Colon officially discovered the Caribbean for the Europeans and many crowns claimed over the years the whole sea and its numerous islands but… today the Caribbean belongs to tourist of all nationalities that use it and abuse it in as many ways and the human mind can think. Most of the transgressors come from Europe and North America. Famous are the Canadians of Costa Rica and the Brits everywhere else. Cuba is still a mixed bag with communist policies and capitalist implementations which can be very eye opening or watering if you know what we mean.
Republica Dominicana or Dominican Republic is about the same but fully capitalistic. Is where the resorts reign supreme. Great prices all inclusive, guaranteed sun and no nonsense beach, food and alcohol package.
The region consists of the Antilles, divided into the larger Greater Antilles which bound the sea on the north, the Lesser Antilles on the south and east (including the Leeward Antilles), the Bahamas, and the Turks and Caicos Islands or the Lucayan Archipelago, which are in fact in the Atlantic Ocean north of Cuba, not in the Caribbean Sea.
Some islands in the region have relatively flat terrain of non-volcanic origin. These islands include Aruba (possessing only minor volcanic features), Barbados, Bonaire, the Cayman Islands, Saint Croix, The Bahamas or Antigua. Others possess rugged towering mountain-ranges like the islands of Cuba, Hispaniola, Puerto Rico, Jamaica, Dominica, Montserrat, Saba, Saint Kitts, Saint Lucia, Saint Thomas, Saint John, Tortola, Grenada, Saint Vincent, Guadeloupe, Martinique, and Trinidad & Tobago.
The climate of the region is tropical but rainfall varies with elevation, size and water currents (cool upwellings keep the ABC islands arid). Warm, moist tradewinds blow consistently from the east creating rainforest/semidesert divisions on mountainous islands. Occasional northwesterlies affect the northern islands in the winter. The region enjoys year-round sunshine, divided into ‘dry’ and ‘wet’ seasons, with the last six months of the year being wetter than the first half.
The waters of the Caribbean Sea host large, migratory schools of fish, turtles, and coral reef formations.
Hurricanes, which at times 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.
The region sits in the line of several major shipping routes with the man-made Panama Canal connecting the western Caribbean Sea with the Pacific Ocean.
Very little of the Caribbean visitors are there to explore museums or its culture so if you go, make sure you can stand the sand, rum and enjoy the waters.
Apart from the resorts another easy and popular way to explore the region are the cruise lines many starting off Florida. It is difficult to competed with the close packages, economy and organizationally wise they control access to the best, safest areas and their volume achieve great prices for the buyers and still leave them with healthy margins.
The usual troubles in this destinations are the weather, hurricanes and nasty storms, and little else if you stick to the resorts and cruise official visits. No terrorism, and if as said you stick to the kosher, safe well known tourist traps you will be safe from violence, crime and theft.
That all in the negative, in the positive, the great people in the Caribbean naturally evolved to be the most laid back and easy going you will find and totally in sync with their landscapes of sunny white sand beaches and drinks with tiny umbrellas.
Anything you hear that inspires you to travel to the Caribbean in one of the most successful forms, and popular, has to come and entice your need for sun, tranquility, water, relax and the sea. It is not for those allergic to sun granted but everyone needs some time under the sun, with protection, a nice drink in hand and sound of breaking waves.
Not for you, more into exploring museums and in need of large crowds, more of a city tourist? Then you will probably need to look elsewhere but again, there is a time and place for everything and if it involves relaxing under the sun you can not go wrong with a good Caribbean package either in a resort or on a cruise liner.