Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Introduction
B
efore we start examining the individual islands, let's look
at the region as a whole. The Caribbean spans an area that
stretches over 2,000 miles east to west and 1,000 miles north to
south, starting just off the coast of Florida and reaching down to
the coast of South America.
This part of the world is blessed with year-round sunshine, with
water warmed by Caribbean currents and shores cooled by gen-
tle trade winds. Winter and summer temperatures differ by
only a few degrees.
Geography
The islands arch out like a cracking whip, with the largest is-
lands to the west and the small islands to the east, curving on
down to South America and ending with a “snap” back to the
west at the ABC islands: Aruba, Bonaire and Curaçao.
The whole formation of islands is referred to as the
Antilles
,
usually divided into the
Greater Antilles
and the
Lesser An-
tilles.
The Greater Antilles, as the name suggests, are the Ca-
ribbean's largest islands: Cuba, Hispaniola (an island shared
by the Dominican Republic and Haiti), Jamaica, and Puerto
Rico. The term Lesser Antilles encompasses the other islands.
Often, the area is just divided up into the Eastern and Western
Caribbean. The Eastern islands are the same as the Lesser An-
tilles; the Western Caribbean is the Greater Antilles and the
Cayman Islands.
The multiple names given to this region is your first hint at the
diversity the Caribbean boasts. In researching and writing this
book, we traveled to the Caribbean every few weeks and many
friends asked us, “Are you getting bored visiting the same area
again and again?” Besides the fact that it would be pretty tough
to tire of perfect weather, postcard-pretty scenes, and a sea as
