For those yearning to own an island or start a tourism business in paradise, the www.tropical-islands.com website might seem a dream come true. The site, urging web surfers to buy their “own kingdom in today’s developed world,” offers small tropical islands and beachfront properties for sale. Much of the real estate advertised on the website, operated by Greek-American businessman Peter Tsokos, is located on one of the last great, unspoiled stretches of the Caribbean—Nicaragua’s Atlantic Coast region. So far, Tsokos has sold seven of the region’s Pearl Cays to Americans and Europeans dazzled by the islands’ white-sand beaches, turquoise waters and gently bowed palms. What the advertising doesn’t reveal, however, is that local indigenous and black Creole communities have long used... [Log in to read more]