The Caribbean is comprised of hundreds of islands in the Caribbean Sea that covers an area of over 1 million square miles and gets it's name from the original inhabitants, the Carib people. These Caribs and Arawaks, another indigenous group of people that originally inhabited the islands, left their influences on the languages, foods, and way of life on the people who live in this region. There is a variety of terrain on these tropical islands from the white sandy beaches, mountains, volcanoes, and rain forests that offers a multitude of things to do in the Caribbean including diving, snorkeling, fishing, sailing, golfing, gambling, hiking, cultural and eco-nature tours, and tennis and much more. Whether you are looking for a romantic intimate getaway, solitude of a private white sandy beach, or lively party atmosphere with Reggae or Calypso music you will not be disappointed when you visit the islands.
It is believed that the Ciboney were the first inhabitants of the Caribbean settling in the Bahamas and Cuba. The Arawaks followed inhabiting Cuba, Jamaica, Haiti, Dominican Republic, and Puerto Rico. Later the Caribs settled primarily in the Winward island chain, Guyana, Suriname, and Cayenne.
Theses were tropical forest people who lived in huts made of wooden frames and straw roofs furnished with wooden stools, hammocks, clay and wooden bowls, and gourds for drinking. They grew crops of maize, potatoes, peanuts, and beans and used dugout canoes for transportation, hunting, and fishing.
The Caribs were a mobile people and raided neighboring villages to capture brides for the younger males. They became known as feared warriors due to raids where they used bows with poisoned arrows, javelins and clubs.
Christopher Columbus first arrived in the Bahamas and landed on what is now known as San Salvador in 1492 later traveling to Cuba and Hispanola that same year. He established the first European settlement in 1493 on Hispanola, which eventually lead to additional settlements on nearby islands. Most of the original inhabitants of the islands were wiped out due to hard forced labor and newly introduced disease from the Europeans. Eventually the British, French, and Dutch colonized the islands by 1650.
Sugarcane plantations were developed at the end of the 1600's after which African peoples from the slave trade re-populated the region. As slavery was abolished on the islands beginning in 1803 thru 1880 indentured servants were brought in from India and China adding to diversify the population.
Eventually many of the islands gained their independence beginning in 1804 with Haiti and as recent as 1983 for Kitts & Nevis.
The Caribbean Sea, a rich marine body of water, encompasses an area from the islands of the Caribbean and the coasts of Central and South America with over 1 million square miles.
Most of the Caribbean countries are located in the tropical zone with a tropical climate moderated by prevailing northeasterly trade winds. The temperatures range an average from 24 C/ 75 F to 32 C/ 83 F, with the weather variation of the Southern Caribbean less than those countries in the Northern Caribbean. Individual conditions are dependent on the area elevation, with little variation at sea level no matter the season and more variation in the mountains regions where temperatures decline with elevation. The seasons, which coincide with North America, can also affect the temperature but is notably only more significant in the northern Caribbean.
The rainy season encompasses May thru October with precipitation that fluctuates with the northeasterly sides of the islands tending to receive more rainfall. Most rainfall occurs during short outbursts during the day typically with May and August being the heaviest months. Hurricanes can develop during the rainy season but are rare and usually occur in the eastern Caribbean and track towards Southern USA and Mexico.