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Jamaican Society |
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Jamaica is an island nation of the
Greater Antilles, 240 kilometers in length and as much as 80 kilometers in
width. It is situated in the Caribbean Sea, 630 kilometers from the Central
American mainland, 150 kilometers from Cuba on the north, and 180 kilometers
from the island of Hispaniola, on which Haiti and the Dominican Republic are
situated, on the east. Its indigenous Arawakan-speaking Taíno inhabitants named
the island Xaymaca, meaning either the "land of springs," or the "Land of
wood and water." Formerly a Spanish posession known as Santiago, then the
British West Indies Crown colony of Jamaica, the country's population is
composed mainly of the descendants of former African slaves. It is the third
most populous Anglophone country in the Americas, after the United States and
Canada. Please read more
about Jamaican History....
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The island of Jamaica has mountainous
inlands surrounded by a narrow coastal plain. For this reason, most major cities
are located on the coast. Chief towns include the capital Kingston, Spanish
Town, Mandeville, and Montego Bay.
Please read more about Jamaican Geography
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Jamaica is mainly a blend of African and Anglo-Irish
cultures, with influences from the Spanish and Taino
cultures, although the Tainos as a people were completely
wiped out by the Spanish soon after their arrival in 1494.
Please
read more about Jamaican Culture
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The Jamaica Constitution was drafted
by a bipartisan joint committee of the Jamaican legislature in 1961-62, approved
in the United Kingdom and included as the Second Schedule of the Jamaica
(Constitution) Order in Council, 1962 under the West Indies Act, 1962.
Please read more about
Jamaican Government....
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Jamaica operates as a mixed, free market economy with state
enterprises as well as private sector businesses. Major
sectors of the Jamaican economy include agriculture, mining,
manufacturing, tourism and financial and insurance services.
Please
read more about Jamaican Economy.... |
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Jamaican cuisine is a healthier diet than most because it is
made with many unprocessed foods and uses smaller amounts of
red meats with much more fish, beans and vegetables. Ginger,
garlic, allspice and hot peppers are basic seasonings used
in Jamaican cuisine.
Please read more about Jamaican
Food... |
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Jamaica is known as the birthplace of many popular musical
genres including raggamuffin, ska, reggae and dub. Jamaica's
music culture is a fusion of elements from the United States
of America with its R&B, rock and roll, soul, Africa and
neighboring Caribbean islands such as Trinidad with its
calypso.
Please read more about Jamaican Music... |
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