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Jamaica in Global Environmental Politics

WITH PARTICULAR FOCUS ON ATMOSPHERIC ISSUES

Size: 
The island of Jamaica consists of 4,240 square miles. It is located 90 miles south of Cuba and 119 miles west of Haiti and the Dominican Republic. Jamaica is the fourth largest Caribbean island country by area. 

Population:
Jamaica's most recent population estimate (2015) is 2,950,210. Jamaica is also the fourth largest Caribbean island country by population.
Because of its history as a colonial empire, Jamaica consists of a largely mixed population with its roots largely in the African continent, but also with European, Chinese, Indian, Hakka, and many other mixed origins. Additionally, Jamaica  is the source of a large diaspora, mostly extending throughout North America and the United Kingdom.
Jamaicans speak both English and Jamaican Patois (or Patwa).

History: 
Prior to its history as a colonial empire, Jamaica was inhabited by the Arawak and Taíno people. In 1494, Christopher Columbus arrived on the island, marking the beginning of its Spanish colonial rule. The Spanish named the island Santiago. During Spanish colonial rule, many slaves were imported from Africa, and thousands died of diseases carried over from Europe.
In 1655, Great Britain conquered the island and renamed it Jamaica. Great Britain used its colony to produce sugar, benefiting tremendously from the large slave population. In 1838, the British emancipated their slaves, and began in the 1840s to import indentured workers from southeast Asia to continue producing sugar, in addition to the freed slaves who continued working on plantations.
Jamaica achieved its independence from the United Kingdom in 1962. Today, Jamaica is a commonwealth of the United Kingdom.

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Sourced from Wikipedia.
 

General Information

Links to General Country and Climate Information:

  • Johannesburg Summit 2002 Agenda 21 Jamaica Country Profile available online here.

  • Climate Investment Funds offers a good environmental overview of Jamaica as a country. 

  • World Health Organization (WHO) offers a one page infographic on Jamaica consumption habits and general demographic information.

Website Coordinator: Emma Bartlett. Original Developer: Emma Kahn

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