Chapter 5 Study Guide
Setting the Boundaries
Which region of the Americas was the first to be
extensively explored and colonized by Europeans?
What is the source of the place-name, "Caribbean"?
The Bahamas
The Greater Antilles
Jamaica, Hatai, Dominican Republic, Puerto
Rico, Cuba
The Lesser Antilles
All the rest of the islands (but you don’t
need to know these)
Rimland
Belize, Guyana, French Guyana, Suriname
Environmental Geography
What were some factors that contributed to
deforestation in the Caribbean?
How much of its original forest cover has Haiti lost?
Why have forests in the rimland survived?
What effects are predicted for the Caribbean as
global climate change increases average
temperatures?
How many heavy storms (winds above 75 miles per
hour) move through the region annually?
What storm was considered the “deadliest” in the 20 th
century? What country did it have the greatest
impact?
What were some characteristics of Agriculture in the
Caribbean during colonial times
Which Caribbean country experienced a devastating
earthquake in January 2010?
Population and Settlement
What percentage of the people in Haiti between the
ages of 15 and 49 are infected with the HIV/AIDS
virus?
What percentage of the Caribbean population
between the ages 15 and 49 has HIV/AIDS?
A) 1%
What islands hold 85% of the population in the
region?
What is the current growth rate in the region?
What factors have contributed to a decline in fertility
rates in the region?
What is the Caribbean diaspora?
Where do many Caribbean peoples emigrate?
Rural-Urban Continuum
When did the region experiences the largest rural to
urban migration?
What shaped early settlement and lifestyle in the
region?
What percentage of the region is considered urban
today?
Most and least urban places
What are some urban environmental issues?
Where do many of the economic migrants to
Caribbean cities live once they reach the urban areas?
Why are squatter settlements absent from Cuba?
Cultural Coherence and Diversity
What is the primary reason that Caribbean colonies
began to turn to indentured labor as a workforce in
the mid-nineteenth century?
From which country did the indentured workers who
migrated to Guyana and Trinidad come?
According to your book hat is creolization?
What are some well-known forms of music closely
associated with the Caribbean?
What is meant by African Diaspora
What were Maroon societies?
What African traditions survived in the Caribbean
because of Maroons?
What is the most common language in the
Caribbean?
Where do we find the largest numbers of religions
tied to the African diaspora?
What are these religions?
(Be sure to look at the religion map!!)
Geopolitical Framework
What was the name of the official United States
policy that held that the United States would not
tolerate European military involvement in the
Western Hemisphere?
What is the political status of Puerto Rico?
What is meant by “Life in the American Backyard”
Which Caribbean country has no diplomatic relations
with the U.S.?
What is CARICOM
Economic and Social Development
What type of economy was dominant during colonial
times?
What was the most important crop?
What does “isolated proximity” refer to?
What is the major attraction of offshore banking in
the Caribbean?
As of 2001, how many Free Trade Zones were there
in the Dominican Republic?
Which island originally dominated tourism in this
region?
Which islands are now important?
What is brain drain?
Who does this affect the region?
Which Caribbean country has led the region in its
percentage of highly educated women?