Culture, Government & Economics

Central America & the Caribbean

Culture

How is Central America and the Caribbean culturally diverse?

• Central America– There are 40 million

people in Central America.

– Primary groups of people:• Spanish, Native

Americans, English and some Africans

• Caribbean– There are 36 million

people in the Caribbean• 1/3 live in Cuba.

– Primary groups of people:

• Native Americans, Spanish, African, Asian, Middle Eastern, and other Europeans

Language

• Central America– Spanish– English

• Belize only

– Native dialects

• Caribbean– Spanish– French– English– Creole

• Mixture of French and African dialects

Religion

• Central America– Most are Roman

Catholic

• Caribbean– Most practice

Christianity• Including Catholicism

– Small groups of Muslims, Hindus and Jews

Types of Foods

• Depends on the culture of each individual country. – Most food is a blending of 3 or

more cultures.

• In the Caribbean the main dishes include seafood and tropical fruits.– Flying fish, sea urchin eggs– Spicy curries from India– Sausage from England– Chinese dishes

Popular forms of Music

• Central American music is very similar to that of Mexico.

• The Caribbean– Calypso

• Brought by slaves as a means of communication• Has humor in the lyrics

– Reggae• Jamaican• Lyrics deal with social issues.

– Steel Drums• “Tuned” to create specific sounds by hitting the

drum with a rubberized drum stick.

Athletics

• Baseball

• Soccer

• Track and Field– Includes running,

throwing, and jumping

• Cricket– Similar to baseball.

Diversity of the Arts

• Diversity exists in all areas of Latin American culture.

• Food, music, style of clothing, language, literature and art demonstrate a blending of Native America, African and European cultural elements.

• At the same time, Catholicism gives the region a unifying set of beliefs and customs.

Government

Cuba• Unitary Socialist Republic

– What is a unitary government?– Dictatorship– Fidel Castro = Dictator

• Castro’s brother, Raul, assumed duties when Castro fell ill in 2006

• Voters only have 1 political party to choose from– Cubans MUST vote in elections beginning at age 16.

• National Assembly – 1 house legislature of 600 members– Meets two times a year and is lead by the president (Castro)– Appoints the Council of State which has 31 members

• Controls the economy with the Communist Party

• Voters in the 14 Cuban provinces elect members of the municipal assemblies - who choose members for the provincial assemblies– Members of both assemblies server for 2 1/2 years - unpaid

Jamaica

• Constitutional Monarchy– Parliament is their legislature = 2 houses

• Senate, House of Representatives• Vote for 60 members of House of Representatives• Do NOT vote for members of the Senate

– Citizens of Jamaica vote when they turn 18 years old• Choose between 2 parties

– In the House of Representatives, the party with the most votes (leading party) chooses the Prime Minister.

• Prime Minister asks the English monarch to choose a Governor-General for the island (from the leading party).

– Governor-General selects 13 of 21 of the Senate members from the

leading party– The opposition party asks the Governor-General to select the remaining

members of the Senate from their party.

Economics

Economics

• Most countries in Central America and the Caribbean have a mixed economy.

• However . . . – Cuba has a communist economy.

• Government controls the production and prices of goods.

• Many countries often choose to adopt another countries currency . . . . Like the USA dollar. – This provides a stable currency for that country and allows

consumers to trade easily.• Examples: El Salvador and Panama

– This is especially helpful considering the major source of income in the Caribbean is tourism.