Jamaica is an island nation in the Caribbean with a total area of 10,990 km2. The climate is tropical; hot and humid with a temperate interior. The terrain is mostly mountains with a narrow, discontinuous coastal plain. Natural resources are bauxite, gypsum and limestone. The religion is predominantly Protestant (including Anglican and Baptist), some Roman Catholic and Rastafari. The majority of the population also believe in a form of magic known as Obeah. The language is English and Patois. The island of Jamaica was originally inhabited by the Tahino Indians (related to the Arawk Indians, but distinct), but in 1494 it was sighted by Christopher Columbus who claimed the island for Spain, who took over and governed until 1655 when Jamaica became a British colony, in 1958 Jaimaica joied the West Indies Federation and in 1962 gained full independence.
A slave colony since its discovery by Europeans, the Tahino indians soon died out though not before they interbred with the European settlers, passing on their genes to the modern Jamaicans who are typiclaly 7% Tahino Indian, and from whom the distinctive slightly almond-shaped eyes are inherited, and new slave workers were imported from Africa. These combined with the European settlers, Indian traders and Chinese workers to form a new and unique people, which are honoured in the country's motto 'Out of Many, One People' - almost all Jamaican's being 'mixed-race', part Sub-Saharan African, part Tahino Indian, part western European and frequently part Indian and Chinese. The typical genetic makeup of a 'Black' Jamaican is 55% sub-Saharan African, 38% European and 7% Tahino Indian..
Abbreviations
Gazetteer
Research Jamaica
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