Jamaica

600 miles south of Miami, Florida lies Jamaica, an island country full of contrasts. Tourists
love to visit Jamaica for its beautiful, white beaches, lush rain forests and relaxed way of
life. Tourists enjoy listening to reggae music, which can be heard all over the island.
However, tourists don’t usually see the people who live in tiny shacks made from wood,
metal scraps and even cardboard. In crowded shanty towns, violence and drug trafficking is
common.
Jamaica was first settled in the 7th century by the Taino people, who sailed from South
America. Christopher Columbus landed on Jamaica in 1494. The Taino people were taken as
slaves. Many of them died from diseases or mistreatment. The entire group was wiped out
by 1600. The Spanish ruled Jamaica until 1655 when Great Britain gained control. Slaves
from Africa were brought here to work on huge sugar plantations. They were cruelly treated
and often fought against their owners. Slavery was finally abolished in 1838 and the country
gained its independence in 1962.

Fun Facts about Jamaica for Kids

Jamaica is a large mountainous island in the Caribbean . 2,780,132 people live in Jamaica.

The national motto is, 'Out of Many, One People",

Over half a million Jamaicans alone live in Kingston, the capital, founded after an
earthquake destroyed much of the original capital, Port Royal, which was a notorious home
to pirates.

Kingston is the largest English speaking city in the Caribbean.

Jamaica has 4,181 square miles of land.

87 percent of adults can read.

People living here can expect to live for 75 years.

The official language of Jamaica is English.

Jamaica is still a member of the British Commonwealth and recognizes Queen Elizabeth.
Jamaica has a prime minister and elected officials.

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About 56 percent of Jamaicans are Christian. Other religions include Hinduism, Judaism and
Islam. Many people belong to the Rastafarian religion, which is a Christian religion that
began in the 1930s. Rastafarians do not believe in violence. They often wear their hair in
long dreadlocks and wear red, yellow and green – the colors of the Ethiopian flag.

Question: What do people in Jamaica do for a living?

Answer: Some people farm, but most people live in the cities. Kingston is the largest city.
Here, people work in finance, technology and manufacturing. Tourism is also a big industry,
as is bauxite mining. Bauxite is used to make aluminum.

Whilst English is the official language , most islanders speak Jamaican patois.

The coney or guitar is the only native land mammal. It looks like a guinea pig.

There are over 100 types butterfly including the Swallowtail.

The national bird is called the hummingbird doctor bird because it's tail looks like a doctor's
coat.

Akee is the national fruit and is served in a dish with catfish.

Pimento trees, which grow in Jamaica, produce allspice which is used to flavour food such as
jerk chicken.

Jamaica is an island nation located in the Caribbean.

In 2012 the population of Jamaica was estimated to be around 2.9 million.

The capital and largest city in Jamaica is Kingston.

Jamaica was claimed by Spain after Christopher Columbus landed there in 1494. It then
came under English rule in 1655 before gaining independence in 1962.

The longest mountain range in Jamaica is called the Blue Mountains. Blue Mountain Peak is
the highest point on the island at 2256 metres (7402 feet).
Jamaica has a tropical climate with high temperatures and humid weather.

Jamaica is prone to damage caused by hurricanes.

Jamaica has 8 native snake species, but relax, none of them are venomous.
In Jamaica they drive on the left-hand side of the road.

The currency is the Jamaican dollar.

Jamaica exports agricultural products such as bananas, coffee and sugar.

Languages spoken in Jamaica include Jamaican Patois and Jamaican English.

Reggae music originated in Jamaica, home of well known musician Bob Marley.
Over 1 million tourists visit Jamaica every year.
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Jamaica produces many talented sportspeople, especially in track & field where athletes
such as Usain Bolt, Johan Blake and Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce have excelled.

currency: Jamaican Dollar (JMD)

National Bird: Red-billed Streamertail Hummingbird (Doctor bird)

National Fruit: Ackee

National Flower: Lignum Vitae

National Tree: Blue Mahoe

Type of Government : Constitutional Parliamentary Democracy

Jamaica PM: Andrew Holness (since Feb 2016)

Anthem: Jamaica, Land We Love

Independence Day : 6th August 1962 (from UK)

FAST FACTS
OFFICIAL NAME: Jamaica
FORM OF GOVERNMENT: Parliamentary democracy
CAPITAL: Kingston
POPULATION: 2,930,050
OFFICIAL LANGUAGE: English
MONEY: Jamaican dollar
AREA: 4,411 square miles (10,992 square kilometers)
MAJOR MOUNTAIN RANGES: Blue Mountains, John Crow Mountains, Don Figuero Mountains, Cockpit
Country
MAJOR RIVERS: Black River, Rio Cobre, Rio Grande
Weather : Hot, humid, tropical, with temperate in the interior
Major exports : alumina, bauxite, sugar, bananas, rum, coffee, yams, beverages, chemicals, wearing apparels,
mineral fuels
Major Imports : food and other consumer goods, industrial supplies, fuel, machinery and transport equipment
and other capital goods, construction materials

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GEOGRAPHY
Jamaica is a mountainous island in the Caribbean Sea about 600 miles (965 kilometers) south of
Miami, Florida. It is part of the chain of Caribbean islands called the Greater Antilles, along with Cuba,
Hispaniola, and Puerto Rico. Jamaica was formed when the North American and Caribbean tectonic
plates collided about 25 million years ago.

Jamaica is the tip of a mountain rising from the sea floor. Nearly half of the island is more than 1,000
feet (330 meters) above sea level. There are lush rolling hills that are ideal for agriculture and coastal
beach regions that are popular with tourists.

PEOPLE & CULTURE

Most of the population lives in the city and one third of all Jamaicans live in the capital of Kingston.
More than 90 percent of the population is of African descent, but many other people have come from
China, India, Germany, and Syria to find work on the island. Jamaica's motto is "Out of Many, One
People."

When most people think of Jamaica they think of Reggae, or "Ragged Music." The music was born in
the 1950s and '60s from the musical styles of mento, ska, and rocksteady. The most famous reggae
star was Bob Marley, who was backed by his group the Wailers. Other famous reggae stars include
Desmond Dekkar, Jimmy Cliff, Peter Tosh, and Burning Spear.

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Jamaicans are spiritual people and follow many religions, including Christianity, Hinduism, Judaism,
and Islam. Many are Rastafarians, followers of a Christian-based faith, which grew out of a civil rights
movement in the 1930s.

Rastafarians believe that Haile Selassie, Emperor of Ethiopia from 1916 to 1974, was their savior.
Rasta men wear their hair in dreadlocks, believing that hair should not be cut, and wear clothing in
red, gold, and green—the colors of the Ethiopian flag.

NATURE
The island is home to the endangered Homerus swallowtail, the largest butterfly in the Western
Hemisphere. Its wingspan is 6 inches (25 cm), which makes this insect larger than many of the
island's birds.

Bird watchers enjoy the 250 bird species that can be seen on the island, including 26 birds that are
found nowhere else. The vervain, the world's second smallest bird is found here. This tiny
hummingbird is only 2.5 inches (8 cm) long. Jamaica's national bird is the streamertail hummingbird,
or "doctor bird." It has long tail feathers and a scarlet bill.

Jamaica boasts more than 200 orchids and 550 different ferns. One quarter of the 3,000 plant
species are endemic, or native species. Years of development have decreased the habitats for
wildlife on the island. The American crocodile, manatee, and iguana are rare now because they were
hunted for meat and hides.

GOVERNMENT & ECONOMY

Jamaica is a member of the British Commonwealth. The official head of state is Britain's Queen
Elizabeth, but her role is mainly ceremonial. The prime minister heads the government and appoints
cabinet ministers to run official departments. The parliament has two houses, the Senate and the
House of Representatives.

Tourism, farming, and mining are the most important industries in Jamaica. The chief crop is
sugarcane, but bananas, coffee, pimento, and yams are key agricultural products. Bauxite, used to
make aluminum, is a valuable mineral and provides half of all Jamaica's export earnings.

HISTORY
The Taino people arrived from South America in the seventh century and called the island Xaymaca,
"land of wood and water," because of the green dense forest and the hundreds of fast-flowing
streams that once covered the landscape.

Christopher Columbus was the first European to visit Jamaica in 1494 and called it "the fairest island
that eyes have beheld." The Taino people were enslaved and by 1600 were wiped out by disease or
harsh treatment. The Spanish brought in slaves from Africa and ruled the island until 1655 when the
British seized it.

African slaves worked on the sugar plantations and were treated very cruelly by the owners. By the
late 1700s, Jamaica became one of the largest slave markets for the Western Hemisphere. There
were many slave uprisings and slavery was finally abolished in Jamaica in 1838. The island became
independent in 1962.

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