The island of Jamaica amazed Christopher Columbus when he visited in 1494 on his second journey to the West Indies. He described it as the ‘fairest island’ and marvelled at the mountains that ‘touched the sky’. Today’s visitors will be equally charmed by the warm sunshine, beautiful beaches, rivers and streams that gush from ravines, lush tropical scenery and majestic mountains, as well as the vibrant grassroots culture.
Landscape and Vegetation
The third-largest island in the Caribbean, just south of Cuba, Jamaica is 235km (146 miles) in length and 82km (51 miles) across at its widest point. The island is aligned almost east-to-west in the water so that sunrise wakes the eastern tip, proceeds to caress the length of the island, and kisses the western tip ‘good night’. Geographically it is extremely diverse, with a central backbone of high mountains blanketed with a mixture of wet limestone forests and plantations of pine and native hardwood trees, such as mahoe and cedar. These are surrounded by areas of limestone formations, scrub and grassland, coral cliffs and fine sand beaches. Fresh water springs and tropical storms feed 120 rivers and some of the most celebrated waterfalls and cascades on earth.
On land, there is a wealth of animal and bird life. Rare species of butterflies and delicate hummingbirds take to the air, and crocodiles and a few manatees still live in and around large tracts of mangrove swamp in the south.
The island is surrounded by coral reefs, which provide shelter for sea creatures and endless hours of recreation for divers and snorkellers.
Temperatures generally vary only a few degrees around 27°C (80°F), although the heat is tempered by the nearly continuous trade winds that blow across the Atlantic. In the mountains and hills of the interior, the temperature drops with altitude to as low as 3ºC (37°F) on the mist-covered Blue Mountain Peak, the island’s highest point at 2,256m (7,402ft).
Bananas: a cash crop
Kevin Cummins/Apa Publications
Much of the land is extremely fertile and produces a range of tropical fruit and vegetable crops such as yams, sweet potatoes and juicy mangoes, providing ample food for the people, as well as cash crops such as bananas, sugar and coffee. Four hundred years ago these crops brought British colonists to rule the land and African slaves to work it, forever changing the landscape and the population.
National Identity
Today’s Jamaicans are a mixture of African and English people, with Spanish, Indian and a smattering of Portuguese, Jews, Chinese, Welsh and Irish. The cultures have melded together, giving rise to a fascinating national identity.
Store owner in Ocho Rios
Kevin Cummins/Apa Publications
Since gaining independence in 1962, the black majority has worked to create a country based on confidence from within, working on a principle of pride in oneself and in one’s roots. This is so important for the future of the country that the national motto is ‘Out of many – one people’.
Like most of the Caribbean islands, Jamaica was originally inhabited by Amerindians who had migrated from South America. The arrival of the Spanish at the end of the 15th century had a cataclysmic effect. Nowadays there is little evidence of the Castilian colonists, nor of the Amerindians they wiped out with their brutal slavery and European diseases – 160 years of Spanish rule have been blotted out by 307 years as a British colony.
Vestiges of the British colonial legacy can still be found, not least in the fact that English is Jamaica’s official language: the popularity of cricket is another example. The 13 regional parishes and numerous towns were originally named after British settlements. You can find Manchester, Sheffield and Cambridge in Jamaica, to name but three. However, these British influences have, even from the earliest days of colonial rule, always been tempered and moulded to the Jamaican style. Jamaica has always had a second, ‘unofficial’ language developed from the early days of slavery. This creole, a mixture of English, African and Spanish words and phrases, is still evolving and is often indecipherable to the outsider. Next to town names derived from Spain and England, you’ll also find names such as ‘Wait Awhile’ and ‘Fruitful Vale’, derived from the land and lifestyle of Jamaica.
The influence of the United States is now much stronger than that of Britain. Many Jamaicans head to the States for further education, and American economic influence continues to grow: the US dollar is accepted as readily as the Jamaican dollar to pay for goods.
Rastafari Movement
One of the most popular images of Jamaica is that of the Rasta. His mane of dreadlocks and colourful ‘tam’ hat are instantly recognisable worldwide. Rastafari live by a series of strict rules. They are nonviolent and do not eat meat. Rastas use marijuana as an integral part of their religious experience and do not cut their hair, fearing the same loss of spiritual and physical strength that the biblical Samson experienced.
Members of the Rastafari sect believe themselves to be one of the tribes of Israel, viewing the modern world as ‘Babylon’, synonymous with evil, and they seek peace with God, whom they believe is in all beings. Their spiritual leader is Haile Selassie, the late emperor of Ethiopia, who was God’s messenger on earth – the ‘Lion of Judah’.
However, Jamaica still revels in its own identity, which is now internationally recognised through such influential cultural products as the Rastafari movement and reggae music. The Rastafari movement originated in Jamaica in the 1930s and is still predominantly found here. Jamaican music – ska and, especially, reggae – has, since the 1970s, been exported and enjoyed around the world. The strong beat and earthy lyrics seem to symbolise and celebrate the character of this young and lively country. The country’s latest accolade is down to Marlon James, the first Jamaican author to win the Man Booker Prize. His novel A Brief History of Seven Killings tells the fictional history of the attempted murder of Bob Marley in 1976. It won the Man Booker in 2015.
Tourist Attractions
Since independence in 1962, tourism has become a major employer and source of income and the island is renowned as one of the top destinations in the Caribbean. While some of the hotels that attracted writers and film stars in the 1950s are still going strong as luxury hideaways, Jamaica has also pioneered the all-inclusive resort catering for the mass market. The best beaches are now home to some fine hotels and large resorts.
It is tempting, and possible, to spend your entire holiday in a resort. Yet to do this is to miss the very essence of what the island is all about. Learn how to do the Jamaican handshake. Taste authentic Caribbean dishes such as ackee and saltfish (Jamaica’s national dish), and aromatic hot jerk pork cooked in a pit barbecue. Savour a freshly ground cup of Blue Mountain coffee or enjoy a fine, aged Jamaican rum. Hear the dance hall and reggae music booming from a hundred cranked-up car stereos or the chorus of tiny tree frogs that begins as evening descends. Jamaica is an island with a strong personality that doesn’t simply wait in the wings. It comes out to meet you.
Jamaican handshake
The traditional Jamaican handshake – with clenched fists meeting first vertically then horizontally, after which the thumbs touch briefly – signals a parting of mutual understanding and respect.