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providing various materials, background information, and useful suggestions, and in extending many courtesies, all of which greatly facilitated the pursuance of the study.

It is hoped that this bulletin will contribute materially toward the furthering of international educational understanding.

OLIVER J. CALDWELL

Assistant Commissioner for International Education

BESS GOODYKOONTZ

Director, International Educational Relations

Part I

General Considerations

The above map includes the entire area known as The Caribbean, and The British, Netherlands, and French affiliated areas, with which this shows its geographical relation to adjoining countries and territories.

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CHAPTER I

The Setting: Geographical, Cultural, Economic, and

T

Political

HE CARIBBEAN AREA is a region with which the United States, because of geographic proximity and economic, political, diplomatic, and strategic factors, has had close relations throughout much of its history. In a broad sense the area is usually regarded in the United States as the region immediately to the south embracing the republics of the Spanish-speaking world that fringe on and surround the Caribbean Sea. It is also generally known that certain lands under the United States flag-the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands of the United States-are located within the area. It may likewise be recognized that the French and Creolespeaking Republic of Haiti falls within its confines.

Not so generally known as being part of the Caribbean area, however, are the non-Spanish-speaking island and mainland territories which continue their cultural and political ties with the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, and France. It is these European affiliated Caribbean areas that we shall be considering here. Included among them are the South American mainland territories of the GuianasBritish, Dutch, and French-which lie outside but adjacent to the Caribbean area proper. Situated on the northeast Atlantic coast of South America to the east of Venezuela, they are usually placed in the Caribbean framework because of geographical proximity, psychological and cultural orientation to the Caribbean territories, and similar social, economic, and political characteristics, problems, and needs. The British affiliated Caribbean areas are the most numerous and the most widely spread of the European connected territories. Extending north and west from British Guiana, the most southeasterly of the territories, they include also certain islands of the Caribbean, most of which are now organized into the West Indies Federation, as well as the Central American mainland territory of British Honduras. The islands consist of Jamaica and Trinidad, the two largest in area and population, as well as Barbados and the Windward and Leeward Island groups in the Lesser Antilles.

The Netherlands affiliated Caribbean areas are the two political units of Surinam (Dutch Guiana) and the Netherlands Antilles. The latter includes the Netherlands Leeward Islands off the coast of

Venezuela (Curaçao, Aruba, and Bonaire), and the Netherlands Windward Islands east of Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands in the Northeast Caribbean (Saba, St. Eustatius, and the Dutch part of St. Martin).

The French affiliated Caribbean areas consist of the three separate political units of French Guiana on the South American mainland, and the islands of Martinique and Guadeloupe. The last named, which is really two islands, also includes for administrative purposes the island of St. Barthelmy and the French part of the island of St. Martin lying in the northern part of the island chain of the Lesser Antilles.

Despite differences in the languages, cultures, and political orientations of these areas, there are basic similarities in social, economic, political, and psychological patterns and characteristics, which in turn make for similarity in educational problems and trends. These include rapid population growth in most territories; underdeveloped economies; the recent emergence of political consciousness and selfgovernment; an increasing popular awareness of and a desire for the "good things of life," and the conviction that expanded and improved educational facilities will afford the opportunity to obtain them. It is not possible here to discuss in detail all the various factors impinging on educational problems and trends, but certain of them will be considered.

A social and cultural fact of significance is the mixed racial composition and background of the population. The great majority of the inhabitants of the area are descended from persons of African origin who were slaves until the liberation movements of the 19th century. In Trinidad, British Guiana, and Surinam, there are, in addition, important numbers of persons of East Asiatic originsdescendants of East Indians (including both Hindus and Moslems), Indonesians, and Chinese, most of whom were brought to these territories as indentured servants to meet a labor need after emancipation of the Negro slaves. In British Honduras, in addition to persons of African origin, a significant number of the population are decended from the Maya Indians. Elsewhere in the areas under discussion, indigenous American Indians are found only in the hinterlands of British Guiana and Surinam, where they form a small percentage of the population and live outside the patterns of national life. And everywhere there are, of course, a minority of persons of European origin along with a considerable number of racially mixed persons.

Although the outward manifestations of the cultural patterns of the area are European in their origin, among all non-European groups there has been retention of certain previous cultural and sociological traits, some of which have important implications for

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