Jamaica

Religion

Holy Trinity Cathedral

Sorrel drink

Christmas tradition

• Religion is an important part of life for Jamaicans
• Christianity is the major religion-64% of the population
• Protestantism is the major denomination-62% of the population, while Roman Catholicism is practiced only by 2% of the population
• The Church of God has a big number of adherents, 21% of the populace
• Seventh-Day Adventists and Baptists make up 9% of the population each
• 8% of the population are Pentecostal
• Church of England (Anglican) claims about 6% of the populace
• Hindus, Jews, Muslims, and Rastafarians make up 35% of the population
• It has been said that Jamaica has more churches per square mile than any other country
• The main religious sites are: Coke Methodist Church, Holy Trinity Cathedral, Kingston Parish Church, St. Andrew's Scots Kirk Church
• Some of the religious holidays celebrated in Jamaica include: Ash Wednesday, Good Friday, Easter Monday, Christmas Day, and Boxing Day
• All of these celebrations belong to the Christian religion and are public holidays

Coke Methodist Church

Political Geography

Kingston Parish Church

Jamaica's administrative divisions: 3 counties, 14 parishes

None of the parishes are landlocked, they all have a coast.

Flag and Language

Food

Fruits

Pastry

Dessert

Dishes

Bulla cake

Bammies

“The sun shineth, the land is green and the people are strong and creative” is the symbolism of the colors of the flag. Black depicts the strength and creativity of the people; Gold, the natural wealth and beauty of sunlight; and green, hope and agricultural resources.

http://jis.gov.jm/symbols/jamaica-national-flag/

Ackee

Guava

Guinep

-Cassava cakes

Ackee and salt fish, Jamaican national dish

-made with molasses and spiced with ginger and nutmeg

Jamaican flag

-made from ackee, local fruit and dried cod fish

Ackee

• Jamaican Patois is the official spoken language
• It is an English-based creole language
• The language developed in the 17th century when slaves from West and Central Africa were exposed to forms of English spoken by slaveholders
• It exhibits a gradation between more conservative creole forms and forms identical to Standard English
• Jamaican pronunciation and vocabulary is very different from English despite heavy use of English words
• Exists mostly as a spoken language in everyday life and in music
• Most writings are done in British English, however, Jamaican Patois has been gaining ground as a literary language in the past 100 years

Guava

Guinep

Physical Geography

Limestone plateau

Blue Mountains

Black River

Rio Minho River

• Jamaica is the third largest island of the Caribbean after Cuba and Hispaniola.
• Evolved from an arc of ancient volcanoes named Rikitiki that rose from the sea
• Can be divided in three landform regions: eastern mountains, central valleys, coastal plains
• Has numerous bays, small cays and islands, and white-sand beaches
• Some mountain ranges include: Blue Mountains (the highest peak), John Crow, Dry Harbor, and Manchester Plateau
• The limestone plateau covers two-thirds of Jamaica; their caves, valleys, and sinkholes are scattered around the island
• To the west of the mountains is the rugged terrain of the Cockpit Country, a harsh, dramatic landscape full of hills
• There are over 100 rivers in Jamaica, many are underground and run through the limestone region
• The Black River is the largest (widest)
• The Rio Minho is the longest river
• Has two climates: tropical and semi-arid
• The tropical climate is also referred to as tropical marine because of the sea
• The average temperature is 28 degrees Celcius
• Rain is often brief and is followed by warm, sunny weather
• Is a year-round vacation destination due to its consistent and pleasant weather
• However, Jamaica is subject to hurricanes, like most countries in the Caribbean

Cockpit Country

Sports

Sports have always been a way of life for Jamaicans. The three most popular sports in the country are:

History

Cricket

Soccer

Track and field athletics

A Brief Timeline of Jamaica's History

• The Jamaican Football Federation is the governing body
• There are two teams: Men's National Team and Women's National Team
• Two teams consisting of 11 people each play against each other
• A ball and two goals are needed
• The team who scores the most goals wins the match

1494

1838

1509

1692

1655

1962

• Before, this game was only played by the elite and the Jamaican upper class
• Teams were divided into gentlemen and players, and only gentlemen were allowed to become captains of the teams
• Now it is played by everyone who is interested, no matter what social class they are in
• The game is played with a ball and a bat; wickets are also necessary equipment
• Two teams of eleven people play against each other
• Only three men in the field wear gloves
• If at the end of the match, one team has a total of runs in excess of the total scored by the opposing side, the result shall be stated as a win

Slavery is abolished

• In track and field athletics many Jamaicans have succeeded world wide
• All that is needed for this sport is a track and physical condition and preparation
• Sprinters such as Usain Bolt, Asafa Powell, Nesta Carter, and Yohan Blake have broken world wide records and have had an impact on the history of athletics and that of Jamaica

Christopher Columbus sights Jamaica

Jamaica is occupied by the Spaniards

Jamaica is captured by the British

Jamaica becomes independent within the British Commonwealth and the first Prime Minister comes to power

Devastating Earthquake occurs in Port Royal, a trading center, and as a result Kingston is founded

Government

Andrew Holness

• Jamaica is a unitary state and is a member of the Commonwealth of Nations
• Jamaica is a parliamentary democracy and a constitutional monarchy
• Queen Elizabeth II is the Jamaican monarch
• The 1962 Constitution of Jamaica established a parliamentary system which follows that of the United Kingdom and is based on a system of checks and balances
• The three branches of government are:
• Executive branch-power is executed by the government, mainly by the Prime Minister; responsible for running the government and implementing laws
• Legislative branch-power is executed by the government and Parliament of Jamaica; parliament is composed of the Senate and the House of Representatives; responsible for adopting and making laws
• Judicial branch-includes The Court of Appeal, the highest appellate court in Jamaica; responsible for solving disputes relating to the law
• General elections take place every five years, after which a House of Commons and a Prime Minister is elected
• The current Prime Minister of Jamaica is Andrew Holness (since the last elections in 2016)
• The Governor-General is also a very important figure in the Jamaican government; he is appointed by the Queen with the advice of the Prime Minister and he is Her Majesty's representative in Jamaica
• Patrick Allen is the current Governor-General of Jamaica
• Current parties=People's National Party (PNP), Jamaica Labor Party (JLP), National Democratic Movement, New Nation Coalition, Revolutionary Conservative Movement (RCM)

Patrick Allen

Economy

Tourist Attractions

• The currency in Jamaica is the Jamaican dollar
• 1 Jamaican dollar=0.0067 Euro
• 1 Jamaican dollar=0.0079 US dollar
• Jamaica's economy is very much dependent on trade
• Trade contributes nearly 1/4th of Jamaica's GDP and employs 1/6th of the country's labor force
• The main export commodities are alumina, bauxite, sugar, coffee, banana, rum, yams, beverages, chemicals, wearing apparel, and mineral fuels
• The major commodities imported by Jamaica are food, industrial supplies, fuel, parts and accessories of capital goods, machinery, transport equipment, and construction materials
• Jamaica's main trading partners are US, Canada, UK, Norway, Netherlands
• US is the first and most important partner as it accounts for nearly 40% of Jamaica's imports and exports
• GDP-14.03 billion US dollars (2016)
• GDP per capita-4,868 USD (2016)

There are many interesting tourist attractions in Jamaica and it would be a very interesting and exciting experience to visit such a marvelous country. However the main tourist attractions that I would visit are:

1. Dunn's River Falls, Ocho Rios

2. Bob Marley Museum, Kingston-keeping in mind that Jamaica is the cradle of reggae music

3. Seven Mile Beach, Negril

Jamaica

Thank you for your attention!

Iris Bibolli