Jamaica's history is believed to have started from a group of South American indigenous people called the Arawak and Taino, who settled Jamaica between 4000 and 1000 B.C. (Jamaicans.com). Many years later in 1494, Christopher Columbus landed on the island and claimed it for Spain. In 1655 the English took over the small island in the name of Britain. For many years the English began importing slaves, mostly from Africa, India and China, to work in sugar cane fields. This practice continued until slavery was abolished on the island in 1834. Jamaica stayed under British rule until it gained full independence in 1962.
Of Jamaica's population, 91.4 percent is considered African or Afro-European in lineage (University of the West Indies, 2003). This gives the island a rich culture similar to that of Africa, but with an island twist all its own. Jamaica has given birth to many movements including the Rastafari and Back to Africa movements. It is also responsible for many of the world's popular musical styles including reggae and ska. Many believe that both rap and R&B got their roots largely from Jamaica. Jamaica is also full of many arts and crafts that are largely influenced by the history, beauty and natural resources available on the island.
Jamaica is considered a constitutional monarchy with its main leader consisting of the governor general, who represents the monarch. Jamaica's constitution was created in 1962 and came under use after receiving political exile from the United Kingdom through the Jamaica Independence Act. The nation is led through bicameralism with both a house of representatives and a senate. Members of the house are elected by the people directly, while the senate is chosen by the prime minister. There are two main political parties: the People's National Party and the Jamaica Labour Party. A third party is presently gaining ground in Jamaica called the National Democratic Movement, which has yet to gain enough votes to obtain power.
Jamaica is a mixture of both private business sectors and state enterprises. The island relies largely on tourism and agriculture to stabilize its economy. The country's choice of currency is the Jamaican dollar, which is currently worth approximately 70 Jamaican dollars to every American dollar (January 2009). Jamaica also heavily imports from other countries, mostly energy.
Jamaica unfortunately has dealt with crime for many years. Jamaica is considered to have one of the highest murder rates in the world (Nation Master Crime Statistics). Drug smuggling into the nation has also added to this problem as of the last decade. Jamaica is a fully wired nation with access to landline telephones, cell phones, Internet, satellite and cable. Christianity makes up a little more than 65 percent of the nation, with other religions including Islam, Bahai and Mormonism also having a large presence within the islands.
