ELI5: Explain Like I'm 5

Territorial evolution of the Caribbean

Alright kiddo, let's imagine that you have a giant puzzle with a lot of small pieces that you need to put together. Just like this puzzle, the Caribbean territories were formed by the merging of little islands and pieces of land over time.

A long long time ago, these islands were uninhabited and were just being formed by volcanic activity and other natural processes. But as time went by, different groups of people started to move to these new lands. Some of them were native people who came from South America, others were European explorers and settlers who arrived in the 1400s and 1500s, and still, others were slaves who were forced to come to the Caribbean from Africa.

All of these different groups of people started to claim different parts of the islands and the surrounding waters as their own. They built forts and settlements to protect their land and their people from attacks by other groups, as well as from hurricanes and other natural disasters.

As a result, the Caribbean territories were formed over time, with different islands and pieces of land coming together to form larger territories. Some of the territories were owned by European countries like Spain and France, while others were taken over by Britain or the Netherlands. Over time, these territories expanded, split up, and merged again, just like the puzzle pieces shifting around.

Today, the Caribbean territories are made up of lots of different countries, each with its own unique history, culture, and identity. Some of these countries are still part of larger territories, while others are completely independent. But no matter what, they all share this rich history of different groups of people coming together and claiming these beautiful islands as their own.