Jamaica Facts, Jamaica Flag -- National Geographic

Fast Facts

Population:: 2,666,000
Capital:: Kingston; 575,000
Area:: 10,991 square kilometers (4,244 square miles)
Language:: English, patois English
Religion:: Protestant, Roman Catholic, other spiritual beliefs
Currency:: Jamaican dollar
Life Expectancy:: 75
GDP per Capita:: U.S. $3,800
Literacy Percent:: 88

Jamaica is a mountainous Caribbean island just south of Cuba. Columbus landed here in 1494, and the Spanish soon brought in slaves as the native Arawak Indians died out—today more than 90 percent of the population is of African descent. The British seized the island in 1655, granting independence in 1962. Tourism is a steady earner, but reliance on unpredictably priced commodities, such as bauxite, causes uneven growth. The island is a major transit point for South American cocaine enroute to the U.S. and Europe. Other problems include illicit cultivation of marijuana and heavy deforestation.

ECONOMY