Leighton Thompson

6A
Caribbean Studies
1.

The Caribbean is a diverse and complex place, with the term 'Caribbean' itself understood in many
ways by researchers. Explain FOUR ways in which the concept of the Caribbean of the Caribbean is
defined by researchers. 20 marks. [CAPE 2016 P2]

The Caribbean is a group of countries situated between North

America and South America. The word Caribbean is said to be
derived from the indigenous peoples name for themselves, Carib.
Defining the Caribbean comes with many complexities as it is so
diverse. To achieve an appropriate description of the Caribbean it has
to be defined using different terms. The terms used to define the
Caribbean are historical, geological, political and geographical.
Geologically, the Caribbean can be defined as the region situated
on the Caribbean Plate and experiences similar tectonic, volcanic and
seismic features. The Caribbean plate underlies Central America and
the Caribbean Sea, off the north coast of South America. However,
following the geological definition of the Caribbean is misleading as it
excludes several countries from the Caribbean territory, whilst the
countries are generally considered to be a part of the Caribbean. This
include Bahamas, Cuba and Guyana which are not situated on the
Caribbean Plate and it considers other countries that arent Caribbean,
such as Panama, to be a part of the Caribbean. Despite this fact the

geological definition actually represents most of the countries in the

Caribbean as majority of them are on the Caribbean Plate.
The historical definition of the Caribbean describes the area that
experienced slavery, European colonization, indentureship and the
plantation system. These historical processes were enforced on the
Caribbean by Spain, Britian, France and Netherlands, hence why the
Caribbean is divided into English, Spanish, French and Dutch speaking
countries. These phases account for similar cultural practices,
language and behavioural tendencies around the Caribbean. However, as
mentioned before the complexity of the Caribbean comes into play again as this
definition can be misleading as there are exceptions. One major exception is the Dutch
Caribbean, Aruba, Bonaire and Curacao, which had a different historical experience as
they used trade and commerce to earn money unlike the rest of the Caribbean which used
agriculture. Consequently the Dutch Caribbean had no field slaves as there were no
plantation systems.
In addition, the Caribbean can also be defined geographically. This describes the
area washed by the Caribbean Sea. The Caribbean is located 50 North 300 North, 600
West 900 West. Similarly to every definition this has its positive reasons why it is a
suitable definition and also reasons why its not. This definition is appropriate as majority
of the Caribbean is included however this definition is inaccurate as countries such as
Belize and Colombia are wrongly considered Caribbean while countries Bahamas and
Turks and Caicos would be excluded.

Political the Caribbean is even more diverse. One major similarity

between Caribbean countries is that majority of them are in CARICOM.
However there are alot of differences in government systems. Three
different government systems exist and these are independent states,
associated states and colonial dependencies. Colonial Dependencies
include Cayman Islands, independent states include Trinidad and
Tobago and Guyana and associated states include Anguilla. Cuba is
also different from other Caribbean countries as they practice
communism. Overall the political definition shows the diversity of the
Caribbean.
In conclusion, the Caribbean is very diverse hence the
complexities faced in defining it. As a result different definitions are
used, such as political, historical, geological and geographical because
a single definition is not suitable as it exclude some Caribbean
territories and include non-Caribbean territories.