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Saturday, March 6, 2010

The Geography and Climate of the Caribbean


The variety of the Caribbean region leads to significant land forms and a surprising variety of climatic conditions.
The Caribbean consists primarily of the archipelago of islands from Bermuda and the Bahamas to Trinidad and the Dutch Antilles. In a geo-political sense, the Caribbean also includes Belize, Suriname and French Guyana - countries that are located in Central and South America.
For a region that lacks glaciers, tors and inselbergs, the landscapes of Caribbean countries are enough to whet the appetite of an avid geography enthusiast.

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Volcanoes

As a region whose formation was influenced by volcanic activity, the Caribbean has a number of active volcanoes. Soufriere immediately comes to mind, as it is a name associated with a number of volcanoes in the Caribbean, including Montserrat's notorious Mt. Soufriere. Even Trinidad has active mud volcanoes.
Mountains and Mountain Ranges
Mountain ranges exist, in Cuba, Belize, Hispaniola, Jamaica and even smaller islands like Trinidad and Tobago, St. Kitts and Nevis, St. Lucia and Dominica. Historians state that Trinidad got its name from Columbus' sighting of three hills (Trinity hills). Some other notable mountains and mountain ranges in the Caribbean include the Northern Range (Trinidad), Mount Gimie (St. Lucia), Blue Mountains (Jamaica) and Morne Diablotins (Dominica).
Waterfalls
Most Caribbean countries (small as they are) have multiple waterfalls. Many waterfalls are found in mountainous regions across the Caribbean like Jamaica, Trinidad and Tobago and several smaller islands like St. Lucia and Grenada- to name a couple.
Rainforest
The existence of exotic flora and fauna is also attributed to the presence of rainforests in the Caribbean.
Swamps
Notable swamps include the Nariva Swamp and Caroni swamp.
Beaches and coral reefs
Beaches are notable not only for the white-sand and multi-coloured water, but the prevalence of the coral reefs on many islands. Coral reefs are major geographical features in the Caribbean. Sand bars also make some of the Caribbean beaches very interesting. Other geographical features of some parts of the Caribbean include deserts, miniature islands, caves, bays and inlets.
Climate
The Caribbean doesn't have four seasons. The Caribbean climate is typically warm and humid, with dry and wet seasons. The dry season spans from January to May, while the wet season spans from June to December.
Some parts of the Caribbean - like Margarita and the Dutch Antilles - experience semi-arid conditions that lead to the formation of deserts. The climate of Trinidad - as the southernmost Caribbean island - is similar to that of Guyana with a very prominent "rainy season" and high humidity.
The rest of the islands experience marginally higher temperatures with seasonal rainfall that is influenced by the Inter-Tropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ). The ITCZ sometimes yields torrential rainfall for days on end in the Caribbean. Beyond Trinidad and Tobago and the Dutch Antilles, the Caribbean islands lie within the hurricane belt. The range of temperatures in the Caribbean is not extreme. The average temperature (night and day) across all of the Caribbean countries is about 28 degrees Celsius. The lowest temperature on average is 22 degrees Celsius (71.6 Fahrenheit). The highest temperature is about 36 degrees Celsius (96.8 degrees Fahrenheit). Naturally, mountainous regions are cooler (because of the higher altitude) and the Windward Islands are cooler than the Leeward Islands.
This is by no means a comprehensive overview of the diversity of the Caribbean region. After all the Caribbean region has many different sub-regions with different climatic and geographical influences.



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