Caribbean Sea Islands

The islands of the Caribbean experience tropical or subtropical weather conditions, including high humidity, little temperature variation between seasons, and the cooling effects of trade winds. Turks & Caicos are very dry, while Martinique is vulnerable to cyclones and hurricanes. Puerto Rico, a commonwealth territory of the United States, is divided by mountains and is a popular tourist destination. The people of Puerto Rico have some of the highest living conditions in the Caribbean region. Natural resources of the Caribbean territories include oil, bananas, and sugarcane. Tourism, however, remains a major source of income for this area.

Anguilla

At a Glance

Official Name: Anguilla

Area: 35 sq. mi. (91 sq. km)

Population: 12,132

Unit of Money: East Caribbean dollar

Major Languages: English

Government: dependent territory of U.K.

Aruba

At a Glance

Official Name: Aruba

Area: 75 sq. mi. (193 sq. km)

Population: 70,007

Unit of Money: Aruban florin

Major Languages: Dutch, Papiamento, English, Spanish

Government: parliamentary democracy

British Virgin Islands

At a Glance

Official Name: British Virgin Islands

Area: 58 sq. mi. (150 sq. km)

Population: 20,812

Major Languages: English

Unit of Money: U.S. dollar

Government: dependent territory of U.K.

Cayman Islands

At a Glance

Official Name: Cayman Islands

Area: 100 sq. mi. (260 sq. km)

Population: 35,527

Unit of Money: Caymanian dollar

Major Languages: English

Government: British dependent territory

Guadeloupe

At a Glance

Official Name: Department of Guadeloupe

Area: 659 sq. mi. (1,706 sq. km)

Population: 431,170

Unit of Money: French franc

Major Languages: French (official), Creole patois

Government: overseas department of France

Martinique

At a Glance

Official Name: Department of Martinique

Area: 409 sq. mi. (1,060 sq. km)

Population: 418,454

Unit of Money: French franc

Major Languages: French, Creole patois

Government: overseas department of France

Montserrat

At a Glance

Official Name: Montserrat

Area: 39 sq. mi. (100 sq. km)

Population: 7,574

Unit of Money: East Caribbean dollar

Major Languages: English

Government: colony of U.K.

Navassa Island

Uninhabited island owned by the United States

At a Glance

Official Name: Navassa Island

Area: 2 sq. mi. (5.2 sq. km)

Netherlands Antilles

At a Glance

Official Name: Netherlands Antilles

Area: 371 sq. mi. (960 sq. km)

Population: 212,226

Unit of Money: Netherlands Antillean guilder

Major Languages: Dutch (official), Papiamento, English, Spanish

Government: autonomous part of Netherlands, parliamentary

Puerto Rico

At a Glance

Official Name: Commonwealth of Puerto Rico

Area: 3,459 sq. mi. (8,959 sq. km)

Population: 3,937,316

Major Languages: Spanish (official), English

Unit of Money: U.S. dollar

Government: commonwealth associated with U.S.

Turks and Caicos Islands

At a Glance

Official Name: Turks and Caicos Islands

Area: 166 sq. mi. (430 sq. km)

Population: 18,122

Unit of Money: U.S. dollar

Major Languages: English

Government: colony of U.K.

Virgin Islands

At a Glance

Official Name: Virgin Islands of the United States

Area: 135 sq. mi. (349 sq. km)

Population: 122,211

Unit of Money: U.S. dollar

Major Languages: English, Spanish, Creole

Government: organized, unincorporated territory of U.S.