The Caribbean Free Trade Association (CARIFTA) was organised to provide a continued economic linkage between the English-speaking countries of the Caribbean

Caribbean

The Caribbean is a crescent-shaped group of islands more than 2,000 miles long separating the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea, to the west and south, from the Atlantic Ocean, to the east and north...

 following the dissolution of the West Indies Federation

West Indies Federation

The West Indies Federation, also known as the Federation of the West Indies, was a short-lived Caribbean federation that existed from January 3, 1958, to May 31, 1962. It consisted of several Caribbean colonies of the United Kingdom...

 which lasted from January 3, 1958 to May 31, 1962.

The Caribbean Free Trade Association was created to try to boost relations between the various Caribbean islands. One of the reasons of the formation of the CARIFTA was to increase the quota and variety of goods able to be sold. The association started an international youth athletics event for junior athletes from the member states called the CARIFTA Games

CARIFTA Games

  For the CARIFTA swimming meet, please see: CARIFTA Swimming Championships.The CARIFTA Games is an annual athletics competition founded by the Caribbean Free Trade Association . The games was first held in 1972 and consists of track and field events including sprint races, hurdles,...

.

In 1973 CARIFTA became superseded by the Caribbean Community

Caribbean Community

The Caribbean Community is an organisation of 15 Caribbean nations and dependencies. CARICOM's main purposes are to promote economic integration and cooperation among its members, to ensure that the benefits of integration are equitably shared, and to coordinate foreign policy...

 (CARICOM). The Treaty of Chaguaramas

Treaty of Chaguaramas

The Treaty of Chaguaramas established the Caribbean Community and Common Market, later known as CARICOM. It was signed on July 4, 1973 in Chaguaramas, Trinidad and Tobago. It was signed by Barbados, Guyana, Jamaica and Trinidad and Tobago on 4 July 1973, in Chaguaramas, Trinidad and Tobago. It came...

declared that CARIFTA would cease to exist on 1 May 1974.

Membership

In 1965, on December 15, the CARIFTA was founded by 4 countries:

The following countries joined the agreement:

• (1968)
• (1968)
• (1968)
• (1968)
• (1968)
• (1968)
• (1968)
• (1971)