Caribbean

Anguilla lies at the northern end of the Leeward Islands in the Caribbean Sea. It consists of five islands, with the capital, The Valley situated on the main island of Anguilla.

Tourism and fishing are the basis of the economy, with banking also playing an increasing role.

First colonised by English settlers in 1650, Anguilla was incorporated into a single British dependency along with the neighbouring islands of Saint Kitts and Nevis in the early 19th century and in 1967 Anguilla became part of the Associated State of St Kitts-Nevis-Anguilla. In 1980, however, Anguilla formally withdrew from the territory, becoming a separate British dependency, which it remains.

Having competed in two Commonwealth Games since 1998, Anguilla, the small Caribbean island nation has had no medal success in Commonwealth Games competition. A delegation of five athletes in Track and Field took part in Manchester

View the final list of medallists from Anguilla at Melbourne 2006
See highlights and photos from the Queen's Baton Relay in Anguilla

Antigua and Barbuda is an island nation located in the eastern Caribbean Sea on the boundary with the Atlantic Ocean. Antigua and Barbuda are located in the middle of the Leeward Islands in the Eastern Caribbean, and are part of the Lesser Antilles archipelago with the archipelago of Guadeloupe to the south, Montserrat to the southwest, Saint Kitts and Nevis to the west and Saint Barthélemy and Saint Martin to the northwest.

Antigua, the largest and most populous, is mainly hilly scrubland, with many beaches and a warm, dry climate. The economy relies heavily on tourism.

The territory became an Associate State in 1967 with full internal government. After elections in 1980 the state opened negotiations with Britain for full independence. Opposition to independence came from Barbuda, which wanted greater autonomy for itself. The territory became an independent state within the Commonwealth on 1 November 1981. Antigua and Barbuda have attended five games since 1966, but have achieved no medals.

Antigua and Barbuda’s former Prime Minister Lester Bryant Bird was an athlete of some repute during the late 1950s and 1960s, winning a bronze medal at the 1959 Pan-American Games in high jump.

View the final list of medallists from Antigua and Barbuda at Melbourne 2006
See highlights and photos from the Queen's Baton Relay in Antigua and Barbuda

The Bahamas is an archipelago of about 700 islands and 2,400 cays in the northern Caribbean. The Bahamas is located in the Atlantic Ocean, east of Florida in the United States, north of Cuba and west of the British dependency of the Turks and Caicos Islands.

The climate is warm for much of the year, with heavy rainfall in the summer. Tourism is the island's main industry, combined with financial services.

The Bahamas became a British crown colony in 1718, and was granted self-government in 1964, before achieving full independence in 1973. Bahamas first attended the Commonwealth Games in 1954 in Vancouver, Canada, although they did not join the Commonwealth until 1973. They have attended ten games since, picking up a total of 23 medals including eight gold.

Success at Manchester in the Marquee Woman’s Athletics event, the 100m sprint for Bahamian Debbie Furguson, who won in a time of 10.91 secs.

View the final list of medallists from Bahamas at Melbourne 2006
See highlights and photos from the Queen's Baton Relay in Bahamas

Barbados is the most easterly of the Caribbean islands, sitting south of St Lucia, east of St Vincent and the Grenadines and north of Trinidad and Tobago.

Barbados is small and densely populated, with a fairly flat terrain, white-sand beaches and a tropical climate. The economy is based on tourism, financial services, light industries and sugar production.

From the arrival of the first British settlers in 1627–1628 until independence in 1966, Barbados was under uninterrupted British control. The country came to independence from Britain on 30 November 1966. Beginning their association with the Commonwealth Games in 1954 at the Vancouver games, Barbados have attended 11 games since and have won ten medals, including two golds.

1998 spelt gold for Women’s Hurdler Andrea Blackett in the 400 metre Hurdles event in a time of 53.91.

View the final list of medallists from Barbados at Melbourne 2006
See highlights and photos from the Queen's Baton Relay in Barbados

The British Virgin Islands is a UK overseas territory and lies roughly mid-way between Puerto Rico and the northern most of the Leeward Islands group in the Caribbean. It is comprised of four main islands and 36 islets.

Islands are mostly of volcanic origin and hilly. The climate is sub-tropical and tourism is the main industry.

In 1672, the English arrived in the region, and annexed the Islands, removing the Dutch populations from Tortola in 1672, and from Anegada and Virgin Gorda in 1680. They were administered from Jamaica until separate overseas territory status was gained for the Islands in 1967.

Debuting in 1990 in Auckland, the British Virgin Islands have attended four Games in total. This Caribbean island nation has enjoyed no medal success in competition at the Games.

View the final list of medallists from British Virgin Islands at Melbourne 2006
See highlights and photos from the Queen's Baton Relay in British Virgin Islands

The Cayman Islands are an overseas UK territory. The island group lies between Cuba and Jamaica in the Caribbean. The territory is a group of three islands; Grand Cayman, Cayman Brac and Little Cayman.

The islands are one of the world's most important offshore financial centres, though tourism is also important. Offshore banking and financial services developed during the 1960s and 1970s and replaced the traditional activities of turtle fishing and farming, leading to a substantial increase in the islands prosperity.

The islands, along with nearby Jamaica, were ceded to England in 1670 under the Treaty of Madrid. The Cayman Islands were administered as a dependency of Jamaica until Jamaica attained independence in 1962 and then reverted to being a British dependency with an administrator in 1971. In 1978 the Cayman Islands made their Commonwealth Games debut and has made it to five games since. A lone bronze medal in 2002 brought the Cayman’s only medal success.

Kareem Streete-Thompson won bronze for the Cayman Islands in the Men’s Long Jump competition with a jump of 7.89 metres in 2002 at Manchester.

View the final list of medallists from Cayman Islands at Melbourne 2006
See highlights and photos from the Queen's Baton Relay in Cayman Islands

Dominica is an island nation in the Caribbean Sea, situated in the Eastern Caribbean and lying south of Guadeloupe and north of Martinique.

Dominica is a lush island of mountainous rainforests, home of many rare plant, animal and bird species. The Dominican economy is dependent on both tourism and agriculture, with major exports including tobacco, bananas and essential oils.

Dominica was seized by the British in the 18th century and remained a British possession, apart from brief periods of French rule, until 1978. In 1967 the island gained full internal autonomy as an Associated State. The country was granted full independence from Britain as a republic on 3 November 1978.

Since 1958 Dominica has sent a team to the Commonwealth games five times. No medal success has been enjoyed by Dominica in games competition.

View the final list of medallists from Dominica at Melbourne 2006
See highlights and photos from the Queen's Baton Relay in Dominica

Grenada has wooded hills, beaches in the south-west, a warm climate and good rainfall and is the most southerly of the Windward isles in the Eastern Caribbean. Its Caribbean neighbours include St Vincent and the Grenadines and Trinidad and Tobago.

Agriculture is the main activity, with bananas, nutmeg and cocoa the main exports.

The island was ceded by the French to the United Kingdom in 1763, and was made a Crown Colony in 1877. It was granted full internal self-government in 1967 when it became an Associated State and attained full independence from Britain on 7 February 1974, the same year it joined the Commonwealth.
 
Beginning its Commonwealth Games association in 1970 at the Edinburgh games, Grenada has competed in five games since. Over this time period, Grenada has enjoyed no medal success at the games.

View the final list of medallists from Grenada at Melbourne 2006
See highlights and photos from the Queen's Baton Relay in Grenada

Situated south of Cuba and west of Haiti, Jamaica, the third-largest Caribbean island has beaches and densely populated coastal plains.

The climate is tropical, cooler and wetter on high ground. The economy is based on tourism, agriculture, mining and light manufacturing. Bauxite, alumina, sugar and bananas are the main exports.

The British Empire seized Jamaica, then a private estate of the family of explorer Christopher Columbus, from Spain in 1655. Slowly gained increasing independence from the United Kingdom, in 1958 Jamaica became a province in the Federation of the West Indies, and attained full independence by leaving the federations in 1962. Jamaica attended their first Commonwealth Games in 1934 and has attended 12 Games since, winning medals at every event. Winning a total of 83 medals in competition, Jamaica is proud to admit to 30 of these being gold.

Michael Blackwood came home with one of the four gold medals won by Jamaica at the Manchester games. He won gold in the Men’s 400 metres.

View the final list of medallists from Jamaica at Melbourne 2006
See highlights and photos from the Queen's Baton Relay in Jamaica

Montserrat is a volcanic island, mostly mountainous with small coastal low lands, located in the Leeward Islands, part of the chain of islands called the Lesser Antilles.

The climate is tropical with little daily or seasonal temperature variations. Due to volcanic eruptions, Montserrat's economy has suffered over the past few years. Construction has been the dominant activity with the UK committing over $100 million to help reconstruct the economy.

The island fell under British control in 1632 when a group of Irish fleeing anti-Catholic sentiment in Saint Kitts and Nevis settled there. Between 1871 and 1956 Montserrat was administered as part of the Federal Colony of the Leeward Islands and between 1958 and 1962 participated in the Federation of the West Indies. In 1960 a new constitution provided greater autonomy for the island.

Attending their first games in Victoria in 1994, Montserrat has not tired of this experience, competing at every Games since. This 12-year relationship has spelt no medal success for Montserrat, but hope is apparent for their medal quest in Melbourne.

View the final list of medallists from Montserrat at Melbourne 2006
See highlights and photos from the Queen's Baton Relay in Montserrat

With a total land area of approximately 400 sq km, St Vincent and the Grenadines is one of the countries of the Eastern Caribbean, lying close to the southern end of the Caribbean chain and about 97km north of Grenada.

St Vincent is forested and mountainous, with an active volcano. The climate is tropical and wet. The economy is based mainly on agriculture and tourism.

From 1763 when it was ceded by France to the British until independence, St Vincent passed through various stages of colonial status under the British. St Vincent was granted associate statehood status on 27 October 1969, and exactly ten years later St Vincent and the Grenadines gained its independence. Making their Games debut in 1958, St Vincent and the Grenadines has attended seven games since, with two medals to their name.
 
Success for Frankie Lucas in the Men’s Middleweight Division Boxing at the 1974 games is St Vincent and the Grenadines’ only gold medal win.

View the final list of medallists from St Vincent and the Grenadines at Melbourne 2006
See highlights from the Queen's Baton Relay in St Vincent and the Grenadines

Trinidad, the most southerly Caribbean island, lies off the Venezuelan coast. It is hilly in the north, with a populous central plain. Tobago, to the north-east, is smaller, more mountainous and less developed.

The climate is tropical. Oil and petrochemicals dominate the economy.

Once separate British colonies, the two islands of Trinidad and Tobago became linked in 1888. Ministerial government was introduced in 1959, followed by full internal self-government in 1961. Trinidad and Tobago joined the Federation of the West Indies in 1958 and the Federation’s eventual demise in 1962 led to their independence that year. Since competing in the 1934 Commonwealth Games in London, Trinidad and Tobago have only missed two games appearances in 1950 and 1986, winning a total of 35 medals including eight golds.

The men’s marquee athletics event – the 100 metres sprint was dominated by Trinidad and Tobago in 1998 when Ato Boldon won the event in 9.88 seconds over Namibia’s Frankie Fredericks.

View the final list of medallists from Trinidad and Tobago at Melbourne 2006
See highlights and photos from the Queen's Baton Relay in Trinidad and Tobago