|
Welcome
to the Caribbean
A
vast volcanic mountain chain lies along the floor
of the Caribbean Sea. The tops of some of the mountains
extend beyond the water to form many of the islands
of the region. Other islands are cays (pronounced
keez), low-lying coral islands, formed over thousands
of years from the accumulation the skeletal remains
of tiny sea animals.
The
islands of the Caribbean Sea are divided into three
main groups-the Bahamas, the Greater Antilles, and the
Lesser Antilles. The Bahamas is an archipelago, or a
group of 700 islands north of the Caribbean Sea. People
inhabit only about thirty of the Bahamian islands. South
of the Bahamas are the largest islands of the Caribbean,
called the Greater Antilles. The Greater Antilles include
Cuba, Jamaica, Puerto Rico, and Hispañola. The
largest islands of the Greater Antilles have rugged
mountains and lush, thick rain forests. Hispañola
is home to two nations: Haiti and the Dominican Republic.
Most of the rest of the Caribbean islands form an arc
that stretches from Puerto Rico to the coast of South
America. These islands are known as the Lesser Antilles.
|
caribbeanedu.com
