Antilles

Antilles (English Antilles; Haitian Creole Zantiy; French Antilles; Papiamento Antias; Dutch Antillen; Jamaican Patois Antiliiz), Also called Insular America or Caribbean islands, it is one of the 4 subcontinents of America, formed by two archipelagos: the Greater Antilles and the Lesser Antilles. They are located in the Caribbean Sea of the Atlantic Ocean. These islands draw an arc that extends in the shape of a crescent from the southeast of the Florida peninsula (United States), to the south of the Lucayan Archipelago, to the northeast of the Yucatan peninsula (Mexico), in North America, to the eastern coast of Venezuela, in South America. All the islands of the Antilles together have a total area of about 299,000 km².

Etymology

The name refers to the mythical island of Antilia.

Languages

There are six predominant languages in the region:

• Spanish, spoken by more than 25 million Hispanics and predominant in the Great Antilles (in Cuba, Dominican Republic and Puerto Rico) and minority in the Small Antilles (Islas de Venezuela)
• The French, spoken by more than 12 million Frenchmen (in Haiti, Guadalupe, Martinique, San Martín, San Bartolomé and other islands)

• The Haitian Criollo spoke mainly in Haiti and by groups of Haitian immigrants throughout the Caribbean area.

• English (Caribbean English), spoken by more than 5 million English speakers (in Jamaica, the Bahamas and most of the Little Antilles)
• The Papiamento spoken in Aruba, Curacao and Bonaire
• Dutch official but minority language in Aruba, Curacao and the Netherlands
• There are also several Creole languages derived from French in Guadalupe, Martinique, Dominica, Granada, Santa Lucia, Trinidad and Tobago, and Jamaica also has the Jamaican Creole derived from English.

Geopolitics

These islands initially belonged entirely to Spain, which was the dominant power in the Greater Antilles; however, their scant interest in conserving them, especially the Lesser Antilles, meant that the latter could be conquered without major problems by the British, French and Dutch. They were squares that, later, they used as a starting point for other conquests, which has given rise to the current rich mosaic of nationalities, languages and cultures.^{[citation required]}

Several of the islands are independent, but many remain possessions or dependencies of other countries. Some, like Guadeloupe and Martinique, both regions of France, are part of the national territory of countries on other continents. In the Antilles, France has 2,806 km² (882,000 pop.), the United Kingdom has 1,023 km² (141,000 pop.), and the Netherlands has 742 km² (308,000 pop.).

They stand out with the largest territories in the Antilles: Cuba (almost 111,000 km²), Dominican Republic (more than 48,000 km²), Haiti (almost 28,000 km²), Bahamas (almost 14,000 km²), Jamaica (almost 11,000 km²), Puerto Rico (more than 9,000 km²), Trinidad and Tobago (more than 5,000 km²), and the French dependencies (Overseas Departments of France, and French Territorial Collectivities, with almost 3,000 km²).

The most numerous populations in the Antilles stand out: Haiti (11.4 million inhabitants), Cuba (11.3 million inhabitants), Dominican Republic (10.8 million inhabitants), Puerto Rico (3.9 million inhabitants), Jamaica (2.9 million inhabitants), Trinidad and Tobago (1.4 million inhabitants), and the French dependencies (Overseas Departments of France, and French Territorial Communities, with 0.8 million inhabitants).

Political-administrative organization of the Antilles

Country	Islands	Area (km2)	Population (2022)	Population density (hab/km2)	Official language
Antigua and Barbuda	Antigua — Barbuda — Redonda	443	98 070	155.1	English
Bahamas	Acklins — Andros — Berry — Bimini — Cayo Samaná — Cayos Franceses — Concepción — Crooked — Eleuthera — Guanahani — Harbour — Gran Ábaco — Gran Bahama — Great Inagua — Great Exuma — Egg — Cat Island — Long Island — Mayaguana — New Providence — San Salvador	13 940	393 899	21.6	English
Barbados	-	431	287 436	649.4	English
Cuba	Isla de Cuba — Isla de la Juventud — Cayo Largo del Sur — Jardines de la Reina — Jardines del Rey — Cayo Guillermo — Cayo Coco — Cayo Romano — Cayo Guajaba — Cayo Sabinal — Cayo Santa María — Cayo Paredón Grande — Archipelago de los Colorados — Cayo Saetía — Cayo Blanco — Archipelago de Sabana-Camagüey — Archipelago de los Canar	110 860	11 113 215	102.7	Spanish
Dominica	-	754	72 017	91.9	English
Grenada	Granada — Ronde — Carriacou — Little Martinique	344	112 613	260.2	English
Haiti	Occidental de la Española — Gonâve — La Tortuga — Isla Vaca — Cayemite Islands	27 750	11 325 861	408,139	French, Creole Haitian
Jamaica	Cayos de Morant — Banco de Pedro — Cayos de Pedro — Cayos de Puerto Real	10 991	2 963 404	248,9	English
Dominican Republic	Eastern part of the Spanish — Saona — Beata — Catherine — High Velo	48 442	10 866 885	196.6	Spanish
San Cristóbal y Nieves	San Cristobal — Snow	261	53 264	149.2	English
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines	Baliceaux — Bequia — Canouan — Mayreau — Mustique — Palm Island — Small Saint Vincent — Cayos de Tobago — Union — Young Island — Saint Vincent	389	111 001	302,1	English
Saint Lucia	-	616	183 769	260.0	English
Trinidad and Tobago	Trinidad — Tobago — Chacachacare — Gaspar Grande — Gasparillo — Huevo Island — Monkeys — Small Tobago	5128	1 400 264	209,6	English

Territories of other countries		Islands	Area (km2)	Population (hab.)	Language
United States	Puerto Rico	Puerto Rico — Culebra — Vieques — Monito — Desecheo — Dead Box — Cabras Island — Cayo Batata — Cardona Island — Cayos de Caña Gorda — Culebrita — Icacos — Cayo Luis Peña — Isla Magüeyes — Cayo Norte — Palomino Island — San Juan Island — Cayo Santiago — Spanish Virgin Islands	9104	335 784 (2022)	English and Spanish
	United States Virgin Islands	St. Thomas — St. John — Santa Cruz — Water Island	352	124 778 (2003)	English
	Navaza	-	5.2	(uninhabited)	English
France	Guadalupe	Basse-Terre — La Desirade — Grande-Terre — Petite Terre — Les Saintes — Marie-Galante	1628	408 000 (2007)	French
	Martinique	-	1100	432 900	French
	San Martín	North of San Martín Island — Tintamarre	53.2	33 102 (2004)	French
	San Bartolomé	-	25	8450 (2007)	French
NetherlandsNetherlands	ArubaAruba	-	193	110 000 (2010)	Dutch, Daddy
	Bonaire	Klein Bonaire	288	13 389 (2010)	Dutch, Papiamento
	Curacao	Klein Curacao	193	142 180 (2010)	Dutch, Daddy
	Saba	-	13	1737 (2010)	Dutch
	San Eustaquio	-	21	2886 (2010)	Dutch
	Sint Maarten	South of San Martín Island	34	37 429 (2010)	Dutch, English
United KingdomUnited Kingdom	Anguilla	Anguilla (isla) — Anguilla — Dog — Little Scrub — Prickly Pear — Sandy — Scrub — Seal — Hat	91	13 477 (2006)	English
	British Virgin Islands	Tortola — Virgin Gorda — Anegada — Jost Van Dyke	153	23 098 (2006)	English
	Cayman Islands	Cayman Brac — Grand Cayman — Small Cayman	260	69 000 (2008)	English
	Turks and Caicos Islands	Turks (Great Turkey, Cayo Sal) — Caicos Islands (Caicos del Oeste, Providenciales, Caicos del Norte, Caicos Central, Caicos del Este, Caicos del Sur, Cayo Ambergris, Cayo Pine, Cayo Parrot)	417	30 600 (2008)	English
	Montserrat	-	102.	4819 (2007)	English
Venezuela Venezuela	State New Sparta	Margarita — Car — Cubagua	1150	436 944 (2007)	Spanish
	Federal Venezuelan Units	Los Monjes — Las Aves — Los Roques (Gran Roque, Francisquí, Isla Larga, Nordisquí, Madrisquí, Crasquí, Cayo Espenquí, Cayo Carenero, Cayo de Agua, Dos Mosquises, Cayo Sal, Cayo Grande) — Los Hermanos — Los Frailes — Birds — La Sola — La Tortuga (Cayo Herradura — Los Tortuguchiillo Islands)	343	1765 (2001)	Spanish

Map

United States

Bahamas

Cuba

Mexico

Belize

Jamaica

Haiti

Dominican Republic

Puerto Rico

Honduras

Nicaragua

Costa Rica

Panama

Colombia

Venezuela

Turks and Caicos (R.U.)

Cozumel Island

Cayman Islands(R.U.)

Bay Islands (Hon.)

Cayos Miskitos (Nic.)

San Andrés and Providencia (Col.)

Maize Islands (Nic.)

Aruba (P.B.)

Curacao (P.B.)

Bonaire (P.B.)

Federal Venezuelan Units

Isla Margarita (Ven.)

Islands (R.U.)

San Cristóbaly Nieves

Anguilla (R.U.)

San Martín (P.B.-Fr.)

Antigua and Barbuda

Guadalupe (Fr.)

Dominica

Martinique (Fr.)

Saint Lucia

Barbados

S. Vincent and the Grenadines

Grenada

Tobago

Trinidad

Montserrat (R.U.)

Economy

Antigua and Barbuda

Tourism dominates the economy of Antigua and Barbuda, producing nearly 60% of GDP and 40% of investment. The decrease in tourists since the year 2000 forced the government to transform the country into a tax haven. Agricultural production is focused on the domestic sphere and constrained by reduced water supplies and a decline in labor due to better wages in the tourism and construction sectors.

The agricultural production of sugar cane, cotton and fruit is also important; as well as oil refining and textile manufacturing, carpentry and rum production. It produces some beer, clothes, cement, local handicrafts and furniture.

The official currency is the East Caribbean Dollar, with a fixed parity of 2.7:1 with the US dollar since 1976. The gross domestic product was 180,100 dollars per capita in 2009, the year of a contraction of 6.5% of GDP. The annual inflation rate is very low (1.5% in 2007).

Bahamas

The Bahamas is a stable developing country, dependent on an economy based on tourism and banking. Tourism alone accounts for more than 60% of GDP and directly or indirectly employs half of the archipelago's workforce. The steady growth of tourism and the boom in the construction of hotels, resorts and new residences have led to solid GDP growth for a few years up to 2006, although since that year there has been a drop in the number of tourists.

Financial services is the second largest sector of the Bahamas economy, accounting for about 15% of GDP. However, since December 2000, when the government enacted new regulations on the financial sector, many international businesses have left the Bahamas. Industry and agriculture contribute approximately one tenth of GDP and show little growth, despite the incentives that the government allocates to these sectors. In sum, growth depends on the functioning of the tourism industry, which depends on growth in the US, the source of more than 80% of visitors. In addition to tourism and banking activities, the government supports the development of a "third pillar", commerce.

Barbados

Barbados is the wealthiest and most developed country in the Eastern Caribbean and has one of the highest per capita incomes in the Americas. Its traditional economy was based on the production of sugar, the main export material. With the explosion of tourism, there was a reorientation of the activity. Now it maintains a system that is highly dependent on the United States and Europe, which are the places of origin of the majority of tourists, which weakens its economy in periods of containment in the countries of origin. At present it has partially diversified its economy with some light industry. It is also the headquarters of important companies, especially financial ones, given the high level of bank secrecy protection it offers and the low taxes they bear. By the international community it is considered a tax haven.

Cuba

The Cuban economy is supported by the country's natural resources, which are highly varied and range from minerals such as nickel and cobalt to tropical landscapes that attract millions of tourists every year. Human capital is the other fundamental pillar of the country's economy, which has the highest rates of literacy, life expectancy and health coverage in all of Latin America and the Caribbean.

The Cuban government maintains its adherence to socialist principles when organizing its economy, which has led its economic policy to be based on planning, with different and closed options to those that would be dictated by the market; although after the collapse of the USSR and the socialist countries of Eastern Europe, private initiative and the role of the market have increased, although not to the level of what happened in Eastern Europe, adopting an economic system more similar to China's.

On the other hand, and according to UN data, Cuba would be the only country in the world that meets the two criteria that, for the WWF organization, mean the existence of sustainable development: high human development (IDH > 0.8) and sustainable ecological footprint (footprint < 1'8 ha/p). According to the 2010 EPI report, carried out by the universities of Yale and Columbia in the United States, the country is in the 9th position in the world with the best environmental performance.

Dominican Republic

Dominica's economy is primarily dependent on offshore financial services. The growth of its offshore financial services industry derives from a government process where structural changes have been made in order to diversify its sources of income, the government seeks to actively promote the island as an international banking center, and recently signed an agreement with the European Union in order to explore its geothermal energy potentials.

Although previously heavily dependent on agriculture - especially bananas - their means of income have diversified. Its second source of income is tourism, especially ecotourism.

In 2003 the government began an extensive restructuring of the economy, with the elimination of price controls, privatization of the banana sector, and increased taxes, with a view to confronting an economic crisis and complying with the recommendations of the International Monetary Fund. This restructuring enabled economic recovery - in 2006 growth exceeded double digits - and helped to reduce public debt.

Grenade

Grenada's economic progress, due to fiscal reforms and prudent macroeconomics, has boosted the country's annual growth to 5-6% in 1998-1999. The increase in economic activity has been led by construction and commerce. Currently the country depends on tourism as its main source of foreign capital income, especially after the inauguration of its international airport in 1985. Tourist facilities have been increased since then.

Hurricanes Ivan (2004) and Emily (2005) have severely damaged its agricultural sector - especially cocoa cultivation. After the devastation, the country faces a huge budget deficit, widened during the reconstruction process, and currently ^When? reaches 110% of GDP.

Haiti

Haiti's economy is the poorest in the Americas and the Western Hemisphere, that is, Haiti is the country with the lowest GDP per capita and one of the most unequal in the world. Its per capita income is around one tenth of that of its neighbors in the Caribbean region. It has an unemployment rate of more than 50% of its population, its annual per capita income is less than the minimum wage of other Latin American countries, and extreme poverty reaches almost 70% of the population.

Jamaica

Kingston's economy is mainly agricultural and mining, although since the 1990s tourism has gained a special boost. Sustained growth since the 1982 reforms has made it possible to reach a GDP of 7.4 billion dollars. Agriculture employs more than 20% of the population, with sugar being the main product. This supposes an excessive dependence on the price of sugar in international markets. In addition, bananas, coffee and tobacco are grown, which are largely exported, in addition to products for domestic consumption, such as potatoes and corn. The cattle herd amounts to more than 800,000 heads between cattle and goats, with the residual pig being barely 150,000 heads.

Alumina and bauxite have been the backbone of mining since their discovery in 1940, the entire production of which is destined for export. The industry has reached a certain level of importance, especially manufacturing (textile and footwear) and oil refining.

Since 2000 Jamaica began to experience positive growth in its economy after a period of four years of crisis. Inflation ended up being controlled at acceptable levels in 2001, although in 2003 and 2004 it picked up again to worrying levels.

Dominican Republic

The economy of the Dominican Republic is the largest economy in the Caribbean and the eighth largest economy in Latin America after Brazil, Mexico, Argentina, Colombia, Chile, Peru and Ecuador. It is a high-income developing country according to the World Bank, depending mainly on agriculture, foreign trade, services, mining, industry and tourism. Although the service sector has surpassed agriculture as the main provider of jobs, mainly due to the boom and growth of tourism and industry, agriculture still remains the most important sector in terms of domestic consumption and is in second place (behind mining) in terms of exports. Tourism brings in more than US$7 billion a year. Industry and tourism are the fastest growing sectors. Remittances from Dominican citizens living abroad are estimated at about US$5.5 billion per year.

Saint Kitts and Nevis

Saint Kitts and Nevis was the last place to practice sugar monoculture in the Lesser Antilles. But because the sugar industry found it increasingly difficult to make a profit, the government decided to carry out a diversification program for the agricultural sector and stimulation of development in other sectors of the economy, particularly tourism.

The government instituted an investment incentive program, encouraging both domestic and foreign private investment. Government policies included tax exemptions, duty-free importation of equipment and materials, and subsidies for training local personnel. Tourism has shown a great increase. By 1987, it had surpassed sugar as a source of foreign exchange earnings.

Saint Vincent and the Grenadines

St. Vincent's economy is heavily dependent on agriculture. Banana cultivation represents 60% of employment and 50% of exports. This very strong dependence on a single crop makes the economy vulnerable to multiple external factors. Banana farmers from St. Vincent have preferential access to the European market. Given that the European Union has announced that said preferential access will be discontinued, the diversification of economic activity becomes a priority for Saint Vincent.

Tourism has grown, becoming an important element of economic activity. In 1993, tourism displaced banana exports as the main source of foreign exchange earnings. The Grenadines have become a favorite market for high income yachting enthusiasts. The tourism growth trend is very likely to continue. In 1996, new berths and berths for cruise ships and ships were inaugurated, with the consequent increase in the number of arriving passengers. In 1998, a total of 202,109 visitors arrived, with the majority of tourists coming from other Caribbean countries and the United Kingdom.

Saint Lucia

The country's economy depends largely on the cultivation of bananas. However, changes in the import regime of the European Union and increasing competition from Latin American producers have forced diversification. In recent years, the tourism industry and international finance have acquired a leading role in the composition of its Gross Domestic Product and now almost 73% of it is generated by the service industry (2002). Its manufacturing sector, although less important, is one of the most diversified in the Eastern Caribbean.

The island's main export products are bananas and some textile products that it sells to the United Kingdom and the United States for an amount close to USD $30 million, almost half of its total exports. Due to the geographic and demographic conditions of the island, a large part of its inputs are imported, with its main suppliers being Brazil (41.7%), the United States (21.4%) and Trinidad and Tobago (11.9%).

The island was one of the founding countries of the World Trade Organization and joined the International Monetary Fund on November 15, 1979. Its currency, the East Caribbean dollar, is the legal tender in six other countries. Saint Lucia has signed some free trade and economic cooperation agreements with the Organization of Eastern Caribbean States and the Caribbean Community. In technical matters, it receives advice from the British Commonwealth of Nations and ECLAC and also receives financial support from the Caribbean Development Bank.

The island's fiscal year begins on April 1 and ends on March 31 of the following year.

Trinidad and Tobago

The economy of Trinidad and Tobago experienced a growth rate of 3.2% in 2002. This is due to 9 consecutive years of true growth after 8 years of recession. The government of Prime Minister Patrick Manning has followed the macroeconomic policy of the previous government, trying to attract investment in the country. In the long term, it seems that there will be a lot of growth, a growth that will be closely linked to the development of the hydrocarbons, petrochemicals, and steel sectors, which will mean significant increases in exports from Trinidad and Tobago. In addition, the country continues its efforts in the diversification of services, tourism, industry and agriculture.

Thus, the great rate of growth of Trinidad and Tobago has produced surpluses that are exported, even without ceasing to import, since the industrial extension and the increase in consumption require it. As a result, the debt ratio has gone from 15.4% in 1997 to 4.4% in 2002. Unemployment is slowly falling: it has gone from 12.1% in 2001 to 10.4% in 2002.

The most important agricultural activity is the cultivation of sugar cane, which is associated with the production of sugar in the six mills in the west of the island, as well as honey and rum. They are followed in importance by cocoa, the grain and its benefit, citrus fruits and coffee. Livestock is not very important: 65,000 heads of cattle, 6,000 sheep, etc.