Jamaica (/dʒəˈmeɪkə/ⓘjə-MAY-kə; Jamaican Patois: Jumieka[dʒʌˈmie̯ka]) is an island country in the Caribbean Sea and the West Indies. At 10,990 square kilometres (4,240 sq mi), it is the third largest island—after Cuba and Hispaniola—of the Greater Antilles and the Caribbean.[11] Jamaica lies about 145 km (90 mi) south of Cuba, 191 km (119 mi) west of Hispaniola (the island containing Haiti and the Dominican Republic), and 215 km (134 mi) south-east of the Cayman Islands (a British Overseas Territory).[11]
The indigenous Taíno peoples of the island came under Spanish rule after 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 Africans to Jamaica as slaves.[11] The island remained a possession of Spain, under the name Santiago, until 1655, when England (part of what would become the Kingdom of Great Britain) conquered it and named it Jamaica. It became an important part of the colonial British West Indies. Under Britain's colonial rule, Jamaica became a leading sugar exporter, with a plantation economy dependent on continued importation of African slaves and 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 labourers for plantation work. Jamaicans achieved independence from the United Kingdom on 6 August 1962.[11]
With 2.8 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. Most Jamaicans are of Sub-Saharan African ancestry, with significant European, East Asian (primarily Chinese), Indian, Lebanese, and mixed-race minorities.[11] Because of 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 such associated genres as dub, ska and dancehall), and it is internationally prominent in sports, including cricket, sprinting, and athletics.[14][15][16][17] Jamaica has sometimes been considered the world's least populous cultural superpower.[18][19][20][21]
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.[22] The country performs favourably in measures of press freedom, democratic governance and sustainable well-being. Jamaica is a parliamentary constitutional monarchy with power vested in the bicameral Parliament of Jamaica, consisting of an appointed Senate and a directly elected House of Representatives.[11] Andrew Holness has served as Prime Minister of Jamaica since March 2016. As a Commonwealth realm, with Charles III as its king, the appointed representative of the Crown is the Governor-General of Jamaica, an office held by Patrick Allen since 2009.
^Collins, Olive. "Welcome to Sligoville: The story of the Irish in Jamaica". The Irish Times. Archived from the original on 25 October 2019. Retrieved 14 April 2020.
^"CIA World Factbook (Jamaica)". United States Government. Archived from the original on 11 January 2021. Retrieved 15 May 2007.
^Cite error: The named reference WorldFactbook was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
^"The World Factbook – Central Intelligence Agency". Cia.gov. Archived from the original on 24 January 2021. Retrieved 25 September 2017.
^"Population Statistics". statinja.gov.jm. Statistical Institute of Jamaica. Archived from the original on 6 March 2023. Retrieved 22 June 2023.
^"Population Usually Resident in Jamaica, by Parish: 2011". Statistical Institute of Jamaica. Archived from the original on 26 February 2020. Retrieved 28 December 2019.
^"Data Query – Population density (persons per square km), as of 1 July". UNITED NATIONS/DESA/POPULATION DIVISION. Archived from the original on 19 September 2016. Retrieved 18 April 2018.
^ abcd"World Economic Outlook Database, October 2023 Edition. (Jamaica)". IMF.org. International Monetary Fund. 10 October 2023. Retrieved 16 October 2023.
^"The World Factbook". CIA.gov. Central Intelligence Agency. Archived from the original on 11 January 2021. Retrieved 12 March 2019.
^"Human Development Report 2021/2022" (PDF). United Nations Development Programme. 8 September 2022. Retrieved 8 September 2022.
^ abcdef"CIA World Factbook – Jamaica". Archived from the original on 11 January 2021. Retrieved 29 July 2019.
^"World Population Prospects 2022". United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Population Division. Retrieved 17 July 2022.
^"World Population Prospects 2022: Demographic indicators by region, subregion and country, annually for 1950-2100" (XSLX) ("Total Population, as of 1 July (thousands)"). United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Population Division. Retrieved 17 July 2022.
^"Athletics in Jamaica". My island Jamaica. Archived from the original on 18 August 2010. Retrieved 11 October 2010.
^"Reggae." Encyclopedia of Popular Music, 4th ed. Ed. Colin Larkin. Oxford Music Online. Oxford University Press. Web. 16 February 2016.
^Cite error: The named reference state2007 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
^ ab"Jamaica (country)". World Bank. Archived from the original on 22 February 2019. Retrieved 21 February 2019.
^Horan, Tom (5 August 2012). "How Jamaica conquered the world". The Guardian. Retrieved 3 February 2023.
^Smith, Noah (27 October 2021). "What makes a cultural superpower?". noahpinion.substack.com. Retrieved 3 February 2023.
^Davis, Garwin (20 February 2016). "Jamaica A Global Cultural Power – Hanna – Jamaica Information Service". jis.gov.jm. Retrieved 3 February 2023.
^"Jamaica". Strong Sense of Place. 2023. Retrieved 27 March 2023.
^"Record 4.3 Million Tourist Arrivals in 2017". Jamaica Information Service (Government of Jamaica). Archived from the original on 21 February 2019. Retrieved 21 February 2019.
Jamaica (/dʒəˈmeɪkə/ jə-MAY-kə; Jamaican Patois: Jumieka [dʒʌˈmie̯ka]) is an island country in the Caribbean Sea and the West Indies. At 10,990 square...
Jamaicans are the citizens of Jamaica and their descendants in the Jamaican diaspora. The vast majority of Jamaicans are of Sub-Saharan African descent...
to the country of Jamaica Jamaicans, people from JamaicaJamaican English, a variety of English spoken in JamaicaJamaican Patois, an English-based creole...
The prime minister of Jamaica (Jamaican Patois: Praim Minista a Jumieka) is Jamaica's head of government, currently Andrew Holness. Holness, as leader...
Colony of Jamaica and Dependencies was a British colony from 1655, when it was captured by the English Protectorate from the Spanish Empire. Jamaica became...
The following is a list of Public holidays in Jamaica, which includes Christian holidays and secular holidays. New Year's Day, 1 January (public holiday)...
The economy of Jamaica is heavily reliant on services, accounting for 71% of the country's GDP. Jamaica has natural resources and a climate conducive to...
The parishes of Jamaica are the main units of local government in Jamaica. They were created following the English Invasion of Jamaica in 1655. This administrative...
Jamaica Observer is a daily newspaper published in Kingston, Jamaica. The publication was owned by Butch Stewart (now deceased), who chartered the paper...
The Order of Jamaica is the fifth of the six orders in the Jamaican honours system. The Order was established in 1969, and it is considered the equivalent...
The Jamaica Defence Force (JDF) is the combined military of Jamaica, consisting of an infantry Regiment and Reserve Corps, an Air Wing, a Coast Guard...
The Caribbean Island of Jamaica was initially inhabited in approximately 600 AD or 650 AD by the Redware people, often associated with redware pottery...
The Jamaica national football team, nicknamed the "Reggae Boyz", represents Jamaica in international football. The team's first match was against Haiti...
The following is a list of the most populous settlements in Jamaica. The following definitions have been used: City: Official city status on a settlement...
7906 The Parliament of Jamaica (Jamaican Patois: Paaliment a Jumieka) is the legislative branch of the government of Jamaica. It consists of three elements:...
Jamaica lies 140 km (87 mi) south of Cuba and 190 km (118 mi) west of Haiti. At its greatest extent, Jamaica is 235 km (146 mi) long, and its width varies...
Lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) persons in Jamaica face legal and social issues not experienced by non-LGBT people. Consensual sexual intercourse...
The flag of Jamaica was adopted on 6 August 1962 (Jamaican Independence Day), the country having gained independence from the British Empire. The flag...
Chinese Jamaicans are Jamaicans of Chinese ancestry, which include descendants of migrants from China to Jamaica. Early migrants came in the 19th century;...
Jamaica Plain is a neighborhood of 4.4 square miles (11 km2) in Boston, Massachusetts, United States. Settled by Puritans seeking farmland to the south...
Jamaican cuisine includes a mixture of cooking techniques, flavours and spices influenced by Amerindian, West African, Irish, English, French, Portuguese...
Jamaica ginger extract, known in the United States by the slang name Jake, was a late 19th-century patent medicine that provided a convenient way to obtain...
The Jamaica station is a major train station of the Long Island Rail Road located in Jamaica, Queens, New York City. With weekday ridership exceeding 200...
Irish people in Jamaica or Irish Jamaicans, are Jamaican citizens whose ancestors originated from Ireland. If counted separately, Irish people would be...
Jamaica Kincaid (/kɪnˈkeɪd/; born May 25, 1949) is an Antiguan-American novelist, essayist, gardener, and gardening writer. She was born in St. John's...
Jamaica first participated at the Olympic Games in 1948, and has sent athletes to compete in every Summer Olympic Games since then. In 1960, Jamaican...
of Jamaica (Jamaican Patois: Manaki a Jumieka) is a system of government in which a hereditary monarch is the sovereign and head of state of Jamaica. The...