About Jamaica

The Land

Jamaica – the ‘land of wood and water’ is a Caribbean island with a multi ethnic population of about 3 million people. In 2011 Jamaica recorded the 3rd largest tourist arrivals in the Caribbean, preceded only by the Dominican Republic  and Cuba in that order, welcoming just under 2 million visitors.

The Caribbean’s 3rd largest island, Jamaica offers 4,442 square miles of diverse tropical terrain. From its soaring world famous Blue Mountain Peak, which rises 7,402 feet above sea level, to the valleys, plains and rivers that wind their way from the central mountain region to the coast, Jamaica’s lush landscape is ripe with natural resources.

Jamaica is actually just another name for paradise, a trip through the Fern Gulley; a stay in either New Kingston; the romantic Montego Bay; or Ocho Rios is sure to invoke feelings of awe.

The Music

Jamaica has produced many musical greats including Jimmy Cliff; Harry Belafonte; Linton Kwesi Johnson who is known as the creator of “dub poetry,” a blend of reggae music and spoken verse the precursor to rap music; and the greatest of them all – the legendary Bob Marley. The musical genres of dancehall, rock steady, ska and mento also originated on the island.

Sport

Its list of great sporting figures are numerous and spread across a list of fields. In cricket there is arguably the greatest West Indian batsman ever George Headley; then there is ‘Sir’ Lawrence Rowe; Courtney Walsh; Michael Holding and many others. In Boxing there is Lennox Lewis who was born in England of Jamaican parents and became the second Brit to win the Wold Heavy Weight Boxing Title. The sport of Basketball though not among the top sports in Jamaica produced Patrick Ewing the U.S.A. N.B.A. great. In athletics there are the names Don Quarry; Merlene Ottley; Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce; Asafa Powell and of course ‘the bullet’ Usian Bolt, the current 100 meter world record holder. Jamaica also fielded it first Bobsled team in the Calgary Olympics Winter Games fourteen years ago.

The People

The people of Jamaica are a very proud, culturally rich and resilient people. Jamaicans by and large tend to generally be very self confident, assertive and passionate people. A fun loving, diverse people who are known for their friendliness, which every visitor to the island soon finds out. See you in Jamaica – ‘Soon Come’.