Reference no: EM133652527

Question: Discuss the significance of the Caribbean region in world geography. Its not obvious right away, but its worth noting that there are 13 sovereign or independent island nations and 12 dependent territories. What do geographers mean when they say that the European colonial imprint is strong here? Briefly say something about Cuba's geography. Why is Puerto Rico important to the United States? Which island in the Caribbean do you find geographically most interesting and why [give details, be specific, use place names, and relative location]?

If you need more to say: The Caribbean has some of the most important vacation and cruise ship destinations in the world (Barbados, Jamaica, St. Lucia, St. Martin, Virgin Islands, etc.). On many of these island nations, 30-40% of employment is a result of the tourism sector! In addition, several islands are internationally known off-shore tax-havens for the super wealthy. What are your views on the impact of tourism--both positive and negative, long-term and short-term--on these islands (incorporate the graphs below)? Please refrain from just cheap vacation chatter ("hey, its a great place to visit!" type of talk). Make some serious, scholarly comments.

Charlotte Amalie is the capital of the U.S. Virgin Islands. The USVI consists of the three main islands of St. Croix, St. John, and St. Thomas, in addition to numerous smaller, lesser-known islands. It lies on the boundary of the Caribbean and the North American geological plate, making it prone to a possible earthquake as well as to the endemic Caribbean hurricane! As expected, the sugar plantation economy was important during its early history. Today, its mostly the tourist industry. The territory was known as the Danish West Indies until it was acquired by the United States from Denmark in 1917 for $25,000,000. These islands are classified as an "unincorporated" U.S. territory and its people are U.S. citizens.

Thus, you probably don't need a passport to visit. Like many other islands in the Caribbean it was "discovered" by Christopher Columbus' expedition who gave its name. Aruba is an autonomous Dutch dependency [Bonaire and Curacao are the others; hence "ABC" Dutch West Indies] that has some of the best and safest weather in the Caribbean because of its location outside the notorious Hurricane zone. The iconic Divi Tree is found throughout the island, serving as a natural compass as it points towards the southwest due to the cooling northeast trade winds. Gold and oil refining dominated its economy before tourism. Papiamento (a Portuguese derived creole language), Dutch, and English are all spoken here.

Its friendly people, excellent food, and relaxing beach resorts make this desert island a dream destination for many Americans. I've been told that it has one of the highest repeat visitor rates of any place in the Caribbean. The tourism slogan is: "One Happy Island!" Of course, another island closer to home was settled earlier by the Dutch in the 17th century called New Amsterdam or Manhattan. Altitudinal Zonation reveals how elevation layering on uplands and mountains determines economic activity.

You would be surprised how suddenly ecosystems change after a certain elevation is passed. In higher latitudes, the elevation numbers would shift downwards. You can get a idea of what this looks like in this photograph of Rocky Mountain National Park in Colorado. In Middle America, there is a mountain backbone running through Central America. In the Caribbean, the interior of the islands have high mountains. Although its unlikely that tropical islands have a snow line at the top.