Best Countries

Important facts

Capital: Kingston (See more on SIMPLYYELLOWPAGES.COM)

Official language: English Creole

Currency: dollar

Continent: Caribbean North America

When the sun goes down in Jamaica, the day is not over

Rum, reggae and sandy beaches – these and other things are the images that are mostly associated with Jamaica. In addition to the Caribbean lifestyle, the island offers even more: breathtaking nature and the best coffee in the world.

Location

According to Countryaah, Jamaica is located in the middle of the Caribbean Sea. The closest islands of Cuba, Haiti and the Dominican Republic. The closest mainland is the national territory of Honduras, Nicaragua and Colombia.

Vacation in Jamaica

Jamaica is a perfect holiday destination for everyone who just wants to relax. The Caribbean is ideal for bathing at almost 25 degrees Celsius all year round. Of course, you can practice all water sports in Jamaica. Diving schools and surf schools can be found in every major coastal town such as Negril, Montego Bay, Discovery Bay, Port Antonio, Port Maria, Kingston and Port Maria. The hinterland of Jamaica is a wild jungle where you can find all kinds of fruits. The best thing to do is to take a wildlife guide and you can roam around in the jungle for days without any problems without having to lug food from civilization with you.

Landmarks

In addition to the positive attitude towards life through reggae, which became known worldwide through Bob Marley, a rich cuisine made up of Indian, Chinese, African and local influences, Jamaica offers many treasures that you can best discover for yourself. One of these treasures could be drinking freshly picked and freshly roasted coffee in the Blue Mountains, the region where the best coffee in the world comes from.

Worth knowing and security

Despite its rich treasures, Jamaica is a poor country whose ghettos are marked by crime and violence. Don’t buy drugs, because Jamaica is a port of passage for cocaine from South America to the US and illegal possession is severely punished. Another serious offense is homosexuality, which is punishable by imprisonment.
You should be aware that although English is the official language in Jamaica, “Oxford-English” is only spoken in exceptional cases. Patois is a strong dialect with partly its own vocabulary. There are dictionaries and paperbacks for patois with pronunciation aids, such as: Patois for Jamaica – word for word by Anette Kühnel – ISBN: 978-3-89416-249-8

Media

A British spy made closer acquaintance with Jamaica in his first film. In addition to these international productions, Jamaica has its own film industry, the best-known films of which are: The Harder “They Come” and “Third World Cop”.
Did you know that in Jamaica several hundred new records with new songs and pieces of music are pressed every week?

Currency

Currency (sub-unit)

Dollars (100 cents)

ISO 4217 code

JMD / 388

Geography

Continent: North America

Region: Caribbean

Geo coordinates: N 18 ° 6 ‘34.5 ” W -77 ° -17’ -51″

Highest mountain: Blue Mountain Peak (2,256 m)

Total area: 10,991 km²

Mainland: 10,831 km²

Coastline: 1,022 km

Politics

Dependency: Great Britain until 1962

UN member since: 1962

Other political affiliation: Commonwealth

Form of government: Parliamentary monarchy

Houses of Parliament: bikameral

Party system: Two-party system

State building: centralized

Political culture: parochial / subject culture

Economy

Export goods: Sugar, bauxite, rum, fruit

BSP: $ 10,124,000,000

GDP: $ 10,489,000,000

GDP purchasing power parity: $ 12,890,000,000

Economic growth: 1.9%

GDP share of agriculture: 5.3%

GDP share of industry: 32.2%

GDP share of services: 62.5%

Inflation rate: 16%

Unemployment: 10.8%

State budget revenue: $ 284 billion

State budget expenditure: $ 3266,000,000

National debt: 122.8%

Export: $ 1,720,000,000

Import: $ 4,208,000,000

Foreign debt: $ 8.464 million

Gold and currency reserves: $ 2,310,000,000

Oil consumption: 72,000 million m³

Cultivation area: 25.77%

Bovine: 401,000 pieces

Pigs: 186,000 pieces

Fishing: 9,600 t

Demographic data

Residents: 2,758,200

Residents in cities: 1,423,400

Minorities: 1.3% Caribbean, 0.2% Chinese; White

Average age: 28 years

0-14 years: 33.1%

15-64 years: 59.6%

> 65 years: 7.3%

Population growth: 0.8%

Birth rate: 20.82 / 1,000 residents

Death rate: 6.52 / 1,000 residents

Migration: -6.27 / 1,000 residents

Ratio men / women: 0.98

Fertility: 2.41 children / woman

Infant mortality: 15.98 ‰

Life expectancy men: 71.54 years

Life expectancy women: 75.03 years

Country codes and abbreviations

ISO 3166 Alpha 2: JM

ISO 3166 Alpha 3: JAM

ISO 3166 numeric: 388

Top Level Domain: jm

IOC country code: JAM

UN / LOCODE: JM

Source: Abbreviationfinder

Communication

Telephone connections: 526,000

Cell Phones: 1,740,000

Radios: 2,370,000

TV: 847,000

Computer: 192,000

Internet users: 1,080,000

Transportation

Railway lines: 272 km

Cars: 212,000

Merchant fleet (ships over 1,000 GRT): 10

Health

Number of doctors: 500

Daily food intake: 2,720 kcal / resident

HIV- infected people: 24,000

Education

Illiteracy: 11%

History

Foundation: 1962

Last sovereign since: 1962

Religion

Main religious group: Christians

Distribution of religions: 62% Protestants, 4% Catholics

Crime

Prison inmates: 4,900

Military

Armed forces (troop strength): 3,000

Defense Spending: $ 33.6 million

GETTING THERE

Arriving by plane

Jamaica’s national airline is Air Jamaica (JM) (Internet: www.airjamaica.com) flies from London to Jamaica.

Caribbean Airlines (BW) (Internet: www.caribbean-airlines.com) flies from London via Antigua to Jamaica. Lufthansa (LH) (Internet: www.lufthansa.de)

flies from Frankfurt via Miami.

Condor (DE) flies from Munich to Montego Bay.

British Airways (BA) (Internet: www.britishairways.com) offers flights from German airports, from Zurich and Vienna via London to Jamaica.

Departure fee

US $ 35 per departing passenger. The airport charges are included in the ticket price.

Arrival by ship

Montego Bay and Ocho Rios are served by various cruise lines, including Royal Caribbean (Internet: www.royalcaribbean.com), Celebrity Cruises (Internet: www.celebrity.com), Costa Cruise Lines (Internet: www.costacruise.com) , Carnival (Internet: www.carnival.com) , Holland America (Internet: www.hollandamerica.com). Royal Caribbean calls at Falmouth in northwest Jamaica.

ON THE GO

Traveling by plane

Air Jamaica operates between Kingston and Montego Bay. Timair (Internet: www.timair.net) flies from Montego Bay to Kingston, Negril, Ochoo Rios, Mandeville and Port Antonio. International Air Link (Internet: www.intlairlink.com) connects Negril, Montego Bay, Runaway Bay, Ocho Rios, Port Antonio and Kingston.

On the way by car / bus

The road network covers approx. 17,000 km; a third is paved. Left-hand traffic. Highway 2000 connects Montego Bay with Ocho Rios, Spanish Town and Kingston. Long-distance bus: The regular bus service between Kingston and Montego Bay is reliable, the other connections are less regular. Bus and minibus trips can be booked in most hotels. Taxi: Taxis are identified by red number plates that read PPV (Public Passenger Vehicle) or PP. Fixed prices apply, which you should inquire about before starting your journey. 10% tip is common. There are also route taxis (shared taxis). Rental car:There are local and international car rental companies in larger cities. Minimum age: 25 years. 15% excise tax is levied on all rental car transactions. Documents: National driver’s license is valid for up to one year.

Traveling in the city

Private minibuses run on most routes. However, they are often overcrowded.

On the way by ship

Boats and yachts can be rented by the day or by the week, and local operators offer yacht tours around the island. Further information is available from the tourist offices (see addresses).