Portal:Caribbean

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The Caribbean (Dutch: Caraïben; French: Caraïbes; Spanish: Caribe; Portuguese: Caribe or Caraíbas) is a region of the Americas consisting of the Caribbean Sea, its islands (most of which enclose the sea), and the surrounding coasts. The region is located southeast of Northern America, east of Central America, and to the north and west of South America. Situated largely on the Caribbean Plate, the area comprises more than 7,000 islands, islets, reefs, and cayes. The West Indies consist of the Antilles, divided into the larger Greater Antilles which bound the sea on the north and the Lesser Antilles on the south and east (including the Leeward Antilles), and the Bahamas. Bermuda lies much further to the north in the Atlantic Ocean and is in the West Indies. Geopolitically, the West Indies are usually reckoned as a subregion of North America and are organised into 28 territories including sovereign states, overseas departments, and dependencies. At one time, there was a short-lived country called the Federation of the West Indies composed of ten English-speaking Caribbean territories.

Featured article

Che Guevara (June 14, 1928October 9, 1967) (full name Ernesto Guevara de la Serna), was an Argentine-born Marxist revolutionary, political figure, and leader of Cuban and internationalist guerrillas. Guevara joined Fidel Castro's revolutionary 26th of July Movement, which seized power in Cuba in 1959. After serving in various important posts in the new government and writing a number of articles and books on the theory and practice of guerrilla warfare, Guevara left Cuba in 1965 with the intention of fomenting revolutions first in Congo-Kinshasa, and then in Bolivia, where he was captured in a CIA/U.S. Army Special Forces-organized military operation. Guevara was summarily executed by the Bolivian Army in La Higuera near Vallegrande on October 9, 1967.

After his death, Guevara became an icon of socialist revolutionary movements worldwide. An Alberto Korda photo of him (shown) has received wide distribution and modification. The Maryland Institute College of Art called this picture "the most famous photograph in the world and a symbol of the 20th century."

Did you know?

  • ...that the oldest known son is "Son de la Má Teodora", a traditional Cuban musical piece which has been traced back to the 1570s?

Selected music

The music of Aruba and the Netherlands Antilles is a mixture of native, African and European elements, and is closely connected with trends from neighboring islands like Martinique, Trinidad and Guadeloupe, as well as the mainland former Dutch possession of Suriname, which has exported kaseko music to great success on the islands. Curaçao and Bonaire likely have the most active and well-known music scenes. Curaçao is known for a kind of music called tumba, which is named after the conga drums which accompany it.

Selected cuisine

Cuisine of Puerto Rico has colorful roots in Africa, Europe, and the Americas. Some dishes still show traces of the original inhabitants of the Island, the Taíno / Arawak Indians. Spain, France, Italy, Africa, Central America, South America, and -- since 1898, the United States -- all impact how food is now prepared in Puerto Rico.

Puerto Rican cuisine has almost nothing in common with Mexican cuisine, which surprises many first-time visitors from the United States or Europe. This cuisine also differs from other Latin countries and the food traditions of the United States.

Selected picture

Reconstruction of Taíno village
Credit: Michal Zalewski

Reconstruction of a Taíno village in Cuba.

Caribbean News

Selected geography article

Guadeloupe comprises five islands: Basse-Terre, Grande-Terre (separated from Basse-Terre by a narrow sea channel called salt river) with the adjacent islands of La Désirade, Les Saintes and Marie-Galante. Basse-Terre has a rough volcanic relief whilst Grande-Terre features rolling hills and flat plains. Further to the north, Saint-Barthélemy and the French part of Saint Martin come under the jurisdiction of Guadeloupe. On December 7, 2003, both of these areas voted to become an overseas territorial collectivity.
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