Destination Guide To Jamaica

GEOGRAPHY & BACKGROUND

Jamaica is an island nation of the Greater Antilles, 240 kilometres (150 mi) in length and as much as 85 kilometres (50 mi) in width situated in the Caribbean Sea. It is 635 kilometres (391 mi) east of the Central American mainland, 150 kilometres (93 mi) south of Cuba, and 180 kilometres (112 mi) west of the island of Hispaniola, on which Haiti and the Dominican Republic are situated. Its indigenous Arawakan-speaking Taíno inhabitants named the island Xaymaca, meaning either the "Land of Springs," or the "Land of Wood and Water." Formerly a Spanish possession known as Santiago, then the British West Indies Crown colony of Jamaica, the country's population is composed mainly of the descendants of former African slaves. It is the third most populous Anglophone country in the Americas, after the United States and Canada.

Jamaica is the third largest island in the Caribbean, and the fourth largest country. The island of Jamaica is home to the Blue Mountains (Jamaica) inland and surrounded by a narrow coastal plain. For this reason, most major cities are located on the coast. Chief towns include the capital Kingston, Spanish Town, Mandeville, Montego Bay, Ocho Rios, and Port Antonio.

The climate in Jamaica is tropical, with hot and humid weather, although 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 like rainforests.

The majority of Jamaicans, at least 90%, are of West African descent, their ancestors having been abducted from Africa during the slave trade. People of mixed heritage, including Arawak/Taino Indian and African, West European and African, or Chinese and East Indian, make up about 4.9% of the population. People of Cuban, Lebanese, Syrian, South Asian, European, and other minorities are also present.

Over the past several decades, hundreds of thousands of Jamaicans have emigrated, especially to the United States but also to Canada, the United Kingdom and other countries. This emigration appears to have been tapering off somewhat in recent years. Canada also has a guest worker program (Seasonal Agricultural Worker Program) which draws on workers from the Caribbean and especially from Jamaica.

The language of government and education is English, although the patois form of Jamaican Creole is widely spoken. Most Jamaicans can use both Patois and English depending on the circumstances and often combine the two. English is the most obvious influence on Patois, but it includes words and syntax from Spanish, Yoruba, Akan, Arawak, French, Chinese, Portuguese, and East Indian languages. In general, Patois differs from English in both pronunciation and syntax. The language's characteristics includes similarities with both Irish and West African forms of English in pronouncing 'TH' as if it was the letter D or T, omitting some initial consonant sounds, principally the 'H'. For example, the word “there” is pronounced as “dere,” the word theater is pronounced as “teater.” A number of linguists believe Patois is a separate language; others consider it an alternate form of English.

Research shows that 80.0% of Jamaica's population are Christian. The majority of them are Protestants, which is primarily due to the influence of British colonialism, and later the influence of US denominations. Roman Catholicism, which arrived with early Spanish colonisation, also enjoys a significant presence on the island. The top 5 denominations in Jamaica today are: Church of God: 21.2%, Seventh-day Adventist: 9.0%, Baptist: 8.8%, Pentecostal: 7.6%, and Anglican: 5.0%

Non-Christian religions are numerous, the largest being the Rastafari movement which was founded on the island and reveres the late Emperor Haile Selassie I of Ethiopia. Obeah is a belief system with roots in the West African Yoruba Orisha traditions and has similarities to Vodon, Santeria, Candomble and other imports to the Americas which arrived with enslaved West Africans. Hinduism and Buddhism also appear due to immigration from India and China. Islam and Judaism are less than half a percent.

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