Welcome to Jamaica, my 146th Visit and 141st Run UN Country out of a UN total of 193. After my blog photos below are the key statistics, brief history and interesting facts about this destination.
Jamaica is big. Too big for one day stretching 235km by 86km. Covered in lush, rainforest covered mountains with rustic villages. We were delayed again by Avis by 1hr given these cruise terminals on most islands we visited denying access to hire car companies. This causes inconvenience, lost time and extra expense for passengers. We signed up with Avis in the port city of Ocho Rios and I ran my 10th UN Country on this trip at 915am. By 1030am we were powering our way across 86km of lush hilly rainforest from the north coast to the south coast across the middle of the country to enter the very messy capital of Kingston.
Kingston has more traffic lights than pedestrian crossings. It is an unkept city with visible poverty of people standing in the middle of busy roads selling water and rockmelon. Sad. At 1230pm we pulled into the home and now museum of Bob Marley off a busy road about 7km from the centre of Kingston. A great museum. Blaring music as you enter. Colourful murals of this iconic reggae singer with loads of local fans shouting “yeah mun” !!! From here a quick drive through the centre of the capital to the Caribbean shore to launch our drone over this messy capital. At 130pm we were on our way back to the ship some 86km away.
Jamaicans are as you see them in cinema. Loud, laughing and loveable. They actually do call everyone “Mun” for Man just as us Ozzies call everyone MATE !!! The interior of the island is the only valley to grow crops and mine Bauxite !!! What a contrast. Our arrival back in the port city of Ocho Rios took us to a small church near Mahogany Beach where we let up our drone. Sadly, no time to swim here since we had to wine up and fuel up. Our last act of the day was to register our Cuban Visa in a bar next to the ship before boarding.
Jamaica is one place I want to come back to since its size demands more time and its people more engagement. For now, let’s enjoy the few but pertinent images of a place that has its place in culture and music…
JAMAICA IN A NUTSHELL:
· Jamaica’s economy is heavily service-oriented (70%+ of GDP).
· GDP Growth (2025): 1.7%.
· Inflation (2025): 4.5%.
· Unemployment (2024): 3.5%.
· Tourism (2025): 4.3 million visitors.
· Population (2025): 2,836,127.
· Urbanization: 60.1%.
· Median Age: 32.8 years.
· Life Expectancy (2024): 71.6 years.
· Ethnic Composition: 76.3% African descent, 15.1% Afro-European (Mixed), 3.4% East Indian, 3.2% White/Caucasian and 1.2% Chinese.
· Poverty: 11%.
· Internet Usage: 89.5% of the population.
· Total Area: 10,991 sq km (4,244 sq miles).
· Highest Point: Blue Mountain Peak at 2,256 meters (7,402 ft).
· Natural Resources: Bauxite (alumina), gypsum, limestone, and silica sand.
BRIEF HISTORY OF JAMAICA:
Jamaica’s history is defined by its transition from indigenous settlement through centuries of colonial rule and resistance to becoming a modern sovereign nation.
• The island was first settled around 600 AD by the "Redware people," followed by the Taíno (Arawak) tribes around 800 AD.
• Spanish Arrival (1494): Christopher Columbus landed during his second voyage, claiming the island for Spain.
• Under Spanish rule, the indigenous population was largely wiped out by overwork and European diseases.
• The Spanish introduced the first enslaved Africans to the island in the early 16th century to replace the dying Taíno labour force.
• British Conquest (1655): An English expedition captured the island from Spain; the retreating Spanish freed many enslaved people who fled to the mountains, becoming the Maroons.
• By the 18th century, sugar replaced piracy as the primary economic driver, leading to the massive importation of hundreds of thousands of enslaved Africans.
• Numerous slave revolts occurred, most notably Tacky’s War (1760) and the Baptist War (1831) led by Samuel Sharpe.
• Britain abolished the slave trade in 1807 and fully abolished slavery in 1838.
• Following emancipation, planters imported thousands of indentured workers from India and China to work on sugar estates.
• Morant Bay Rebellion (1865): This protest against poverty and injustice was brutally suppressed by the British, leading Jamaica to surrender its local assembly and become a Crown Colony.
• In the early 20th century, Marcus Garvey championed Black pride and self-reliance, while labour unrest in the 1930s led to the birth of modern political parties (PNP and JLP).
• Universal adult suffrage was granted in 1944, followed by internal self-rule in the 1950s.
• Full independence from the UK on 6 August 1962, with Alexander Bustamante serving as the first Prime Minister.
• The post-independence era saw a shift toward tourism and bauxite mining, though the country faced significant economic instability and political violence in the 1970s and 80s.
• Jamaica remains a parliamentary constitutional monarchy under King Charles III, though there is an active movement to transition to a republic by the late 2020s.
INTERESTING FACTS ABOUT JAMAICA:
1. Jamaica’s flag is one of only two in the world that does not contain the colours red, white, or blue (the other being Mauritania).
2. Home to the world’s fastest runners: Usain Bolt and Kishane Thompson (current 100m record holder).
3. Invented reggae music and its most famous icon, Bob Marley.
4. Guinness World Record for having the most churches per area (1,600+ places of worship across the island).
5. The first tropical country to enter the Winter Olympics with its bobsled team in 1988.
6. The Blue Mountains produce some of the rarest and most expensive coffee in the world.
7. Port Royal was once a notorious pirate haven in the 17th century. Much of it sank into the sea during a massive earthquake in 1692.
8. Ian Fleming wrote all 14 of his famous James Bond novels at his Jamaican estate called “ GoldenEye”.
9. One of the world’s most vibrant bioluminescent bays is found in Trelawny, glowing a bright neon blue at night when microscopic organisms are disturbed.
10. Home to the world’s second-smallest bird, The Vervain Hummingbird.
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