Jamaica

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For other uses, see Jamaica (disambiguation).

Jamaica

Flag of Jamaica

Flag

Coat of arms of Jamaica

Coat of arms

Motto: "Out of Many, One People"

Anthem: "Jamaica, Land We Love"

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Royal anthem: "God Save the Queen"

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Location of Jamaica

Capital

and largest city Kingston

17°59′N 76°48′W

Official languages English

National language Jamaican Patois (de facto)

Ethnic groups (2011[1])

92.1% Afro-Jamaican

6.1% Mixed

0.8% Indo-Jamaican

0.4% Other

0.7% Unspecified

Religion

68.9% Christian[2]

21.3% None

6.5% Other
(including Muslim, Hindu, Buddhist, and Jewish)

2.3% Not stated

1.1% Rastafarian

Demonym Jamaican

Government Unitary parliamentary constitutional monarchy

• Monarch

Elizabeth II

• Governor-General

Patrick Allen

• Prime Minister

Andrew Holness

• Chief Justice

Bryan Sykes

Legislature Parliament

• Upper house

Senate

• Lower house

House of Representatives

Independence from the United Kingdom

• Granted

6 August 1962

Area

• Total

10,991 km2 (4,244 sq mi) (160th)

• Water (%)

1.5

Population

• 2017 estimate

2,890,299[3]
• Density

266[4]/km2 (688.9/sq mi)

GDP (PPP) 2017 estimate

• Total

$26.446 billion[5] (2017)

• Per capita

$9,297[5]

GDP (nominal) 2017 estimate

• Total

$14.556 billion[5]

• Per capita

$5,117[5]

Gini (2004) 45.5[6]

medium · 84th[7]

HDI (2014) Increase 0.719[8]

high · 99th

Currency Jamaican dollar (JMD)

Time zone (UTC-5)

Drives on the left

Calling code +1-876

+1-658 (Overlay of 876; active in November 2018)

ISO 3166 code JM

Internet TLD .jm

Jamaica (/dʒəˈmeɪkə/ (About this sound listen)) is an island country situated in the Caribbean Sea.
Spanning 10,990 square kilometres (4,240 sq mi) in area, it is the third-largest island of the Greater
Antilles and the fourth-largest island country in the Caribbean. Jamaica lies about 145 kilometres (90 mi)
south of Cuba, and 191 kilometres (119 mi) west of Hispaniola (the island containing the countries of
Haiti and the Dominican Republic).
Previously inhabited by the indigenous Arawak and Taíno peoples, the island came under Spanish rule
following the arrival of Christopher Columbus in 1494. Many of the indigenous people died of disease,
and the Spanish transplanted African slaves to Jamaica as labourers. Named Santiago, the island
remained a possession of Spain until 1655, when England (later Great Britain) conquered it and renamed
it Jamaica. Under British colonial rule Jamaica became a leading sugar exporter, with its plantation
economy highly dependent on slaves forcibly transported from Africa. The British fully emancipated all
slaves in 1838, and many freedmen chose to have subsistence farms rather than to work on plantations.
Beginning in the 1840s, the British utilized Chinese and Indian indentured labour to work on plantations.
The island achieved independence from the United Kingdom on 6 August 1962.

With 2.9 million people,[9] Jamaica is the third-most populous Anglophone country in the Americas
(after the United States and Canada), and the fourth-most populous country in the Caribbean. Kingston
is the country's capital and largest city, with a population of 937,700. Jamaicans predominately have
African ancestry, with significant European, Chinese, Indian, Lebanese, and mixed-race minorities. Due
to a high rate of emigration for work since the 1960s, Jamaica has a large diaspora around the world,
particularly in Canada, the United Kingdom, and the United States.

Jamaica is a Commonwealth realm, with Queen Elizabeth II as its monarch and head of state. Her
appointed representative in the country is the Governor-General of Jamaica, an office held by Sir Patrick
Allen since 2009. Andrew Holness has served as the head of government and Prime Minister of Jamaica
from March 2016. Jamaica is a parliamentary constitutional monarchy with legislative power vested in
the bicameral Parliament of Jamaica, consisting of an appointed Senate and a directly elected House of
Representatives