[Country Profile]

The land area of ​​Jamaica is 10,991 square kilometers. Located in the northwestern part of the Caribbean Sea, across the Jamaica Strait to the east and Haiti, about 140 kilometers from Cuba to the north. It is the third largest island in the Caribbean. The coastline is 1220 kilometers long. It has a tropical rain forest climate with an average annual temperature of 27°C.

The country is divided into three counties: Cornwall, Middlesex, and Surrey. The three counties are divided into 14 districts, of which Kingston and St. Andrew districts form a combined district, so there are actually only 13 district governments. The names of the districts are as follows: Kingston and St. Andrews United District, St. Thomas, Portland, St. Mary, St. Anna, Trillone, St. James, Hanover, Westmoreland, St. Elizabeth, Manchester, Claren Den, St. Catherine.

Jamaica was originally the residence of the Arawak tribe of Indians. Columbus discovered the island in 1494. It became a Spanish colony in 1509. The British occupied the island in 1655. From the end of the 17th century to the beginning of the 19th century, it became one of the British slave markets. In 1834, Britain announced the abolition of slavery. It became a British colony in 1866. Joined the West Indies Federation in 1958. Acquired internal autonomy in 1959. Withdrew from the West Indies Federation in September 1961. Independence was declared on August 6, 1962, as a member of the Commonwealth.

National flag: It is a horizontal rectangle with a ratio of length to width of 2:1. Two broad yellow stripes of equal width divide the flag surface into four equal triangles along the diagonal line. The upper and lower sides are green and the left and right are black. Yellow represents the country's natural resources and sunshine, black symbolizes the difficulties that have been overcome and will face, and green symbolizes hope and the country's rich agricultural resources.

The total population of Jamaica is 2.62 million (at the end of 2001). Blacks and mulattos account for more than 90%, and the rest are Indians, whites and Chinese. English is the official language. Most residents believe in Christianity, and a few believe in Hinduism and Judaism.

Bauxite, sugar and tourism are the most important sectors of Jamaica’s national economy and the main source of foreign exchange income. The main resource is bauxite, with reserves of about 1.9 billion tons, making it the third largest bauxite producer in the world. Other mineral deposits include cobalt, copper, iron, lead, zinc and gypsum. The forest area is 265,000 hectares, mostly miscellaneous trees. The mining and smelting of bauxite is the most important industrial sector in Jamaica. In addition, there are industries such as food processing, beverages, cigarettes, metal products, electronic equipment, building materials, chemicals, textiles and clothing. The area of ​​arable land is about 270,000 hectares, and the forest area accounts for about 20% of the country's total area. It mainly grows sugar cane and bananas, as well as cocoa, coffee and red pepper. Tourism is an important economic sector and main source of foreign exchange in Jamaica.

[Main Cities]

Kingston: Kingston, the capital of Jamaica, is the world's seventh largest natural deep-water harbor and a tourist resort. Located at the southwest foot of Lanshan Mountain, the highest mountain on the island in the southeast coast of the Gulf, there is the fertile Guinea Plain nearby. The area (including the suburbs) is about 500 square kilometers. It is like spring all year round, and the temperature is often between 23-29 degrees Celsius. The city is surrounded by green hills and mountain peaks on three sides, and blue waves on the other side. It is picturesque and has the reputation of "Queen of the Caribbean City".

The original inhabitants who have lived here for a long time are the Arawak Indians. It was occupied by Spain from 1509 to 1655 and later became a British colony. Port Royal, 5 kilometers south of the city, was an early British naval base. In the 1692 earthquake, most of Port Royal was destroyed, and Kingston later became an important port city. It developed into a commercial center in the 18th century and a place where colonialists sold slaves. It was designated as the capital of Jamaica in 1872. It was rebuilt after a major earthquake in 1907.

The air in the city is fresh, the roads are tidy, and palm trees and horse trees with bright flowers line the road. Except for government agencies, there are not many large buildings in the urban area. Shops, movie theaters, hotels, etc. are concentrated in the middle section of Bechinos Street. There are squares, parliament buildings, St. Thomas Church (built in 1699), museums, etc. in the city center. There is the National Stadium in the northern suburbs, and horse racing is often held here. The commercial center nearby is called New Kingston. Rockford Castle is at the east end of the city. There is a large botanical garden 8 kilometers at the foot of Lanshan Mountain with a complete variety of tropical fruit trees. In the western suburbs, there are 6 colleges of the West Indies University, the highest institution in the West Indies. The high-quality coffee produced in Lanshan here is world-renowned. Railway and highway lead to the whole island, and there is a large international airport, and the tourism industry is developed.