Caribbean Sea
The Caribbean Sea is a branch of the Atlantic Ocean on its western side. It is surrounded by a ring of islands (the West Indies and mainland South America and Central America.
The Caribbean is named after the Carib Indians, a fierce tribe that attacked the Arawaks Indians who also lived in the area.
It was discovered by Europeans during Christopher Columbus' first voyage. Mainland South America, Central America, Cuba, Puerto Rico, Trinidad, and Santo Domingo were colonized by the Spanish, while other islands were colonized by Dutch, British and French settlers.
The mainland produced silver and gold brought to Spain in huge treasure fleets consisting of galleons. The islands were valuable for sugar production, and African slaves were brought in to work on huge plantations. Conditions were so brutal that their population continually dropped and new slaves had to be imported.
During the 16th and 17th centuries the area was a hotbed of piracy.
Hurricanes often pass through during from late summer to early fall.
In recent years, the economy has switched to oil production (Aruba, Venezuela), agriculture (bananas and other fruits), finance (e.g. Cayman Islands), and tourism.
The Panama Canal connect the Caribbean Sea to the Pacific Ocean.