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Jamaica
Things to Know
Parliamentary democracy
Third-largest island in the Caribbean
A member of the British Commonwealth.
Island in the Caribbean Sea, south of Cuba
Capital: Kingston
Jamaica's chief port
Map
of Jamaica
Language: An unique version of English which has been labeled "patois."
Hear
and learn to speak Jamaican.
Currency: Jamaican dollar (JMD)
Animals Jamaica has more than 200 species of birds.
The Swallow-tail
Humming Bird (Doctor Bird -Jamaica's National Bird)
The "Doctor Bird" lives only in Jamaica and is one of the
most outstanding of all the species of Humming Birds. Also abundant
are parrots, cuckoos, and green
todies.
There are nine species of snakes known in Jamaica; all of them are
non-poisonous. The largest is the Jamaican
boa, or Yellow Snake. Also abundant are bats, mongooses, frogs,
lizards, and crocodiles.
Jamaican Iguana
The Hellshire Hills provide the last known habitat for the
rediscovered (1990) Jamaican Iguana.
Jamaican
Fruit Bat
The Bat Cave
Royal Ontario Museum exhibit based on a reconstruction of a bat cave
in Jamaica.
Jamaican
Coney (large brown rodent)
The only endemic terrestrial mammal, the Hutia or Indian Coney.
The Jamaican Coney lives in holes in the ground and feeds on plants.
The American
Crocodile. One of the larger crocodilian species.
There are over 133
species and subspecies of butterflies in Jamaica. The most
famous is the giant
swallow-tail butterfly one of the largest
butterflies in the world with a forewing size of 3 inches.
Explorers
Christopher
Columbus
Climate
Tropical; hot, humid; temperate interior
Land
The
island of Jamaica consist of mountains inland to beautiful
beaches on the coast. In the east is the most rugged area and the
highest elevations. The Blue Mountains rise to 7,402 feet at Blue
Mountain Peak, the island's highest point.
Plants
National Flower Lignum
Vitae
A beautiful blue flower whose wood is used for propeller shaft bearings.
National Fruit, the Ackee
Three thousand species of plants grow on the Jamaican island, and 27
percent of them are found nowhere else on Earth. Agriculture
products: sugarcane, bananas, coffee,
citrus, potatoes, vegetables; poultry, goats, milk.
Read
The Jamaican
Bobsleigh team
Jamaica may have no snow but they do have a bobsleigh team.
Anancy Stories
Five Jamaican folklore stories. These stories orginated in West Africa.
Simple
Recipes for kids
Jamaican Music
Reggae is the name of the Jamaican music.
Stories
Myths, Legends,
Heroes and Saints
5 Minute
Irish Stories
The
Talk of Ireland
Contains Irish Myths, Irish Language (Gaelic), and more.
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