ENGLISH SPEAKING COUNTRIES


Fact Sheet about Jamaica


Jamaica: fact sheet

Jamaica

This page provides fact sheet about Jamaica, its location, population, history and political system.

Location and population

  • Jamaica is an island country situated in the Caribbean Sea. The island is 10,990 square kilometers (around 4,240 sq mi) large and is is the fifth-largest island country in the Caribbean.
  • With 2.8 million people, it is the third most populous Anglophone country in the Americas, after the United States and Canada.
  • Kingston is the country's largest city and its capital, with a population of 937,700.
  • Jamaica has a large diaspora around the world, due to emigration from the country.

History

  • Historically, Jamaica had been a Spanish possession known as Santiago before changing its name to Jamaica under the rule of England (later Great Britain) in 1655.
  • It achieved full independence from the United Kingdom on 6 August 1962.
  • Jamaica is now within the Commonwealth realm, with Queen Elizabeth II as its monarch and head of state.

Political system

Jamaica is a parliamentary constitutional monarchy with legislative power vested in the bicameral Parliament of Jamaica, consisting of an appointed Senate and a directly elected House of Representatives.

Currency

  • Jamaican dollar

Source: Wikipedia

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