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Location: -Relative: between the Tropic of Cacer and the Equator -Absolute: 9 degrees North- 22 degrees North 62 degrees West- 73 degrees West (add a picture of a map of the Caribbean)

Place: -Physical --Tropical forest cover in the Rimland --Warm all year and abundant rainfall --6 to 12 hurricanes move through the region annually -- to continue Urbanization, "shanty towns", were erected, and filled the informal sector --sugar cane main crop produced --Cities were built in grids like Spainish cities, and were heavily fortified --rural homes - small, enclosed properties of half acre or less --Arid zones are found in the shadow of the Antillean Mountains and on the leeward side of the islands, used mostly for grazing -Human --60% of the region is considered urban --1/3 of the Surinamese population is South Asian --Voodoo, and African religion, is practiced in the region --population is comprised of people descended from Africa, Asia, and Europe --Plantation America- European elite ruling class dependent on African labor --languages - Spanish (24 million), French (8 million), English (6 million), Dutch (500,000) -- More than 2% of the Caribbean population between ages 15 and 49 has HIV/AIDS --Carribean music includes, reggae, calypso, merengue, zouk and scores of musical forms --80% of the population in Cuba recieves an education --Average woman in Cuba have 1.6 children --over 2% of the Carribean population between 15-49 has AIDS.

Movement: -People: --Emigration to the Caribbean began in the 1950's --Caribbean diaspora: economic movement of Caribbean people across the world lasting more than 50 years. Barbadians moved to England, 1/3 of Surinamese people moved to Netherlands, Puerto Ricans moved to US mainland --Most migrants, other than Cubans are part of a Circular Migration (resident moves, works, saves money, and returns home) --Chain Migration (a family migrates one family member at a time) ---In some cases large numbers of residents from a Carribean town/district send migrants to North America using chain migration --Mechanization of Agriculture, Offshore Industrialization, and rapid population growth caused a surge in rural-to-urban migration --Caribbean cities. many citizens moving to cities for better lives. --African slaves are moved from Africa to the Caribbean. --natural population incease of caribbean --60% of region classified as urban; Cuba is the most urban, and Haiti as the least --rural-to-urban continum -Goods: -- Export of Flowers --Export of Sugar cane --Export of bananas from small farms in the eastern Caribbean. Bananas cannot grow as well as they do in Latin America because of hurricanes, but some countries such as Dominica, St. Vincent, and St. Lucia have become dependent on bananas, so landowners of these small farms earn 2-4 times more than banana workers in Ecuador and Central America. -Ideas -- African Religions and magical systems such as religions practiced in West Africa (ex, Voodoo, Santeria, and Obeah) -- languages from Europe spread there. In the ABC islands, Papiamento is a language that blends Spanish, French, Portuguese, English and African languages together. it is their lingua franca. -- roots of caribbean music come from African rhythms and european forms of melody and verse --Cash remittances- money sent back home. While many people move the the US, they are expected to send money home to their direct family members who stayed behind --Awareness of HIV/AIDS and Health care. This has become an important regional issue. Officials in The Bahamas have introduced drug treatments to help prevent mother-to-child transmission. --Slave trade. Mortality rates were high due to diease, inhumane treatment, and malnutrition. The only way to get the population levels to be maintained was through continual importation of African slaves into the Caribbean. --Fertility decline. Cuba and Barbados have the lowest rates in the region. In Cuba the education of women combined with the availability of birth control and abortion means that the average women has 1.6 children. Similar results are in Barbados.

Interaction Btw. Humans and the Environment -Change --Tropical rainforests were chopped down to grow sugarcane and to produce fuel --60% of National Territory desertified by mechanized agriculture and surge in charoal production --Several dams exist on islands to help supply water to people --Creolization of region --New languages have emerged - Papiamento: a trading language in the ABC islands, and Patois (French Creole) spoken in Haiti –

-Adaptation --Coastal Mangrove swamps are cleared for the creation of beaches --Environmental groups get money from their governments to create new laws or comply with existing ones --Residents of the Plymouth, Montserrat island forced to evacuate to nearby islands and even to London due to the volcanoes in 1996. --Hurricanes and flooding: Hurricane Mitch - at least 10,000 people in Honduras, Nicarague, and El Savador killed, Hurricane Hugo leaving almost all Montserrat's inhabitatnts homeless, Modern tracking equipment has improved hurricane forecasting and reduced the number of fatalities

Region -Physical -- The Rimland --Great antilles --Lesser Antilles --Surrounds Caribbean Sea -- -Political --Some Dutch, French, and British owned islands --Puerto Rico is a commonwealth of the United Sates --Cuba is a socialist government with a dictator --Most courtries are independant, former colonies Cultural --Lanuages such as Spanish, French, English, and Dutch are spoken --Music such as Reggae, merengue, and rumba as well as instruments such as the steel drum Economic --FTAA (except Cuba) --isolated proximity --LDCs (Haiti is one of the porest countries in the western hemisphere) --exporting comodities --major tourist industry