St. Monica - St. George Twinning Site at 328 W. McMillan St., Cincinnati, OH 45219 US - History of Jamaica

Jamaica, located south of Cuba, is 146 miles long and 35 miles wide. It is the third largest island in the Caribbean. Population (1997 est.): 2,536,000.Capital: Kingston. The population consists mostly of descendents of African slaves. Languages: English (official), Creole. Religions: Christianity; spiritual sects, Rastafarian. Currency: Jamaica dollar.

Jamaica has three major regions: the coastal lowlands, which encircle the island and are heavily cultivated; a limestone plateau, which covers half the island; and the interior highlands, with forested mountain ranges, including the Blue Mountains. Agriculture employs one-fourth of the workforce, and the major agricultural export is raw sugar, with molasses and rum as by-products. Industry focuses on the production of bauxite and alumina, and on the garment industry.

Tourism is the biggest earner of exchange. Among Jamaica's internationally known resort areas are Montego Bay, Ocho Rios, and Negril. Clothing constitutes the chief export item of the manufacturing sector.

It is a constitutional monarchy with two legislative houses. Its chief of state is the British monarch, represented by the governor-general, and its head of government is the prime minister. The island was settled by Arawak Indians c. AD 600. It was sighted by Christopher Columbus in 1494; Spain colonized it in the early 16th century but neglected it because it lacked gold reserves. Britain gained control in 1655, and by the end of the 18th century it had become a prized colonial possession due to the volume of sugar produced by slave laborers. Slavery was abolished in the late 1830s, and the plantation system collapsed. Jamaica gained full internal self-government in 1959 and became an independent country within the British Commonwealth in 1962. In the late 20th century, the government, led by Michael Manley, nationalized many businesses.

Important cities are Kingston, Spanish Town and Montego Bay . Slightly more than one half of the population is urban, and migration to the cities continues with the greatest concentration around Kingston. People of African descent predominate in Jamaica. The small upper class is largely of European descent. Afro-Europeans and such Middle Eastern and Asian groups as Lebanese, Syrians, Chinese, and Indians, make up the rest of the population. Although English is the official language, most Jamaicans also speak a Creole English. The chief religion is Protestantism, although there is considerable religious variety including Roman Catholic and spiritualist minorities on the island. (Britannica Ready Reference, Edition CD-ROM. Copyright (c)  Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc. 2003)