Despite its proximity to the U.S., relatively few regional scientists have more than a passing familiarity with the Caribbean. Yet it offers a unique collection of diverse characteristics for regional studies: political statuses ranging from colonies and possessions to independent nations; resource endowments from rich to nonexistent; levels of development representing all stages; and integration into larger regional systems from minimal to total. Here the possibility of achieving ceteris paribus conditions naturally rather than as a statistical artifact is real. Here regional development policies can be observed operating almost in isolation, free from the complexities oflarger, more advanced economies. And here, too, are opportunities for regional scientists to contribute to improving the welfare of real individuals through the application of regional analysis.