This video is about Jamaica. We discuss Jamaica's Flag, Code of Arms, Geography, History, Economy, Climate, People and Culture.
introduction to Jamaica
Flag of Jamaica
Code of Arms of Jamaica
Geography of Jamaica
Climate of Jamaica
History of Jamaica
People and Culture of Jamaica
Demography of Jamaica
Economy of Jamaica
May I suggest these videos to lean more about the central American Countries.
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Belize - • Belize - All you need ...
El Salvador - • El Salvador - Get to k...
Honduras - • Honduras - All you ...
Nicaragua - • NICARAGUA - All you ne...
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Please watch the Caribbean Island Intro video,
• The Caribbean - All th...
Cuba - • CUBA -- All you need t...
Jamaica is an island nation in the West Indies located in the Caribbean Sea south of Cuba and west of Haiti. Jamaica is divided into 14 parishes administrative purpose and the national Capital and the largest city is Kingston.
Jamaican population is 2.7 million and about half Jamaicans live in Kingston. It is the largest English speaking island nation in the Caribbean.
Jamaican currency is Jamaican dollar (JMD).
Geography
Jamaica is 234 km long, 80 km wide at its widest point and spans 10,990 square kilometers. It may look like a small island but it is the third-largest island in the Caribbean after Hispaniola and Cuba.
Mocho Mountains, the Dry Harbour Mountains, s and Blue Mountains. The highest range is the Blue Mountains range; this is where you will find the highest peak of Jamaica Blue Mountain Peak at 2,256 m
Jamaica has many small rivers flowing from the mountaintops to the valleys and into the sea. Dunn’s River Falls is one of Jamaica’s most famous attractions. The Rio Minho is the longest river at 92.8 kilometres.
History
Jamaica history is full of twist and turns
The early residents of Jamaica are the Arawaks. They came from South America about 2,500 years ago. The Arawaks were simple people who led quiet and peaceful lives until Christopher Columbus discovered the island on his second voyage (May 5, 1494).
The Arawaks there were hostile they weren’t going to lose their land without a fight so Spaniards tortured and killed many of them and infectious diseases brought in by Spaniards killed rest of the Arawaks as they didn’t have any immunity to these illness.
Spanish established a colony (1509), since there was no Gold, Spain pretty much ignored Jamaica, if that wasn’t enough pirates attached the island constantly so most people left the island.
English Admiral William Penn and his crew attacked (May 10, 1655) Jamaica. The few remaining Spaniards surrendered to the English.
English settlement started in Jamaica, they grew Tobacco, indigo, and cocoa soon they figured sugarcane as cash crop and the sugar industry grew so rapidly.
They brought slaves to work in the plantations. The colonists were impressed with the performance and endurance of their slaves but slaves weren’t happy, so they rebelled whenever they could. Many of them run away to the almost inaccessible mountains and this group of people and their descendants are the Maroons.
After Several slave rebellions and wars with Maroons, British signed a treaty with Maroons in 1740 and gave land and rights as free men but there was a catch, Maroons has to help recapture run-away slaves. This brought on rift among Maroons; many of them didn’t want to return the slaves.
Finally, the Abolition Bill passed in 1808. Emancipation and apprenticeship came into effect in 1834 and full freedom came in 1838.
It was a difficult time immediate after the slavery ended. Without the slaves, the plantations weren’t profitable so most of the English planters left the islands, if that wasn’t hard enough the American Civil War cut off supplies to and from the island and A severe drought ruined most crops.
Jamaican were resilient people they survive the hard time and the island recovered and developed socially and economically and transformed into a sovereign state. Education, health, and social services were greatly improved
The island’s capital was moved from Spanish Town to Kingston (1872).
The 1930s saw crisis due to worldwide economic depression, the ruin of the banana industry, falling sugar prices, unemployment and increasing migration population. Out of the all the trouble, two major political parties formed and first labor union created.
On August 6, 1962, Jamaica got its independence from England, after more than 300 years of British colonial rule.