The Caribbean
The Caribbean is best described as a region of nations that are mostly made up of Islands. For more information on the Region click here for the Caribbean. It makes the news for a variety of regions and fascinates me for a few of the following:
Its Tourism - staggering facts and figures mean this place has a mass constantly evolving population of tourists in cruise ships, long distance flights from Europe and shorter flights from North America.
Its Travesty - Haiti in particular has had it rough no one denies the poverty and bad luck this massive half of Hispaniola has endured, but other years it could be Hurricanes that grip the viewers.
Its History - From Cuba to Isla Margarita in Venezuela and to the Bahamas the Caribbean is steeped in History. Its waters and strategic placement have ensured it has not gone unused by pirate ships and mobile missile bases. Also it has been an agricultural force in sugar cane and tobacco not to mention its rum.
Its Future - Tourism is a massive industry and in the future development for example, real estate is bringing in a new wave of immigrants. It would be nice if tourism and development was kept at a level it can handle and that is down to the individual governments to ensure this. I think this is one nice thing about cruise ships that they come and then they take their thing with them. I am unsure as to the pollution one of these things kicks out. It must be massive as they really do use some energy. I hope that its not damaging to the Caribbean.
Its Geography - The Hurricanes are not unlucky for the Caribbean though at first it seems very cruel, they are a force of nature and wouldn't be here if the local conditions didn't exist and they wouldn't exist without the tropics. Pick your islands and you will reduce the chance of getting one or some tropical storms which can be a real nuisance for holidaymakers. I have seen this be a big advantage for cruiseships IF they do change their plans for the weather but I can imagine that's not such a flippant thing to do.
My Favourite Islands - The Caribbean islands for me vary so much and the cultures are the defining factors in me choosing a favourite as I will assume the weather is always great which is is not! I just pick my moments and so should you ! Well back to my favorites, Tobago has its beauty and music and awesome drift diving, St Vincent and the Grenadines has great sailing as does the British Virgin Islands. Puerto Rico is bringing us Regaton and a new pop star, though I can hear you groaning. The Bay Islands bring you an older less developed Caribbean, Bonaire has perhaps the best scuba diving, St Barts is keeping it rich and luxurious and Jamaica is keeping it musical and raw.
Related Caribbean Websites
Caribbean Holidays - with a slant on scuba diving you will find a wealth of information on each island, what resorts what dive shops, what holidays can I book. If you find a holiday online contact them to try and get a better price.
Wikipedias site - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caribbean
About.com - Couples in the Caribbean