Islands of the Caribbean Carnival began on the islands of the Caribbean. The Caribbean is a region of the Americas that includes the Caribbean Sea, its islands (more than 700!) and the coasts of north South America and east Central America. In the 18th century, many countries tried to colonise the Caribbean islands which is why many islanders speak languages such a French and English. Creole languages are also widely used. A creole language is a mixture of languages. For example, Jamaican Creole is a mixture of English words with West African grammar. Many Caribbean island celebrate Carnival but it is also celebrated in other parts of the world. For example Rio Carnival in Brazil is the biggest carnival in the world and Notting Hill Carnival in London, which is England's biggest carnival. The first carnival to take place in England was the Leeds West Indian Carnival in 1967 - this still takes place every year! Take a look at this map that shows you some of the islands and the languages spoken there: The islands shown here are: Cuba (Spanish) Cayman Islands The Bahamas (English) Jamaica (English & Creole) Haiti (Haitian Creole & French) Dominican Republic (Spanish) Puerto Rico Antigua Guadeloupe (French & Creole) St Kitts and Nevis (English & Creole) Barbados (English) St Lucia (English & Creole) Trinidad & Tobago (English & Creole) Find out more about the different mix of cultures in the Caribbean and why this is in the next section! Quiz Q.1: What are the Caribbean's most widely spoken languages? Q.2: What is a creole language? Previous Next Return to the Carnival Learning Resource THE CARNIVAL LEARNING RESOURCE IS TAKEN FROM THE BOOK CARNIVAL BY RHIAN KEMPADOO-MILLAR AND AYO JONES (2011). Illustrations © Rhian Kempadoo-Millar Banner photo © Tony Bartholomew (2019)