18 Facts About Jamaica

| Some interesting facts about this beautiful island. |

1. Jamaica has more twins and triplets than anywhere else in the world.

2. Jamaica’s national flag is black, green, and yellow. “The sun shineth, the land is green and the people are strong and creative”. Black depicts the strength and creativity of the people; gold, the natural wealth and beauty of sunlight; and green, hope and agricultural resources.

3. In 1962, the national motto of Jamaica became “Out of Many, One People.”

4. Ian Fleming, the man who wrote the James Bond novels, bought a house in Jamaica and nicknamed it “Golden Eye.” Fleming wrote 14 of his novels while living in the house.

5. More than 200 species of orchids grow on the island; 73 of the species are indigenous to Jamaica.

6. There are eight different species of snake on the island that are only found in Jamaica, including a massive yellow boa constrictor. Thankfully, none of them are poisonous.

7. Bob Marley was Rastafari, a faith that originated in Jamaica. Out of the 2.7 million people on the island, only 24,020 people practice the religion.

8. Jamaica houses the highest number of rum bars per square mile, which makes it one of the best places in the world to sample different types of rum.

9. Jamaica is a very Christian country, and it has more churches per square mile compared to any other place in the world. Every morning, students attending public schools are required to recite The Lord’s Prayer.

10. Some of Jamaica’s traditional cuisine includes curried goat mutton, jerk chicken, and beans. The national dish is ackee and saltfish.

11. Jamaica was the first country to export bananas, establishing a global banana trade.

12. Jamaica Blue Mountain Coffee is one of the most sought after and expensive coffees on the market.

13. Jamaica was the first Caribbean nation to gain independence from the British Commonwealth in 1962. Jamaica had internal self-government years before it became an independent nation. To this day Queen Elizabeth II remains the Queen of Jamaica but by tradition only.

14. Jamaica is the largest English-speaking island in the Caribbean.

15. Jamaica is a very mountainous country. Almost half of the island is above 1,000 feet (305m).

16. The annual average temperature is 27ºC.

17. More than ninety percent of the Jamaican population is of African descent. There has been much inter-marriage among the races over the centuries and this is reflected in the diverse physical appearance of Jamaicans, and in their unique culture.

18. The national flower is the Lignum Vitae which means “Tree of Life”.