Economic Activities

Economically, the islands are poorly developed. The great majority of the people live barely above the subsistence level, with virtually no cash income.

For almost 500 years agriculture has been the dominant activity. Large white-owned plantations account for much of the commercial crop production, especially on the larger islands, excluding Cuba. Cuba's large, privately owned plantations were abolished by a program of nationalization, which began in 1959. More typical than the plantations, and far more numerous, are tiny plots and small family-operated farms, which usually produce only enough to meet the family's needs. Some family farms also produce cash crops, but in small amounts.

On nearly all the islands sugarcane is the leading crop. Other cash crops include bananas, cacao, citrus fruits, coffee, sisal, spices, and tobacco. Staple foods grown include beans, peas, corn, rice, sweet potatoes, mangoes, and plantains. The raising of livestock, particularly cattle, is important on some of the larger islands, especially Cuba. Fishing the coastal waters, both commercially and for immediate food needs, is widely practiced. The catch is one of the chief sources of protein in the West Indian diet.

Manufacturing generally consists of processing agricultural products. Refined sugar and rum are two of the most notable products. On many of the islands, household and consumer goods are made primarily in small shops and in homes as handicraft items. Modern manufacturing is confined chiefly to Puerto Rico and, to a lesser extent, Cuba, Jamaica, and Trinidad. In Puerto Rico, many industries have been established since the early 1940's as the result of a development program that attracted many manufacturing industries from the United States. On the islands of Curaçao and Trinidad large refineries process petroleum for export. Large-scale mining is limited primarily to bauxite in Jamaica, nickel ores in Cuba, and petroleum in Trinidad.

Tourism has expanded rapidly since the 1940's, when fast commercial air transportation first became available. On some of the islands, such as the Bahamas, Jamaica, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands, tourism is of major importance, attracting many thousands of visitors annually.