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Last Updated: Dec 15, 2007 - 2:55:41 AM |
General Background
The lesser Antilles is the portion of the West Indies which begins with the Virgin Island and ends with the Margarita Island and the Netherlands ABC (Aruba, Bonaire, Curacao) near Venezuela in South America.
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| Beach in Anguilla |
They are geographically very different from the Greater Antilles (Cuba, Hispagnola_Haiti / Dominican Republic_, Jamaica and Puerto Rico). As a matter of fact once one leaves Puerto Rico, there is a dramatic change of scenery. The islands become a multitude of shapes rising out of the sea. Some spewn from extinct volcanic cauldrons, others still rising constantly above the sea level as tips of active volcanoes. A large percentage of the Lesser Antilles islands is also made of accumulated coral skeleton of living sea communities that are still building their habitat. Sometimes, the violent destructive forces of the volcanoes and the habitat forming process of the coral riffs combine themselves to create a wonderful mixture. Such is the case in the island of Grenada where black volcanic sand is found, in some places, side by side with the white coral sand.
The lesser Antilles have a geologic uniformity which can help simplify their study. They are made of one mountain chain that spreads from north to south. The islands are the tips of this mountain chain. The confusion starts however once a person try to learn about the different islands or to orient herself during a visit. There are so many names that are similar or almost similar. Visitors for business, pleasure or learning have difficulty orienting themselves without constantly referring to a map telling them what island is near their location. The myriad of St this, St. that can give a headache to school children and adult alike who are trying to study the Caribbean.
This confusion is the legacy of the fierce competition between the European powers for colonial dominance of the Islands since the 16th century. They had a tremendous strategic value in the projection of maritime power and an astronomic economic importance for the empires that owned them.
View the full lesser Antilles page
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