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The region includes 13 island countries, from the Bahamas in the north to Trinidad and Tobago in the south; Belize, which is geographically situated in Central America; and the two nations of Guyana and Suriname, located on the north central coast of South America. Lots of nations in the region share a common African ethnic and British colonial heritage, while Cuba and the Dominican Republic were Spanish nests, Haiti was French, and Suriname was Dutch. The dates of self-reliance of these nations vary from Haiti in 1804 to St. Kitts and Nevis in 1983. The largest countries in terms of acreage are Guyana and Suriname, while those with the largest populations are Cuba, the Dominican Republic, and Haiti.

Politically, all Caribbean nations, with the exception of communist Cuba, have actually chosen democratic federal governments. The majority of the previous British nests have parliamentary forms of federal government, with the exception of Guyana, the Dominican Republic, Haiti, and Suriname, which are republics headed by presidents. In regards to local integration, 14 of the region's independent nations come from the Caribbean Neighborhood (CARICOM), with the exception of the Dominican Republic (which has observer status) and Cuba. CARICOM was formed in 1973 to spur local economic combination. Some critics argue that it has been slow to promote integration, compared to other local financial groupings, however development has been made in approaching a single financial market and in establishing a Caribbean Court of Justice.

The six OECS nations also share a typical currency, the Eastern Caribbean dollar, with financial policy handled by the Eastern Caribbean Reserve Bank. The Caribbean Development Bank (CDB), headquartered in Barbados, promotes economic advancement and local combination. With the exception of Cuba and Haiti, regular elections have actually been the standard, and for the most part have been complimentary and fair. In 2005, Dominica and Suriname held elections in Might, and St. Vincent and the Grenadines held elections in December. Haiti was anticipated to hold elections in 2005, however significant issues and political instability resulted in those elections being held off a number of times, till they were ultimately hung on February 7, 2006.

Effective elections eventually were hung on August 28, 2006, without the political violence that some observers had actually anticipated. Looking ahead, parliamentary elections are due in St. Lucia by December 2006, while elections in the Bahamas, Jamaica, and Trinidad and Tobago are due in 2007. (See for a listing of leaders and elections for head of federal government.) Although numerous Caribbean countries have preserved long democratic customs, they are not immune from terrorist and other hazards to their political stability. In 1993, stability on St. Kitts was threatened following violent protests after contested elections; order was brought back with the help of security forces from surrounding states.

Earlier in the 1980s, the government of Eugenia Charles in Dominica was threatened by a strange coup plot including foreign mercenaries. And of course, Grenada, under the socialist-oriented federal government of Maurice Bishop, experienced a break from the democratic norm after it assumed power in a nearly bloodless coup in 1979 and installed a people's innovative federal government. After the violent overthrow and murder of Bishop in 1983, the United States stepped in to restore order and end the Cuban presence on the island. Many Caribbean countries experienced a financial downturn in 2001-2002 due to slumps in the tourist and farming sectors, although a lot of Caribbean economies have rebounded considering that 2003.

financial recession and sluggish recovery. The banana and sugar sectors in the Eastern Caribbean were harmed by a hurricane in 2002 and a dry spell in 2003. Both sectors face uncertain futures because of the European Union's strategy to phase out preferred market access from former Caribbean nests for bananas by 2006 and for sugar by 2009. The Haitian economy experienced decrease start in 2001, with political instability worsening currently challenging financial conditions in the hemisphere's poorest nation. The greatest carrying out economies recently have been those of the Dominican Republic, fueled by the apparel sector, and Trinidad and Tobago, with considerable energy resources.

In 2004 and 2005, the region's greatest economic entertainers averaging growth rates over 5% for those two years, were Antigua and Barbuda, Cuba, the Dominican Republic, St. Kitts, St. Lucia, Suriname, and Trinidad and Tobago. Those nations not faring well in 2004 since of ravaging hurricanes and hurricanes included Haiti, with a 3. 5%% decline in gdp (GDP), and Grenada, with a GDP decline of 3%. For 2005, however, Grenada's economy rebounded with development over 5%, while Haiti's development was 1. 8%. In Guyana, economic development has been stagnant or minimal over the past numerous years. In 2005, the economy declined 3% because of high oil costs and floods, which early in the year badly impacted agriculture and mining activities.

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Nonetheless, some observers have actually likewise been concerned about the region's high level of public debt, with numerous Caribbean countries having financial obligation levels that surpass 100% of their GDP. U.S. interests in the Caribbean vary, and consist of financial, political, and security concerns. During the Cold War, security concerns tended to eclipse other policy interests. In the consequences of the Cold War, other U.S. policy interests emerged from the shadow of the East-West dispute in the Caribbean that concentrated on concerns about the Soviet and Cuban risk. U.S. policy top priorities moved from one stressing security issues to a brand-new focus on strengthened economic relations through trade and financial investment.

interest in the Caribbean. The Administration describes the Caribbean as America's "3rd border," with occasions in the region having a direct effect on the homeland security of the United States. It describes Caribbean nations as "vital partners on security, trade, health, the environment, education, local democracy, and other hemispheric concerns." The United States has close relations with most Caribbean nations, with the exception of Cuba under Fidel Castro. The U.S.-Caribbean relationship is defined by extensive financial linkages, cooperation on counter-narcotics efforts and security, and a sizeable U.S. foreign assistance program supporting a variety of tasks to strengthen democracy, promote financial development and advancement, relieve hardship, and fight the AIDS epidemic in the region. Customizeds and Border Defense of the Department of Homeland Security. The CSI program helps ensure that high-risk containers are identified and examined at foreign ports before they are put on vessels for shipment to the United States. In September 2006, three Caribbean ports became operational CSI ports: Caucedo, Dominican Republic; Kingston, Jamaica; and Freeport, Bahamas. Other Latin American ports in the CSI program are the Central American port of Puerto Cortes, Honduras, and the South American ports of Buenos Aires, Argentina, and Santos, Brazil. In the 108th Congress, a legislative effort required additional foreign assistance in order to improve foreign port security worldwide, but no last action was finished prior to the end of the session.

2279 (Hollings), in September 2004, which would have offered for the Administrator of the Maritime Administration, in coordination with the Secretary of State, to identify foreign assistance programs that could help with execution of port security antiterrorism steps in foreign countries. The act likewise would have called for a report on the security of ports in the Caribbean Basin, including an assessment of the efficiency of the measures employed to enhanced security at such ports and an evaluation of the resources and program changes needed to make the most of security at Caribbean Basin ports. In the 109th Congress, 2 bills would attend to foreign support programs for Caribbean Basin ports.

744 (Nelson, Expense), presented April 11, 2005, would establish a Caribbean Basin Port Help Program. Under the legal initiative, the Administrator of MARAD in the Department of Transport, in coordination with the Secretary of State, would identify foreign support programs that could facilitate application of port security antiterrorism procedures at Caribbean Basin ports. The Administrator and the Secretary would establish a program for timeshare floating week such bluegreen mortgage department phone number assistance in assessment with the Organization of American States. In addition, the Secretary of Homeland Security would be needed to submit a report to Congress on status of port security in Caribbean Basin nations. S. 1052 (Stevens), the Transport Security Improvement Act of 2005, includes an arrangement (Area 504) that would develop a program to facilitate application of port security antiterrorism procedures in foreign nations, with particular focus on ports in the Caribbean Basin; this bill was presented May 17, 2005, and reported by the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transport on February 27, 2006 (S.Rept.

2791 (Stevens), presented May 11, 2006. Increasing crime is a major security obstacle throughout the Caribbean. The murder rate in Jamaica continues to skyrocket, with 1,445 people killed in 2004 and more than 1,600 individuals what to know about timeshares in 2005. With rate of 60 murders per 100,000 inhabitants in 2005, Jamaica had the highest murder rate in the world. In late February 2006, Jamaicans were surprised over the harsh killings of 6 relative, including four children in the western part of the nation. High levels of violent criminal