History

Jamaica, one of the largest Caribbean islands, was inhabited by Arawak natives. When Christopher Columbus arrived at the island, he claimed the land for Spain. Still, it was not truly colonized until after his death. But only a few decades after Columbus' death almost all Arawaks were exterminated. Spain held the island against many pirate raids at the main city, which is now called Spanish Town. Eventually England claimed the island in a raid, but the Spanish did not relinquish their claim to the island until 1670. The British never lost this island in a war.

Jamaica became a base of operations for buccaneers, including Captain Henry Morgan. In return these buccaneers kept the other colonial powers from attacking the island. Africans were captured, kidnapped, and forced into slavery to work on plantations when sugarcane became the most important export on the island.

Many slaves arrived in Jamaica via the Atlantic slave trade during the same time enslaved Americans arrived in North America. During this time there were many racial tensions, and Jamaica had one of the highest instances of slave uprisings of any Caribbean island. After the British crown abolished slavery, the Jamaicans began working toward independence. Since independence there have been political and economic disturbances, as well as a number of strong political leaders.

Culture

Jamaican culture represents a rich blend of cultures that have inhabited the island. The official national language is English, heavily spiced with local idioms and Elizabethan usage. The primary local language is patois, or Jamaican Creole.The Taíno, who inhabited the island long before European discovery, also left behind a cultural history.

Most Jamaicans are always willing to talk about subjects most find uncomfortable, peppering their speech with terms such as Browning, Redman, Coolie, Whitey, Blacka or Miss Chin. It is not uncommon to find people of all ethnic backgrounds on Jamaica, and the islanders are comfortable with their outward racial differences because they know this is part of what makes their culture unique.

Jamaican culture is also richly flavored by its cuisine. The aromatic spices of the Caribbean have allowed the island's kitchens to create one of the most unusual fusions of flavors in the world. Most popular on the menu is jerk, a marinade that can be added to almost anything, but usually meat. The spicy sauce includes many of the island's native ingredients. Seafood is also prevalent on the island, but most truly Jamaican dishes, which intimidate most visitors, include cow foot stew and goat's head soups.

No where else on earth will you find a culture as dynamic as the one visitors encounter in Jamaica. Its people are a mixture of the many ethnicities that have landed on the island's shores over the past several centuries. Weathering enslavement and oppression, the Jamaicans are survivors, and their past is full of fascinating stories just waiting to be told.

Religion

Spirituality takes many forms in Jamaica, but all are reflected in the local culture. The Guinness Book of World Records determined Jamaica to have the most churches per square mile of any place on the planet. The island hosts many different Christian denominations, including Anglicans, Baptists, Catholics, Methodists, Seventh Day Adventists, and Presbyterians. But the religious are not only Christians: Jews, Hindus, Muslims, Bahai's, and Rastafarians call Jamaica home.

Rastafari is the most prominent non-Christian religion on the island. It came into prominence as a grass-roots religion in the 1930s and was promoted as an alternative to white-oriented religions. Rastafarians worship the Ethiopian emperor Haile Selassie, or Ras Tafari. Rastafarians also believe in reincarnation and that males should not cut or comb their hair or beards. The emphasis of the belief is on nurturing the inner spirit in each person, which has affected the language with its addition of"I" as a prefix for many words. Marijuana may also be used by Rastafarians as a sacrament and a meditational aid. It is an evolving religion and culture, and not every member believes in all of these things. Its popularity, however, has spread to many other countries in the region and around the world.

People

The population of Jamaica consists mostly of descendants of African blacks, plus several small East Indian, Chinese, and European minorities. Ancestors of other Jamaicans may have been explorers and settlers. As the cities in Jamaica grew, more immigrants decided to move to Jamaica. Most immigrants come from China or India giving meaning to their motto, "Out of Many, One People".

Population:

2,780,132 (July 2007 est.)

Age structure:

0-14 years: 32.5% (male 459,968/female 444,963)

15-64 years: 60.1% (male 822,486/female 848,310)

65 years and over: 7.4% (male 91,856/female 112,549) (2007 est.)

Median age:

total: 23.2 years

male: 22.6 years

female: 23.7 years (2007 est.)

Population growth rate:

0.777% (2007 est.)

Birth rate:

20.44 births/1,000 population (2007 est.)

Death rate:

6.59 deaths/1,000 population (2007 est.)

Net migration rate:

-6.07 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2007 est.)

Sex ratio:

at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female

under 15 years: 1.034 male(s)/female

15-64 years: 0.97 male(s)/female

65 years and over: 0.816 male(s)/female

total population: 0.978 male(s)/female (2007 est.)