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Jamaica (/ dʒ ə ˈ m eɪ k ə / ⓘ 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]
- Kingston
Kingston is the capital and largest city of Jamaica, located...
- Irish Jamaican
Irish people in Jamaica or Irish Jamaicans, are Jamaican...
- History of Jamaica
The Caribbean Island of Jamaica was initially inhabited in...
- Jamaica (Disambiguation)
Jamaica, a novel by Malcolm Knox; Giamaica or "Jamaica",...
- Indo-Jamaicans
History. Due to deteriorating socioeconomic conditions in...
- Andrew Holness
In October 2011, at the age of 39, Holness became the...
- Jamaican Maroons
Jamaican Maroons descend from Africans who freed themselves...
- Jamaican Diaspora
The Jamaican diaspora refers to the body of Jamaicans who...
- Parliament of Jamaica
The Parliament of Jamaica (Jamaican Patois: Paaliment a...
- Saint Elizabeth
History. Saint Elizabeth originally included most of the...
- Kingston
- Overview
- Relief
- Drainage and soils
Jamaica, island country of the West Indies. It is the third largest island in the Caribbean Sea, after Cuba and Hispaniola. Jamaica is about 146 miles (235 km) long and varies from 22 to 51 miles (35 to 82 km) wide. It is situated some 100 miles (160 km) west of Haiti, 90 miles (150 km) south of Cuba, and 390 miles (630 km) northeast of the nearest point on the mainland, Cape Gracias a Dios, on the Caribbean coast of Central America. The national capital is Kingston.
Christopher Columbus, who first sighted the island in 1494, called it Santiago, but the original indigenous name of Jamaica, or Xaymaca, has persisted. Columbus considered it to be “the fairest isle that eyes have beheld,” and many travelers still regard it as one of the most beautiful islands in the Caribbean. The island’s various Spanish, French, and English place-names are remnants of its colonial history. The great majority of its people are of African ancestry, the descendants of slaves brought by European colonists. Jamaica became independent from the United Kingdom in 1962 but remains a member of the Commonwealth.
Interior mountains and plateaus cover much of Jamaica’s length, and nearly half of the island’s surface is more than 1,000 feet (300 metres) above sea level. The most rugged topography and highest elevations are in the east, where the Blue Mountains rise to 7,402 feet (2,256 metres) at Blue Mountain Peak, the island’s highest point. Karst (limeston...
Numerous rivers and streams issue from the central highlands, but many disappear intermittently into karst sinkholes and caves. Few rivers are navigable for any great distance, because of their rapid descent from the mountains. The Rio Minho in central Jamaica is the longest river, flowing for some 60 miles (100 km) from the Dry Harbour Mountains to Carlisle Bay. The Black River in the west and the Rio Cobre near Kingston are each longer than 30 miles (50 km).
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More than half of the island’s surface is covered with white limestone, beneath which are yellow limestone, older metamorphic rocks (compact rocks formed by heat and pressure), and igneous rocks (formed by the cooling of molten material). The shallow soils of many upland areas are particularly susceptible to erosion. Alluvial soils on the coastal plains chiefly consist of deep loam and clay, and residual clays cover the valley floors.
Jamaica is an island country in the Caribbean; it is part of the Greater Antilles. The island, 10,990 square kilometres (4,240 sq mi) in area, lies about 140 kilometres (87 mi) south of Cuba, and 191 kilometres (119 mi) west of Hispaniola. Its capital city is Kingston; other towns include Montego Bay, St. Ann's Bay and Spanish Town.
- Jamaican Patois
- 68.9% Christian, 1.1% Rastafarian, 6.5% Other, 2.3% Not stated, 21.3% None
Jamaica's parishes, rivers and population centres and other features. 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 between 34 and 84 km (21 and 52 mi). Jamaica has a small area of 10,992 km 2 (4,244 sq mi).
- 10,911 km² (4,213 sq mi)
- 2,804,332 (2008)
- 248 km (154.1 mi)
- Caribbean Sea
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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.
3 days ago · Executive branch. chief of state: King CHARLES III (since 8 September 2022); represented by Governor General Sir Patrick L. ALLEN (since 26 February 2009); note - the Jamaican Government, in May 2023, announced plans to hold a referendum in 2024 to determine whether or not to remain in the Commonwealth or become a republic head of government: Prime Minister Andrew HOLNESS (since 3 March 2016 ...
