The name came from Jamaica Xamaica which means the Arawak language (the ancient inhabitants of the island) "land of springs".

No wonder that Jamaica is the "land of springs". Its territory is rich in waterfalls, rivers and streams.

Did you know that Jamaica is the third largest Anglophone (English-speaking) in the Americas, behind only the United States and Canada?

Another curiosity: did you know that Jamaica has been privately owned by the family of the discoverer Christopher Columbus?

Speaking of Christopher Columbus, one can say with certainty that the current territory of Jamaica was the second of the Americas discovered by Genoese adventurer.

Jamaica has ceased to be a Spanish colony in 1655, when it passed into the realm of Britain.

Jamaica was part of a federation met several Caribbean countries called the West Indies Federation. Among the Caribbean nations that were present for the Federation are: Tobabo Trinidad, St. Lucia, Barbados, Dominica, St. Vincent and the Grenadines and the Cayman Islands, among others. Jamaica only became fully independent on August 6, 1962.

The colors of the Jamaican flag are green, yellow and black. Green represents agricultural richness, the yellow represents the country's natural wealth, whereas black represents the creativity and strength of the people of Jamaica. It is also said that green symbolizes hope and the yellow sunlight.

Few people know, but Jamaica is an associate member of the British Commonwealth and is a constitutional monarchy. The monarch is Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom.

Jamaica is one of the top tourist destinations in the Caribbean. And not without reason: in addition to the hot weather (tropical ocean), the country has some of the most idyllic beaches.

The major cities of Jamaica is Kingston (the capital), Spanish Town, Portmore and Montego Bay Almost one third of the 2.7 million Jamaicans reside in the area of ​​Kingston.

Speaking of people, the majority of Jamaicans are descendants of African slaves (75%). There are also many descendants of Europeans, Amerindians and Indian.

Despite rastafarismo normally be associated with Jamaica, only 10% of the population is Rastafarian. The vast majority of Jamaicans are Christian or have no religious affiliation.

The rastafarismo was born in Jamaica and worships Haille Selassie Ethiopian leader. In general, "dreadlocks" are naturalists, vegetarians, preach peace among peoples and venerate the African culture. They say that the true origin of the word Rastafari is Aramaic and means "prince of peace".

The Jamaican singer Bob Marley was adept Rastafarian religion. One can even say that he was a missionary rasta, working for religion to be known internationally. In his songs Marley preached brotherhood and peace for all mankind. Before he died, he was baptized in the Ethiopian Orthodox Church with the name Berhane Selassie.

Developed from ska and rocksteady, reggae is a musical style typical of Jamaica. Its main representatives are, besides himself Bob Marley: The Wailers, Prince Buster, Peter Tosh, Lee Perry and Wayne Wade, among others.

The country attracts thousands of reggae fans. Tourists can visit the museum dedicated to Bob Marley, the house where the artist lived until his tomb. It can also attend one of the major reggae festivals that take place in the country, such as Reggae Sum Fest.

One of the typical dishes of Jamaica is jerk ckicken, a roast chicken cooked with lemon and hot spices.

The main sources of wealth of Jamaica comes from mining (mainly from bauxite ore abundant on the island) and tourism.

One last curiosity: did you know that marijuana is prohibited in Jamaica since 1913?