Introduction

	There are 15 independent countries in the Caribbean plus island colonies and/or dependencies of France, Holland, the United Kingdom and the United States.

	Each island has its own colorful history: the fierce cannibalistic Arawak Indians of Grenada; the 15th century 'discoveries' of Columbus as he searched for the New World; the wars and treaties which bounced some islands from French to Spanish to English influences and, eventually for some, the painful struggle for self-governing independence.

	As such, the Caribbean is filled with a cacophony of language and sound - and always with that lilting native patois of each island.

	For instance, on the culturally-divided island of St. Martin/Sint Maarten, the official languages of French and Dutch are heard just as frequently as English and Papiamento (a Spanish/Dutch hybrid). Spanish can be heard in the larger islands such as Puerto Rico, Cuba and the Dominican Republic. French is the main tongue of the aforementioned St. Martin & St. Barts, Martinique, Guadeloupe and Haiti. Dutch-speaking islands include Saba, Statia, Aruba, Bonaire and Curacao. And though the official language of St. Lucia is English, the natives can often be heard speaking their own brand of Creole, a French-based local patois.

	Always keep in mind the Caribbean 'country' may comprise more than one island, each with its own name - for instance, the Bahamas is actually a country of some 700 islands!