Jamaica

=Jamaica=

=How did Jamaica come to be? (History)=

The island was discovered by Christopher Columbus in 1494. It was settled by the Spanish early in the 16th century. The native Taino Indians, who had inhabited Jamaica for centuries, were gradually exterminated and replaced by African slaves. England seized the island in 1655 and established a plantation economy based on sugar, cocoa, and coffee. The abolition of slavery in 1834 freed a quarter million slaves, many of whom became small farmers. Jamaica gradually obtained increasing independence from Britain. In 1958 it joined other British Caribbean colonies in forming the Federation of the West Indies. Jamaica gained full independence when it withdrew from the Federation in 1962 ("World Factbook").

Jamaica was a British colony for about 300 years, until 1962. Today, it is an independent nation within the Commonwealth of Nations. The Spaniards enslaved the Arawak and later brought Africans to the island as slaves. Disease and overwork killed almost all the Arawak. The Spaniards used Jamaica as a supply base. Because Jamaica had no gold, they did not try to settle or develop the island. The British invaded Jamaica in 1655, and they gained formal possession in 1670. But they continued to fight African slaves called Maroons, who had escaped into the hills when the British arrived. The British and the Maroons signed a peace treaty in 1738. During the 1670’s, British pirates in the Caribbean used Jamaica as a base to attack Spanish ports and ships. Jamaica prospered in the 1700’s. Sugar became the major crop, and the island ranked as the most important slave market in the Western Hemisphere. But in 1833, the British Parliament freed the slaves. The end of slavery hurt the Jamaican sugar industry because the plantation owners lost thousands of laborers (Meeks). =What is its capital?=

Kingston (pop. 95,810; met. area pop. 577,623) is the capital and chief port of Jamaica, an island nation in the West Indies. It lies on the southeastern coast of Jamaica, at the northern end of a nearly landlocked harbor. Kingston serves as the cultural, commercial, and industrial heart of Jamaica. Principal industries include food processing, oil refining, and the production of cement and other building materials. Tourism is also an important source of income for the city (Gager).

=What is the Govt. in Jamaica?=

Government of Jamaica is a constitutional monarchy. The prime minister, who leads the majority party in Parliament, is the chief executive. Cabinet members head the ministries (executive departments) of the government. The British monarch appoints the governor general of Jamaica. The governor general represents the monarch but has few governing powers. The Jamaican Parliament consists of a Senate and a House of Representatives. The governor general appoints the 21 senators, 13 of them on the advice of the prime minister and 8 of them on the advice of the leader of the opposition (minority party) in Parliament. The voters elect 60 people to five-year terms in the House of Representatives. All Jamaicans at least 18 years old may vote (Meeks).

This picture i thought was cool because it shows how the ocean is when your standing at the shore.

• Gager, Wyvolyn. "Kingston." World Book Advanced. World Book, 2010. Web. 26 April 2010

• Gardner, David. Motorboat Jamaica. 2006. Photograph. Flickr. 30 Nov. 2006. Web. 11 May 2010. .

• Jm-map. Digital image. Wikipedia. Wikimedia. Web. 11 May 2010. .

• Meeks, Brian Winston. "Jamaica." World Book Advanced. World Book, 2010. Web. 6 April 2010.

• "World Factbook- Jamaica." Central Intelligence Agency. Central Intelligence Agency, 18 Mar. 2010. Web. 8 Apr. 2010. [].

Jamaica- The caribbean island that is paradise to all those who live there. There is lots of beaches in the hot climate. The island of relaxation.