Carnivals of the Caribbean

Caribbean Islands and approximate Carnival dates

Carnival is the term used for a number of events that take place in many of the Caribbean islands annually. The Caribbean's Carnivals all have several common themes based on culture,  folklore and religion. Carnival tradition is based on a number of disciplines including: "Playing Mas"/Masquerade; Calypso Music and crowning a Calypso King or Monarch, Steel Band Competition and a number of other traditions.

A list of  most islands that celebrate Carnival are shown below. Approximate dates are given for the festivities on each island. 

 Anguilla is a British overseas territory in the Caribbean, one of the most northerly of the Leeward Islands in the Lesser Antilles. It consists of the main island of Anguilla itself, approximately 26 km (16 miles) long by 5 km (3.1 miles) wide at its widest point, together with a number of much smaller islands and cays with no permanent population. The island's capital is The Valley. The total land area of the territory is 102 km² (39 sq miles), with a population of approximately 14 thousand.

Antigua and Barbuda (Spanish for "Ancient" and "Bearded") is located on the eastern boundary of the Caribbean Sea and Atlantic Ocean.  As its name suggests, it consists of two major islands  – Antigua and Barbuda as well as a number of smaller islands.  All are close neighbours within the middle of the Leeward Islands.

Antigua has a population of 82,000, comprising chiefly a mixture of people of Portuguese, African and British descent. The islands of Antigua and Barbuda are part of the Lesser Antilles

Aruba is a 33-kilometre (21 miles) long island of the Lesser Antilles in the southern Caribbean Sea. Together with Bonaire and Curacao it forms a group referred to as the ABC islands of the Leeward Antilles, the southern island chain of the Lesser Antilles.

An autonomous region from the Netherlands, Aruba has no administrative subdivisions. Unlike much of the Caribbean region, Aruba has a dry climate and an arid, cactus-strewn landscape. This climate has helped tourism as visitors to the island can reliably expect warm, sunny weather. It has a land area of 193 km² (75 sq miles) and lies outside the hurricane belt.

Barbados situated just east of the Caribbean Sea, is an independent West Indian nation in the western Atlantic Ocean. For over three centuries Barbados was under British rule and maintains Queen Elizabeth II as head of state.  Barbados's total land area is about 430 square kilometres (166 square miles), and is primarily low-lying, with some higher ground in the country's interior. The highest point in Barbados is Mount Hillaby in the parish of Saint Andrew.

Belize, formerly British Honduras, has a diverse society, composed of many cultures and speaking many languages. Although Kriol and Spanish are also widely spoken among the population, Belize is the only country in Central America where English is the official language. It is bordered by Mexico to the north, Guatemala to the south and west, and the Caribbean Sea to the east. 

Bonaire, is one of five of the Netherlands Antilles, consisting of the main island of Bonaire and, nestled in its western crescent, the uninhabited islet of Klein Bonaire. Together with Aruba and Curacao it forms a group referred to as the ABC islands of the Leeward Antilles, the southern island chain of the Lesser Antilles. 

The Cayman Islands are a British overseas territory located in the western Caribbean Sea. The territory comprises the islands of Grand Cayman, Cayman Brac, and Little Cayman, located south of Cuba and northwest of Jamaica. The territory is a major offshore financial centre in the Caribbean. 

The Republic of Cuba is an island country in the Caribbean. It consists of the island of Cuba, the and several archipelagos.

Havana is the largest city in Cuba and the country's capital. Santiago de Cuba is the second largest city. Cuba is home to over 11 million people and is the most populous insular nation in the Caribbean. 

Curaçao is an island in the southern Caribbean Sea, which includes the main island plus the small, uninhabited island of Klein Curacao (Little Curaçao), is one of five island areas of the Netherlands Antilles. Its capital is Willemstad.

Dominica, is an island nation in the Caribbean Sea. To the north-northwest lies Guadeloupe, to the southeast Martinique. Its size is 754 square kilometres (291 sq miles) and the highest point in the country is Morne Diablotins, which has an elevation of 1,447 metres (4,750 ft). The Commonwealth of Dominica has an estimated population of 72,500. The capital is Roseau. Dominica has been nicknamed the "Nature Isle of the Caribbean" for its seemingly unspoiled natural beauty.  The island features lush mountainous rainforests, home of many very rare plant, animal, and bird species.  Dominica's economy is heavily dependent on both tourism and agriculture. 

The Dominican Republic is a nation on the island of Hispaniola, part of the Greater Antilles archipelago in the Caribbean region. The western third of the island is occupied by the nation of Haiti, making Hispaniola one of two Caribbean islands that are occupied by two countries, Saint Martin being the other. Both by area and population, the Dominican Republic is the second largest Caribbean nation after Cuba, with 48,442 km² and an estimated 10 million people. 

Grenada is an island nation and sovereign state consisting of the island of Grenada and six smaller islands at the southern end of the Grenadines in the southeastern Caribbean Sea. Grenada is located northwest of Trinidad and Tobago, northeast of Venezuela, and southwest of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines. Its size is 344 km² with an estimated population of 110,000. Its capital is St George's.  

Guadeloupe is an archipelago located in the eastern Caribbean Sea / 16.25; -61.583, with a land area of 1,628 square kilometres (629 sq miles). It is an overseas department of France. As with the other overseas departments, Guadeloupe is also one of the twenty-six regions of France and an integral part of the Republic. As part of France, Guadeloupe is part of the European Union; hence, as for most EU countries, its currency is the Euro.

Guyana officially the Co-operative Republic of Guyana and previously known as British Guiana, is a state on the northern coast of South America that is culturally part of the Anglophone Caribbean. It is the only state of the Commonwealth on mainland South America. Guyana is bordered to the east by Suriname, to the south and southwest by Brazil, to the west by Venezuela, and on the north by the Atlantic Ocean. 

At 215,000 km², Guyana is the third-smallest independent state on the mainland of South America, and the fourth-smallest political entity (which includes French Guiana). Its population is approximately 770,000.

Haiti , officially the Republic of Haiti , is a Creole and French speaking Caribbean country. Along with the Dominican Republic.  The country's highest point is Pic la Selle, at 2,680 metres (8,793 ft). The total area of Haiti is 27,750 square kilometres (10,714 sq miles) and its capital is Port-au-Prince.

Haiti's was the first independent nation in Latin America, the first independent black led nation in the world, and the only nation whose independence was gained as part of a successful slave rebellion. Despite having common cultural links with its Hispano-Caribbean neighbours, Haiti is the only predominantly Francophone independent nation in the Americas, and one of only two which designate French as an official language.

Jamaica  is an island nation of the Greater Antilles, 234 kilometres (145 miles) in length and as much as 80 kilometres (50 miles) in width, amounting to 11,100 km². It is situated in the Caribbean Sea, about 145 kilometres (90 mi) south of Cuba, and 190 kilometres (120 miles) west of Haiti. Formerly a Spanish possession known as Santiago, it later became the British Crown colony of Jamaica. With 2.8 million people, it is the third most populous Anglophone country in North America, after the USA and Canada. Queen Elizabeth II remains Head of State. Its capital is Kingston.  

Nevis  is an island in the Caribbean Sea, located near the northern end of the Lesser Antilles, about 220 miles (350 km) southeast of Puerto Rico and fifty miles (eighty km) west of Antigua. The 36-square-mile (93 km²) island is part of the Leeward Islands chain. The capital of Nevis is Charlestown.

Nevis, along with Saint Kitts, forms the Federation of Saint Kitts and Nevis. The two islands are separated by a shallow two-mile (3.22 km) channel, known as "The Narrows". Nevis is conical in shape, with a volcanic peak, at its centre. The island is fringed on its western and northern quadrants by sandy beaches that are composed of a mixture of white coral sand with brown and black sand, eroded and washed down from the volcanic rocks that make up the island.

The majority of the approximately 12,000 citizens of Nevis are of primarily African descent. English is the official language, and the literacy rate, 98 percent, is one of the highest in the Western Hemisphere.

Martinique is an island in the eastern Caribbean Sea, with a land area of 1,128 km² (436 sq miles). It is an overseas department of France. To the northwest lies Dominica, to the south St Lucia. As with the other overseas departments, Martinique is also one of the twenty-six regions of France and an integral part of the Republic. As part of France, Martinique is part of the European Union, and its currency is the Euro. Its official language is French, although many of its inhabitants also speak Antillean Creole.  

Puerto Rico  is an unincorporated territory of the USA, located in the northeastern Caribbean, east of the Dominican Republic and west of the Virgin Islands. Puerto Rico, geographically, is composed of an archipelago that includes the main island of Puerto Rico and a number of smaller islands. The main island of Puerto Rico is the smallest by land area and second smallest by population among the four Greater Antilles, which also include Cuba, Jamaica and Hispaniola. Ethnically, the people of Puerto Rico "constitute a Latin American and Caribbean nation that has its own unequivocal national identity"

Saint Barthélemy  is an overseas collectivity of France. To the northwest lies Saint Martin/Saint Maarten, to the south St Eustatius and Saint Kitts, and ultimately to the southeast Barbuda.

It has an area of 21 km² and a population of 8,398. Its capital is Gustavia, which is also its main harbor. Also known as St Barts in English, the island is one of the four territories among the Leeward Isalnds in the Caribbean that comprise the French West Indies, along with Guadeloupe, Martinique and St Martin. It is the only one to have historically been a Swedish colony. The Swedish influence can still be found in architecture and street names. The language, cuisine and culture are distinctly French.

Saint Croix  is an island in the Caribbean Sea, and a country of the US Virgin Islands, an unincorporated territory of the USA. It is the largest of the U.S. Virgin Islands, being 28 by 7 miles (45 by 11 km). However, the territory's capital, Charlotte Amalie, is located on Saint Thomas. 

Saint Eustatius  is one of the islands which make up the Netherlands Antilles, it is in the northern Leeward Islands, southeast of the Virgin Islands. It forms part of the inner arc of the Leeward Island chain, lying immediately to the northwest of Saint Kitts and Nevis.

Sint Eustatius has a land area of 21 km² (8.1 sq. miles).  The population is approximaitely 2,500.

Saint John is an island in the Caribbean Sea and a district of the US Virgin Islands. St. John is also one of the worlds premiere honeymoon destinations with several notable world class resorts and one of the top ten beaches in the world. St. John is located about 4 miles east of Saint Thomas, the location of the territory's capital, Charlotte Amalie, and 4 miles south and west of Tortola, part of the British Virgin Islands. It is 50.8 km² (19.61 sq miles) in area and has a population of 4,197. Because there are no airports on St. John, the only access to the island is by boat. The ferry service runs hourly from St. Thomas and daily from Tortola; regular ferries also operate from Virgin Gorda.

Saint Kitts  is an island in the West Indies. The west side of the island borders the Caribbean Sea, and the eastern coast faces the Atlantic Ocean. Together with the island of Nevis, Saint Kitts constitutes one country: the Federation of Saint Kitts and Nevis. It has a land area of about 68 sq. miles (168 km²), being 18 by 5 miles (29 by 8 km).

Saint Kitts has a population of around 35,000, the majority of whom are mainly of African descent. The primary language is English, with a literacy rate of approximately 98%. Residents call themselves Kittitians. Saint Kitts is one of the historic centres of the Caribbean. The first successful British colony in the West Indies was founded on the island in 1624, and the island was subsequently used as a base to settle most of the neighbouring islands for Britain. It also became the site of the first successful French colony in the West Indies (with Britain and France splitting the island between them) in 1625, and was then used to settle other Caribbean territories for France.

Saint Lucia is an island nation in the eastern Caribbean Sea on the boundary with the Atlantic Ocean. Part of the Lesser Antilles, it is located north/northeast of the islands of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, northwest of Barbados and south of Martinique. Its size is 620 km² with an estimated population of 160,000. Its capital is Castries. 

Saint Lucia is one of the Windward Islands. It was first visited by Europeans in about the year 1500 and first colonized successfully by France.  Britain took control of the island from 1663 to 1667 then went to war with France over it fourteen times, and finally took complete control in 1814.  Representative government came about in 1924 and from 1958 to 1962 the island was a member of the Federation of the West Indies. Finally, Saint Lucia became an independent state of the Commonwealth. The island nation celebrates this every year with a public holiday.

Saint Martin is a tropical island in the northeast Caribbean, approximately 300 km (186 miles) east of Puerto Rico. The 87 km² island is divided roughly in half between France and  Netherlands Antilles. It is the smallest inhabited island divided between two nations. 

The population of the entire island is approximaitley 73,000.  Collectively, the two territories are known as "St-Martin/St Maarten".

The island territory of Saint Maarten is one of five island areas of the Netherlands Antilles, encompassing the southern half of the island of St Martin/Sint Maarten.  Sint Maarten borders the French overseas collectivity of Saint Martin, which occupies the Northern half of the island.

Saint Thomas is an island in the Caribbean Sea, a district of the US Virgin Islands. Located on the island is the territorial capital and port of Charlotte Amalie.  The population of Saint Thomas is approximaitely 52,000.  The district has a land area of 31.24 square miles (80.9 km²). 

Saint Vincent and the Grenadines is an island nation in the Lesser Antilles which forms the eastern border of the Caribbean Sea with the Atlantic Ocean. Its 389-square-kilometre (150 sq miles) territory consists of the main island of Saint Vincent and the northern two-thirds of the Grenadines. To the north lies St Lucia, to the east Barbados, and to the south Grenada. It has an estimated population of 120,000 and the capital is Kingstown. The country has a French and British colonial history and is now part of the Commonwealth and CARICOM.

Tortola is the largest and most populated of the British Virgin Islands, a group of islands which form part of the archipelago of the Virgin Islands.  The Dutch settled, and named it Ter Tholen, when the British moved in they altered the name to its present day form of Tortola. 

The Republic of Trinidad and Tobago in the southern Caribbean, lying northeast of the South American country of Venezuela and south of Grenada in the Lesser Antilles. It shares maritime boundaries with other nations including Barbados to the northeast, Guyana to the southeast, and Venezuela to the south. The country covers an area of 5,128 square kilometres (1,980 sq miles) and consists of two main islands, Trinidad and Tobago, and smaller islands. Trinidad is the larger and more populous of the main islands; Tobago is much smaller, comprising about 6% of the total area and 4% of the entire population which is estimated at 1.3 million. 

Unlike most of the English-speaking Caribbean, Trinidad and Tobago's economy is primarily industrial, with an emphasis on petroleum and petrochemicals. Trinidad and Tobago is known for its Carnival and was the birthplace of steelpan, calypso and soca.

Virgin Gorda is the third-largest  and second most populous of the British Virgin Islands. Located at approximately 18 degrees, 48 minutes North, and 64 degrees, 30 minutes West, it covers an area of about 8 square miles (21 km²).  The main town is Spanish Town on the southwestern part of the island.

An unusual geologic formation known as "The Baths"  located on the southern end of the island makes Virgin Gorda one of the BVI's major tourist destinations. At The Baths, the beach shows evidence of the island's volcanic origins, as huge boulders lie in piles on the beach, forming scenic grottoes that are open to the sea.

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