Jamaica

Photo: Coconut palms over water

Coconut palms frame an enticing patch of blue Caribbean near Ocho Rios, Jamaica.

Photograph by Dorling Kindersley/Getty Images

Some tourism promoters present a happy, one-dimensional snapshot of this picturesque island 90 miles south of Cuba. • There's nothing misleading about this image of jaw-dropping beaches and azure waters, the birthplace of reggae and Bob Marley. • But this former British colony, still a Commonwealth realm, offers so much more. • Evidence of its previous Spanish rule—Christopher Columbus turned up in 1494—remains abundant. • Tourism is a key economic driver, but so are mining and agriculture. • Besides reggae and ska, the island's bustling recording business has pioneered new music forms like mento, rocksteady, dancehall, and ragga.

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