Capital – Kingston

Currency – Jamaican Dollar, but the US dollar is widely accepted

Timezone – Jamaica standard time is GMT-5 but does not observe daylight savings time.

Area Code – 876

Government Type – constitutional parliamentary democracy

Roads – Over 15,937 km of paved roadway

People – total population 2,868,380 (July 2011 est.) Urban Population – 52% of total population (2010). 0-14 years – 30.1% (male 438,888/female 424,383). 15-64 years – 62.3% (male 882,548/female 904,242). 65 years and over – 7.6% (male 97,717/female 120,602) (2011 est.)

Life expectancy – 73.45 years

Language – English, English patois

Literacy – total population: 87.9%

Climate – tropical, hot, humid; temperate interior. Average temperatures in Jamaica range between 80 degrees Fahrenheit and 90 degrees Fahrenheit, with July and August being the hottest months and February the coolest. Temperatures in Jamaica generally vary approximately 10 degrees from summer to winter. Nevertheless, you should be prepared for winter in Jamaica to be slightly cooler, especially at the higher altitudes. In the mountains, the thermometer can dip to 40 degrees Fahrenheit (4 degrees Celsius).

Highest Point – Blue Mountain Peak (2256 m/7402 ft)

National Heroes

Paul Bogle (1865)
George William Gordon (1865)
Nanny of the Maroons (unknown)
Samuel ‘Sam’ Sharpe (1832)
Sir Alexander Bustamante (1977)
Norman Washington Manley (1969)
Marcus Mosiah Garvey (1940)

National Symbols

National Fruit – The Ackee (Blighia Sapida)
National Bird – The Doctor-Bird (Trochilus Polytmus) or Swallow-Tail Hummingbird
National Flower – Lignum Vitae (Guiacum Officinale)
National Tree – The Blue Mahoe (Hibiscus Elatus)

Religion

There are more churches in Jamaica per square metre than anywhere else in the Caribbean. Jamaica’s religion is Christianity but there are many religious denominations including Rastafarian-ism which is indigenous to the island. 80% of Jamaicans are Christians. Of those, 38% are Anglicans, 18% Baptists, 8% Catholics, 6% Methodists and 5% Presbyterians. Other denominations include Pentecostals, Quakers and Christian Scientists. Other forms of worship are practiced on the island: Pocomania, a type of religion of the spirit, Kumina, a belief with origins from Africa, and garveyism, a veritable black nationalist cult.

Wildlife

Jamaica has a diverse range of wildlife which include the, Jamaican Iguana, Crocodiles, Mongoose, Coney or Jamaican Huita. More than 200 species of birds, 25 of which are endemic and 21 sub species which are found nowhere else. Over 100 different types of butterflies including The giant Swallowtail Butterfly which is largest species of butterfly in the western world. 2 Endemic parrots [The Yellow-billed and the Black-billed parrot] Seaturtles ( Leatherback, Loggerhead, Green Turtle and Hawksbill) & Manatees, plus over a dozen different kinds of frogs and 25 species of Harmless Bats!

Vegetation

Luxuriant and remarkably diversified vegetation characterize Jamaica’s plant life. More than 200 species of flowering plants have been classified. Among indigenous trees are cedar, mahoe, mahogany, logwood, rosewood, ebony, palmetto palm, coconut palm, and pimento (allspice). Introduced varieties, such as the mango, breadfruit, banana, and plantain, also flourish on the island and are widely cultivated.