World Heritage Sites In The Caribbean

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   AllAboutWorldHeritage

   January 23, 2026

   For UNESCO, the LAC (Latin America and the Caribbean) region consists of 33 Member States. While the “Latin America” portion refers to the mainland Spanish- and Portuguese-speaking countries, the “Caribbean” portion is defined by a mix of geography, language, and political ties.

   UNESCO identifies 16 countries as being “Caribbean,” including three mainland nations that are culturally and politically aligned with the islands.1. The 13 Nations of the “Kingston Cluster”¹

   UNESCO’s Cluster Office for the Caribbean (based in Kingston, Jamaica) officially serves 13 Member States.² These are mostly English- and Dutch-speaking:³

   • Antigua and Barbuda⁴
   • The Bahamas⁵
   • Barbados⁶
   • Belize (Mainland Central America, but culturally Caribbean)⁷
   • Dominica⁸
   • Grenada⁹
   • Guyana (Mainland South America, but culturally Caribbean)¹⁰
   • Jamaica¹¹
   • Saint Kitts and Nevis¹²
   • Saint Lucia¹³
   • Saint Vincent and the Grenadines¹⁴
   • Suriname (Mainland South America, but culturally Caribbean)¹⁵
   • Trinidad and Tobago¹⁶

   2. The Spanish and French-Speaking Caribbean

   While managed under different administrative offices (like the Havana office), these three nations are geographically and fundamentally part of the Caribbean sub-region in UNESCO’s reporting:

   • Cuba¹⁷
   • Dominican Republic¹⁸
   • Haiti¹⁹

   3. Associate Member States

   UNESCO also includes several non-independent territories in the Caribbean as Associate Members.²⁰ These territories participate in UNESCO programs specifically within the Caribbean grouping:TerritoryStatusAnguillaBritish Overseas TerritoryArubaConstituent Country (Netherlands)British Virgin IslandsBritish Overseas TerritoryCayman IslandsBritish Overseas TerritoryCuraçaoConstituent Country (Netherlands)MontserratBritish Overseas TerritorySint MaartenConstituent Country (Netherlands)Summary for your records:

   In the UNESCO LAC acronym, the “Caribbean” isn’t just a list of islands; it includes the “Mainland Caribbean” (Belize, Guyana, and Suriname) because they share the history and challenges of the island nations (such as being Small Island Developing States, or SIDS).

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