Jamaica is an island nation of the Greater Antilles. It’s 234 km in length and as much as 80 km in width, amounting to 11,100 km². It’s situated in the Caribbean Sea, about 145 km south of Cuba and 190 km west of Haiti, on the island of Hispaniola, shared with the Dominican Republic. Jamaica is the third largest island and the fourth largest country in the Caribbean
Jamaica’s indigenous Arawakan-speaking Taíno inhabitants originally named the island Xaymaca, meaning the "Land of Wood and Water" or the "Land of Springs".
Formerly a Spanish possession known as Santiago, it later became the British Crown Colony of Jamaica. With 2.8 million people, it’s the third most populous Anglophone country in North America, after the United States and Canada. It remains part of the British Commonwealth, with Queen Elizabeth II as its Head of State. Jamaica’s capital is Kingston.
Internationally celebrated reggae musician Bob Marley was born in Jamaica and his legacy is very much respected there.
Official language
The official language of Jamaica is English. However, Jamaicans speak an English-African creole known as Jamaican patois.
Currency
Jamaican Dollar
Electricity
110 volts, 50 cycles
Shopping
Visitors can find good bargains at duty-free shops in Montego Bay and Ocho Rios. Shop for cameras, jewelry and perfume. You can also buy batik, wood carvings and straw goods.
Useful information
Local dishes tend to be spicy. So be careful.
The climate in Jamaica
The average temperature in Jamaica is 27°C, with July and August being the hottest months and February the coolest. Temperatures in Jamaica generally vary approximately 10 degrees from summer to winter. Nevertheless, you should be prepared for winter in Jamaica to be slightly cooler, especially at the higher altitudes. In the mountains, temperatures can dip to 4°C.
The rainiest weather in Jamaica occurs in May and June and again in October and November and can sometimes extend into December. For the most part when it does rain in Jamaica, showers are short, heavy and followed by sunshine.
Jamaica does lie in the hurricane belt, and the official hurricane season runs from June to November, with August and September being the peak months. However, the Caribbean region is more vast than most people think, and the chances of any single island being hit directly by a hurricane are very slim.
Official language
The official language of Jamaica is English. However, Jamaicans speak an English-African creole known as Jamaican patois.
Currency
Jamaican Dollar
Electricity
110 volts, 50 cycles
Shopping
Visitors can find good bargains at duty-free shops in Montego Bay and Ocho Rios. Shop for cameras, jewelry and perfume. You can also buy batik, wood carvings and straw goods.
Useful information
Local dishes tend to be spicy. So be careful.
Touristic attractions of Jamaica
Blue Mountains
The Blue Mountains are a mountainous region of Jamaica. It is the largest mountain range in Jamaica. The Blue Mountains form a cooling relief from the sweltering heat of Kingston below. It has lush vegetation, which includes towering trees and over 500 species of flowering plants, of which half are found nowhere else on earth.
Rio Grande
Fed by torrential rains the Rio Grande rushes down from the Blue Mountains at an elevation of 1000 m and has carved a huge gorge. This exceedingly lush valley forms a deep V-shaped wedge between the north-eastern flank of the Blue Mountains and the John Crow Mountains to the east.
Negril Beaches
Nature blessed Negril and ensured her place in the tourist world with two shimmering beaches, stretching seven crystal white sand miles. Bloody Bay (so called because whales were once slaughtered here) is a horseshoe haven. Long Bay, as the name will tell you, barely curves. Their equal are to be found nowhere in the Caribbean.
Dunn's River Falls
Dunn's River Falls Jamaica is truly an outstanding treasure offering 600 feet of climbing pleasure for thousands of visitors and locals every year, it is arguably Jamaica's most popular and famous attraction.
Bamboo Avenue
One of the most photographed spots in Jamaica, this huge tunnel is made up of bamboo up to 40 feet tall. Somewhat thinned by hurricane damage, this still is one of the nicest and certainly the longest bamboo avenue around.
Black River Great Morass
The Black River Great Morass is in south-west Jamaica. It lies on the coastal flood plain of the Black River and consists of low marshland with limestone islands. It has many tributaries in the flood plain, feeder streams and adjacent wetlands and has complex tidal and highly saline/brackish lagoons, mudflats, mangrove and fresh water ponds.
Kingston Harbour
Kingston Harbour is the seventh largest natural harbour in the world. It is an almost landlocked sheet of water approximately 10 miles long by 2 miles wide. Most of it is deep enough to accommodate large ships, even close to shore. The harbour is home to the Kingston Container Terminal, Jamaica's largest port.
YS Falls
Y.S. Falls located in the beautiful countryside on Jamaica's undeveloped south coast are quite spectacular, featured in several films and winners of the Jamaica Hotel & Tourist Association's inaugural eco tourism award.
Nine Mile (Bob Marley's birthplace)
Nine Mile is a village located in Saint Ann Parish, Jamaica, a few miles south of Brown's Town. It is notable for being the birthplace of reggae legend, Bob Marley. Nine Mile is owned and operated by Bob's family. Nearby is Mt. Zion Rock (called Bob's meditation spot) and the Pillow. Marley's mausoleum is also located there.
Greenwood Great House
Greenwood Great House is the finest antique museum in the Caribbean and indeed the greatest Great House in Jamaica. It has retained the atmosphere of the 19th century and continues to capture the imagination of its visitors. In fact, it has the largest and rarest collection of musical instruments and books in the island.
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