Jamaica is an island nation located in the western sliver of the Caribbean Sea. It is located south of Cuba, northwest of the Cayman Islands, and west of Haiti, which is on the island of Hispaniola. As of 2024, Jamaica has a population of 2.8 Million, making it the 3rd most populous English-speaking country in North America, behind America and Canada. Kingston is Jamaica’s capital and largest city. Other cities in Jamaica include Spanish Town, Portmore, Montego Bay, and Savanna-la-Mar.
History
The first people to live in Jamaica were the Taino, who began to live on the island in 500 CE. Their word for the island, Xaymaca, is the origin of the island’s current name. The word means “Land of Forests and Water”.
Jamaica was discovered by Christopher Columbus in 1494, during his second voyage to the Americas. The island was named Santiago (Spanish for Saint James) and would remain under Spanish rule until 1655, when England seized the island. After it was conquered, the English would bring Africans over to work on plantations. Today, a majority of Jamaicans are descended from those original Africans brought the British.
After Britain abolished slavery in 1838, indentured servants from India and China were brought to Jamaica. In 1962, Jamaica gained independence from the British Empire, though it kept the British monarch as its head of state.
Culture
The most famous part of Jamaican culture is its music, specifically the reggae genre of music, which developed in the country during the 1960s. Other famous Jamaican genres include ska, dub, rocksteady, ragga, mento, and dancehall.
Another major component of Jamaica’s culture is Rastafarianism, an Afrocentric religion that is based on the worship of Haile Selassie, the former king of the African country of Ethiopia. This religious movement developed in Jamaica in the 1930s, during the Great Depression.
Notable People from Jamaica
This section is a list of famous Jamaicans.
- Bob Marley (1945-1981), Reggae Musician
- Usain Bolt (Born 1986), Olympic Sprinter
- Marcus Garvey (1887-1940), Political Activist
- H. G. de Lisser (1878-1944), Author
- Marlon James (Born 1970), Jamaican-born American writer
- Ian Fleming (1908-1964), British writer who wrote the original James Bond spy novels