World Atlas 2010 (4th edition)

243

Caribbean Sea

The Cockpit Country

Old Harbour

Montego Bay

Spanish Town

Portmore

May Pen

Mandeville

Savanna -la-Mar Port Antonio

St. Ann's Bay Ocho Rios

Ewarton

KINGSTON

Jamaica

NORTH & CENTRAL AMERICA

FACTFILE

OFFICIAL NAME: Jamaica

DATE OF FORMATION: 1962

CAPITAL: Kingston

POPULATION: 2.72 million

TOTAL AREA: 4243 sq. miles

(10,990 sq. km)

DENSITY: 650 people per sq. mile

LANGUAGES: English Creole, English*

RELIGIONS: Protestant 55%,

other and nonreligious 45%

ETHNIC MIX: Black African 92%,

Mulatto 6%, European and Chinese 1%,

East Indian 1%

GOVERNMENT: Parliamentary system

CURRENCY: Jamaican dollar = 100 cents

First colonized by the Spanish and then by the

English, the Caribbean island of Jamaica achieved independence

in 1962. It remains an influential force in Caribbean politics.

GEOGRAPHY

Mainly mountainous, with lush

tropical vegetation. Inaccessible

limestone area in the northwest. Low,

irregular coastal plains are broken by hills

and plateaus.

CLIMATE

Tropical. Hot and humid at sea

level, with temperate mountain areas.

Hurricanes are likely June–November.

PEOPLE & SOCIETY

Social tensions result from vast

disparities in wealth, rather than race.

Economic and political life is dominated

by a few wealthy, long-established

families. Many women hold senior

positions in public life. Armed crime,

much of it narcotics-related, is a

problem. Large areas of Kingston,

which have their own patois, are ruled

by violent gangs. Jamaican music styles

are influential worldwide.

THE ECONOMY

Major bauxite producer, though

sector suffering from low world prices.

Tourism and light industry. Sugar,

bananas, coffee, and rum are exported.

Debt burden dominates budget.

High underemployment.

INSIGHT: Jamaica’s Rastafarians

revere the late emperor of Ethiopia,

Haile Selassie, as their spiritual leader, and

see Africa as their spiritual home

2000m/6562ft 1000m/3281ft 500m/1640ft 200m/656ft Sea Level

40 km

40 miles

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