Facts About the Caribbean

The Caribbean has a mostly tropical climate. Rainfall varies from 10 to 350 inches (25 to 889 centimeters). Tropical storms are common in the rainy season of the northern Caribbean and in the Gulf of Mexico. They are almost nonexistent in the far south, however. The hurricane season is from June to November. There is an average of about eight such storms a year. They have often caused major crop failures.

The Caribbean's greatest known depth, at Cayman Trench located between Cuba and Jamaica, is approximately 25,216 feet (7,686 meters) below sea level. The sea is divided into five basins, separated from one another by sills, or submerged ridges. The basins are the Yucatan, Cayman, Colombian, Venezuelan, and Grenada. Water that enters the sea from below its surface does so across two sills. The sills are located below the Anegada Passage, which runs between the Virgin Islands and the Lesser Antilles, and the Windward Passage, which runs between Cuba and Hispaniola. The exact geologic age of the Caribbean is not known. It was probably connected with the Mediterranean during Paleozoic times, from about 570,000,000 to about 225,000,000 years ago.

Vegetation on land areas in the region is generally tropical. Rain forests cover large areas on the islands with higher altitudes, including Cuba, Jamaica, and Puerto Rico. Coconut palms are typical on the sandy shores of the islands. In dry areas cactus plants are common. There are dense forests around the lagoons.

Animal life is also diverse. Various species of lizards, frogs, snakes, and other reptiles are found on the Central American states that border the sea. Monkeys, cats, sloths, and marsupials are numerous in the forests. Parrots, parakeets, and toucans are typical birds, and the frigate bird is also seen frequently.

• SCUBA DIVING: No matter how spectacular the land, to scuba divers, the world of reefs, wrecks and rock formations hidden beneath the transparent Caribbean waters far surpasses the natural beauty ashore. Lured by the changing scenery undersea, divers at all skill levels tour the region in search of new experiences. Caribbean dive sites are so dazzling and diverse that many enthusiasts become scuba tourists who "collect" destinations and dives. Much to the divers' delight, environmental awareness has sparked concern for the preservation of sea life in over-dived areas-- and fostered the development of marine parks and a host of new dive sites.

• Anguilla - This island, pronounced an-GWILL-a and meaning eel in Spanish and Italian, is especially popular with the rich and famous. It boasts some of the Caribbean's finest beaches and unbelievably blue waters, plus the ultra-exclusive Malliouhana and Cap Juluca resorts
• Antigua and Barbuda - The hill and cove-enhanced isle of Antigua claims 365 beaches, one for each day of your vacation provided you are a year-long sabbatical.
• Aruba - Blessed with a climate much sunnier and drier than other Caribbean destinations, Aruba is Dutch, delightful and has a desert. Basking on Aruba's beaches, where it's almost always breezy and 82 degrees Fahrenheit, is only one of the island's many attractions.
• Bahamas - Blessed with near-perfect, year-round barefoot weather, some 700 Bahama islands and islets sprawl across 100,000 square miles of multi-coloured, mostly gin-clear Atlantic waters.
• Barbados - Today, the island is independent but still cherishes Anglo-Saxon civility, cricket and high tea. After 350 years of colonization, Britain has left its mark and added much to the beguiling charm of "Little England in the Tropics."
• Bermuda - Hamilton is the hub of Bermuda, serving as both its capital and commercial center. While it's not a large city (population 15,000), it has a surprising amount of hustle and bustle - at least compared to the rest of the island. Locals refer to it simply as 'town' - 'going to town' means, without a doubt, going to Hamilton.
• Bonaire - Sunny Bonaire is a Dutch treat featuring photo, sports and sightseeing opportunities galore. Its picturesque capital with the improbable name of Kralendijk has a rich Dutch heritage and a rebuilt "downtown" that is a must-see.
• British Virgin Islands - These 60-or-so islands in the tropical sun have near-perfect conditions for "yachties." The most frequently visited isles are: Tortola, the largest and with some 13,000 population; Virgin Gorda, Jost Van Dyke, Anegada and Peter Island.
• Cayman Islands - Diving is big in the Caymans. In fact, treasure hunter and expert diver Herbert Humphreys is headquartered in the island capital of George Town
• Cuba - This alligator-shaped island is by far the largest and most populated of Caribbean countries. Once the No 1 travel destination in the area and known as the Pearl of the Antilles, Cuba became a Red Pearl after a revolution placed communist Fidel Castro in charge.
• Curacao - As for beaches, there are officially 38 seashores, some of them well-attended hotel venues and others secluded coves worthy of a film set.
• Dominica - Think Hollywood film set. Here is a fantasy island of rain forest greenery and bloomery nestling alongside rugged mountain peaks, sometimes obscured by clouds and fog. There is a boiling-hot sulfuric spring, some 365 rushing streams and an Emerald Pool grotto with a waterfall and jungly "tarzanic" surroundings.
• Dominican Republic - This mountainous, beach-fringed country occupies the eastern two-thirds of Hispaniola, second-largest of the Caribees. Santo Domingo, oldest city in the New World, is the historical capital and revels in restored treasures of its Spanish imperial days.
• Grenada - The "Isle of Spices" has soil so rich that a few dropped seeds and you have an instant garden.
• Guadeloupe - This butterfly-shaped island - actually two isles - is one of few Caribbean places where tourism is not king. Sugar is the big thing on this island.
• Guyana - Formerly British Guiana, Guyana is now an independent member of the Commonwealth of Nations. It is located on the northeast shores of South America. English is spoken by most of the inhabitants.
• Haiti - Haiti was once the New World's richest place and the crown jewel of the French overseas empire. Today, poverty is everywhere in evidence.
• Jamaica - Jamaica has a panoply of sports and special-interest activities for those to whom bumming out on the beach spells boredom. Hikers could spend weeks exploring Jamaica's embryonic trail system, mainly in the Blue Mountains, or tramping rough bridle tracks nationwide.
• Martinique - Martinique is an isle of French charm, class, culture, cuisine and chic at their Gallic best Beautiful beyond words, Martinique captured the attention of Paul Gauguin, whose paintings of Martinique are among the world's most prized treasures.
• Puerto Rico - Puerto Rican culture is a mixture of Spanish, African and Taíno traditions overlaid with a century-thick layer of American influence. At times, parts of San Juan can seem like any US city with a large Latino population.
• Saba - Saba is a special high for nature lovers. There is only one road, appropriately called The Road. So you can't get lost on this five-square-mile isle once owned by France, Spain and Great Britain but now an overseas part of The Netherlands.
• St Barthelemy - St. Barthelemy is the official handle of this glitzy, ritzy resort. But everybody calls it St Barts. It is the first choice for the champagne and caviar set who pour their cash and cachet into St Barts with ever-increasing enthusiasm.
• St Eustatius - Its relatively dry tropical climate is among the island plusses. Statia is basically a bit of green land dominated by The Quill, an extinct volcano with an altitude of 1,940 feet.
• St Kitts - These twin islands have all the best in Caribbean vacation offerings packaged up in Lilliputian dimensions. There is even a carnival with masked dancers on St Kitts. The islands are separated by a 2-mile channel.
• St Lucia - This awesomely beautiful island is an intriguing combo of sophisticated France and nature-loving Britain. Visitors are especially impressed by the island's forest-covered mountains with its bird, turtle and nature-study options.
• St Martin - There are beaches and sports to suit all tastes. You can shop till you drop, then get up again and shop some more. The bargains are everywhere because St Maarten is a truly duty-free, tax-free island.
• St Vincent - If the 32 islands in this chain, only eight are populated. St Vincent is the largest and its tropical splendours make the perfect setting for idyllic yachting and sailing.
• Trinidad and Tobago - The capital is Port of Spain, the language is English. The nation has its own dollar but US currency is widely accepted. The population of about 1.3 million comprises one of the most diverse mixtures on earth.
• Turks and Caicos - Once a part of The Bahamas, the Turks and Caicos Islands are a British Colony with superb diving, sports and Club Med offerings.
• US Virgin Islands - Here is a touch of Denmark-in-the-tropics with all the modern conveniences of living in the U.S.A.

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