9.4 Caribbean Geography, Resources, Economic Activity & Sustainability
Key Takeaways
- Non-renewable resources such as petroleum, natural gas and bauxite cannot be replaced once used; solar, wind, geothermal and hydro power are renewable.
- A thermometer measures temperature, a rain gauge measures rainfall, an anemometer measures wind speed and a wind vane shows wind direction.
- Volcanic areas benefit communities through geothermal energy, fertile soils and tourist attractions such as sulphur springs.
- Economic activity is grouped into primary (farming, fishing, mining), secondary (manufacturing) and tertiary (services including tourism).
- Ecotourism is nature-based tourism that conserves the environment and benefits local people, and is a form of sustainable development.
9.4 Caribbean Geography, Resources, Economic Activity & Sustainability
Quick Summary: Target 5 of the official standards is "Understand the major economic activities of the region and their impact on the environment." It supplied 8 of the 50 items on the CXC specimen paper. The Social Studies paper also carries map and weather-instrument items, so those are covered here too.
Map and Direction Skills
The specimen paper shows a map of the Caribbean and asks which country a letter marks, and what a marked area is called. Practise these skills on an atlas:
| Map Feature | What It Does |
|---|---|
| Key / legend | Explains what each symbol and colour means |
| Compass rose | Shows direction - North, South, East, West and the points between |
| Scale | Shows how map distance relates to real distance |
| Title | States what the map shows |
| Latitude and longitude | Lines used to give a location |
The cardinal points are North, South, East and West; between them lie North-East, South-East, South-West and North-West. Memorise them clockwise from the top: N, NE, E, SE, S, SW, W, NW.
Know the broad layout: the Greater Antilles (Cuba, Jamaica, Hispaniola, Puerto Rico) lie to the north-west; the Lesser Antilles run in an arc south-eastward, split into the Leeward Islands in the north and the Windward Islands in the south; the mainland territories Belize, Guyana and Suriname are also CARICOM members. The Caribbean Sea lies to the west and south, the Atlantic Ocean to the east.
Weather Instruments
A specimen item asks which instrument measures temperature. Learn the full set - each pairs an instrument with exactly one quantity and one unit.
| Instrument | Measures | Unit |
|---|---|---|
| Thermometer | Temperature | Degrees Celsius (°C) |
| Rain gauge | Rainfall | Millimetres (mm) |
| Anemometer | Wind speed | km/h |
| Wind vane | Wind direction | Compass points |
| Barometer | Air pressure | Millibars (mb) |
| Hygrometer | Humidity | Percentage (%) |
The classic trap is anemometer versus wind vane: speed versus direction. A hurricane warning quotes wind speed, so it comes from an anemometer.
Natural Resources
A natural resource is something from the environment that people use. The key division is whether it can be replaced.
| Renewable - replaced naturally | Non-renewable - cannot be replaced once used |
|---|---|
| Solar energy | Petroleum (oil) |
| Wind | Natural gas |
| Geothermal (volcanic) energy | Bauxite |
| Hydro (water) power | Gold and other metal ores |
| Forests, fish, soil, fresh water | Limestone, sand and gravel |
Careful: forests, fish and soil are renewable only if used sustainably. Overfishing empties a fishing ground, and cutting a forest faster than it regrows destroys it.
Caribbean examples: Trinidad and Tobago has petroleum and natural gas; Jamaica and Guyana have bauxite; Guyana and Suriname have gold and timber; Dominica, St Vincent, Saint Lucia, Montserrat and others have volcanic geothermal potential.
The Benefits of a Volcano
A specimen item asks how a volcano can benefit a community. Volcanoes are dangerous, but volcanic areas provide:
- Geothermal energy - underground heat used to generate electricity.
- Fertile soils - weathered volcanic ash produces very rich farmland.
- Tourist attractions - sulphur springs, hot springs, crater lakes such as Dominica's Boiling Lake and Saint Lucia's Sulphur Springs.
- Minerals - pumice and building stone.
The Three Sectors of Economic Activity
| Sector | What It Does | Caribbean Examples |
|---|---|---|
| Primary | Takes raw materials from nature | Farming, fishing, forestry, mining bauxite, drilling for oil |
| Secondary | Processes raw materials into goods | Making nutmeg jam, rum distilling, sugar refining, garment factories, furniture making |
| Tertiary | Provides services | Tourism, banking, shipping, retail, teaching, health care, telecommunications |
Worked example from the specimen paper: "Mary works in a factory that makes nutmeg jam. Which industry does she work in?" Raw nutmeg is a primary product; turning it into jam in a factory is manufacturing, so Mary works in the secondary sector. This kind of item is settled by asking what happens to the raw material, not where the worker is standing.
Most Caribbean economies today are service-based, with tourism the largest single earner in many islands.
Trade
| Term | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Export | A good or service sold to another country |
| Import | A good or service bought from another country |
| Regional / intra-regional trade | Trade among Caribbean countries themselves |
| International trade | Trade with countries outside the region |
| Balance of trade | The difference between the value of exports and imports |
A specimen item notes that Caribbean countries trade with each other and asks what this is called - regional trade. Another asks why Caribbean countries trade with other countries: because no country produces everything it needs, and countries earn foreign exchange by selling what they produce best.
Typical Caribbean exports to Europe: bananas, sugar, rum, nutmeg, cocoa and other spices. Typical imports: machinery, vehicles, fuel, processed food and fertiliser - which is why the specimen paper features farmers buying fertiliser from overseas.
Tourism
Tourism matters to the region because it:
- Earns foreign exchange for the country.
- Creates employment in hotels, transport, craft, guiding, agriculture and entertainment.
- Builds infrastructure - airports, roads, water supply - that residents also use.
- Creates a market for local farmers, fishers and craft workers.
- Promotes Caribbean culture internationally.
But it also brings costs: pressure on water and waste systems, damage to reefs and beaches, seasonal and sometimes low-paid work, and vulnerability to events far away.
Ecotourism
A specimen item asks what ecotourism is BEST related to. Ecotourism is responsible, nature-based travel that conserves the environment and benefits local people: rainforest hiking, birdwatching, whale watching, reef snorkelling with guides, and community-run nature lodges. It is a form of sustainable development - meeting today's needs without preventing future generations from meeting theirs.
Protecting the Environment
A specimen item asks which practices farmers can use to preserve the environment. Learn the farming set specifically:
| Practice | How It Helps |
|---|---|
| Contour ploughing - ploughing across a slope | Slows run-off and prevents soil erosion |
| Terracing - cutting steps into a hillside | Holds soil and water on steep land |
| Crop rotation | Restores soil nutrients; reduces pests |
| Using compost and organic manure | Cuts chemical run-off into rivers and the sea |
| Planting cover crops and windbreaks | Shields soil from rain and wind |
| Agroforestry - keeping trees among crops | Anchors soil, provides shade and habitat |
| Avoiding slash-and-burn clearing | Prevents loss of vegetation and topsoil |
Broader conservation measures: reduce, reuse, recycle; reforestation after fires or logging; marine protected areas; proper waste disposal; treating sewage before discharge; and renewable energy to cut fossil-fuel use.
The main environmental problems the CPEA expects you to recognise are soil erosion, deforestation, water and air pollution, improper waste disposal, overfishing, coral reef damage and loss of habitat.
Which of the following is a non-renewable resource?
Mary works in a factory that makes nutmeg jam from locally grown nutmeg. In which sector of the economy does she work?
A weather report warns that winds are gusting to 120 km/h. Which instrument produced that measurement?
A community runs guided rainforest hikes and birdwatching tours, employs local guides, and limits visitor numbers to protect nesting sites. This is BEST described as
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