The Jamaica Portal

Jamaica
Location of Jamaica
LocationCaribbean

Jamaica (/əˈmkə/ jə-MAY-kə; Jamaican Patois: Jumieka [dʒʌˈmie̯ka]) is an island country in the Caribbean Sea and the West Indies. At 10,990 square kilometres (4,240 sq mi), it is the third largest island—after Cuba and Hispaniola—of the Greater Antilles and the Caribbean. Jamaica lies about 145 km (90 mi) south of Cuba, 191 km (119 mi) west of Hispaniola (the island containing Haiti and the Dominican Republic), and 215 km (134 mi) south-east of the Cayman Islands (a British Overseas Territory).

With 2.8 million people,0 Jamaica is the third most populous Anglophone country in the Americas (after the United States and Canada), and the fourth most populous country in the Caribbean. Kingston is the country's capital and largest city. Most Jamaicans are of Sub-Saharan African ancestry, with significant European, East Asian (primarily Chinese), Indian, Lebanese, and mixed-race minorities. Because of a high rate of emigration for work since the 1960s, there is a large Jamaican diaspora, particularly in Canada, the United Kingdom, and the United States. The country has a global influence that belies its small size; it was the birthplace of the Rastafari religion, reggae music (and such associated genres as dub, ska and dancehall), and it is internationally prominent in sports, including cricket, sprinting, and athletics. Jamaica has sometimes been considered the world's least populous cultural superpower. (Full article...)

The economy of Jamaica is heavily reliant on services, accounting for 71% of the country's GDP. Jamaica has natural resources and a climate conducive to agriculture and tourism. The discovery of bauxite in the 1940s and the subsequent establishment of the bauxite-alumina industry shifted Jamaica's economy from sugar, and bananas.

Weakness in the financial sector, speculation, and lower levels of investment erode confidence in the productive sector. The government continues its efforts to raise new sovereign debt in local and international financial markets in order to meet its U.S. dollar debt obligations, to mop up liquidity to maintain the exchange rate and to help fund the current budget deficit. (Full article...)
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Holness in 2020

Andrew Michael Holness, ON PC (born 22 July 1972) is a Jamaican politician, who has been the prime minister of Jamaica since 3 March 2016, following the 2016 Jamaican general election. He is leader of the Jamaica Labour Party (JLP). Holness previously served as prime minister from 23 October 2011 to 5 January 2012. He succeeded Bruce Golding as prime minister, and decided to go to the polls in the 29 December 2011 general election in an attempt to get his own mandate from the Jamaican electorate. He failed in that bid, however, losing to the People's National Party led by Portia Simpson-Miller, with the PNP gaining 42 seats to the JLP's 21. Following that defeat, Holness served as Leader of the Opposition from January 2012 to March 2016, when he once again assumed the position of prime minister. In 2020, the Labour Party won a landslide in another general election, and on 7 September Holness was sworn in for another term as prime minister.

In October 2011, at the age of 39, Holness became the youngest person ever to be prime minister in Jamaica's history. In March 2016, aged 43, he became the youngest to ever be elected prime minister. He is also the first prime minister to have been born after Jamaica gained independence in 1962. (Full article...)

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Donaldson with York City in 2021

Clayton Andrew Donaldson (born 7 February 1984) is a professional footballer and manager who plays as a striker for club Farsley Celtic, where he is also the manager. He has played in the English Football League and Scottish Premier League for Hull City, Hibernian, Crewe Alexandra, Brentford, Birmingham City, Sheffield United, Bolton Wanderers and Bradford City, and at senior international level for the Jamaica national team.

Donaldson started his career with Hull City in 2002, scoring on his first-team debut in the Football League Trophy later that year. He was sent out on loan to non-League clubs on four occasions, and with chances in the first team at Hull limited, he was released in 2005 and subsequently joined York City. In his first season at the club, he was voted as their Clubman of the Year and his second season saw him finish as the team's highest scorer and third highest scorer in the league. (Full article...)

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Buju Banton performing at New York's Apollo theater during the 26th International Reggae & World Music Awards
Buju Banton performing at New York's Apollo theater during the 26th International Reggae & World Music Awards
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Buju Banton performing at New York's Apollo Theater during the 26th International Reggae & World Music Awards, 2007

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Baba Roots is a herbal drink popular among young people in Jamaica. The drink was founded by entrepreneur William Webb. The manufacturer sponsors events featuring dancehall music, and several deejays have promoted the drink. It is popularly believed in Jamaica that herbal drinks like Baba Roots promote good health and stimulate sexual performance, although the effects of the ingredients have not been fully studied. (Full article...)

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