Updated 11/28/2024
There are 26 countries in the Caribbean (though, how you define a “country” may differ). I’ve been to 13 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
Cayman Islands
Capital City: George Town
Population: 87,866
Main Airports: George Town, Grand Cayman, Cayman Brac, and Little Cayman
Language: English
Weather: Tropical and hot
Currency: Cayman Islands dollar (KYD)
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 Caribbean islands further to the north.
Currency: Netherlands Antilles Guilder
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!
- 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 (Trinidad) and Scarborough (Tobago)
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