Portal:Caribbean

The CARIBBEAN PORTAL Wikipedia portals: Culture Geography Health History Mathematics Natural sciences People Philosophy Religion Society Technology Main   Indices   Projects Shortcut: P:CARIB 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. More about the Caribbean ... Show new selections below (purge) edit   Featured article The British African-Caribbean community are residents of the United Kingdom who are of West Indian background, and whose ancestors were indigenous to Africa. As immigration to the UK from Africa increased in the 1990s, the term has been used to include UK residents solely of African origin, or as a term to define all Black British residents, though this is usually denoted by "African and Caribbean". The largest proportion of the African-Caribbean population in the UK are of Jamaican origin; others trace origins to smaller nations including Trinidad and Tobago, Saint Kitts & Nevis, Barbados, Saint Lucia, Grenada, Montserrat, Dominica, Antigua and Guyana, which though located on the South American mainland, has close cultural ties to the Caribbean, and was historically considered to be part of the British West Indies. African-Caribbean communities exist throughout the United Kingdom, though by far the largest concentrations are in London, Birmingham and the broader West Midlands conurbation. ...Archive/Nominations Read more... edit   Did you know? ...that the Economy of Jamaica was given a boost after the discovery in the 1940s of bauxite (pictured), an aluminium ore? ...that Ubre Blanca was the name of a cow in Cuba recognized by The Guinness book of Records for holding the world record for milk production in a single day, and is honored by a marble statue in her home town of Nueva Gerona? ...that the major settlements on the island of Saba in the Netherlands Antilles are named Windwardside, The Bottom and Hell's Gate? ...that immediately after the West Indies cricket team's victory against England at Lord's in 1950, Trinidadian calypsonians Lord Beginner and Lord Kitchener began a musical march from the ground to Piccadilly followed by dancing spectators? that the song Israelites was written by Jamaican musician Desmond Dekker after he heard a couple arguing about money? ...Archive/Nominations edit   Selected music The music of the Bahamas is associated primarily with junkanoo, a celebration which occurs on Boxing Day (December 26) and again on New Year's Day (January 1). Parades and other celebrations mark the ceremony. Groups like The Baha Men, Ronnie Butler and Kirkland Bodie have gained massive popularity in Japan, the United States and elsewhere. ...Archive/Nominations Read more... edit   Selected cuisine Cuisine of Jamaica contains cooking techniques, flavors, spices and influences from each of the many waves of immigration to the island. The Spanish, the first European arrivals to the island, contributed dishes such as the vinegary concoction escovitch fish. Later, English influences developed the Jamaican pattie, a turnover filled with spicy meat. African cuisine developed on the island as a result of waves of slavery introduced by the European powers. Chinese and East Indian influences can also been found in Jamaican cuisine, as a result of indentured laborers who replaced slaves after emancipation brought their own culinary talents. Today, dishes which grace nearly every Jamaican menu include curried goat, fried dumplings, ackee and salt fish (cod) (the is the national dish of Jamaica), fried plantain, "jerk", steamed cabbage and rice and peas (actually kidney beans). ...Archive/Nominations Read more... edit   Selected picture Credit: Hotelviewarea.com by agreement Dominican girls at carnival in Taíno garments and makeup (2005) ...Archive/Nominations Read more... edit   Caribbean News October 10 The Netherlands Antilles were dissolved. Sint Maarten & Curaçao became countries within the Kingdom of the Netherlands and Bonaire, Saba & Sint Eustatius became special municipalities within the Netherlands. September 22: Cuban leader Fidel Castro made his first TV appearance in three months, saying "Well, I'm still here," in an interview taped this week. (BBC NEWS) August 2: The talks between UN Secretary General Ban Ki Moon and Haitian President Rene Preval in Port Au Prince appear to have been dominated by discussion of the continued presence of the UN peace keeping force there.(BBC NEWS) March 18: Trinidad and Tobago has backed the move by the Venezuelan Government to supply liquefied natural gas (LNG) to Jamaica by 2009.(JAMAICAN GLEANER) March 12 : The 2007 Cricket World Cup opens at the Greenfield Stadium in Jamaica with a ceremony showcasing West Indian musicians including Sly and Robbie, Sean Paul, Kevin Lyttle, Alison Hinds and Jimmy Cliff.(BBC NEWS) March 7: Edwin Carrington, secretary general of the 12-member Caricom announces that the Caribbean Community intends to negotiate a free trade agreement with Central America, perhaps within the next six months.(JAMAICAN OBSERVER) March 1: The West Indies cricket team make final preparations for the oncoming Cricket world cup, which begins on March 13 at the newly completed Sabina Park in Kingston. (CRICKET WORLD CUP NEWS) Feb 28: President of Cuba Fidel Castro makes a surprise phone call to Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez's radio talk show Aló Presidente, and the two leaders converse live on air for thirty minutes. During the conversation, Castro declares that he now has "more energy and strength".(PRAVDA) Feb 28: United Nations troops move into slum areas of Haiti, where almost a quarter of a million people live, as part of a new "get tough" policy against the armed gangs. (BBC NEWS) Feb 22: The United States applauds a unanimous decision by the U.N. Security Council to extend the world body’s stabilization mission in Haiti for another eight months, to October 15, with the intention to renew for further periods. (MEDIA NEWSWIRE) Archive More Current events on Wikinews edit   Selected geography article Antigua and Barbuda lie in the eastern arc of the Leeward Islands of the Lesser Antilles, separating the Atlantic Ocean from the Caribbean Sea. Antigua is 650 km southeast of Puerto Rico; Barbuda lies 48 km due north of Antigua, and the uninhabited island of Redonda is 56 km southwest of Antigua. The largest island, Antigua, is 21 km (about a dozen miles) across and 281 km² (about a hundred square miles) in area, or about two-thirds the size of New York City, seven eighths the area of Inner London or 86% greater than the London Borough of Bromley. Barbuda covers 161 km² (about 5% more than Bromley), while Redonda encompasses a mere 2.6 km² making it like The City of London, about 1-square-mile (2.6 km2). ...Archive/Nominations Read more... edit   Related portals Caribbean Island Topics  Caribbean  Anguilla  Antigua and Barbuda  Aruba  Bahamas  Barbados  Bonaire  British Virgin Islands  Cayman Islands  Cuba  Curaçao  Dominica  Dominican Republic  Grenada  Guadeloupe  Haiti  Jamaica  Martinique  Montserrat  Puerto Rico  Saint Barthélemy  Saba  Saint Kitts and Nevis  Saint Lucia  Saint Martin  Saint Vincent and the Grenadines  Sint Eustatius  Sint Maarten  Trinidad and Tobago  Turks and Caicos Islands  United States Virgin Islands Regions and Cities Caribbean Cities and Towns  West Indies Federation Greater Antilles Lesser Antilles Leeward Islands Windward Islands Windward Passage British West Indies Danish West Indies Dutch West Indies French West Indies Portuguese West Indies Spanish West Indies Swedish West Indies Courlander West Indies British Overseas Territory Kingdom of the Netherlands  Netherlands Antilles Overseas Departments of France Commonwealth (United States insular area) Territory of the United States Continental countries within the Caribbean Latin America  North America  Culture and Interests  West Indies Cricket Caribbean Sport Caribbean Books Caribbean Plants and Animals Caribbean Music Caribbean Food Caribbean's (People of note) Caribbean Art and Arts Caribbean Languages and Dialects Caribbean Carnival Caribbean Exports Caribbean Airlines WikiProject Caribbean What are portals? · List of portals What are portals? · List of portals · Featured portals