Jamaica

From Jamaica Wiki

Jamaica is an island situated in the Caribbean Ocean. It is 234 kilometers long and up to 80 kilometers wide. Jamaica is 620 kilometers northeast of the Central American mainland, 145 kilometers south of Cuba and 190 kilometers west of the island of Hispaniola.

Jamaica is the third largest island in the Caribbean. Most of the larger cities are situated on the coastline. The highest mountains are The Blue Mountains. The main cities are the capital city Kingston, Portmore, Spanish Town, Mandeville, Ocho Rios, Port Antonio, and the city of Montego Bay.

The climate in Jamaica is tropical, with hot and humid weather, although higher inland regions have a more temperate climate. Some regions on the south coast, such as the Liguanea Plain and the Pedro Plains are relatively dry rain-shadow areas.

The native inhabitants of the island were Arawak or Taino people. They first settled on the island between 4000 and 1000 BC. Nowadays there is a very little trace of their culture.

Jamaica was found by Christopher Columbus 1494. It was claimed from Spain and became a Spanish colony. Later the English colonized the island and kept it in their possession until 1962.

Since 1962 Jamaica is an independent country. It is a constitutional monarchy. The monarch is represented by a Governor-General, who has ceremonial role. The Governor-General is nominated by the Prime Minister and the Cabinet and appointed by the monarch. Jamaican economy is mixed. It features free-market economy, state enterprises and private sector businesses. The main economy sectors are agriculture, mining, manufacturing, tourism and financial and insurance services. The sectors that are leading in terms of foreign exchange are the tourism and the mining sectors.

The Transport in Jamaica consists of roadways, railways, ship and air transport. The road system is the most commonly used and the most well developed nowadays. the railroad system is non operational in its bigger part. Only part of the railroads are used mainly by the bauxite industry. There are two big international airportsin Jamaica and many smaller airports that handle the internal flights. The ship transport is also well developed as Jamaica is an island. The largest sea terminal is container terminal at the Port of Kingston.

The population of Jamaica consists of West-African people, Akan people, East Indian, White, Chinese, Lebanese, and multiracial. The majority – 90.9% - are of West – African descent.

There is a blend of religions in Jamaica. The most widely spread religion is Christianity. Almost 65% of the people are Christian. The majority of them are Protestant. This is mainly due to the long period of British colonization and the close proximity of the USA today. The second widely spread religion is the Rastafari movement. It was founded on the island and reveres the late Emperor Haile Selassie I of Ethiopia. There are other religions in Jamaica - Bahai, Buddhism, Islam, the cult of Obeah.

The Jamaican official language is English. A widely spread is the Jamaican Creole language also known as patois. Patois is influenced and combined characteristics of many other languages – African, European, Pre-Columbian Caribbean languages and Asian languages. It differs from the English language in pronunciation, grammar and syntax.

Education in Jamaica is organized into four school categories: early childhood schools, primary schools, secondary schools and tertiary schools. The schools above the early childhood lever are paid.