1. D: 11/14/12
A: Notes on the West Indies
S: What is similar about Central
America and the West Indies?
H: Aztec codex due Friday 11/16/12
w.o.d: commonwealth
Warm-Up: Answer the question under
Interpreting the Graph on pg 188.
Write the question and answer.

2. Word of the Day
WORD DEIFINTION SENTENCE PICTURE
Partly self-
Puerto Rico
governing
commonwealth is a
territory. common-
wealth of
the US.

3. I. Mountain Top Islands
a. These groups of island are
called archipelago
b. Most of these island are
formed by underwater
volcanoes
c. Some are made of limestone
and pushed up by earthquakes

4. II. Climate
a. Tropical Savannah with
ocean winds that keep mild
temperatures between 70 & 85
b. Hurricanes hit during summer
and fall months

5. III. Economy
a. Tourism is the main way these islands
make money
b. Plantations of bananas, coffee, tobacco
and sugarcane is also done and export to
other countries
i. If there are to many of any of these crops the
economy suffers because the price of the
goods fall world wide.
c. There is some mining of bauxite that
makes aluminum

6. IV. History
a. Christopher Columbus lands in the Bahamas in
1492
b. In 1469 the Spanish established its first
settlement in the Dominican Republic
c. The West Indies were used in triangular trade
and is where the US got all its slaves from
d. In the 1800 & 1900 the islands became
independent and set up democracies or
parliamentary democracies.
e. Cuba set up a communist government
f. Some of the islands are still colonies to other
countries

7. V. Daily Life
a. The people are Native American, African,
European, or Asian
b. Most people live in Cuba, speak European
languages, and follow Roman Catholic or
protestant religions.
c. Most people work for the Hotels those that don’t
farm
d. The steel drum and reggae are parts of the
popular music
e. Baseball is most popular with Soccer in second

8. VI. Cuba
a. Worlds top producer of sugar with
people working and government
owned farms called cooperatives
b. They also grow coffee, tobacco, rice &
fruit and make cigars
c. Being a communist state means that
there is a dictator named Fidel Castro
and most people live in poverty due to
poor economy

9. VII. Jamaica
a. They speak Creole a mixture of
English and African languages
b. Gained independence from
England
c. Exports bauxite, sugar, coffee and
bananas

10. VIII. Haiti
a. Gained independence from France
b. 1st country to be founded by a former
slave
c. Most people are of African decent
d. Exports coffee and sugar

11. IX. Dominican Republic
a. Shares Hispaniola with Haiti
b. Sugar is its main crop
c. Tourism is beginning to make a
lot of money due to its free trade
zone that allows things to be sold
tax free

12. X. Puerto Rico
a. The United States won Puerto Rico from Spain
during the Spanish-American war in 1898.
b. Every few years Puerto Rico votes to decide it
should become a US state
c. The people of Puerto Rico are US citizens and
can come and go as they please
d. They make machines, clothes and grow
sugarcane & coffee
e. They make more from tourism than any other
West Indies island.