Caribbean

There are 26 countries in the Caribbean. I’ve been to 11 of them.

ANTIGUA

Capital City: St. John’s

Population: 97,521

Other Major Cities: St. John’s is the only city on this small island

Main Airport: V. C. Bird International Airport (ANU)

Language: English

Currency: Eastern Caribbean Dollar

DID YOU KNOW?

Local legend has it that the island has 365 beaches, one for each day of the year.

ARUBA

Capital City: Oranjestad

Population: 105,264

Other Major Cities: Oranjestad is the only city on the island

Main Airport: Oranjestad Queen Beatrix International Airport (only airport) (AUA)

Language: Papiamento, English

Currency: Aruban Florin, though United States Dollars widely used and accepted

 

BARBADOS

Capital City: Bridgetown

Population: 272,750

Other Major Cities: Bridgetown is the only city on the island

Main Airport: Bridgetown (only airport) (BGI)

Language: English

Currency: Barbadian Dollar

 

CUBA

Capital City:  Havana

Population:  11,221,060

Other Major Cities:  Santiago, Camagüey, Holguín, Guantánamo, Santa Clara

Main Airports: Havana, Santiago, Camagüey, Holguín, Guantánamo, Santa Clara, Varadero

Language: Spanish

Weather: Tropical and hot

Currency: CUP (Cuban Pesos) and CUC (Cuban Convertible Pesos)

 

CURAÇAO

Capital City: Willemstad

Population: 180,337

Airport: Curaçao Hato (CUR)

Languages: Papiamento with English, Dutch, and Spanish widely spoken and understood

Weather: Arid and hot, more similar to continental Colombian and Venezuelan than to Carribean islands further to the north.

Currency: Netherlands Antilles Guilder

Train: There is no railroad in Curaçao

Bus: The entire country is less than 40 miles long and 9 miles, at its widest. Aside from taxis, this is the only means of public transportation on the island. All buses leave from Willemstad’s Otrobanda or Punda bus stations to destinations all over the island.

DOMINICAN REPUBLIC

Capital City: Santo Domingo

Population: 10,266,149

Other Major Cities: Santiago, San Felipe de Puerto Plata, San Pedro de Macorís, La Romana

Main Airports:  Santo Domingo (SDQ), Santiago (STI), Puerto Plata (POP), and Punta Cana (PUJ), and to a lesser extent, La Romana (LRM)

Language: Spanish

Currency: Dominican Peso

DID YOU KNOW?

Santo Domingo, the country’s capital, is considered to be the first inhabited city in the Americas established by the Europeans. Remnants of Spanish colonization is still very apparent in the architecture in the city’s zona colonial.

GRENADA

Capital City: St. George’s, the island’s only city

Population: 107,317

Main Airport: Grenada (only airport) (GDN)

Language: English

Currency: East Caribbean Dollar (EC, also used in Antigua and Barbuda, Dominica, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Anguilla (UK Territory), and Montserrat (UK Territory).

Transportation:

  • Plane: The island is only 21 miles long and you can drive most anywhere in about an hour!
  • Train: N/A
  • Bus: This is the best way to get around the island.
  • Car: Probably not necessary to rent one— take a bus or a cab.

DID YOU KNOW?

The nickname for Grenada is “The Spice Isle.” Much of the world’s nutmeg and cinnamon come from here.

PUERTO RICO

Capital City: San Juan

Population: 3,337,177

Other Major Cities:  Ponce, Bayamón, Carolina, Caguas, Mayagüez, Aguadilla

Main Airports:  San Juan (SJU), Aguadilla (BQN), Ponce (PSE), Culebra (CPX), and Vieques (VQS)

Language: Spanish with English widely spoken

Currency: United States Dollar

SAINT Lucia

Capital City: Castries
Population: 183,629

Other Major Cities: Soufriere

Main Airport:  Hewanorra Airport (UVF), the larger of the country’s two airports, is in Vieux Fort, about 90 minutes southeast of Castries. The smaller airport, George F.L. Charles, is in Castries and is much smaller, serving regional flights.

Currency: East Caribbean Dollar (EC)

 

SAINT-MARTIN/SINT MAARTEN

Capital City: Marigot (Saint-Martin, the French side) and Philipsburg (Sint Maarten, the Dutch side)
Population: 77,741 (40,917 in Sint Maarten and and 36,824 in Saint-Martin)

Other Major Cities: Saint-Martin/Sint Maarten is a very small island and aside from the capitals, there are only smaller towns and villages.

Main Airport: Princess Juliana International Airport (SXM), on the Dutch side of the island, Sint Maarten, and Grand Case L’Espérance Airport (SFG), on the French side, Saint-Martin, which primarily serves small planes and shuttle flights to other islands in the region.

TRINIDAD & TOBAGO

Capital City: Port of Spain

Population: 1,369,000

Other Major Cities: Chaguanas and San Fernando

Main Airports: Trinidad- Port of Spain Piarco International Airport (POS) and Tobago- Robinson International Airport (formerly Crown Point International Airport) (TAB)

Language: English

Currency: Trinidad and Tobago Dollar