Island-Hopping on the Web

To some, they are a lot of small dots on a map; to others, the home from which they emigrated. To Christopher Columbus, they were a place he stumbled into while seeking a water route to the Far East. For Columbus Day, you can explore the world of the Caribbean on the Web.

An online Library of Congress exhibit, 1492: An Ongoing Voyage, shows you what Caribbean society was like at the time Columbus arrived and how it changed afterward. You can also understand how the settlers introduced products and ideas created by the Indians, such as the hammock, to Europe.

Continue your island-hopping to Puerto Rico to learn the fascinating history of this commonwealth of the United States. You can find out about the Taino Indians, who lived on this and other Caribbean islands at the time of Columbus's voyages, or discover Puerto Rican folklore.

One of the first places Columbus landed in 1492 was a large island he named Hispaniola, which today contains the Dominican Republic and Haiti. You can tour the Dominican Republic online. Its capital, Santo Domingo, founded in 1496 by the brother of Christopher Columbus and others, is the oldest city established by Europeans in the New World.

In Haiti, you can delve into the history of the first republic in the world led by a person of African descent. Like other Caribbean countries, Haiti blends the cultures of Africans, indigenous peoples, and Europeans, which adds a unique flavor to Haiti's food delights.

Columbus also "ran into" Jamaica when his ship was blown off course in 1494, one of those great facts you can read about in its history. The presence of African slaves, who achieved their freedom in the nineteenth century, has shaped Jamaica's language, music, and food, as you will know after visiting the Jamaica Tourist Board site. If all of this Caribbean touring makes you hungry, you may want to try some pepper pot soup, a Jamaican specialty!

1492: An Ongoing Voyage
http://lcweb.loc.gov
/exhibits/1492
/intro.html

Welcome to Puerto Rico!
http://welcome
.topuertorico.org/

Tourist Guide of the Dominican Republic
http://www.dominicana.com.do

Welcome to Haiti
http://pasture.ecn.purdue
.edu/~agenhtml/agenmc
/haiti/haiti.html

Jamaica
http://www.visitjamaica.com/