Warm ups 10.25.2016*How would you describe the wealth distribution in Central America?

*How would you describe the political situations in Central America?

Lesson Objective:*describe physical geography of Caribbean

*describe how economic factors lead to migration in and around the Caribbean

Physical Characteristics of Caribbean*there are 3 major island groups in the Caribbean:

*Greater Antilles

*Lesser Antilles

*The Bahamas

Physical Characteristics of Caribbean*the Bahamas and Lesser Antilles are both archipelagos, or groups of islands

*the Bahamas consists of nearly 700 islands

Island Formation*some islands are mountainous, while others are flat

*this is because they were formed in different ways

*many mountainous islands were formed by underwater volcanoes

Greater Antilles’ Volcanic Tops

Coral Island Formation*some of these are formed by underwater volcanoes

*some are coral islands, which are formed by the remains of colonies of dead coral polyps, which basically become limestone, and then sand and sediment pile on top of it and eventually a new island emerges

Coral Island Formation

Marine Climate*the Caribbean climate is most influenced by the sea, wind, and latitude

*despite being in the tropics, year-round average high temperatures only are around 80 degrees, because a steady breeze takes on the temperature of the cool water of the sea

Marine Climate*the region can be very humid, and prevailing winds affect precipitation greatly

*on the northern and eastern side of the islands (windward), rainfall can total as much as 200 inches a year, but on the leeward side (facing away from the wind) may receive as little as 30 inches a year

Marine Climate*the region can be very humid, and prevailing winds affect precipitation greatly

*on the northern and eastern side of the islands (windward), rainfall can total as much as 200 inches a year, but on the leeward side (facing away from the wind) may receive as little as 30 inches a year

Windward vs. Leeward Sides*rain shadow created on Hawaii’s Big Island illustrates the effects of windward vs. leeward sides of islands

Ethnic Roots*virtually none of the people now living in the Caribbean are indigenous (native) to the area

*within a century of Columbus’s arrival, almost all of them died from disease or cruel treatment

Ethnic Roots: African Descent*many of today’s inhabitants are descendants of the millions of African slaves that were brought over by the Europeans

*various types of music that comes from the area traces its roots to songs sung by slaves working on plantations

Ethnic Roots: Asian Immigrants

*the large Asian population is mostly from descendants of immigrants that came to work on plantations after slavery was abolished

Political Environment*around 90% of the Caribbean population live in independent countries

*many other countries are still owned by, or linked to their previous colonial powers: British and U.S. Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico, Aruba, Guadeloupe, Martinique, and several others

Economic Activities*many islands depend mostly on agriculture; especially volcanic islands because of their rich, fertile soil

*much of the world’s sugar, bananas, coconuts, cocoa, rice, and cotton are produced in the region

Economic Activities

*many others work refining and packaging products, or work in dockyards involved with shipping these products

Economic Activities: Tourism*tourism is also big business in the area, but most resorts and tourism industries are owned by foreigners, so the profits do not remain in the country

Migration*the busy season on plantations only lasts 4 months, so many Islanders migrate temporarily to either Central America or the U.S. to find work in the off-season

Political Unrest*many islands (Cuba and Haiti particularly) have been led by dictators for decades

*this has caused many people to try and leave their country for a better place to live