Jamaica is the largest and most westerly English speaking island in the Caribbean, 90 miles south of Cuba and 550 miles south of Miami. See Map below. It has low coastal plains. Its best beaches are 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.
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 world’s 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.
Kingston is the capital of Jamaica and the major commercial centre.
"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.
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.
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 Columbus 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.
