Caribbean Sea

The Caribbean Sea is a huge part of the North Atlantic Ocean. It sits in the tropics of the Western Hemisphere.

You can find it south of the Gulf of Mexico. Many different lands surround this sea. To the north are the Greater Antilles islands. To the east are the Lesser Antilles. South America is to the south. Central America and the Yucatán Peninsula are to the west.

This area is often called the Caribbean. It includes many islands and nearby coasts.

The sea is shaped by the movement of the Earth. It sits on the Caribbean Plate. This plate moves and interacts with other plates. For example, the South American Plate pushes against the Caribbean Plate. This movement creates island arcs and volcanoes. Some of these volcanoes are active, like Mount Pelee. Others are extinct.

The sea floor is divided into five basins. These are the Yucatan, Cayman, Colombian, Venezuelan, and Grenada Basins. Deep ridges and mountains separate them. The deepest spot is the Cayman Trough. It is located between Jamaica and the Cayman Islands.

People have a long history with these waters. The name comes from the Caribs. They were a dominant group of people in the area. In 1492, Christopher Columbus sailed into these waters.

He was looking for a path to Asia. After he arrived, Spain began to control much of the region. Later, other cultures like England and France also came. The sea became a busy place for trade. This wealth even attracted pirates like Blackbeard.

The water in the Caribbean is very special. The surface color is often blue-green or green.

The temperature stays mostly the same throughout the year. However, the water has been warming up recently. This change can affect the many living things in the sea. One of the most important features is the coral reefs. The Mesoamerican Barrier Reef is the second largest in the world.

It stretches along the coasts of Mexico, Belize, Guatemala, and Honduras.

These reefs are very important for the planet. They support many different types of sea life. They also help the local economy through fishing and diving.

Tiny plants called zooxanthellae live inside the coral. These plants give the coral its bright color. They also help the coral make food. If the water stays too warm, these plants die. This causes the coral to turn white. This is called coral bleaching. Many people work hard to protect these reefs and the animals that live there.