ALBA facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Bolivarian Alliance for the Peoples of Our America – Peoples' Trade Treaty Alianza Bolivariana para los Pueblos de Nuestra América – Tratado de Comercio de los Pueblos  (Spanish)
Emblem
Headquarters	Caracas
Official languages	Spanish English
Member states	10 full members  Antigua and Barbuda  Bolivia  Cuba  Dominica  Grenada  Nicaragua  Saint Kitts and Nevis  Saint Lucia  Saint Vincent and the Grenadines  Venezuela   Pending full membership  Suriname   Observers  Haiti  Iran  Syria   Former members  Honduras  Ecuador
Leaders
• Secretary General	Félix Plasencia
Establishment
• Cuba–Venezuela Agreement	14 December 2004
• People's Trade Agreement	29 April 2006
Area
• Total	2,513,337 km2 (970,405 sq mi)
Population
• 2008 estimate	69,513,221
• Density	27.65/km2 (71.6/sq mi)
GDP (PPP)	2008 estimate
• Total	$636.481 billion
• Per capita	$9,156
Currency	5 currencies Bolívar Boliviano Córdoba EC dollar Peso
Time zone	UTC-4 to -6
Internet TLD	10 TLDs .ag .bo .cu .dm .gd .ni .kn .lc .vc .ve

ALBA or ALBA–TCP stands for the Bolivarian Alliance for the Peoples of Our America – Peoples' Trade Treaty. It is an organization that helps countries in Latin America and the Caribbean work together politically and economically.

ALBA was started by Cuba and Venezuela in 2004. It aims to bring countries together based on ideas of social well-being, trading goods and services instead of just money (called bartering), and helping each other economically. Today, ten countries are full members: Antigua and Barbuda, Bolivia, Cuba, Dominica, Grenada, Nicaragua, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, and Venezuela.

How ALBA Started

Hugo Chávez, a former president of Venezuela, helped create ALBA.

The idea for ALBA came from the government of Venezuela, led by President Hugo Chávez. He suggested it as a different way for countries to work together, instead of a plan called the Free Trade Area of the Americas (FTAA) that the United States had proposed.

On December 14, 2004, Presidents Chávez and Fidel Castro of Cuba signed an agreement. This agreement was about exchanging important resources like medical help, education, and petroleum (oil) between their two countries. For example, Venezuela sent oil to Cuba at good prices. In return, Cuba sent many doctors and teachers to help people in Venezuela. Venezuelans could also travel to Cuba for free medical care.

When ALBA first started in 2004, it only had Venezuela and Cuba as members. Over time, more countries from Latin America and the Caribbean joined. These countries signed a "Peoples' Trade Agreement" (TCP), which followed ALBA's ideas.

Bolivia joined in 2006, Nicaragua in 2007, and Ecuador in 2009. Honduras joined in 2008 but left in 2010. Other Caribbean nations like Antigua and Barbuda, Dominica, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, and Saint Lucia also became members.

In 2012, Suriname, Saint Lucia, and Haiti asked to join. Haiti became a permanent observer, and Suriname and Saint Lucia became special members before becoming full members. In 2014, Grenada and Saint Kitts and Nevis also became full members.

Ecuador left ALBA in 2018. Bolivia also left for a short time in 2019 but rejoined in 2020.

A New Kind of Money: SUCRE

In 2009, ALBA leaders decided to create a special "virtual currency" called the SUCRE. This was meant to help countries trade with each other without always using US dollars. It helps members like Bolivia, Cuba, Nicaragua, Ecuador, and Venezuela trade goods and services more easily.

Who Are the Members?

ALBA has full members, observer members, and former members.

Full Members

These are the countries that are officially part of ALBA:

Country	Join date	Population	Capital City
Antigua and Barbuda	24 June 2009	&&&&&&&&&&097118.&&&&&097,118	St. John's
Bolivia	29 April 2006	&&&&&&&&09119152.&&&&&09,119,152	Sucre
Cuba	14 December 2004	&&&&&&&011451652.&&&&&011,451,652	Havana
Dominica	20 January 2008	&&&&&&&&&&072660.&&&&&072,660	Roseau
Grenada	14 December 2014	&&&&&&&&&0111454.&&&&&0111,454	St. George's
Nicaragua	11 January 2007	&&&&&&&&06466199.&&&&&06,466,199	Managua
Saint Kitts and Nevis	14 December 2014	&&&&&&&&&&054961.&&&&&054,961	Basseterre
Saint Lucia	20 July 2013	&&&&&&&&&0180870.&&&&&0180,870	Castries
St. Vincent and the Grenadines	24 June 2009	&&&&&&&&&0120000.&&&&&0120,000	Kingstown
Venezuela	14 December 2004	&&&&&&&028199825.&&&&&028,199,825	Caracas

Observer Members

These countries attend ALBA meetings and participate in some activities, but are not full members:

Country	Population	Capital City
Haiti	10,847,334	Port-au-Prince
Iran	81,672,300	Tehran
Syria	18,284,407	Damascus

Former Members

These countries were once part of ALBA but are no longer members:

Country	Joined	Left	Population	Capital City
Honduras	2008	2010	9,112,867	Tegucigalpa
Ecuador	2009	2018	16,385,068	Quito

Suriname is currently a "special guest member," meaning it plans to become a full member in the future.

Other ALBA Projects

A clickable Euler diagram showing the relationships between various multinational organizations in the Americasv • d • e

XIV ALBA-TCP summit in 2017.

ALBA supports several other projects that help its member countries.

PetroCaribe

PetroCaribe was started in 2005. It helps Caribbean countries get oil from Venezuela at special, lower prices. Many of these countries don't have their own oil. In return, they might offer services or goods to Venezuela. For example, Cuba receives oil in exchange for sending medical doctors to Venezuela.

TeleSUR

TeleSUR is a news channel that started in 2005. It broadcasts news and current events across the ALBA countries. It's a team effort between the governments of Venezuela, Cuba, and Nicaragua to provide their own news coverage.

PETROSUR

PETROSUR is an energy partnership between the national oil companies of Venezuela (PDVSA), Argentina (YPF), and Brazil (Petrobras). The main goal of this project is to use money from oil to fund social programs that help people in these countries.

See also