Jamaica is an island located in the Caribbean Sea south
of Cuba. It was discovered by Christopher Columbus in
1494 and settled by Spain in the early 16th century.
The country changed hands to England in
1655 and gained full independence in 1962.
The third largest island in the Caribbean, Jamaica is slightly smaller than Connecticut. The country has a parliamentary democratic form of government. Although an independent country, the reigning monarch of Great Britain is the head of the government. The Governor General is appointed by that monarch but neither the monarch nor the Governor General have any authority in the administration of the country.
The capital of Jamaica is Kingston which is located on the coast in the southern part of the country. The currency is the Jamaican dollar.
The July 2007 estimate of the population was 2,780,132 with a population growth rate of only .78 percent. The current life expectancy is 73.12 years with women outliving men by three and a half years.
English and English patois are the languages spoken in the country. Jamaica has an 87.9 percent literacy rate of people over the age of 15 with over seven percent more women being literate than men. Protestant is the majority religion with over 62 percent of the population following it.
Web Sites
- CIA: The World Factbook
- Jamaicans.com
- U.S. Department of State
- Government of Jamaica
- Caribbean Net News
Catalog
Search the library's catalog for Jamaica.
Databases
Enter Jamaica in these databases: