Caribbean: “True Paradise on Earth. Caribbean Sea - corals, animals, tourism, pirates, interesting facts

Jamaica, Cuba, Dominican Republic, Barbados, Puerto Rico - all these and many other famous countries are located on the islands of the Caribbean and are known under the common historical name of the West Indies.

Surely, some tourists wishing to relax in one of these countries had a question - where are the Caribbean islands? Washed by the waters of the Atlantic Ocean and Caribbean, they are located between North and South America. Discovered by Christopher Columbus in the 15th century, they number about seven thousand island land areas. There are 13 states on their territory. The Caribbean Sea washes not only the islands in it, but also the shores of South, Central and North America, therefore, countries that have a Caribbean coast are also considered the Caribbean.

All the islands of the Caribbean are combined into three large groups - the Bahamas, the Lesser and Greater Antilles. Everyone has their own geographic feature and, accordingly, the relief. The Lesser Antilles, having an arched shape, stretches throughout the entire northern part of the archipelago. On their territory there are 8 Caribbean countries, among them - Barbados, Trinidad and Tobago, Dominica, Saint Lucia.

The Greater Antilles is the most visited tourist destination. The Greater Antilles includes Cuba, Jamaica, Haiti, the Cayman Islands and Puerto Rico. Tourists love these countries because they have a mild tropical climate, a little humid. Evergreen forests, numerous rivers, endless beaches - all this is conducive to a good rest.

Bahamas - large archipelago, numbering in its territory about 700 small islands. A large number of coral reefs, white sands and coconut palms, tropical forests and the warm current of the Gulf Stream - all this cannot leave indifferent fans of southern recreation. In addition, for those who know where the Caribbean islands are and, accordingly, their origin, it is the Bahamas archipelago that reveals its underwater deep secrets. In addition to fashionable resorts on the islands of Abaco and Eleuthera, the Bahamas is rich in nature, historical sites and friendly people.

The Caribbean Islands are a kind of oasis in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean. For outdoor enthusiasts, there are many geographical advantages here - from good wind conditions for sailing, to endless reef labyrinths with amazing underwater inhabitants. For a relaxing holiday - quiet sea lagoons framed by tropical forests make island holidays worthy of subsequent repetitions.

The Caribbean Sea, or Central American Sea, is the marginal sea of ​​the Atlantic Ocean. Its northern border runs from the Yucatan Peninsula to the Greater Antilles, then along the Greater Antilles (Cuba, Haiti, Puerto Rico and Jamaica). The Virgin Islands, located east of Puerto Rico, are part of the Lesser Antilles. The latter consist of a large number of small islands forming an arc directed southeast of the Anegada Strait and further south, where the arc adjoins the shelf South America, forming the eastern border of the Caribbean Sea. The large islands of this volcanic arc are Guadeloupe, Martinique, Saint Lucia, etc. Another arc (outer) - the islands of Barbados, Tobago and Trinidad - connects in the southeast with mountain ranges Venezuela. The southern border of the Caribbean Sea is the northern shores of three countries — Venezuela, Colombia and Panama. The eastern shores of Central America form the eastern stepped border of the Caribbean Sea, the first step of which is Honduras, the second Yucatan Peninsula. The Yucatan Strait, 220 km wide, connects the Caribbean Sea with the Gulf of Mexico.

Numerous straits up to 2000 m deep between the Greater and Lesser Antilles connect the Caribbean Sea with the Atlantic Ocean. The total area of ​​the Caribbean Sea is 2640 thousand km2. The greatest depth of the Caribbean Sea is slightly more than 7100 m. In the Cayman Trench. The following main basins are located from east to west: Grenada (3000 m) Venezuelan (5000 m), Columoian (4000 m), Cayman (6000 m) and Yucatan (500 m). Less significant basins are the Virgin Islands Basin, the Dominican Trench, and the Kariako Basin. The average depth of the basins is about 4400 m. The main underwater ridges stretch from east to west: Aves, Beata, Jamaica and Cayman. The Caribbean Sea is located in the trade wind zone, and therefore the winds blowing from the east and ENE are very stable here. Heavy rainfall occurs during the summer months when tropical weather conditions prevail. The most abundant precipitation falls east of the Isthmus of Panama — more than 2000 mm in 6 months, from June to November. Few hurricanes are generated directly in the Caribbean, but many hurricanes arrive through the Lesser Antilles in late summer and early fall.

Hydrological regime

Circulation... Most of the straits connecting the Caribbean Sea with the Atlantic Ocean are shallow, which prevents large water exchange. Only a few straits have a depth of more than 1000 m, and they play a leading role in the circulation of the waters of the Caribbean Sea. The main strait through which the waters leave the Caribbean is the Yucatan Strait.The depth of its threshold is about 2000 m.

The direction of the main stream of the Caribbean Sea in the upper 1500-meter layer is from east to west. Below this depth, the waters of the Caribbean Sea are isolated from the ocean, so there is a very slow and variable flow. In the Caribbean Sea, waters come from the Atlantic Ocean, brought by the drifting Guiana Current, which runs along the coast of South America to the northwest. Reaching the Lesser Antilles, the Guiana Current forks. The main branch runs into the Caribbean through the central straits of this island arc, mainly through the straits north and south of St. Lucia; the other branch flows into the North Tradewind Current and runs along the eastern and northern borders of the Caribbean towards the Bahamas. The waters of the Guiana Current form in the Caribbean Sea, after they pass the Grenada Basin and the Aves Ridge, a well-developed zonal circulation with a maximum flow rate 200-300 km north of the coast of South America. A branch of the Guiana Current flows into the Caribbean Current and continues westward through the Aruba Passage into the Columbia Basin. In the western part of the basin, it turns north, crosses the Jamaica Ridge, and then goes along the Cayman Basin to 85–86 ° W. where it turns north again and leaves the Caribbean Sea through the Yucatan Strait.

The axis of the Caribbean Current usually passes over the greatest depths from the Lesser Antilles to the Yucatan Strait. To the north and south of the axis of the Caribbean Current, the flows are mainly parallel. Their direction changes little with depth, while the speed decreases continuously with increasing depth, for example, to<5 см/с на глубинах свыше 1500 м в Венесуэльской и Колумбийской котловинах. В Кайманской и Юкатанской котловинах глубинное течение проявляется лучше, но его все же можно считать медленным.

The speed of the surface currents of the Caribbean Sea is determined by the seasonal changes in the speed of the trade winds. The highest speed of the Caribbean Current on the surface is observed at the end of winter (39.1 cm / s) and at the beginning of summer (41.2 cm / s). The average speed of the Caribbean current on the surface during the year is 0.7 knots, or 38 cm / s. During observation from ships, higher velocities were noted, reaching 138.9 cm / s on the main axis of the Caribbean Current. Estimated speeds can be calculated from density measurements. The calculation shows that the main axis of the current is preserved in the upper 300-400-meter layer, and its velocity rapidly decreases from 40-60 cm / s at the surface to 10 cm / s at a depth of 300 m. depth of 1000-1500 m; below this depth, the current is too slow to be calculated by the geostrophic method. Countercurrents (eastward) are observed along the coasts of Cuba, Haiti and South America. In the western regions of the Columbian, Cayman and Yucatan basins, countercurrents are directed towards the center of the Caribbean Sea, the zonal current is disturbed by meridional transport, which is caused by the deviation of the flow at the border with the mainland.

The transport of water across transects from north to south can be calculated from geostrophic velocities. In the west, its average value is 30 million m3 / s. The straits of the Greater Antilles do not play a significant role in the overall transport. Through the meridian 64 ° W. it is basically the same as across the 84 ° W meridian. The Caribbean current accounts for approximately 30% of the total transport (75–90 million m3 / s) of water by the Gulf Stream. (The remaining 70% flows into the Gulf Stream from the Antilles Current, which flows into it north of the Bahamas.)

A feature of the circulation of the Caribbean Sea is the rise of deep waters to the surface off the coast of South America. The upward movement of water masses in the Caribbean Sea, as in other regions of the World Ocean, is caused by the action of the wind: surface water is driven away from the coast and replaced by deep water. The rise of deep waters does not extend to great depths and is not significant below 250 m. As a result of the rise of deep waters, productivity increases; this is an area of ​​intensive fishing. The corresponding subsidence of surface water occurs in the Venezuelan and Colombian basins along 17 ° N latitude.

Salinity of the Caribbean

The salinity field in the Caribbean Sea is characterized by four layers. Two of them, surface waters and subtropical subsurface waters (50-200 cm), are associated with the region of warm ocean waters and are separated from the region of cold waters at a depth of 400-600 m by a layer of water with a low (below 3.0 ml / l) oxygen content; the other two layers are represented by cold subantarctic intermediate waters (700-850 m) and North Atlantic deep waters (1800-2500 m).

Waters lying at the boundary between the main layers are mixed due to turbulence. The salinity of surface waters depends on evaporation, precipitation, land runoff and advection caused by currents. Salinity in winter is higher off the coast of South America (36 prom), and this is partly due to the rise to the surface of salty subtropical subsurface waters. In the north of the Caribbean Sea, salinity at the surface decreases and becomes less than 35.5 prom. In the Cayman and Yucatan basins, the highest salinity (Zb prom) is observed south of Cuba. Further to the south, the salinity of surface waters also decreases to 35.5 prom. off the coast of Honduras. In summer, abundant precipitation and runoff from land reduce the salinity of surface waters by about 0.5 prom in the south and by 1.0 prom. in the north.

There is still insufficient information on the distribution of salinity in the western Caribbean.
Subtropical subsurface water has the highest salinity. It is a thin layer (which indicates the predominance of horizontal over vertical mixing in the stable layer), which slopes from the south (50-100 m) to the north (200 m).
The main axis of the flow of subtropical subsurface water coincides with the axis of the Caribbean Current. The salinity of this water is more than 37 ppm in the eastern regions of the Venezuelan Basin. In the Yucatan Strait, as a result of mixing, the salinity decreases to 3b, 7 prom. a
The subantarctic intermediate water, which forms in the zone of the southern polar front, is the least salty. Its layer also has a slope from the south (600-700 m) to the north (800-850 m). In the southern Caribbean, this layer is thicker. West 65 ° W e. its northern edge becomes thinner and disappears before reaching the northern border of the Caribbean Sea. The salinity of this layer is less than 34.7 ppm at B, but as the waters move, it increases so much that this layer cannot be found in the Yucatan Strait. Its axis also coincides with the axis of the Caribbean Current. Below this layer is a layer of North Atlantic deep water that enters the Caribbean Sea through the rapids of the straits between the Lesser Antilles. The water of this layer is extremely homogeneous, with a salinity of about 35 ppm.

Caribbean Sea temperature

The temperature field of the Caribbean Sea is tropical in nature, i.e. warm water on the surface and a well-visible thermocline at a depth of 100 - 200 m, which prevents vertical mixing and penetration of heat from the surface into the depth. Below 1500 m, the water temperature is about 4 ° C, with slight fluctuations from basin to basin. Temperatures rise by a few tenths of a degree at greater depths (below 3000 m) due to the influence of increasing pressure. The temperature distribution of the surface layer determines the position of the temperature equator in the northern Caribbean.

In late summer, the temperature of the surface layer of the Caribbean Sea is 28.3 ° C in the south and 28.9 ° C in the north. In the west of the Caribbean, the warmest month is August, in the east, September. The temperature of the surface layer of the Caribbean Sea in winter is about 3 ° C lower. In the Caribbean, surface temperatures have slight gradients and seasonal variations. Below a depth of 150 m, seasonal fluctuations are not observed. The central regions of the Caribbean receive an average of 6.28 * 10 ^ 18 cal / day of heat per year, with a deviation from this average of ± 0.5 * 10 ^ 18 cal / day.

One of the most beautiful places on Earth is the Caribbean Sea. It got its name thanks to the Caribbean who lived in the area. There is also a second name - Antilles, which is used much less often. The beauty of the Caribbean - the sea and the islands, which belong to its basin, are considered the most interesting and romantic places on the planet. No wonder lovers come here to hold a wedding ceremony or

Geographical position

The Caribbean Sea belongs to the Atlantic Ocean basin. On the one hand, it is limited by the shores of Central and South America, and on the other, by the Antilles. Therefore, the sea is semi-enclosed.

The waters are Caribbean, the sea is connected with the Yucatan Strait, and with the Pacific Ocean - through the Panama Canal. The basin area is about 2,753,000 square kilometers. The sea washes the shores of Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Guatemala, Honduras, Cuba, Jamaica, Haiti, Puerto Rico and the Caribbean Sea is divided into five basins that delimit the islands and underwater ridges. The maximum depth is 7686 meters, although this sea is considered shallow.

Pearl of the Atlantic Ocean

Where there is the Caribbean Sea, there is an incredible color, different corners, love and romance reign. This area is famous for its extraordinary coral reefs, a large number of destructive tropical cyclones and, of course, pirates. The coastline of the sea is not uniform, it is heavily indented.

There are many beautiful lagoons, bays, picturesque coves and capes. The seashore is predominantly low-lying, with white sandy beaches, but sometimes mountainous terrain. Each country, whose shores are washed by the sea, has its own extraordinary flavor. Therefore, a trip to the Caribbean becomes an unforgettable experience.

Islands

The vibrant flowers of the Caribbean are numerous islands. All of them are united in the Antilles archipelago (Lesser and Greater Antilles, Bahamas). Each of the islands has its own unique landscape, flora and fauna. They are inhabited by colorful ethnic groups, and here you can taste exotic cuisine. Each sea is an amazing corner that must be visited in order to feel the atmosphere of the picturesque nature. It is very difficult to choose one place to visit, because you want to know all the beauty of the Caribbean Sea.

The most picturesque corners

The most passionate corner of the Caribbean is Jamaica. Breathtaking nature, exotic music, mountains, hot sun, sandy beaches and local flavor will remain in your memory for a long time and make you come back here again and again. Incredible cascades of waterfalls, colorful jungles, beautiful lagoons and rare representatives of the animal world will appear before the eyes of tourists. Saint Lucia is an unusual island that attracts with its white beaches, quiet harbors and pristine nature.

It is as if you find yourself in virgin forests, untouched by man, and you feel like one with the environment. Dominica Island is the best ecotourism destination. It is located in the warm waters of the Caribbean Sea. Its surface is covered with impenetrable jungle, among which dormant volcanoes, waterfalls, hot springs and mountain rivers are hidden. Martinique is an island of flowers, where European culture and local exoticism are surprisingly harmoniously mixed. You can endlessly list the beauties of the Caribbean, but it is simply impossible to cover all the amazing features.

Bottom relief of the sea

The bottom relief of the Caribbean Sea is uneven. There are numerous depressions and hills. The entire plateau is conventionally divided into five parts, which are delimited by underwater ridges. Among the features of the seabed are the Cayman Trench, the Puerto Rico Trench and the Haiti Trench. The waters are Caribbean, the sea is a very seismically active area. Therefore, hurricanes and tsunamis often occur here, from which residents of coastal settlements suffer.

Most of the coastal soil consists of sand, but rocky surfaces are also found. White beaches are a distinctive feature of the Caribbean Sea.

Underwater flora

The beauty of the Caribbean, the sea attracts divers. And this is no coincidence. The flora of this reservoir is very rich and varied. Here you can find whole glades of picturesque vegetation, which amaze with their beauty. Coral reefs are the pearl of the underwater world. These are amazing buildings created by nature itself. Numerous types of algae will amaze the most discerning lover of underwater flora. Hurricanes also cause great damage to vegetation, bringing garbage and littering these beautiful corners of nature.

Fauna of the sea

The fauna of the Caribbean is unique. The most exotic marine mammals and fish live here. The peculiarity of the underwater world is that they are represented in a wide variety of species. One of the islands got its name from the huge number of these animals (Las Tortugas). Large mammals (whales, sperm whales) are also found in the basin. The underwater world is the most unique feature the Caribbean has given people. Photos of its beautiful and diverse representatives are the most colorful. This part of the planet is a unique and wonderful world that pleases and caresses the eyes of those who come here.

The area of ​​the Caribbean Sea is 2,754,000 km². The average depth is 1225 m. The average volume of water is 6860 thousand km³.

The sea is located on the Caribbean lithospheric plate. It is divided into five basins, separated from each other by underwater ridges and a series of islands. The Caribbean Sea is considered shallow compared to other bodies of water, although its maximum depth is approximately 7,686 meters (in the Cayman Trench between Cuba and Jamaica).

The shores are mountainous in places, low-lying in places; in the west and in the Antilles, it is bordered by coral reefs. The coastline is heavily indented; in the west and south there are bays - Honduran, Darien, Venezuelan (Maracaibo), etc.

The Caribbean Sea is one of the largest seas of the transition zone, separated from the ocean by a system of island arcs of different ages, of which the Lesser Antilles arc is the youngest with modern active volcanoes. More mature island arcs form large islands - Cuba, Haiti, Jamaica, Puerto Rico with an already formed mainland (northern part of Cuba) or sub-continental crust. The island arc of the Cayman - Sierra Maestra is also young, expressed for the most part by the underwater Cayman ridge, accompanied by the deep-water trench of the same name (7680 m). Other underwater ridges (Aves, Beata, Marcelino Rapids) appear to be submerged island arcs. They divide the bottom of the Caribbean Sea into a number of basins: Grenada (4120 m), Venezuelan (5420 m). Columbian (4532 m), Bartlett with a deep-water Cayman trench, Yucatan (5055 m). The bottoms of the basins have a suboceanic crust. Bottom sediments - calcareous foraminiferal oozes, in the southwestern part - weakly manganese, calcareous silts, in shallow water - various coral deposits, including numerous reef structures. The climate is tropical, influenced by the trade wind circulation and is characterized by great homogeneity. Average monthly air temperatures are from 23 to 27 ° С. Cloudiness 4-5 points. The amount of precipitation is from 500 mm in the east to 2000 mm in the west. From June to October in sowing. parts of the sea are marked by tropical hurricanes. The hydrological regime is highly homogeneous. The surface current under the influence of trade winds moves from east to west. Off the coast of Central America, it deviates to the northwest and goes through the Yucatan Strait to the Gulf of Mexico. The current speed is 1-3 km / h, near the Yucatan Strait up to 6 km / h. The sea is an intermediate basin for waters that flow from the Atlantic Ocean and, when they leave the Gulf of Mexico, give rise to the Gulf Stream. Average monthly water temperatures at the surface are from 25 to 28 ° С; annual fluctuations less than 3 ° С. Salinity is about 36.0 ‰. Density 1.0235-1.0240 kg / m3 Water color from bluish-green to green. Hot flashes are mostly irregular semi-diurnal; their value is less than 1 m. The vertical change in hydrological characteristics occurs down to a depth of 1500 m, below which the sea is filled with homogeneous water coming from the Atlantic Ocean; its temperature is from 4.2 to 4.3 ° C, salinity is 34.95-34.97 ‰. Sharks, flying fish, sea turtles and other types of tropical fauna live in the Caribbean Sea. There are sperm whales and humpback whales, and seals and manatees near the island of Jamaica.

The Caribbean Sea is of great economic and strategic importance as the shortest sea route connecting the ports of the Atlantic Ocean and the Pacific Ocean through the Panama Canal. The most important ports are Maracaibo and La Guaira (Venezuela), Cartagena (Colombia), Lemon (Costa Rica), Santo Domingo (Dominican Republic), Colon (Panama), Santiago de Cuba (Cuba), etc.

The name "Caribbean" is derived from the Caribbean, one of the dominant American Indian tribes who lived on the coast at the time of Columbus' contact with the aborigines in the late 15th century. After the discovery of the West Indies by Christopher Columbus in 1492, the Caribbean Sea was called the Antilles, in honor of the Spaniards who discovered the Antilles. In various countries, the Caribbean Sea is still confused with the Antilles Sea.

And is located in the tropical zone of the Western Hemisphere. In the northwest, the reservoir borders on the Yucatan Peninsula (Mexico) and connects to the Gulf of Mexico through the Yucatan Strait between Yucatan and Cuba. In the north and east are the Greater and Lesser Antilles. In the south, the sea washes the northern coast of South America. In the west and southwest lies the coast of Central America. Here, the Caribbean waters through the Panama Canal are connected to the waters of the Pacific Ocean.

Geography

The reservoir in question is one of the largest in the world. Its area is 2.754 thousand square meters. km. The volume of water is 6.860 thousand cubic meters. km. The maximum depth is 7686 meters. It is recorded in the so-called Cayman trough. It is located between Jamaica and the Cayman Islands. It is an underwater trench between the North American and Caribbean plates. The average depth of the reservoir is 2500 meters.

Country

The vast sea washes many countries. In South America, these are Venezuela and Colombia. In Central America: Panama, Costa Rica, Nicaragua, Guatemala, Honduras and Belize. The last in this line is the Yucatan Peninsula. Its northern part is occupied by 3 Mexican states, and to the south there are lands belonging to Belize and Guatemala.

In the northern part of the Greater Antilles, there are states such as Cuba, Haiti, the Dominican Republic, Jamaica and Puerto Rico. The Lesser Antilles is occupied by countries such as Antigua and Barbuda, Barbados, Dominica, Grenada, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Trinidad and Tobago.

Caribbean on the map

Islands

For those who are not in the know, you need to know that the Bahamas has never belonged to the Caribbean. They are located north of Cuba and south of Florida. These are the waters of the Atlantic, and historically this area is called the West Indies. Here it covers both the Caribbean and the Bahamas. This term appeared after the discovery of America by Columbus.

In the reservoir under consideration, there are the Antilles, which are subdivided into Large and Small. The first includes 4 large islands: Cuba, Haiti, Jamaica and Puerto Rico. This also includes small islands located near Cuba and forming the archipelagos of Los Canarreos and Jardines de la Reina.

The Lesser Antilles are much more numerous. They are influenced by the northwest trade winds and are subdivided into windward and leeward or southern. The first group contains about 50 islands. The southern group stretches along the coast of South America and includes both individual islands and archipelagos.

Closer to the western coast of the reservoir, there are several archipelagos. These are the Cayman Islands (Grand Cayman, Little Cayman, Cayman Brac), the Islas de la Bahia islands belonging to Honduras, as well as the Miskitos and Terneff islands. There are separate islands of San Andres and Providencia.

The rivers

Many rivers flow into a huge reservoir. The Magdalena River in South America is considered the largest. It flows through Colombia and has a length of 1550 km. Its annual flow is the largest and is equal to about 230 cubic meters. km. The second Colombian river is called Atrato. Its length is 644 km. Some of the rivers flow into Lake Maracaibo (the largest in South America). It is connected with the Venezuelan Gulf of the Caribbean Sea by a shallow strait, the depth of which does not exceed 4 meters.

The reservoir is also fed by about 30 rivers of Central America. There are rivers on the islands. For example, the Cauto River in Cuba. Its length is 343 km. Or the Artibonite River in Haiti with a length of 240 km. There are rivers in Jamaica. These are Milk River and Black River.

Climate

The climate is tropical. It is formed by the subtropical Caribbean Current, which is a continuation of the South Tradewind Current. Warm waters flow from the southeast to the northwest and through the Yucatan Strait go to the Gulf of Mexico, where the Gulf Stream is born. Therefore, the annual temperature is kept between 21 and 29 degrees Celsius.

Trade winds dominate the reservoir. Their speed ranges from 16 to 30 km / h. In the northern part of the reservoir, there are tropical hurricanes. Their speed can reach up to 120 km / h. Such strong winds sometimes carry a real tragedy: people die, houses collapse, crops die. For example, Hurricane Mitch, which formed in the western part of the sea in October 1998, caused a lot of grief. 11 thousand people died and the same number are missing. 2.7 million people were left without housing. These were mainly citizens of Nicaragua and Honduras.

Economy

The Caribbean Sea is inextricably linked with oil production. Its water area produces about 170 million tons of oil per year. In addition, the fishing industry is well developed. Sea waters yield up to 500 thousand tons of fish per year. However, human activities pollute the environment. First of all, this negatively affects the coral reefs, which are steadily bleaching, and their ecosystem is being destroyed.

In the near future, this may not affect the tourism industry in the best way. Up to 40 million tourists visit this area a year. The net profit from them is about $ 30 billion. Many tourists are attracted by diving and the beauty of the coral reefs. Approximately 3 million local residents living on the islands are in one way or another connected with the tourism business. So the issues related to ecology are quite acute.