LYCOS RETRIEVER 
Caribbean Sea
built 199 days ago
Bordering Mexico, Guatemala, Honduras and the Caribbean Sea, Belize is emerging as the hottest tourism location in the Caribbean. Belize offers world class diving, boating, fishing, Mayan ruins and jungle adventures. Belize is home to the first Jaguar preserve, known as the Cockscomb Basin, in the world. Belize is similar in size to Massachusetts but is loaded with incredible adventures. With hundreds of Mayan ruins, underground caves and rivers, four distinct cultures, and unparalleled dive sites including the Blue Hole, Belize is making its mark as a preferred location for the nature lover. It's a laid back safe place where English is the official spoken language and new vacation property opportunities are now available with full ownership and guaranteed title as you would expect in the U.S. market," said
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The Caribbean Sea is a mediterranean sea largely situated on the Caribbean Plate. Estimates of the sea's age range from 20,000 years to 570 million years. The Caribbean sea floor is divided into five basins separated from each other by underwater ridges and mountain ranges. Atlantic Ocean enters the Caribbean through the Anegada Passage lying between the Lesser Antilles and Virgin Islands and the Windward Passage located between Cuba and Haiti. The deepest points of the sea lie in Cayman Trough with depths reaching approximately 7,686 m (25,220 feet). Despite this, the Caribbean Sea is considered a relatively shallow sea in comparison to other bodies of water.
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Caribbean Sea, pronounced kar uh BEE uhn or pronounced kuh RIHB ee uhn, is a part of the Atlantic Ocean between the West Indies, and bounded on the south by South America and Panama, and on the west by Central America. The name of the sea is derived from the Carib people, who inhabited the area when Spanish explorers arrived there in the 15th century. The Caribbean is approximately 2415 km (approximately 1500 mi) long east and west and between about 640 and 1450 km (about 400 and 900 mi) wide. It has an area of about 1,942,500 sq km (about 750,000 sq mi). The widest entrance is the Yucatan Channel, between Mexico and Cuba. Ships sail the Caribbean carrying sugar from the West Indies; petroleum from Venezuela and Colombia; coffee from Colombia, Costa Rica, and Guatemala; and bananas from Panama, Costa Rica, Honduras, and El Salvador.
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Geologically, the Caribbean Sea consists of two main basins separated by a broad, submarine plateau. Cayman Trench, a trench between Cuba and Jamaica, contains the Caribbean’s deepest point (24,721 ft/7,535 m below sea level). The Caribbean’s water is clear, warm (75°F/24°C), and less salty than the Atlantic; the basin has a very low tidal range (c.1 ft/.3 m). The Caribbean Sea has a counterclockwise current; water enters through the Lesser Antilles, is warmed, and exits via the Yucatán Channel, where it forms the Gulf Stream. Volcanic activity and earthquakes are common in the Caribbean, as are destructive hurricanes that originate over the sea or in the Atlantic.
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In view of the foregoing, the resolution highlights a number of reasons why the Caribbean Sea deserves to be protected and preserved for present and future generations. In this regard, environmental motives are added to the social and economic realities. Mention is made of its exceptional biodiversity and very fragile ecosystem. This is coupled with the fact that it is a source of economic and material well-being for a number of countries in the region. In this regard, the resolution invites Member States to become Contracting Parties to the relevant international agreements aimed at strengthening maritime security and promoting the protection of the marine environment of the sea against pollution, as well as implementing sustainable management programmes for fish stock and implementing programmes to counter the impoverishment of marine biodiversity.
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The Caribbean Sea is approximately 90 percent enclosed by insular and continental landmasses. It has a unique biodiversity and highly fragile ecosystems, including the second largest coral reef system of the world. Its countries are highly vulnerable to the effects of climate change and variability including sea level rise, the El Nino phenomenon and the increase in the frequency and intensity of natural disasters caused by hurricanes, floods and droughts. Over 230 million people live in the 25 independent states and 13 affiliated territories in the Caribbean basin.
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