Jamaica

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For other uses, see Jamaica (disambiguation).

Jamaica

Jumieka (Jamaican Patois)

Flag

Coat of arms

Motto: "Out of Many, One People"

Anthem: "Jamaica, Land We Love"

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Capital Kingston
 and largest city 17°58′17″N 76°47′35″W

Official languages English

National Jamaican Patois (de facto)

language

Ethnic groups 
 92.1% Afro-Jamaicans
(2011[3])
(incl. 25% mixed Irish Jamaican)[1][2]

 6.1% Mixed

 0.8% Indian

 0.4% other

 0.7% Unspecified

Religion
 68.9% Christianity

 —64.8% Protestantism

 —4.1% other Christian

 21.3% No religion

 1.1% Rastafarianism

 6.5% others

 2.3% not stated[4]

Demonym(s) Jamaican

Government Unitary parliamentary constitutional
monarchy

• Monarch Elizabeth II
• Governor-General Patrick Allen
• Prime Minister Andrew Holness
• House Speaker Marisa Dalrymple-Philibert
• Senate President Tom Tavares-Finson
• Chief Justice Bryan Sykes
• Opposition Leader Mark Golding

Legislature Parliament

• Upper house Senate

• Lower house House of Representatives

Independence 
from the United Kingdom

• Granted 6 August 1962

 Area
• Total 10,991 km2 (4,244 sq mi) (160th)
• Water (%) 1.5

Population
• 2018 estimate 2,726,667[5] (141st)
• 2011 census 2,697,983[6]
• Density 266[7]/km2 (688.9/sq mi)

GDP (PPP) 2018 estimate
• Total $26.981 billion[8] (134th)
• Per capita $9,434[8] (109th)

GDP (nominal) 2018 estimate
• Total $15.424 billion[8] (119th)
• Per capita $5,393[8] (95th)

Gini (2016)  35[9]

medium

HDI (2019)  0.734[10]

high · 101st

Currency Jamaican dollar (JMD)

Time zone UTC-5

Driving side left

Calling code +1-876

+1-658 (Overlay of 876; active in November
2018)

ISO 3166 code JM

Internet TLD .jm

Jamaica (/dʒəˈmeɪkə/ ( listen); Jamaican Patois: Jumieka) is an island

country situated in the Caribbean Sea. Spanning 10,990 square kilometres
(4,240 sq mi) in area, it is the third-largest island of the Greater Antilles and
the Caribbean (after Cuba and Hispaniola).[11] Jamaica lies about 145 kilometres
(90 mi) south of Cuba, and 191 kilometres (119 mi) west of Hispaniola (the
island containing the countries of Haiti and the Dominican Republic); the British
Overseas Territory of the Cayman Islands lies some 215 kilometres (134 mi) to
the north-west.[11]

Originally inhabited by the indigenous Taíno peoples, the island came

under Spanish rule following the arrival of Christopher Columbus in 1494. Many
of the indigenous people either were killed or died of diseases, after which the
Spanish brought large numbers of African slaves to Jamaica as labourers.
[11]
 The island remained a possession of Spain until 1655, when England
(later Great Britain) conquered it, renaming it Jamaica. Under British colonial
rule Jamaica became a leading sugar exporter, with a plantation economy
dependent on the African slaves and later their descendants. The British fully
emancipated all slaves in 1838, and many freedmen chose to have subsistence
farms rather than to work on plantations. Beginning in the 1840s, the British
began using Chinese and Indian indentured labour to work on plantations. The
island achieved independence from the United Kingdom on 6 August 1962. [11]

With 2.9 million people,[12][13] Jamaica is the third-most

populous Anglophone country in the Americas (after the United
States and Canada), and the fourth-most populous country in the
Caribbean. Kingston is the country's capital and largest city. The majority
of Jamaicans are of Sub-Saharan African ancestry, with
significant European, East Asian (primarily Chinese), Indian, Lebanese, and
mixed-race minorities.[11] Due to a high rate of emigration for work since the
1960s, there is a large Jamaican diaspora, particularly in Canada, the United
Kingdom, and the United States. The country has a global influence that belies
its small size; it was the birthplace of the Rastafari religion, reggae music (and
associated genres such as dub, ska and dancehall), and it is internationally
prominent in sports, most notably cricket, sprinting and athletics.[14][15][16][17]

Jamaica is an upper-middle income country [17] with an economy heavily

dependent on tourism; it has an average of 4.3 million tourists a year. [18] Jamaica
performs favourably in measurements of press freedom and democratic
governance. It ranked first in the Caribbean on the World Happiness Report for
2021.[19] Politically it is a Commonwealth realm, with Elizabeth II as its queen.
[11]
 Her appointed representative in the country is the Governor-General of
Jamaica, an office held by Patrick Allen since 2009. Andrew Holness has
served as Prime Minister of Jamaica since March 2016. Jamaica is a
parliamentary constitutional monarchy with legislative power vested in the
bicameral Parliament of Jamaica, consisting of an appointed Senate and a
directly elected House of Representatives.[11]

Contents

 1Etymology
 2History
o 2.1Prehistory
o 2.2Spanish rule (1509–1655)
o 2.3Early British period
o 2.418th–19th centuries
o 2.5Early 20th century
o 2.6Post-independence era
 3Government and politics
o 3.1Political parties and elections
 o 3.2Military
o 3.3Administrative divisions
 4Geography and environment
o 4.1Climate
o 4.2Flora and fauna
o 4.3Aquatic life
o 4.4Pollution
o 4.5Environmental policies
 5Demographics
o 5.1Ethnic origins
o 5.2Population genetics
 5.2.1Duffy antigens
o 5.3Languages
o 5.4Emigration
o 5.5Crime
o 5.6Major cities
 6Religion
 7Culture
o 7.1Music
o 7.2Literature
o 7.3Film
o 7.4Cuisine
o 7.5National symbols
o 7.6Sport
 8Education
 9Economy
 10Science and technology
 11Infrastructure
o 11.1Transport
 11.1.1Roadways
 11.1.2Railways
 11.1.3Air transport
 11.1.4Ports, shipping and lighthouses
o 11.2Energy
o 11.3Communication
 12See also
 13References
 14Further reading
  15External links

Etymology
The indigenous people, the Taíno, called the island Xaymaca in their language,
[20]
 meaning the "Land of Wood and Water" or the "Land of Springs".
[21]
 Yamaye has been suggested as an early Taino name for the island as
recorded by Christopher Columbus.[22]

Colloquially, Jamaicans refer to their home island as the "Rock". Slang names
such as "Jamrock", "Jamdown" ("Jamdung" in Jamaican Patois), or briefly "Ja",
have derived from this.[23][24]

History
Main article: History of Jamaica

Prehistory
Main article: Pre-Columbian Jamaica

Humans have inhabited Jamaica from as early as 4000–1000 BC. Little is

known of these early peoples.[25] Another group, known as the "Redware people"
after their pottery, arrived circa 600 AD,[26] followed by the Taíno circa 800 AD,
who most likely came from South America.[26][27] They practised an agrarian and
fishing economy, and at their height are thought to have numbered some
60,000 people, grouped into around 200 villages headed by caciques (chiefs).
[26]
 The south coast of Jamaica was the most populated, especially around the
area now known as Old Harbour.[25]

Though often thought to have become extinct following contact with Europeans,
the Taíno in fact still inhabited Jamaica when the English took control of the
island in 1655.[25] Some fled into interior regions, merging with
African Maroon communities.[28][29][30] The Jamaican National Heritage Trust is
attempting to locate and document any remaining evidence of the Taíno. [31]

Spanish rule (1509–1655)

Main article: Colony of Santiago

Christopher Columbus was the first European to see Jamaica, claiming the
island for Spain after landing there in 1494 on his second voyage to the
Americas.[26] His probable landing point was Dry Harbour, called Discovery Bay,
[32]
 and St. Ann's Bay was named "Saint Gloria" by Columbus, as the first
sighting of the land. He later returned in 1503; however, he was shipwrecked
and he and his crew were forced to live on Jamaica for a year while waiting to
be rescued.[33]

One and a half kilometres west of St. Ann's Bay is the site of the first Spanish
settlement on the island, Sevilla, which was established in 1509 by Juan de
Esquivel but abandoned around 1524 because it was deemed unhealthy. [34] The
capital was moved to Spanish Town, then called St. Jago de la Vega, around
1534 (at present-day St. Catherine).[26][35] Meanwhile, the Taínos began dying in
large numbers, both from introduced diseases and from enslavement by the
Spanish.[26] As a result, the Spanish began importing slaves from Africa to the
island.[36]

Many slaves managed to escape, forming autonomous communities in remote

and easily defended areas in the interior of Jamaica, mixing with the remaining
Taino; these communities became known as Maroons.[26] Many Jews fled the
Spanish Inquisition to live on the island.[37] They lived as conversos and were
often persecuted by the Spanish rulers, and some turned to piracy against the
Spanish Empire's shipping.[38]

By the early 17th century it is estimated that no more than 2,500–3,000 people
lived on Jamaica.[26][39][page  needed]

Early British period

Main article: Colony of Jamaica

Henry Morgan was a famous Caribbean pirate, privateer, plantation owner and slaveholder; he had
first come to the West Indies as an indentured servant, like most of the early English colonists. [40]

The English began taking an interest in the island and, following a failed attempt
to conquer Santo Domingo on Hispaniola, Admiral William Penn and
General Robert Venables led an invasion of Jamaica in 1655.[41] Battles at Ocho
Rios in 1657 and the Rio Nuevo in 1658 resulted in Spanish defeats; in 1660
the Maroon community under the leadership of Juan de Bolas switched sides
from the Spanish, and began supporting the English. With their help, the
Spanish defeat was secured.[42]

When the English captured Jamaica, most Spanish colonists fled, with the
exception of Spanish Jews, who chose to remain on the island. Spanish slave
holders freed their slaves before leaving Jamaica. [42] Many slaves dispersed into
the mountains, joining the already established maroon communities.[43] During
the centuries of slavery, Jamaican Maroons established free communities in the
mountainous interior of Jamaica, where they maintained their freedom and
independence for generations, under the leadership of Maroon leaders such
as Juan de Serras.[44]

Meanwhile, the Spanish made several attempts to re-capture the island,

prompting the British to support pirates attacking Spanish ships in the
Caribbean; as a result piracy became rampant on Jamaica, with the city of Port
Royal becoming notorious for its lawlessness. Spain later recognised English
possession of the island with the Treaty of Madrid (1670).[45] After that, the
English authorities sought to rein in the worst excesses of the pirates. [26]

In 1660, the population of Jamaica was about 4,500 white and 1,500 black. [46] By
the early 1670s, as the English developed sugar cane plantations worked by
large numbers of slaves, black Africans formed a majority of the population.
[47]
 The Irish in Jamaica also formed a large part of the island's early population,
making up two-thirds of the white population on the island in the late 17th
century, twice that of the English population. They were brought in as
indentured labourers and soldiers after the conquest of 1655. The majority of
Irish were transported by force as political prisoners of war from Ireland as a
result of the ongoing Wars of the Three