INFORMATION ABOUT JAMAICA
This page offers quite a bit of useful information about Jamaica. Follow the links to find more specific information on particular parts of our country. If we have left anything out . . .webmaster@fantasyisle.com
Jamaica is the largest and most westerly English speaking island in the Caribbean, 90 miles south of Cuba and 550 miles south of Miami. It has low coastal plains. Its best beaches on the north and west coast. Jamaica is mountainous in the interior, with a peak in the Blue Mountains of 7,402 feet. Only a one and a half hour flight from Miami, Jamaica is easy to get to and a fun place to be. Jamaica is one of the largest islands in the Caribbean (nearly 4500 square miles) giving you lots of places to discover and endless miles of beaches to explore. Most of our visitors arrive at the Montego Bay International airport. Some choose to stay in Montego Bay. Most head either east or west to explore Jamaica first hand. Negril is located on the western tip of Jamaica, one and a half hours from "Mobay" and is the home to the finest sunsets in the world and the worlds greatest beach. Ocho Rios, Runaway Bay and Port Antonio are all to the east of MoBay. Runaway Bay is one hour east of the airport and is a great place to escape for a while. Ocho Rios is one and a half hours east and is a popular destination for cruise ships. Port Antonio is one and a half hours past Ocho Rios on the same road and with its rugged coastline and beautiful mountains is considered by many to be Jamaica's hidden treasure. The more adventurous can head to the Blue Mountains in eastern Jamaica, home of the finest coffee in the world. If you truly want to get away from the hustle and bustle head for the South Coast and Mandeville. Tourism is somewhat newer to this part of the Island and you will find the accomodations intimate with very personalized service. If you are into history. . .Kingston might be your first choice. Its museums and and historical sites make it a popular destination for tourist. Kingston is the capital of Jamaica and the major commercial centre.
While in this section you may also want to visit the Jamaican Hall Of Fame and The Jamaican Culture Page.
For lots of Statistics visit the Jamaican Stats page.
ABOUT JAMAICA Jamaica is the third largest Island in the Caribbean behind Cuba and Hispaniola. It is approximately 4243 square miles in size. It is approximately 51 miles wide by 146 miles long. It is more than 7200 feet at its highest point. Jamaica’s size and varied terrain allow for a diversity of growing conditions and as a result an incredible variety of crops are grown on the island. It is the third largest Caribbean island and the largest English speaking island. It has the seventh largest natural harbor in the world. "Out of many, one people"- The Jamaican Motto. From its beginnings as a major point in the American slave trade to its multiracial society of today, Jamaica has come a long way in a relatively short time. Jamaica’s population consists mostly of descendants of African blacks, plus several small East Indian, Chinese, and European minorities. The official language of Jamaica is English, but "patois" is widely spoken. Climate The climate is of course tropical with seasonal rainfall. It ranges from humid at sea-level with beautiful sea breezes to temperate to cool in the mountains. The average temperature is around 80 degrees. Mean temperature on the coast range from 81 degrees Fahrenheit/24 degrees Celsius in February to 82 degrees Fahrenheit/27 degrees Celsius in August. Our Blue Mountain Range soars high over Kingston, with great camping and hiking opportunities. Check the central mountains. BEAUTIFUL BEACHES CAN BE FOUND IN EVERY PART OF OUR ISLAND. CHECK THE WATERS IN THE NORTH EASTERN PART OF JAMAICA FOR MAJOR SNORKLING, THE NORTH AND NORTH EASTERN SHORES OF THE ISLAND FOR BEACHES AND FUN SHOPPING, THE WESTERN NEGRIL SHORES FOR ONE OF THE WORLD'S GREATEST SUNSETS AND CORAL REEFS, AND OUR SOUTHERN SHORES FOR VAST AND PRIVATE WHITE SAND BEACHES. Nature Jamaica has more than 200 species of birds, including the "doctor bird" a beautiful hummingbird which is the national bird. There are no venomous reptiles. Mongoose run wild. There are crocodiles, but they do not run freely throughout the island. Take any one of our excitingriver raft rides to view these unique and beautiful creatures. Among the plants are the VIVID RED POINCIANA, the YELLOW POUI, and the BLUE LIGNUM VITAE, which is Jamaica's national tree. The Blue Mountains offer spectacular beauty, and the worlds finest coffee. Our rich soils boast the most colorful of flowering plants with BOUGAINVILLIA richer coloured than you will see world wide. The BEACHES are probably the most popular part of Jamaica with our guests. The village of Negril on our west coast boasts seven miles of white sand beach. All other resort areas also have there own mix of rugged coastline and spectacular white sand or black sand beaches. Tour our island and pick conch from the shoreline, snorkle or dive along our beautiful reefs, leap from our exquisite cliffs into the blue Caribbean Sea. In recent years marine parks have been set up in major tourist areas to protect the Coral Reefs, these initiatives have been quite successful in guaranteeing a future for our most valuable underwater resource. Economy Jamaica’s largest export today are incredible vacation memories. In recent years tourism has grown to become the largest industry in Jamaica. The prospective vacationer will find a wide variety of vacation experiences. On the north coast can be found some of the largest and plushest resorts in the Caribbean. Scattered throughout the Island are dozens of smaller more intimate hotels and guest houses. About one fourth of all Jamaicans depend upon agriculture for a living. There are a thousand or so large estates that control about half the farm land and the other half is broken up into about around 200,000 small farms. Major crops include sugarcane, fruits, coffee, bananas, pimentos, cattle much of which is exported. Jamaica is one of the top producers of bauxite and alumina in the world. Several international aluminum companies mine deposits of bauxite on the central plateaus. Some of them process the bauxite into aluminum. History The original inhabitants of Jamaica in modern times were the Arawak Indians. In the two centuries of Spanish rule that began with the arrival of Christopher Colombus on May 4, 1494, the peaceful Arawaks were eliminated. From 1509-1655 the island was inhabited by the Spanish. The Spanish brought large numbers of African slaves to the island. A British force invaded the country in 1655, and Jamaica remained a British colony until 1962. During the 18th century the slave trade was greatly expanded to accommodate the needs of the huge plantations. The abolition of slavery began in the 1830’s and was completely abolished by 1839. By 1840 indentured laborers were brought in from India to replace the newly freed slaves many of whom relocated to free settlements in central Jamaica. In the 1930s Sir Alexander Bustamante founded the Jamaica Labour Party and later led the country to independence. Norman Washington Manley (Bustamante’s cousin) formed the People's National Party. In 1962, Jamaica achieved its independence from England. Government Jamaica is a parliamentary democracy, modeled after that in Great Britain. Jamaica belongs to the Commonwealth. The head of state is the governor-general, who is appointed by the monarch of England. The prime minister is the leader of the majority party in the House of Representatives. THE PRESENT PRIME MINISTER IS HIS RIGHT HONORABLE P.J PATTERSON, member of the PEOPLE'S NATIONAL PARTY, and re-elected in 2001, by democratic election. The opposition party is the JAMAICA LABOR PARTY.
PEOPLE AND HISTORY
Arawaks from South America had settled in Jamaica prior to Christopher Columbus' first arrival at the island in 1494. During Spain's occupation of the island, starting in 1510, the Arawaks were exterminated by disease, slavery, and war. Spain brought the first African slaves to Jamaica in 1517. In 1655, British forces seized the island, and in 1670, Great Britain gained formal possession.
Sugar made Jamaica one of the most valuable possessions in the world for more than 150 years. The British Parliament abolished slavery as of August 1, 1834. After a long period of direct British colonial rule, Jamaica gained a degree of local political control in the late 1930s, and held its first election under full universal adult suffrage in 1944. Jamaica joined nine other U.K. territories in the West Indies Federation in 1958 but withdrew after Jamaican voters rejected membership in 1961. Jamaica gained independence in 1962, remaining a member of the Commonwealth.
Historically, Jamaican emigration has been heavy. Since the United Kingdom restricted emigration in 1967, the major flow has been to the United States and Canada. About 20,000 Jamaicans emigrate to the United States each year; another 200,000 visit annually. New York, Miami, Chicago, and Hartford are among the U.S. cities with a significant Jamaican population.