Central America and the West Indies

Chapter 6

A Frightening VoyageOn October 12, 1492,

Columbus spotted land in AmericaHe actually landed in the

BahamasThe Arawaks

The friendly people Columbus met

Beginning of one of the greatest changes in history

West Indies, an Island WorldColumbus sailed home,

thinking he found the water route to Asia (India)Name West Indies stuckFour Largest islands- Cuba,

Jamaica, Puerto Rico, and Hispaniola

Many are archipelagos- chain of islands

They named America in honor of an Italian navigator, Amerigo Vespucci (sailed near South America)

Two Kinds of Islands/HurricanesTwo Kinds

Variety of LandscapesLimestone islands

Generally flatVolcanic island

More fertile soil More dangerous

HurricanesBiggest danger

People of the Caribbean Mulattoes

Most Indians disappeared (disease)

Mulattoes are born of one black parent and one white parent

SlaveryMost slaves were brought to

the West Indies by sugar planters from England, France, and Netherlands

Today is the result of that Spanish, Dutch, French, and

English are spoken

IsthmusA small strip of land

that connects two larger land areasSize of CaliforniaCosta Rica, Guatemala,

El Salvador, Belize, Honduras, Nicaragua, and Panama

Very different in each country

Coffee and Bananas

Daily OpenerWhat is an archipelago?

Quick ReviewFrom Yesterday

Partner ProjectFind a partner

One group of threePick a country from the West Indies

Cuba 13Jamaica 11Bahamas 2Haiti 15Dominican Republic 6

ProjectYou will be making a three slide PowerPoint

on your countryOpening Slide- Title and picture of countrySlide 1- Brief history of the CountrySlide 2- Geography of the CountrySlide 3- Economy of the Country and natural

resourcesSlide 4- Government of the Country

Picture on each slide

The West IndiesLesson 2

CubaCuba is the Largest

country in the West Indies

Ideal place to grow sugarcane

Only 90 miles from the United States

Easy transportation of sugarcane

RevolutionUnited States sugar

companies controlled sugar business in Cuba until 1959

That year a revolution overthrew the government

They “expropriated” the AmericansTo take the property of

anotherCastro turned to the Soviet

Union for aid and supportSold most sugar to U.S.S.R

U.S. and Cuban Relationshttp://www.history.com/videos/kennedy-and-t

he-cuban-missile-crisis

Puerto RicoThe United States took

control of it after the Spanish-American War (1898)

Commonwealth of the United StatesCan make its own lawsCitizens of the United

StatesCannot vote for

President

Economic SuccessUntil 1940, Puerto Rico was one of the

poorest lands in Latin AmericaBetween ‘40 and ‘70 however they became

one of the wealthiestBrought in industries that produce electronic

equipment, appliances, textiles, and clothing

HispaniolaHispaniola

Dominican RepublicHaiti

Dominican RepublicEconomy is highly

sugarcane and tourism

HaitiPoorest country in

the Western Hemisphere

JamaicaBritish colony until

1962Grew coffee and

sugarcane on huge plantationsBrought Africans as

slavesEconomy

Bauxite is used for making aluminum

Tourism has become very important

Lesser AntillesMany smaller

countries in the West Indies

Largest is Trinidad and TobagoRich because of oil

and gasTourism has become

important to these countries