What Continent Is Jamaica In?
Where is Jamaica?
Jamaica is an island country in the Caribbean Sea. It is the third largest island in the Caribbean with 4,320 square miles. Jamaica falls about 145 kilometers south of Cuba and 191 kilometers west of Hispaniola. The country lies at an elevation of above sea level of 17 ° and 19 ° North and longitudes 76 ° and 79 ° West. It has a number of tourist attractions, including mountains (such as Blue Mountains) and Montage Bay, one of the largest towns.
The Bay is considered one of the most beautiful bays of tourist attractions in the entire Caribbean Sea. The Dunn’s River Falls is also a major tourist attraction in Saint Ann and the Blue Lagoon in Portland.
Governance of Jamaica
Jamaica regained its independence from the United Kingdom in 1962 and has a population of 2.9 million since the end. The country has two main types of governance, namely parliamentary democracy and constitutional monarchy, where the monarchy is ruled by Queen Elizabeth the second. A bipartisan Joint Committee of the Jamaican legislature drafted Jamaica’s current constitution in 1962 and has been in use to date. The Jamaican Parliament consists of two houses, namely the upper house and the lower house.
The citizens of the country directly elect members of parliament, and the governor-general appoints the member of the House representatives. The prime minister and the parliamentary leader of the opposition jointly appoint the Senators. The governor-general may later appoint the senator.
Climate of Jamaica
Jamaica experiences a tropical climate system, which as a result supports a variety of ecosystems along with plants and animals. The climate is diverse but there are some areas that experience a temperate climate, such as the higher places in the interior.
The Liguanea and Pedro Plains on the south coast experience dry times. The areas that receive large amounts of rainfall are home to plants such as bamboo, rosewood, mahogany, ferns and Ebony. The diversity of wildlife, typical of the Caribbean, includes many species that cannot be found anywhere else in the world.
Economy and tourism
Jamaica has a number of important economic sectors, including agriculture, tourism, mining, insurance and financial services, and manufacturing services. Tourism and mining are the main earners of foreign exchange. Research shows that an estimated 1.3 million foreign tourists visit Jamaica each year.
Another study conducted in recent years shows that nearly half of the Jamaican economy depends on services such as tourism for survival. Over the years, Jamaica has shown a steady increase in the country’s gross domestic product since independence.
Languages of Jamaica
The Jamaican people have two main languages that the people speak and as a result it is usually referred to as a bilingual country. Jamaican Standard English is considered the official language used in education, media, government hearings, and legal systems.
Jamaican Potais or otherwise Patwa is the widely spoken language in the country. Recent research shows that 36.5% of Jamaica’s population speaks Patwa, 17.1% mostly uses Jamaican Standard English, and the remaining population is fluent in the two languages.