Introducing Jamaica
Despite its location almost smack in the center of the Caribbean Sea, the island of Jamaica doesn’t blend in easily with the rest of the Caribbean archipelago. To be sure, it boasts the same addictive sun rays, sugary sands and pampered resort-life as most of the other islands, but it is also set apart historically and culturally.
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Today’s visitors will appreciate their trip to Jamaica all the more if they embrace the island’s unique character and the inherent ‘African-ness’ of its population. Aside from its people, Jamaica has much to offer, the curious, thirsty or weary traveller. The Blue Mountains boasts the world’s best coffee, try a cup in the century-old factory at Mavis Bank. There are world-class reefs for diving including those at Runaway Bay and Ocho Rios and great stretches of palm-fringed sand at Treasure Beach or Frenchman’s Cove near Port Antonio. There are offbeat bush-medicine hiking tours, congenial fishing villages, pristine waterfalls, cosmopolitan cities, wetlands harboring endangered crocodiles and manatees, unforgettable sunsets – in short, enough variety to comprise many utterly distinct vacations.
Nowhere else in the Caribbean is the connection to Africa as keenly felt as it is in Jamaica. Kingston was the major nexus in the New World for the barbaric triangular trade that brought slaves from Africa and carried sugar and rum to Europe, and the Maroons (runaways who took to the hills of Cockpit Country and the Blue Mountains) safeguarded many of the African traditions – and introduced jerk seasoning to Jamaica’s singular cuisine. St Ann’s Bay’s Marcus Garvey founded the back-to-Africa movement of the 1910s and ’20s; Rastafarianism took up the call a decade later, and reggae furnished the beat in the 1960s and ’70s. Little wonder many Jamaicans claim a stronger affinity for Africa than for neighboring Caribbean islands.
This is a country infused with pride in its unique history, stunning landscape and influential culture. Welcome to Jamaica.
Ready to go?
These tours & activities make it easy:
- See the best of Jamaica in 10 days
- Go 4-wheeling to Sandy Bay
- Swing through the trees on a canopy tour
- Swim with dolphins in Ocho Rios
Last updated: Jan 21, 2013
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Jamaica
Things to do
- All things to do (777)
- Activities (199)
- Entertainment (83)
- Restaurants (207)
- Shopping (85)
- Sights (202)
- Tours (1)
Make it happen
Our Top Picks For Jamaica
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1 Little Ochie
Savor the finest and freshest fish in the Caribbean at this atmospheric seaside restaurant
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2 Pelican Bar
Play dominoes with a fisherman at this singular bar in the middle of the sea
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3 Black River Great Morass
Boat up a swampland waterway to find alligators and birds
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4 Negril Beaches
Throw your cares to the wind and toast the sunset in Jamaica's 'capital of casual'
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5 Appleton Rum Estate
Tour this distillery and find out about the rum that adds fuel to the island's fire
Fast Facts about Jamaica
- GDP (per head)
GDP (per head) : US$4600
- Number of orchid species found only on the island
73 (there are more than 200 overall)
- Unemployment
11.3%
- Area
10, 992 sq km
- Length of coastline
1022km
- Amount of rum produced annually
50 million liters
- Inflation
5.8%
- Population
2, 780, 200
- Average annual rainfall
78in