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=Country Name: Jamaica=

__Cultural Features(Holly)__
Social Groups- In Jamaica there are 90.0% African American, 1.3% East Indian, 0.2% white, 0.2% Chinese, 7.3& mixed and 0.1% other. Language-English is the official language in Jamaica. English is used in the wealthier parts of Jamaica. Jamaican Creole is also a well known language there.Its vocabulary and grammar are based in English but it is phrased differently. Also to a lesser degree Spanish and French are both spoken. Religion- Jamaica promised freedom for religion. The majority of Jamaicans are Christian. There are also some Protestant and some Roman Catholics. Jamaica also has a small percentage of Jews, Muslims and Hindus.The most celebrated holidays are Independence Day, Reggae Sunsplash, National Heroes Day and Haile Selassie's Coronation Day The Jamaican National Flag came into use on August 6, 1962, Jamaica's independence Day.

Daily Life-Family life is central to most Jamaicans, although formal marriages are less common there than in most other countries. It is common for three generations to share a home. Many women earn wages, usually in households where men are absent, and grandmothers normally take care of preschool children. Wealthier Jamaican families usually employ at least one servant or helper. The main meal is almost always in the evening, because the majortity of people do not have time to prepare a midday meal and children normally eat during school. Some families eat together, but television has become the replacer of conversation at the dinner table. The exception to this rule is Sunday, when tradition controls. Even poor families enjoy a large and sociable brunch or lunch, usually including chicken, fish, yams, fried plantains, and the ubiquitous rice and peas (rice with black-eyed peas). One of Jamaica's most popular foods is jerk (spiced and grilled) meat. Clothing styles vary. Rastafarians, who are a tiny part of the population, typically wear loose-fitting clothing and long dreadlocks. Art-.Reggae, Jazz, and Folk are the three top music catergories.Jamaicans enjoy arts movement, and art shows are a regular part of life. Jamaicans also look for the roots of their traditional culture in folk forms and employ these forms in dance and drama. Among the earliest music was mento, a folk calypso mixed with Cuban music. Mento mixed with American-born rhythm and blues to become ska. The biggest music in Jamaica, however, is reggae, which calls on both the rhythm and local folklore. The lyrical content of reggae music is closely connected with Rastafarian beliefs, and deals with love, hope, anger, and social discontent.

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===__Land Forms__-Jamaica is part of the Greater Antilles and forms the northern boundary of the Carribean Sea. Jamaica covers 4,244 square miles and is just a little bit smaller than the state Conneticut. The country is eighty percent mountainious.The Mountains in Jamaica can be divided into three parts. The Eastern Section, Centeral Region,and Western Section.The Blue Mountains are 75 kilometers (44 miles) long. The Blue Mountains are the highest mountains in Jamaica. They are at 7,402 feet at Blue Mountain Peak. They run though the parish of St. Thomas. The John Crow Mountains are another large group of mountains in Jamaica.They run north-west to the south-east in the parish of Portland. They are the mountains that are the farthest east in Jamaica.Plains are another major landforms in Jamaica. The principle plain is the Liguanea Plain in Kingston and St. Andrew. There are many other plains in Jamaica.===

===**__Water Forms__-**Most of the rivers in Jamaica run north to east since the mountains run east to west. The Black River is the largest river in Jamaica. It is 73 kilometers (44 miles) long. The Rio Grande is another large river. It is on the northern slopes of the Blue Mountain and has its course through some of the wildest and most beautiful scenery in the island. Kingston Harbor is the the seventh largest natural harbour in the world.It is 13 kilometers long which is about 8 miles of navigable water. It is almost all shut in by the narrow strip of land that ends at Port Royal. Since it is landlocked it leaves a deep channel where the largest ships sail. Modern developments have made Kingston Harbour an great port for shipping of all kinds of stuff.===

===Climate-Jamaica has a tropical maritime climate, but differnet rainfall happens depending on the region.The rainy seasons are in May and October. The average annual rainfall for the country as a whole is (195.8 cm).Although the annual overall total rainfall is high, season droughts are a problem for agriculture. Hurricanes are possible from June to November. The tropical island climate prevents extreme temperature variations so temperatures generally are 80 to 90°F. The coldest months are January and Feburary and the warmest months are July and August.=== ===Animals-The animals are a very important part to the society. In Jamaica, hummingbirds are known as the doctor bird. They are seen everywhere.The "Doctor Bird" or Swallowtail Humming Bird lives only in Jamaica and is one of the most outstanding of the 320 species of Humming Birds. The Doctor Bird has been living for many decades in Jamaican folklore and song. There are frogs, crocodiles, and lizards all throughout the island. Turtles, rays, and colorful fish are found in Jamaica's turquoise colored ocean. SIx (6) Photos===

__Current Issues(Eliza)__
===Current Events- Recently, in August, Hurricane Dean passed through Jamaica. It destroyed many homes. The new prime minister is Bruce Golding. He was elected prime minister in 2007. He is Jamaica's eighth prime minister.=== Government- Jamaica has a constitutional monarchy. The prime minister is Bruce Golding. The Jamaican government is divided in to two groups, the House of Representatives and the Senate. There are 60 members of the House of Representatives and each one is represented by one Member of Parliament. There are 21 members of the Senate. The capital of Jamaica is Kingston. Economy- Jamaica is a big place for tourism and business. The Jamaican economy depends very much on services. Population (2007 est.): 2,780,132 (growth rate: 0.8%); birth rate: 20.4/1000; infant mortality rate: 15.7/1000; life expectancy: 73.1; density per sq mi: 665 History- Arawak Indians were the first inhabitants of Jamaica and Spain settled on the island in 1509. The Spaniards brought along diseases with them and the population of the Arawaks slowly died. William Penn along with the British naval battalion captured the island from the Spaniards. Jamaica was one of the biggest slave-trading places in the world. So they enslaved some of the Jamaicans. Bibliography Voicethread Story Workspace