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Curacao
Largest island of the Netherlands Antilles.
Official Name: Curacao
Capital: Willemstad
Area: 444 sq. km (182) sq. miles
Nationality: Netherlands Antillean(s)
Official Language: Dutch, English and Spanish are widely spoken.
Population: 144,000
Currency: Antilles Guildeer or Florin (NAF)
Exchange Rate: NAf $1.00=US $0.56;
US $1.00=NAf 1.79
Time Zone: EST+1(in winter); GMT -4
Phone Code: Area code (599), plus country Code 7 (Bonaire); 9 (Curacao); 5 (St. Maarten); 3 (St. Eustatius); 4 (Saba); plus local five digit number |
Puerto Rico
Important location along the Mona Passage - a key shipping lane to the Panama Canal; San Juan is one of the biggest and best natural harbors in the Caribbean; many small rivers and high central mountains ensure land is well watered; south coast relatively dry; fertile coastal plain belt in north.
Official Name: Commonwealth of Puerto Rico
Area: 9,104 square km (3,515 sq. miles)
Capital: San Juan
Nationality: Puerto Rican (US Citizen)
Official Language: Spanish and English
Population: 3,857,000
Currency: U.S. Dollar
Time Zone: EST + 1; GMT -4
Phone Code: Area code 787 plus local number
Highest point: Cerro de Punta 1,338 m
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Anguilla
Low-lying coral island known for its many sandy beaches. The most northerly of the Leeward Islands in the Lesser Antilles. A British dependency.
Official Name: Anguilla
Area: 91 square km. (35 sq. miles)
Capital: The Valley
Nationality: Anguillian(s)
Official Language: English
Population: 11,147
Currency: Eastern Caribbean Dollar (EC$)
Exchange Rate: U.S. $1.00 = EC$ 2.70
Time Zone: EST - 1; GMT -4
Phone Code: Country code (264), plus the local 7 digit number
National Bird: Turtledove
Highest point: Crocus Hill 65 m |
Costa Rica
Costa Rica is located in Central America, it is a small mountainous country noted for its rainforest.
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Saba
Part of the Netherlands Antilles. Island is an extinct volcano, with lush vegetation but few beaches.
Official Name: Saba
Capital: The Bottom
Nationality: Saban
Language: Dutch, English and Spanish
Population: 1,200
Head of State: Queen Beatrix / Netherlands
Currency: NAfl (guilder)
Exchange Rate: NAf $1.00=US$0.56; US$1.00=NAf 1.79
Time Zone: Eastern Standard Time + 1 hour
Phone Code: (599), plus country Code 7
Highest point: Mount Scenery 887 m
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Antigua and Barbuda
Antigua has a deeply indented shoreline with many natural harbours and beaches; Barbuda has a very large western harbour. Good transport links with other islands makes Antigua a regional and international hub.
Official Name: Antigua and Barbuda
Area: 443 sq km (Antigua 280 sq km; Barbuda 161 sq km) note: includes Redonda, 1.6 sq km
Capital: St. John’s
Nationality: Antiguan and Barbudian
Official Language: English
Population: 67,000
Currency: Eastern Caribbean Dollar (EC$)
Exchange Rate: U.S. $1.00 = EC$ 2.70
Time Zone: EST -1; GMT-4
Phone Code: Country code (268),
plus the local number |
Cayman Islands
Important location between Cuba and Central America.
Official Name: Cayman Islands
Area: 260 square km. (100 sq. miles)
Capitol: George Town (Grand Cayman)
Nationality: British Dependent Territory Citizenship
Official Language: English
Population: 38,000
Currency: Cayman Islands dollar (CI$)
Exchange Rate: CI$ 1.00 = US $1.20
Time Zone: EST; GMT -5
Phone Code: Regional code (345)
Highest point: The Bluff 43 m |
St. Barts
One of the French Antilles islands, also known Saint-Barthelemy.
Official Name: St. Barthelemy
Area: 8 square miles
Capital: Gustavia
Nationality: St. Bartian
Official Language: French. English also
Population: 7,000
Currency: French Franc
Time Zone: EST+ 1 hour (in winter)
Exchange Rate: US$ 1 = 5 Francs |
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Aruba
A flat, riverless island renowned for its white sand beaches; its tropical climate is moderated by constant trade winds from the Atlantic Ocean; the temperature is almost constant at about 27 degrees Celsius (81 degrees Fahrenheit). Just 25 Km north of Venezuela.
Official Name: Aruba
Area: 193 square km. (77 sq. miles)
Capital: Oranjestad
Nationality: Aruban
Official Language: Dutch, English is spoken
Population: 90,610
Currency: Aruban Florin (AF)
Exchange Rate: U.S. $1.00 = AF$1.79
Time Zone: EST +1; GMT -4
Phone Code: Country Code (297), plus local 6 digit number
Highest point: Mount Jamanota 188 m |
Dominica
Known as "The Nature Island of the Caribbean" due to its spectacular, lush, and varied flora and fauna, which are protected by an extensive natural park system; the most mountainous of the Lesser Antilles, its volcanic peaks are cones of lava craters and include Boiling Lake, the second-largest, thermally active lake in the world.
Official Name: Commonwealth of Dominica
Capital: Roseau
Nationality: Dominican
Area: 750 Sq km, (290 Sq miles)
Languages: English; French Creole
Population: 74,700
Currency: Eastern Caribbean Dollar (EC$)
Exchange Rate: U.S. $1 = (EC$)2.70
Time Zone: EST + 1; GMT -4
Ph. code: Country code (767) + 44 + local
Highest point: Morne Diablatin 1,447 m
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St. Eustatius
Also known as Statia. Part of the Netherland Antilles, island is dominated by the extinct volcano 'The Quill' at the southern end.
Official Name: Netherlands Antilles - St. Eustatias
Capital: Wilemstad (Curacao)
Nationality: Dutch
Official Language: Dutch, Papiamento is the colloquial language. English and Spanish are widely spoken.
Population: 210,000 Curacao: 153,991
Currency: Netherlands Antilles Guildeer or Florin (NAF)
Exchange Rate: NAf $1.00=US$0.56; US$1.00=NAf 1.79
Time Zone: EST+1(in winter); GMT -4
Phone Code: Area code (599), plus country Code 7 (Bonaire); 9 (Curacao); 5 (St. Maarten); 3 (St. Eustatius); 4 (Saba); plus local five digit number |
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Bahamas
An archipelago of 700 islands and islets (of which around 30 are inhabited), the Commonwealth of the Bahamas attracts more than five times its population in tourists. The visitors are attracted by its magnificent mild climate, splendid beaches and beautiful forests. Strategic location adjacent to US and Cuba.
Official Name: Aruba
Area: 193 square km. (77 sq. miles)
Capital: Oranjestad
Nationality: Aruban
Official Language: Dutch, English is spoken
Population: 90,610
Currency: Aruban Florin (AF)
Exchange Rate: U.S. $1.00 = AF$1.79
Time Zone: EST +1; GMT -4
Phone Code: Country Code (297), plus local 6 digit number
Highest point: Mount Alvernia, on Cat Island 63 m
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Dominican Republic
Shares island of Hispaniola with Haiti (eastern two-thirds is the Dominican Republic, western one-third is Haiti). Traditionally dependent on the export of sugar and other agricultural products, the DR has become the most popular tourist destination in the Caribbean. Tourism is the country's second most important source of foreign exchange, after sugar.
Official Name: Dominican Republic
Capital: Santo Domingo
Nationality: Dominican
Official Language: Spanish
Area: 48,442 sq km, (18,700 Sq miles)
Population: 8,076,000
Currency: Dominican Republic Peso
Exchange Rate: U.S. 1$ = DR peso 16.00
Time Zone: EST + 1; GMT -4
Phone Code: Country code 809 + 7 digit local
Highest point: Pico Duarte 3,175 m |
St. Kitts
With coastlines in the shape of a baseball bat and ball, the two volcanic islands are separated by a three-km-wide channel called The Narrows; on the southern tip of long, baseball bat-shaped Saint Kitts lies the Great Salt Pond;. St Kitts and Nevis is heavily dependent on agriculture; however, tourism and a growing offshore financial industry are becoming increasingly important to the economy.
Official Name: Federation of St. Christopher and Nevis
Area: 269 square km (104 sq. mi.) combined
St. Kitts 176 sq. km (68 sq. miles)
Nevis 93 square km (36 sq. miles)
Capital: Basseterre (St. Kitts); Charlestown (Nevis)
Population: 44,000
Currency: Eastern Caribbean Dollar (ECD)
Exchange Rate: U.S. 1$ = $2.70 EC
Time Zone: EST + 1; GMT -4
Phone Code: Area Code 869 plus local #
Highest point: Mount Liamuiga 1,156 m
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Barbados
Barbados has seen tourism overtake the production and export of sugar as the island's main revenue earner. Easternmost Caribbean island
Official Name: Barbados
Area: 431 square km. (166 sq. miles)
Capital: Bridgetown
Nationality: Barbadian
Official Language: English
Population: 266,000
Currency: Barbados Dollar (B$)
Exchange Rate: U.S. $1.00 = B$2.00
Time Zone: EST+1; GMT -4
Phone Code: Regional code (246),
+ the local number
Highest point: Mount Hillaby 336 m
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Grenada
Called 'The Spice Island' because of nutmeg and other spices it produces. The administration of the islands of the Grenadines group is divided between Saint Vincent and the Grenadines and Grenada.
Official Name: Grenada
Capital: St. George’s
Nationality: Grenadian
Official Language: English
Area: 344 Sq km. (133 Sq miles)
Population: 98.600
Currency: Eastern Caribbean Dollar (EC$)
Exchange Rate: U.S.$1 = EC $2.70
Time Zone: EST + 1; GMT -4
Phone Code: Country code 473 plus local number
Highest point: Mount Saint Catherine 840 m |
St. Lucia
The twin Pitons (Gros Piton and Petit Piton), striking cone-shaped peaks south of Soufriere, are one of the scenic natural highlights of the Caribbean.
Official Name: Saint Lucia
Area: 616 square km (238 sq. miles)
Capital: Castries
Nationality: St. Lucian
Official Language: English (French Patois widely spoken)
Population: 152,335
Currency: Eastern Caribbean Dollar (ECD)
Exchange Rate: 1 U.S. = $2.70 ECD
Time Zone: EST + 1; GMT -4
Phone Code: Area code 758 plus local #
Highest point: Mount Gimie 950 m
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| Belize
Formerly known as British Honduras, Belize has more in common with the Caribbean island-states than with its Central American neighbours. . Only country in Central America without a coastline on the North Pacific Ocean.
Official Name: Belize
Area: 22,960 sq. km (8,866 sq. miles)
Capital: Belmopan
Nationality: Belizian
Official Language: English. Spanish,
Creole and Garifuna are also spoken
Population: 238,500
Currency: Belize Dollar (B$)
Exchange Rate: U.S. $1.00 = (B$)2.00
Time Zone: EST -1; GMT -6
Phone Code: Country code (501) |
Guadeloupe
A narrow channel, the Riviere Salee, divides Guadeloupe proper into two islands: the larger, western Basse-Terre and the smaller, eastern Grande-Terre.
Official Name: Guadeloupe
Area: 1780 square km. (687 sq. miles)
Capital: Basse-Terre
Nationality: French citizen
Guadaloupeen (m) Guadaloupenne (f)
Official Language: French
Population: 422,000
Currency: French franc
Exchange Rate: U.S. 1$ = 6 French francs
Time Zone: EST + 1; GMT -4
Phone Code: Country 590 + six digit local
Highest point: Soufriere 1,484 m
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St. Martin & St. Maarten
Saint-Martin is devided between French Saint-Martin and Dutch Sint Maarten
Official Name: St. Martin
(The French part of the island)
Capital: Marigot
Nationality: French
Area: 21 sq. miles (the island is 37 sq. miles)
Official Language: French. English also.
Population: 37,000
Currency: Netherlands Antilles Guildeer or Florin (NAF)
Exchange Rate: NAf $1.00=US$0.56; US$1.00=NAf 1.79
Time Zone: EST+1(in winter); GMT -4
Phone Code: Area code (599), plus country Code 7 (Bonaire); 9 (Curacao); 5 (St. Maarten); 3 (St. Eustatius); 4 (Saba); plus local five digit number
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Bermuda
Consists of about 138 coral islands and islets with ample rainfall, but no rivers or freshwater lakes; some land, reclaimed and otherwise, was leased by US Government from 1941 to 1995.
Official Name: Bermuda
Area: 54 Square Miles
Capital: Hamilton
Nationality: British Dependent Territory Citizenship
Official Language: English
Population: 63,037
Currency: Bermuda Dollar (BDA$)
Exchange Rate: U.S. $1.00 = BDA$ 1.00
Time Zone: EST + 1; GMT -4
Phone Code: Country Code (441),
plus the local number
Highest point: Town Hill 76 m |
Guyana
The third-smallest country in South America after Suriname and Uruguay; substantial portions of its western and eastern territories are claimed by Venezuela and Suriname respectively. A largely forested country with spectacular waterfalls, distinctively large plants and trees and a thick tropical rainforest teeming with brilliantly-coloured birds, insects and a wide variety of mammals, Guyana is potentially a lucrative eco-tourist destination.
Official Name: Republic of Guyana
Capital: Georgetown
Nationality: Guyanese
Official Language: English
Area: 214,970 Sq. km, (83,000 Sq miles)
Population: 850,000
Currency: Guyana Dollar (G$)
Exchange Rate: U.S. 1$ = $180 (G) July 2000
Time Zone: EST +2; GMT -3
Phone Code: 011 + Country Code 592 plus 7 digit local number
Highest point: Mount Roraima 2,835 m
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Official Name: Sint Maarten
(The Dutch part of the island of St. Martin)
Capital: Phillipsburg
Nationality: Dutch
Area: 16 sq. miles (The island is 37 sq. miles)
Official Language: Dutch. English also.
Population: 39,000
Currency: Netherlands Antilles Guildeer or Florin (NAF)
Exchange Rate: NAf $1.00=US$0.56; US$1.00=NAf 1.79
Time Zone: EST+1(in winter); GMT -4
Phone Code: Area code (599), plus country Code 7 (Bonaire); 9 (Curacao); 5 (St. Maarten); 3 (St. Eustatius); 4 (Saba); plus local five digit number |
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Bonaire
Excellent diving, this is one of the 'ABC' islands off the coast of Venezuela.
Official Name: Bonaire
Capital: Kralendijk
Nationality: Bonairean
Official Language: Dutch. Papiamento is the local language. English is also spoken
Population: 15,000
Currency: NAfl (Florin or Guilder)
Exchange Rate: US $1= NAfl 1.77
Time Zone: Eastern Standard Time + 1 hour
Phone Code: Area code (599), plus country Code 7 (Bonaire); 9 (Curacao); 5 (St. Maarten); 3 (St. Eustatius); 4 (Saba); plus local five digit number
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Haiti
Shares island of Hispaniola with Dominican Republic (western one-third is Haiti, eastern two-thirds is the Dominican Republic.
Official Name: Republic of Haiti
Area: 27,749 square km (10,714 sq. miles)
Capital: Port-au-Prince
Nationality: Haitian
Official Languages: Haitian Creole and French
Population: 6,785,000
Currency: Gourde
Time Zone: GMT -5 (no Daylight savings time)
Phone Code: Country code 509 + 7 digit local
Highest point: Chaine de la Selle 2,680 m
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St. Vincent and the Grenadines
The multi-island country of St Vincent and the Grenadines is a land of contrasts: the volcanic, mountainous St Vincent contrasting with the flat, mainly bare coral reefs of the Grenadines. . The administration of the islands of the Grenadines group is divided between St. Vincent and the Grenadines and Grenada; St. Vincent and the Grenadines is comprised of 32 islands and cays.
Official Name: Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
Area: 388 square km (150 sq. miles)
Capital: Kingstown
Nationality: Vincentian
Official Language: English
Population: 120,519
Currency: Eastern Caribbean Dollar (ECD)
Exchange Rate: 1 U.S. = $2.70 EC
Time Zone: EST + 1; GMT -4
Phone code: Area code 784 plus local number
Highest point: Soufriere 1,234 m |
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British Virgin Islands
Strong ties to nearby US Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico
Official Name: British Virgin Islands
Area: 153 square km. (59 sq. miles)
Capital: Road Town (Tortola)
Nationality: British Dependent Territory
Citizenship: British Virgin Islander
Official Language: English
Population: 19,000
Currency: U.S. Dollar
Time Zone: (summer); EST + 1
(winter); GMT -4
Phone Code: Regional code (284)
Highest point: Mount Sage 521 m
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Jamaica
Strategic location between Cayman Trench and Jamaica Channel, the main sea lanes for the Panama Canal.
Official Name: Jamaica
Nationality: Jamaican
Area: 10,991 square km (4,244 sq. miles)
Capital: Kingston
Official Language: English
Population: 2,538,000
Currency: Jamaican Dollar
Exchange Rate: U.S $1 = $35 Jamaican
Time Zone: GMT - 5
Phone Code: Country Code 876 plus local number
Highest point: Blue Mountain Peak 2,256 m |
Suriname
Smallest independent country on South American continent; mostly tropical rain forest; great diversity of flora and fauna that, for the most part, is increasingly threatened by new development; relatively small population, mostly along the coast.
Population: 436,494 (July 2002 est.)
Capital: Paramaribo
Area: total: 163,270 sq km
Highest point: Juliana Top 1,230 m
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| Cuba
Largest island in Caribbean and westernmost island of the Greater Antilles. Cuba has survived more than 40 years of US sanctions intended to topple the government of Fidel Castro. Despite the US trade embargo a modest recovery has been made with the help of Canadian, European and Latin American investments, especially in tourism.
Official Name: Republic of Cuba
Area: 110,860 sq. km. (42,803 sq. miles)
Capital: Havana
Nationality: Cuban
Official Language: Spanish
Population: 11,051,000 Currency: Peso
Exchange Rates: Official: U.S. $1.00 = 1 Cuban peso Informal: US$ 1.00 = 21 pesos
Time Zone: EST; GMT -5
Phone Code: Country code (53) City Codes: Havana 7; Pinar del Rio 33; Cienfuengos 432; Ciego de Avila 33; Camaguey 22; Holguin 24; Santiago 226
Highest point: Pico Turquino 2,005 m |
Montserrat
The island is entirely volcanic in origin and contains seven active volcanoes.
Official Name: Montserrat
Area: 102 square km (39.5 sq. miles)
Capital: Plymouth
Nationality: Montserratian
Official Language: English
Population: 4,000
Currency: Eastern Caribbean Dollar (ECD)
Exchange Rate: 1 U.S. $ = (ECD)2.70
Time Zone: EST + 1; GMT -4
Phone Code: Country code 264 plus 7 digit number
Highest point: Chances Peak (in the Soufriere Hills volcanic complex) 914 m
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Trinidad and Tobago
This two-island state enjoys a per capita income well above the average for Latin America thanks to its oil wealth, which in the early 1970s made it the third biggest exporter of petroleum in the western hemisphere. .
Pitch Lake, on Trinidad's southwestern coast, is the world's largest natural reservoir of asphalt .
Official Name: Republic of Trinidad and Tobago
Area: 5,128 square km (1,980 sq. mi)
Trinidad 4,828 square km (1864 sq. miles)
Tobago 300 square km (116 sq. miles)
Capital: Port-of-Spain
Nationality: Trinbagonian (unofficial) Trinidadian, Tobagonian
Official Language: English
Population: 1,283,000
Currency: Trinidad & Tobago Dollar
Time Zone: EST + 1; GMT -4
Phone Code: Area code 868 plus local #
Highest point: El Cerro del Aripo 940 m |
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Curacao
Largest island of the Netherlands Antilles.
Official Name: Curacao
Capital: Willemstad
Area: 444 sq. km (182) sq. miles
Nationality: Netherlands Antillean(s)
Official Language: Dutch, English and Spanish are widely spoken.
Population: 144,000
Currency: Antilles Guildeer or Florin (NAF)
Exchange Rate: NAf $1.00=US $0.56;
US $1.00=NAf 1.79
Time Zone: EST+1(in winter); GMT -4
Phone Code: Area code (599), plus country Code 7 (Bonaire); 9 (Curacao); 5 (St. Maarten); 3 (St. Eustatius); 4 (Saba); plus local five digit number |
Magarita Island
Located about 20 miles off the coast of Venezuela.
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Turks and Caicos
About 40 islands (eight inhabited)
Official Name: The Turks and Caicos Islands
Area: 430 square km (192 sq. miles)
Capital: Cockburn Town (Grand Turk Island)
Nationality: Turks Islanders (British Citizens)
Official Language: English
Population: 23,000
Currency: U.S. Dollar
Time Zone: GMT -5
Phone Code: Area code 649 plus local #
Highest point: Blue Hills 49 m |
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Curacao
Largest island of the Netherlands Antilles.
Official Name: Curacao
Capital: Willemstad
Area: 444 sq. km (182) sq. miles
Nationality: Netherlands Antillean(s)
Official Language: Dutch, English and Spanish are widely spoken.
Population: 144,000
Currency: Antilles Guildeer or Florin (NAF)
Exchange Rate: NAf $1.00=US $0.56;
US $1.00=NAf 1.79
Time Zone: EST+1(in winter); GMT -4
Phone Code: Area code (599), plus country Code 7 (Bonaire); 9 (Curacao); 5 (St. Maarten); 3 (St. Eustatius); 4 (Saba); plus local five digit number
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Martinique
The island is dominated by Mount Pelee, which on 8 May 1902 erupted and completely destroyed the city of Saint Pierre, killing 30,000 inhabitants.
Official Name: Dept. of Martinique (France)
Area: 1,110 square km (428 sq. miles)
Capital: Fort-de-France
Nationality: Martiniquaise (f) Martiniquais (M) French citizen
Official Language: French
Population: 392,100
Currency French Franc
Exchange Rate: 1 U.S. $ = 6.28 French francs
Time Zone: EST + 1; GMT -4
Phone Code: Country code 596 plus 6 digit number
Highest point: Montagne Pelee 1,397 m |
US Virgin Islands
Important location along the Anegada Passage - a key shipping lane for the Panama Canal; Saint Thomas has one of the best natural deepwater harbors in the Caribbean.
Official Name: United States Virgin Islands
Area: 352 square km (144 sq. miles) combined
Capital: Charlotte Amalie (St. Thomas)
Nationality: U.S. Citizen
Official Language: English
Currency: U.S. Dollar
Time Zone: EST + 1; GMT -4
Phone Code: Area code 340 plus local number
Population: 123,498 (July 2002 est.)
Highest point: Crown Mountain 474 m
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THE CARIBBEAN CARICOM |
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THE CARIBBEAN COMMUNITY
In 1972, Commonwealth Caribbean leaders at the Seventh Heads of Government Conference decided to transform the Caribbean Free Trade Association (CARIFTA) into a Common Market and establish the Caribbean Community, of which the Common Market would be an integral part.
The signing of the Treaty establishing the Caribbean Community, Chaguaramas, 4th July 1973, was a defining moment in the history of the Commonwealth Caribbean. Although a free-trade area had been established, CARIFTA did not provide for the free movement of labour and capital, or the coordination of agricultural, industrial and foreign policies.
The objectives of the Community, identified in Article 6 of the Revised Treaty, are: to improve standards of living and work; the full employment of labour and other factors of production; accelerated, coordinated and sustained economic development and convergence; expansion of trade and economic relations with third States; enhanced levels of international competitiveness; organisation for increased production and productivity; achievement of a greater measure of economic leverage and effectiveness of Member States in dealing with third States, groups of States and entities of any description and the enhanced co-ordination of Member States’ foreign and foreign economic policies and enhanced functional co-operation.
The Revised Treaty
In 1989, when the Heads of Government made the decision to transform the Common Market into a single market and economy in which factors move freely as a basis for internationally competitive production of goods and provision of services, it was also decided that for the transformation to take place, the Treaty would have to be revised.
In 1992, following the adoption of the report of the West Indian Commission, an Inter-governmental Task Force was established, to work on the revision of the Treaty.
Between 1993 and 2000, the Inter-Governmental Task Force (IGTF) which was composed of representatives of all Member States, produced nine Protocols, for the purpose of amending the Treaty. These nine Protocols were later combined to create a new version of the Treaty, called formally, The Revised Treaty of Chaguaramas Establishing the Caribbean Community, including the CARICOM Single Market and Economy.
Allowances have been made for the subsequent inclusion in the Revised Treaty, by way of additional Protocols, new issues such as e-commerce, government procurement, trade in goods from free zones, free circulation of goods, and the rights contingent on the free movement of persons. | |
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