Why is There a Desert in the Caribbean? | Geography Anomaly

The Caribbean has more than swaying coconut palms and sugarcane fields. In some areas, deserts prevail where one would probably expect tropical forests. These islands and peninsulas have had a very different history compared to the rest of the Caribbean, thanks to their unique desert environment.

Sources:

Features of the Caribbean Low Level Jet. International Journal of Climatology, 2008. Felicia S. Whyte, Michael A. Taylor,* Tannecia S. Stephenson and Jayaka D. Campbell.

The caribbean low‐level jet, the inter‐tropical convergence zone and precipitation patterns in the intra‐americas sea: a proposed dynamical mechanism. 2015. Hugo G. Hidalgo,Ana M. Durán‐quesada,Jorge A. Amador & Eric J. Alfaro.

Winter and Summer Structure of the Caribbean Low Level Jet, Journal of Climate. Ernesto Muñoz and Antonio J. Busalacchi, Sumant Nigam, Alfredo Ruiz-Barradas.  

Spatial variability of Spanish sardine (Sardinella aurita) abundance as related to the upwelling cycle off the southeastern Caribbean Sea. Digna Tibisay, Rueda Roa, Jeremy Mendoza, Frank Edgar , Muller-Karger, Yrene Astor, Juan José Cárdenas, Alina Achury

Low Level Jets in the Tropical Americas, Department of Atmospheric Sciences, Gabriela Mora.

Historical Archaeology of Early Colonial Campsites on Margarita and Coche Islands, Venezuela
Andrzej T. Antczak, Ma. Magdalena Antczak, Oliver Antczak and Luis A. Lemoine Buffet
pp. 146-174

The Spanish Conquest of the Pearl Coast and the Search for the Province of the Meta. Michael Perri, Emory University. 

Spanish Pearl-fishing Operations on the Pearl Coast in the Sixteenth Century. Sanford A. Mosk. The Hispanic American Historical Review. 

The Aruba Heritage Report, Luc Alofs, 2008. 

Curacao in the Age of Revolutions, 1795-1800. Wim Klooster, Gert Oostindie. Kiltv press.

A short natural history of Curacao. Gerard Van Buurt. 

“The sole owners of the land”: Empire, war, and authority in the Guajira Peninsula, 1761–1779
Forrest Hylton.

[stonew]

This was all so very interesting. Thank you for enlightening us about this region of the world, culturally, historically, and geographically. You taught me things I did not know, which is saying something given that I was born in Venezuela and lived in Valencia, a city a few miles inland along the central coast of the country. This area is quite tropical with lots of rain. However, as you stated in the video the coastal areas to the west and further east of the country are quite dry. As a child I traveled several times to Isla Margarita and I remember the arid landscapes, the cacti. I had no idea that there existed a tiny white tailed deer, so I'm glad to know that. Thank you. Our family also traveled to Coro, just south of the Peninsula de Paraguana, in the state of Falcon, where there was a desert with high golden sand dunes. Another hot and very dry region of the country.
I am curious what drew you to want to make a video about this particular region of South America? You definitely did it justice.

[Alsayid]

As a kid living in Venzuela I found it fascinating how you could be in a green jungle area one moment, then drive an hour away along the coast and be in a desert. I never thought about why. Thanks for the info.

[davidgilhousen]

Because there is so little rainfall on these islands, there's little run-off and underwater visibility is superb. Great for divers and snorkelers. Also, hurricanes are extremely rare here. That, plus the clear skies and strong winds, make it a great place to visit during the summer.

[casualearth-dandavis]

I have ordered a lapel mic and will continue to work on improving audio+visuals. Thanks for the tips, everyone.

[oswaldodgomezs]

I'm from Maracaibo, Venezuela. I am impressed not only by the oceanographical but by the historic accuracy of this video, as well. By the way, my grandmother, Felicia Gómez, was guaiquerí. I loved this from head to toe.

[DavidClark]

I’m a grad student studying corals in Curaçao, and have learned that the coral reef ecosystems in the area are doing much better right now compared to other reefs in the tropics. One reason is the upwelling in the region delivering cooler water, but another is the lack of precipitation. Less rain creates less runoff from cities and agriculture that would harm the health of coral reefs. Extremely unique location.

Love the video, keep up the great work!

[timomartijn]

I'm a native of the island Aruba, thanks for explaining our unique ecosystem 🌵

[drowningpooralice]

My daughter has used you as a resource three times, and it's raining straight As over here. It goes even further than that. Your videos have awakened a thirst for knowledge that she herself attributes to those times she discovered your channel. I'm proud of both of you.

[KRD]

I’m in Aruba right now and visited the rugged more natural northern coast and this is exactly the video I am looking for

[manuelmendez]

I was born and lived in Venezuela for 19 years. Every beach I went to is a desert or desert-like. Until now, I thought this was the rule for coastlines rather than the exception.
Also, I loved learning about the deer species in Margarita! I had no idea.

[Ankles]

as someone born and raised on Aruba, this was quite fascinating. Fun fact: if you look at the left most tip of the island you can see the effect of tradewinds on the sand dunes

[ivanpojomovsky]

As a venezuelan that had visited many times Araya´s and Paraguaná´s peninsulas, I enyoyed very much this explanation. A visually stunning portrait of salt explotation in Araya in the 1940s can be found in Margot Benacerraf´s documentary "Araya", that certainly is worth a look

[bigrich]

I’ve visited Bonaire several times on dive trips. It has some of the best diving in the world with beautiful reefs that are easily accessible from shore without long boat trips. Usually on our last full day we avoid diving since we have to fly out the next day. Bonaire has a national park on one end of the island and I’ve visited it a couple of times. It’s a true desert in the image of the American southwest and an amazing juxtaposition to the tropical parts of the island. I’ve heard that part of the reason for this is that the ABC Islands are out of the hurricane belt and so they tend to miss tropical storms with all their rain.

[FakeGoogleName]

Your videos are great and informative - I really like how you are respectful and appreciative of the various indigenous cultures mentioned here. I wish you success

[raylesire]

i live on aruba for over 50 years. this answered a lot of questions i had about my island....thank you

[carlosmotta]

Im Venezuelan but being leaving in Canada for over 30yrs.. your geography and history content is so thorough that in the length of this video I have learnt what I didn't in my entire highschool..
Thank you for expanding my knowledge..
Well done Sr.

[christianboekhout]

As someone who's family is from Aruba, it's always fun seeing the shock on people's faces when I explain to them that its all cactus and desert hahaha

[jonjonckheer]

Thank you for this insightful video! I’m a native Curacaoan and understanding why our beautiful little island is so dry and desertlike was very interesting!!

[angryman]

Soy de Venezuela, no solo la península de Araya es desértica, Cumaná y parte del estado anzoategui también posee zonas cerca de la costa semi desérticas. Por cierto la playa en Araya es espectacular. Me pareció triste saber que el río Manzanares llegó a tener cocodrilos alguna vez.

[mmeis]

I lived in Aruba during the 50-60's. Our yards were filled with S. America soil and our water came from mostly desalinated ocean from the refinery. They had a 3 water pipe system with potable for washing showers and garden yard irrigation, fresh, and sewer. The refinery is still there but mostly its a tourist economy now. Dad got a load of this soil and grew a pumpkin, the native arubans were impressed - had never seen one. Esso Exxon made huge profits and was turned over to the Arubans when they closed our lil heaven in the 70's.
Thank you for reviving those wonderful memories.