What you may not know about the Caribbean
August 24, 2008
Bahamas
-Approximately five percent of the World’s Coral Reefs can be found in the Bahamas.
Suriname
In 1667 The Netherlands accepted Suriname in exchange for Nieuv Amsterdam, now known as New York City, in an agreement with Britain.
Trinidad and Tobago
Trinidad and Tobago has more species of birds than any other Caribbean island.
Bermuda
The majority of Bermuda’s slaves were imported from Slave markets in the West Indies.
British Virgin Islands
More than 50 per cent of the population are immigrants. And more than 55 percent of government’s direct revenue comes from financial services.
Guyana
St. Georges Cathedral is one of the tallest, free standing wooden buildings in the world. Its spire is over 40 meters high.
Haiti
Haiti is the world’s first Republic founded by Blacks [January 1st, 1804] and also the second oldest Republic in the Western Hemisphere.
Haitian volunteers fought in the American War of Independence on the side of the colonies.
Jamaica
Jamaica has more churches per square mile than any other country in the world.
Dominica
Dominica was the only British Caribbean colony to have a black controlled legislature in the 19th century. [1838].
St. Lucia
The giant Samaan tree located in Derek Walcott Square, Castries is more than 400 years old.
Cayman Islands
The Cayman Islands are the world’s leading registry for large luxury yachts, having some 20 per cent of the world’s market for yachts over 120 ft in length.
Turks and Caicos Islands
John Glenn landed down just off Grand Turk in 1962 after his first space flight.
The world’s only Conch Farm was establishes on Providenciales, Turks and Caicos Island in 1894.
Antigua
-Long before the arrival of Columbus, the Siboney or “stone people” inhabited Antigua. It is believed that the Siboney were the first inhabitants of Antigua and their settlements date as far back as 2400 BC. Traces of the Siboney are found at jolly Beach, Deep Bay and the North Sound.
Montserrat
The national bird of Montserrat , “the oriole’ also known as the ‘Tannia Bird’, is found nowhere else in the entire world except Montserrat.
The Langs Soufriere Volcano located in the Soufriere Hills, St. Anthonys, Monsterrat erupted in July 1995 after having been dormant for 400 years. The volcano continues to be active and has resulted in more than half the population leaving the island.
Belize
The 180.2 miles barrier reef is the longest in the western hemisphere and the second longest in the world.
Belize was the center of the Maya Empire, which flourished AD 300-600.
Grenada
Grenada produces one third of the world’s output of spices, and is the world’s second largest producer of nutmeg.
The cliffs of La Mourne des Sauteurs or “leapers hill” are the site of mass suicide of Carib Indians in 1651, when about 40 men, women and children leapt to their deaths rather than submit to the French domination!
St. Kitts and Nevis
The Cottle church, formally known as St. Mark’s Chapel of Ease, located in Nevis and opened in 1825, was the first Anglican Church in the Caribbean where both blacks and whites worshipped together.
St. Vincent and the Grenadines
St. Vincent is the world’s largest producer of arrowroot. It was first used by the Caribs for arrow wounds.
Apsana
“Happy Emancipation”: Now who was the brain behind this in Trinidad?
August 7, 2008
Dr. Selwyn R. Cudjoe notes in his blog that “The Airports Authority’s emancipation exhibit in its atrium proudly proclaims, “Happy Emancipation” and informs us that “in 1985, Trinidad and Tobago became the first country in the world to declare a national holiday, Emancipation Day, to commemorate the abolition of slavery on August 1, 1834.” Read more
Terrorist possibly hiding in Trinidad or Guyana
August 2, 2008
Bill Werner, a private investigator in Florida, United States has written an extensive article on Adnan el Shukrijumah, an Al Qaeda operative who may be hiding in Trinidad or Guyana.
ONE OF THE WORLD’S most wanted terrorists, Al Qaeda operative Adnan Gulshair Muhammad el Shukrijumah, may be hiding in Trinidad and Tobago or Guyana and has, in his possession, a T&T passport. Shukrijumah, 31, is one of the most wanted terrorists by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), which said he was “wanted in connection with possible terrorist threats against the United States”. He has several “personal ties” to both Trinidad and Guyana, theFBI said. Trinidad law enforcement officials said they were aware that Shukrijumah had been in Trinidad and confirmed they were contacted by the FBI for assistance in the matter. Read the entire article.
I Am Proud To Be A Trinidadian
July 20, 2008
Trinidad and Tobago is one of the most prosperous, diversified and industrialized countries in the Caribbean and has earned an excellent investment site for international businesses. There are proven substantial reserves of petroleum, natural gas and heavy industries such as iron, steel, methanol, nitrogen, and fertilizers. Read more