PARIS: Hurricane Maria made landfall in Puerto Rico on Wednesday, having already torn through other Caribbean islands, many still reeling from the passage of Hurricane Irma earlier this month.
These are some of the areas affected by Maria.
- Puerto Rico -
This former Spanish colony, home to 3.5 million people, was taken over by the United States at the end of the 19th century, making its people US citizens. But the country retains a proud cultural identity and has had its own government since the 1950s.
The territory, made up of a large main island and other smaller ones, is densely populated for a surface of more than 9,000 square kilometres (3,475 square miles).
Nearly one person in 10 has left the island over the past decade, with high unemployment and a crippling debt of more than $70 billion (58 billion euros) making the island basically bankrupt.
- Guadeloupe -
This archipelago of 1,700 square kilometres is governed by France, nearly 7,000 kilometres away.
With a population of 400,000 in 2014, it has two main islands called Basse-Terre and Grande-Terre and is dominated by the Soufriere volcano.
In 2014, its unemployment rate of nearly 24 percent was the highest for a French department. A favourite tourist destination for French nationals from the mainland, its economy relies largely on tourism and the public sector.
- Dominica -
A former British colony that gained independence in 1978, the rainforest-covered island of around 750 square kilometres is situated south of Guadeloupe.
Its population of about 73,000 includes 3,000 indigenous Caribs, descended from the first inhabitants of the country. This is the largest remaining Carib community in the region.
- Montserrat -
This British overseas territory of 5,000 people, colonised in 1632, is just 106 sq. km in size and is located north of Guadeloupe.
Tourism and agriculture were the main resources of the volcanic territory, until a spate of eruptions in the 1990s ravaged its capital Plymouth forced the evacuation of more than half its population.
Former Beatles producer Sir George Martin had a studio on the island where hits such as "Ebony and Ivory" by Paul McCartney and Stevie Wonder were recorded.
A two-island Caribbean archipelago to the northwest of Guadeloupe, the former British colony has a population of 60,000.
The islands gained independence in 1983, remaining within the Commonwealth. They earn their money from tourism and financial services after dropping sugarcane production in 2005 as it was no longer profitable.
- British Virgin Islands -
Just east of Puerto Rico, this English-speaking British overseas territory is home to roughly 28,000 people. Made up of around 50 small islands, including Richard Branson's Necker Island, the British Virgin Islands is a prized tourist destination.
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