt, d'Esnambuc's
nephew Jacques Duparquet acquired Martinique in 1650 for 60,000 livres.
He proved to be a skilled politician, reached an agreement with the
Indians for their peaceful withdrawal, and at the same time brought
Dutch Jews into the country who had been expelled from their colony in B
by the Catholic Portuguese. They brought their knowledge of growing
sugar cane and processing it with them to the island. Du Parquet died in
a duel on January 3, 1658.
In 1642, the two Catholic missionaries
Raymond Breton and Charles Raymond were sent from Guadeloupe to D. This
island, located between Guadeloupe and Martinique, was claimed by
England. However, there were several French families on the island and
the British administration had great difficulty protecting its own
subjects from the attacks of the Indians. A good reason for France to
establish itself on the island. Breton is the author of the
“Dictionnaire Caribe - Francais”, a dictionary of the Indian language in
French.
In 1664, the minister Jean Baptiste Colbert (1619-1683)
bought the colonies back from Messrs Houel and Duparquet. He founded the
Compagnie des Indes Occidentales on behalf of the crown. Just ten years
later, the company went bankrupt and the colonial property became royal
domain.
In 1694, the Dominican monk Jean Baptiste Labat
(1653-1738) came to Martinique. Through various experiments, he
succeeded in significantly improving the production of sugar.
In
1697, England, France, the Netherlands and Spain made peace. This was
sealed in the Treaty of Rijswijk. In it, Saint Domingue (Dominican
Republic and Haiti) was formally recognized by the Spanish as a French
possession, while the French colonies on Guadeloupe, Martinique and St.
Kitts, as well as the English and Dutch colonies, were not mentioned,
which these nations interpreted as recognition of their claims. In
return, the other three states pledged to help the Spanish against the
pirates and privateers in the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean.
In 1722 he published a comprehensive report in Paris on the life and
customs of the slaves in the Caribbean colonies. For many years his book
was a standard work on the Lesser Antilles.
Over the next 150
years the islands were heavily fortified. Despite this, there were
repeated battles and hostile occupations, mainly by the English. In 1713
the return of the conquered colonies was negotiated between England and
France in the Peace of Utrecht. The Agreements of Aachen followed in
1748.
Different views on land and naval bases led to battles
between English and French troops far beyond the motherland between 1756
and 1763. Both sides tried to conquer the other side's colonies as
collateral for negotiations over land ownership in Europe and America.
In the Peace of Paris on February 10, 1763, France had to give up its
colonies of Canada, Ohio / Mississippi, Dominica, Saint Vincent, the
Grenadines and Tobago, but Guadeloupe and Martinique became French
again. In 1783 there were further negotiations in Versailles, and in
1802 in Amiens. But it was not until the second peace treaty of Paris in
1814 that binding treaties were concluded.
From 1542 onwards, the first Dutch trading ships sailed into
Caribbean waters. At the beginning of the 17th century, the English,
French and Dutch regularly cruised between the small Caribbean islands.
They were able to obtain fresh meat and drinking water unhindered on the
ABC islands. In Europe, the "Father of the Fatherland" Willem van Oranje
gathered Dutch freedom fighters around him. He gave the so-called Geuzen
letters of marque against Spanish ships. In 1568, he called for an
uprising against the Spanish King Philip II. This was the beginning of
the 80 Years' War, during which the Netherlands were cut off from their
important salt supplies, so new sources were needed. The large Dutch
trading houses had already joined forces in 1602 to form the "Verenigde
Oost Indische Compagnie" (VOC). This East India Company was granted
sovereignty and monopoly rights for all trade with the countries in the
east. It had its own army and fleet, and was allowed to declare war and
make peace. In 1621, a similar company, the West Indian Company (WIC),
was founded to trade with West Africa and America. An important
incentive was the search for salt for preserving herring, cheese
production, and the glass and ceramics industry, as well as piracy
against Spain, with whom it was at war. In 1630, Pernambuco in the
northeast of Brazil was conquered and named New Holland. The Portuguese
owned large sugar plantations there. In the same year, the Caribbean
island of Sint Maarten with its large salt lakes was occupied. Curaçao,
with its excellent natural harbor just off the coast of Venezuela, was
occupied in 1634, followed in March 1636 by Bonaire with its large salt
lakes, which are still very productive today, and Aruba. The great need
for cheap labor in the emerging colonies led the WIC to break the
Portuguese and Spanish monopoly of the slave trade in 1637. Slave depots
were conquered in the West African states of Guinea, Angola and Sao
Tomé. Curaçao became a slave depot on the western side of the Atlantic,
from where they were sold to the Spanish colonies.
The climate
and soil conditions of the ABC islands thwarted any attempt to use the
islands for agriculture, such as barley, oats and tobacco. Governor
Peter Stuyvesant therefore recommended abandoning the islands in 1644.
But Amsterdam already had other plans. Spanish Jews had fled to the
tolerant Netherlands. They were offered the opportunity to found a new
community on Curaçao and were given land to cultivate. Through its
contacts with other Jewish communities in America and Europe, Curaçao
developed into an important trading center. Willemstad, the capital of
Curaçao, is home to the oldest synagogue in the Western Hemisphere
(Mikvé Israel-Emanuel Synagogue).
In 1725, there were already 100
plantations on the island of Curaçao, and usable land was becoming
scarce. At the same time, the islands of Aruba and Bonaire were still
dwindling as suppliers of salt, meat and wood for Curaçao. Only a few
soldiers and Indians lived on these two islands. At the beginning of the
19th century, land on Aruba and Bonaire was therefore offered for sale,
initially to the inhabitants of Curaçao and later to any other daring
individual.
On July 1, 1863, slavery was abolished in this
colony. This was the end for many plantations, while others subsequently
lived only from their assets, lacking the money for investments. A new
economic boom came from outside. In 1914, oil was discovered in Lake
Maracaibo in nearby Venezuela. The lake was impassable for oil tankers,
but international investors did not want to invest in the politically
uncertain country. There were already large port facilities on Curaçao.
These were further expanded, and an oil refinery was built on the north
bank of the Schottegat. Venezuelan oil was pumped here and loaded into
large oil tankers. In 1925, an oil refinery was also built in Aruba.
For US tourists, the Caribbean is the American Mediterranean;
politically, it is America's backyard. Ever since the decline of the
British colonial empire, the Americans have filled the resulting vacuum
by intervening. As early as 1823, American President Monroe presented
his ideas to the Senate, which went down in history as the Monroe
Doctrine. To put it very simply, he proclaimed that the Americans did
not interfere in European affairs, so Europeans should not interfere in
fundamental American affairs. Any further colonial interests of the
Europeans in the Caribbean would be an interference in American
interests. Under President Roosevelt (1858–1919), the Americans began to
exert their influence on the Caribbean. Haiti was occupied from 1915 to
1934, the Dominican Republic from 1916 to 1924, and there was another
intervention in 1965. In 1961, the Bay of Pigs invasion of Cuba failed.
In the 1970s, a Cuba-friendly Jamaica was pushed to the brink of
economic collapse and the Manley government had to give up. Grenada was
the last visible example of American influence in 1983.
On the
other hand, there were attempts to overthrow the government in the
various island republics and the American government was asked for help.
In 1979, some Rastas attempted a coup on the island of Saint Vincent,
and police units from Barbados had to intervene to help. In 1981, there
were several attempts to overthrow the government of Dominica; the
country's own army was involved twice, but it was disbanded after
auxiliary troops from Martinique intervened. In October 1982, the
leaders of Antigua, Barbados, Dominica, Saint Lucia and Saint Vincent
decided to set up a 1,000-strong police and army unit with American help
as a regional security system (RRS). America sent army instructors to
the region and trained police cadets in six-week courses. A 40 to 80-man
Special Service Unit (SSU) was set up and equipped on each of the
islands. The Americans spent between 1.2 and 8.5 million US dollars on
this in the eastern Caribbean between 1982 and 1985.
The national
SSU is reinforced by clearly visible American activities. Joint
maneuvers by various military units take place every year, such as
"Exotic Palm" in 1985. In 1986, thousands of Americans took part in
Operation "Ocean Venture." This maneuver rehearsed the imaginary
invasion of Grenada. 1,000 soldiers and police officers were provided
for this exercise from the island states of Antigua, Dominica, Grenada,
Jamaica, Saint Kitts and Saint Lucia.
While islands such as Jamaica and the Bahamas were able to survive as
a political unit simply because of their size, there were repeated
attempts in the eastern Caribbean to force several islands into a union.
On the initiative of Barbados, Guyana and Antigua, the Caribbean
Free Trade Association (CARIFTA) was founded in 1968. By 1971, all of
the former British colonies in the Caribbean except the Bahamas had
joined together, with the Bahamas only following in 1983. In 1973-74,
the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) was formed, similar to the European
Union, with the associated Caribbean Common Market (CCM). CARICOM saw
itself not only as a trade organisation, but also sought a common
language for the member countries in matters of foreign policy, tourism
and development programmes. Consequently, CARICOM was supplemented in
1970 by the Caribbean Development Bank (CDB). In 1975, Cuba, the
Dominican Republic, Haiti and the Netherlands Antilles met in Havana
alongside the English-speaking former colonies and founded the Caribbean
Development and Cooperation Committee (CDCC). This organization is
intended to increase cooperation in the areas of agriculture and
technology.
In 1981, the eastern Caribbean islands of Antigua and
Barbuda, Dominica, Grenada, Montserrat, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint
Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines joined together to form the
Organization of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS).
Just a few hours after the attack on the New York skyscrapers, the
national tourism organizations of the Caribbean islands posted
condolences on their websites. It did them little good. The impact on
the region is profound, and its consequences are still not foreseeable.
First of all, up to 50% of hotel rooms were canceled. Hotels were
closed, new openings postponed, jobs were lost. Airlines went into a
tailspin, one or two companies disappeared from the sky. Other airlines
restricted their route network.
The German-speaking travel market
was also thrown into disarray. Companies that had long since ceased to
be independent but still had travel catalogs on the market under their
old names were closed down. Various travel destinations were removed
from the program. At the end of the 2001/2002 winter season, German
charter airlines stopped their flights to the entire southern Caribbean.
Flights there are now only operated by British Airways with a stopover
in London and are therefore correspondingly more expensive. The travel
program to Cuba and the Dominican Republic was expanded, while that of
Jamaica and other islands was in some cases significantly restricted or
suspended entirely.
The travel market has now calmed down again.
No, not only that, it has expanded explosively. North America has
declared the Caribbean islands a "safe zone". International hotel groups
are investing in hotels, investment companies are building villa
complexes and residential areas for "winter immigrants", second homes
for pensioners and people who can afford to escape the cold North
American and Northern European winter. A crazy construction boom has
broken out on many islands.
The banking crash of 2008 initially
brought an unforeseeable end to this. In 2009, the first new, large
hotels filed for bankruptcy and closed. Industrial companies have shut
down production, laid off staff, closed completely or are simply waiting
to see what happens next.
The climate is tropical for all the islands, with the exception of
the northern Bahamas, in the coastal area. The temperature is fairly
constant throughout the year, around 26.3°C with a difference between
the average temperature of the coldest and hottest month of 4°C. (In the
mountains of the larger islands, especially in the rather mountainous
Dominican Republic, it is significantly colder. In some places
temperatures below freezing are reached in winter.)
As the trade
wind belt shifts depending on the position of the sun, only those
islands that lie between 15° and 22° 15' north latitude have easterly to
north-easterly winds all year round, while south of Martinique there are
calms or winds coming from the south to west for part of the year and
north of Cuba there are southwesterly winds or returning trade winds.
The wet season, the West Indian spring, begins in May (or April);
The leaves and grass take on a fresher green, and around the middle of
the month the first periodic rain falls. After a fortnight of rain, dry
and stable weather sets in, and the tropical summer appears in all its
glory. Around the middle of August the refreshing sea winds stop
blowing, and the heat rises to unbearable heights. The second, longer
rainy season begins at the end of August and is at its heaviest in
October. The average rainfall is 1630 mm; but this mass of water, which
in Europe would destroy all crops, here, where the winds dry up so
quickly, only ensures that springs and streams do not dry up, and
people, animals and plants do not perish in the dry season.
Nevertheless, the enormous humidity of the air during this time makes a
stay on the islands unhealthy for Europeans. Towards the end of
November, clear and pleasant weather begins; the wind comes from the
north and northeast and brings the most beautiful winter, which lasts
from December to May. The worst companions of the rainy season are the
hurricanes, which often cause great devastation, but at the same time
restore balance to the air and purify it.
The rainy season is
pronounced in the northern part of the Caribbean and lasts from May to
October. It is different on the Leeward Islands off the coast of the
South American mainland. The climate diagram for Willemstad, Curaçao
shows a pronounced rainy season, but now from October to January, but
with significantly lower amounts of precipitation.
According to the International Hydrographic Organization's
definition, the arched islands of the Caribbean lie within the Caribbean
Sea. This forms a rectangle from the Yucatán Peninsula to northern South
America. The highest elevation in the Caribbean is Pico Duarte at 3,098
m in the Dominican Republic. The largest waterfall is the El Limon
waterfall on the Samana Peninsula in the Dominican Republic at around 40
m, followed by Mt. Carmel Falls.
In the Caribbean region, around
40 million people of different origins live on a total area of around
220,000 km² (see below). In addition to the very few remaining
indigenous inhabitants, people of African and European origin, Creoles,
Indians (especially on Trinidad and Tobago) and Chinese live on the
various islands of the Caribbean. Spanish with around 70% and English
with around 24% are the main languages of the Caribbean, French
(especially in Haiti), Dutch and various forms of Creole or Caribbean
are also spoken (especially in everyday life).
Life expectancy in
2013 was an average of 72 years and 26% of the population were under 15
years old, while 9% were over 65 years old. Although more people
emigrated than immigrated, the population density of 180 inhabitants per
km² is relatively high compared to the rest of the world.
Important Caribbean educational institutions are the "University of the
West Indies" and the "Centre for Hotel and Tourism Management". Tourism
is one of the most important sources of income for the Caribbean states.
There are also many tax havens in the financial services sector,
especially on the Cayman Islands.
The Caribbean Football
Championship is a biennial sporting event.
Caribbean cuisine uses
fish, pulses and spices in particular.
The Caribbean Sea is in turn part of the American Mediterranean and
reaches a depth of 7,680 m in the Cayman Trench. It is located mainly on
the Caribbean Plate, only the northwest part beyond the deep sea trench
lies on the North American Plate. Tectonic activities at the plate
boundaries repeatedly cause earthquakes and occasional volcanic
eruptions. In 1995, after several eruptions of the Soufrière, the
capital of Montserrat, Plymouth, had to be abandoned after around 8,000
people had already fled. The last major earthquake occurred in Haiti in
2010; it cost an estimated 300,000 people their lives.
The
highest mountains on the islands of the Caribbean are: Pico Duarte and
neighboring peaks of the Cordillera Central, Dominican Republic (approx.
3098 m), Pic la Selle, Haiti (approx. 2674 m), Blue Mountain Peak,
Jamaica (approx. 2256 m), Pico Turquino, Cuba (approx. 1974 m) and
Soufrière, Guadeloupe (approx. 1467 m).
In general, a tropical rainforest climate prevails and thus a diurnal
climate with average temperatures above 20 °C. In the summer months from
June to September, the probability of rain is around 30–50%. The winter
months between November and April, on the other hand, are the driest
months of the year with five to nine rainy days. In addition, the Gulf
Stream drifting towards Europe has its origins in the Bahamas. The term
above/below the wind of the Antilles indicates the influence of the
northeast trade winds. Another natural phenomenon is the formation or
passing of hurricanes, which regularly cause damage, e.g. through
flooding.
The resident animal species include the Caribbean
manatee, the Caribbean spiny lobster and iguanas. Other species such as
the Caribbean shrew or the Antillean monkeys have already become
extinct, particularly due to anthropogenic influences. The Caribbean is
home to non-native animal species that came to the Caribbean as neozoa.
For example, on the island of Grenada or the archipelago of St. Kitts
and Nevis there is the Mona monkey, a species of primate that was
brought to the Caribbean from West Africa by humans and now lives there
in the wild.
The export-oriented cultivation of cash crops
(traditionally, e.g., sugar cane) on monocultural plantations has
significantly reduced native plant species such as mangroves. Many of
the soils are of volcanic origin and have varying degrees of fertility.
Off the coast of Belize is the second largest reef system in the
world: the Belize Barrier Reef.