Jamaica

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For other uses, see Jamaica (disambiguation).
Jamaica
Flag of Jamaica
Independence (1962)
Main article: Independence of Jamaica
Prince Charles and the Duchess of Cornwall during a visit to Jamaica in 2008
Jamaica slowly gained increasing independence from the United Kingdom. In 1958,
it became a province in the Federation of the West Indies, a federation among th
e British West Indies. Jamaica attained full independence by leaving the federat
ion in 1962.
Strong economic growth, averaging approximately 6% per annum, marked the first t
en years of independence under conservative Jamaica Labour Party governments; th
ey were led successively by Prime Ministers Alexander Bustamante, Donald Sangste
r and Hugh Shearer. The growth was fueled by strong private investments in bauxi
te/alumina, tourism, the manufacturing industry and, to a lesser extent, the agr
icultural sector.
The optimism of the first decade was accompanied by a growing sense of inequalit
y among many Afro-Jamaicans, and a concern that the benefits of growth were not
being shared by the urban poor.[citation needed] Combined with the effects of a
slowdown in the global economy in 1970,[citation needed] the voters elected the
PNP (People's National Party) in 1972. They tried to implement more socially equ
itable policies in education and health, but the economy suffered under their le
adership. By 1980, Jamaica's gross national product had declined to some 25% bel
ow the 1972 level. Due to rising foreign and local debt, accompanied by large fi
scal deficits, the government sought International Monetary Fund (IMF) financing
from the United States and others.
Economic deterioration continued into the mid-1980s, exacerbated by a number of
factors. The first and third largest alumina producers, Alpart and Alcoa, closed
, and there was a significant reduction in production by the second-largest prod
ucer, Alcan. Reynolds Jamaica Mines, Ltd. left the Jamaican industry. There was
also a decline in tourism, which was important to the economy.
Independence, however widely celebrated in Jamaica, has been questioned in the e
arly 21st century. In 2011, a survey showed that approximately 60% of Jamaicans
would prefer to become a British territory again, citing as problems years of so
cial and fiscal mismanagement in the country.[33][34]
Government and politics
Main article: Politics of Jamaica
Further information: Foreign relations of Jamaica and Republicanism in Jamaica
Inside the Jamaican Parliament
Jamaica is a parliamentary democracy and constitutional monarchy, with Queen Eli
zabeth II serving as the Jamaican monarch.[35] As Elizabeth II is shared as head
of state of fifteen other countries and resides mostly in the United Kingdom, s
he is thus often represented as Queen of Jamaica in Jamaica and abroad by the Go
vernor-General of Jamaica.[36]
The governor-general is nominated by the Prime Minister of Jamaica and the entir
e Cabinet and appointed by the monarch. All the members of the Cabinet are appoi
nted by the governor-general on the advice of the prime minister. The monarch an
d the governor-general serve largely ceremonial roles, apart from their reserve
powers for use in certain constitutional crisis situations.
Jamaica's current constitution was drafted in 1962 by a bipartisan joint committ
ee of the Jamaican legislature. It came into force with the Jamaica Independence
Act, 1962 of the United Kingdom parliament, which gave Jamaica independence.
The Parliament of Jamaica is bicameral, consisting of the House of Representativ
es (Lower House) and the Senate (Upper House). Members of the House (known as Me
mbers of Parliament or MPs) are directly elected, and the member of the House of
Representatives who, in the governor-general's best judgement, is best able to
command the confidence of a majority of the members of that House, is appointed
by the governor-general to be the prime minister. Senators are nominated jointly
by the prime minister and the parliamentary Leader of the Opposition and are th
en appointed by the governor-general.
Political culture
Jamaica has traditionally had a two-party system, with power often alternating b
etween the People's National Party (PNP) and Jamaica Labour Party (JLP). The par
ty with current administrative and legislative power is the Jamaica Labour Party
, with a one-seat parliamentary majority as of 2016. There are also several mino
r parties who have yet to gain a seat in parliament; the largest of these is the
National Democratic Movement (NDM).
Administrative divisions
Main article: Parishes of Jamaica
Jamaica is divided into 14 parishes, which are grouped into three historic count
ies that have no administrative relevance.
Cornwall County Capital km2 Middlesex County Capital
km2 Surrey County Capital km2
1 Hanover Lucea 450 6 Clarendon May Pen
1,196 11 Kingston Kingston 25
2 Saint Elizabeth Black River 1,212 7 Manchester
Mandeville 830 12 Portland Port Antonio 814
3 Saint James Montego Bay 595 8 Saint Ann St. Ann'
s Bay 1,213 13 Saint Andrew Half Way Tree 453
4 Trelawny Falmouth 875 9 Saint Catherine
Spanish Town 1,192 14 Saint Thomas Morant Bay 743
5 Westmoreland Savanna-la-Mar 807 10 Saint Mary Port Mar
ia 611
Coat of arms of Jamaica
Flag Coat of arms
Motto: "Out of Many, One People"
Anthem:
"Jamaica, Land We Love"
Menu
0:00
Royal anthem: "God Save the Queen"
Location of Jamaica
Capital
and largest city Kingston
1759'N 7648'W
Official languages English
National language Jamaican Patois (de facto)
Demonym Jamaican
Government Unitary parliamentary constitutional monarchy
Monarch
Elizabeth II
Governor-General
Patrick Allen
Prime Minister
Andrew Holness
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) (166th)
Water (%)
1.5
Population
July 2015 estimate
2,950,210[1] (139th)
Density
268/km2 (694.1/sq mi) (49th)
GDP (PPP) 2016 estimate
Total
$25.437 billion[2] (2016)
Per capita
$8,991[2]
GDP (nominal) 2016 estimate
Total
$14.057 billion[2]
Per capita
$4,968[2]
Gini (2004) 45.5[3]
medium 84th[4]
HDI (2014) Increase 0.719[5]
high 99th
Currency Jamaican dollar (JMD)
Time zone (UTC-5)
Drives on the left
Calling code +1-876
ISO 3166 code JM
Internet TLD .jm
Jamaica (Listeni/d??'me?k?/) is an island country situated in the Caribbean Sea,
consisting of the third-largest island of the Greater Antilles. The island, 10,
990 square kilometres (4,240 sq mi) in area, lies about 145 kilometres (90 mi) s
outh of Cuba, and 191 kilometres (119 mi) west of Hispaniola (the island contain
ing the nation-states of Haiti and the Dominican Republic). Jamaica is the fourt
h-largest island country in the Caribbean, by area.[6]
Inhabited by the indigenous Arawak and Tano peoples, the island came under Spanis
h rule following the arrival of Christopher Columbus in 1494. Many of the indige
nous people died of disease, and the Spanish imported African slaves as labourer
s. Named Santiago, the island remained a possession of Spain until 1655, when En
gland (later Great Britain) conquered it and renamed it Jamaica. Under British c
olonial rule Jamaica became a leading sugar exporter, with its plantation econom
y highly dependent on slaves imported from Africa. The British fully emancipated
all slaves in 1838, and many freedmen chose to have subsistence farms rather th
an to work on plantations. Beginning in the 1840s, the British imported Chinese
and Indian indentured labour to work on plantations. The island achieved indepen
dence from the United Kingdom on 6 August 1962.[7]
With 2.8 million people, Jamaica is the third-most populous Anglophone country i
n the Americas (after the United States and Canada), and the fourth-most populou
s country in the Caribbean. Kingston is the country's capital and largest city,
with a population of 937,700.[8][9] Jamaicans predominately have African ancestr
y, with significant European, Chinese, Hakka, Indian, and mixed-race minorities.
Due to a high rate of emigration for work since the 1960s, Jamaica has a large
diaspora around the world, particularly in Canada, the United Kingdom, and the U
nited States.[10]
Jamaica is a Commonwealth realm, with Queen Elizabeth II as its monarch and head
of state. Her appointed representative in the country is the Governor-General o
f Jamaica, an office held by Sir Patrick Allen since 2009. Andrew Holness has se
rved as the head of government and Prime Minister of Jamaica from March 2016. Ja
maica is a parliamentary constitutional monarchy with legislative power vested i
n the bicameral Parliament of Jamaica, consisting of an appointed Senate and a d
irectly elected House of Representatives.[11][12][13][14]
A map of Jamaica
Contents
1 Etymology
2 History
2.1 Prehistory
2.2 Spanish rule (1509 1655)
2.3 British rule (1655 1962)
2.4 Independence (1962)
3 Government and politics
3.1 Political culture
3.2 Administrative divisions
3.3 Military
4 Geography and environment
4.1 Flora and fauna
5 Demographics
5.1 Ethnic origins
5.2 Languages
5.3 Emigration
5.4 Crime
5.5 Major cities
6 Religion
7 Culture
7.1 Music
7.2 Literature
7.3 Film
7.4 Cuisine
7.5 National symbols
7.6 Sport
8 Education
9 Economy
10 Infrastructure
10.1 Transport
10.1.1 Roadways
10.1.2 Railways
10.1.3 Air transport
10.1.4 Ports, shipping and lighthouses
10.2 Energy
10.3 Water supply and sanitation
10.4 Communication
11 See also
12 References
13 Further reading
14 External links
Etymology
The indigenous people, the Tano, called it Xaymaca in Arawakan,[15] meaning the "
Land of Wood and Water" or the "Land of Springs".[16]
Colloquially Jamaicans refer to their home island as the "Rock." Slang names suc
h as "Jamrock", "Jamdown" ("Jamdung" in Jamaican Patois), or briefly "Ja", have
derived from this.[17]
History
Main article: History of Jamaica
Prehistory
The Arawak and Tano indigenous people, originating in South America, settled on t
he island between 4000 and 1000 BC.[18] When Christopher Columbus arrived in 149
4, there were more than 200 villages ruled by caciques (chiefs of villages). The
south coast of Jamaica was the most populated, especially around the area now k
nown as Old Harbour.[18] The Taino still inhabited Jamaica when the English took
control of the island in 1655.[18] The Jamaican National Heritage Trust is atte
mpting to locate and document any evidence of the Taino/Arawak.[19]
Spanish rule (1509 1655)
Further information: Colony of Santiago (Jamaica)
Christopher Columbus claimed Jamaica for Spain after landing there in 1494. His
probable landing point was Dry Harbour, now called Discovery Bay,[20]although th
ere is some debate that it might have been St. Ann's Bay[citation needed]. St. A
nn's Bay was named "Saint Gloria" by Columbus, as the first sighting of the land
. One and a half kilometres west of St. Ann's Bay is the site of the first Spani
sh settlement on the island, Sevilla, which was established in 1509 and abandone
d around 1524 because it was deemed unhealthy.[21] The capital was moved to Span
ish Town, then called St. Jago de la Vega, around 1534 (at present-day St. Cathe
rine).[22]
British rule (1655 1962)
Spanish Town has the oldest cathedral of the British colonies in the Caribbean.[
22] The Spanish were forcibly evicted by the English at Ocho Rios in St. Ann. In
1655, the English, led by Sir William Penn and General Robert Venables, took ov
er the last Spanish fort in Jam