Are white people rare among people from the West Indies? Who are they descended from?

Category: Science and Engineering

Analysis:

The West Indies were originally the homeland of the indigenous Indians. Since the end of the 15th century, it has become a colony of Spain, Britain, the Netherlands, France, Denmark and the United States. During the long-term colonial rule, the Indians were almost wiped out. Black people and their descendants trafficked from Africa became the main labor force in the area, and the black and white mulattoes formed a new nation. From the early 19th century to the Second World War, Haiti, the Dominican Republic and Cuba successively gained nominal independence. After World War II, there were Jamaica, Trinidad and Tobago, Barbados, the Bahamas, Grenada, the Commonwealth of Dominica, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Antigua and Barbuda, and Saint Kitts and Nevi. Ten countries including Sri Lanka have successively declared independence. However, there are still 10 areas under the control of British, American, French, Dutch and other colonists.

With more than 30 million residents, the West Indies are the most densely populated region in Latin America. However, the population is unevenly distributed, mostly concentrated near large cities and safe havens. The racial composition is complex, with blacks and mixed races accounting for about 60%, whites and Asians accounting for about 35% and 5% respectively. Cuba and Puerto Rico are mostly whites (more than 70%), and blacks in Haiti and Barbados. Accounting for 90%, most of them are black in the Bahamas, Jamaica, Grenada and other countries. The rest are mostly black and white mixed race people.