Jamaica

In brief

Jamaica is a country in the Caribbean. Its capital is Kingston. With 2.8 million inhabitants in 2025, it ranks 138th in the world by population, out of the 195 countries recognised by the UN. Its area is 10,991 km². An island nation, Jamaica has no land border.

GDP per capita stands at $8,003 (2025), 94th in the world. Life expectancy at birth is 71.6 years (2024). 59% of the population lives in cities.

History of Jamaica

The Taíno called it Xaymaca, “land of wood and water”. Spanish after Columbus’s visit in 1494, Jamaica was conquered by the English in 1655 and became a major sugar colony built on slavery; the Maroons, runaway slaves, won peace treaties there in the 18th century. Slavery was abolished in the 1830s. Independent on 6 August 1962, the island has given the world Bob Marley’s reggae and the sprinter Usain Bolt.

Geography of Jamaica

The third-largest island of the Greater Antilles, Jamaica is dominated in the east by the Blue Mountains (2,256 m), famous for their coffee. Cockpit Country, in the west-centre, is a very rugged limestone landscape; the north coast is lined with beaches.

Map of Jamaica

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Flag of Jamaica

The flag of Jamaica is green, yellow and black. Its official proportions are 1:2 (height to width).

• Yellow34%
• Green33%
• Black33%

Share of the flag’s surface taken by each colour.

What the flag stands for

A gold saltire separates green and black triangles. Gold evokes the sun and wealth, green the land and hope, black the strength and creativity of the people. It is the only national flag with no red, white or blue.

Sources: Wikipedia, articles “Jamaica” and “Flag of Jamaica”.

See also: flags with a cross.

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Fact file

Economy and society