LYCOS RETRIEVER 
Jamaica
built 193 days ago
With golden beaches, misty mountains and russet sunsets, Jamaica is a postcard perfect paradise born out of the blood, sweat and tears of slavery and colonialism. Thousands of holidaymakers flock to the Caribbean island every year to soak up a laid back lifestyle sold on the seductive beats of dread locked reggae legend Bob Marley. But behind the rumbling bass lines and the scented smoke of ever-present marijuana reefers, Jamaica is still a country coming to terms with its difficult past. Gun and knife-wielding gangs make parts of the capital Kingston a no-go area, with high poverty levels creating a desperate underworld of hustlers and criminals who often target tourists. These troubles... nurture a vibrant music scene that allows Jamaica to punch way beyond its weight, exporting fresh new hip-hop and dance hall sounds - alongside regular reggae - to a world thirsty for its tropical beats. Mobile sound systems carry the rhythms of Kingston's newest artists onto the streets, where those visitors wh
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Jamaica is a mountainous Caribbean island just south of Cuba. Columbus landed here in 1494, and the Spanish soon brought in slaves as the native Arawak Indians died out—today more than 90 percent of the population is of African descent. The British seized the island in 1655, granting independence in 1962. Tourism is a steady earner, but reliance on unpredictably priced commodities, such as bauxite, causes uneven growth. The island is a major transit point for South American cocaine enroute to the U.S. and Europe. Other problems include illicit cultivation of marijuana and heavy deforestation.
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Jamaica's north coast has a very diverse coral reef structure. Located on the edge of the Cayman Trench, incredible reef walls begin at 60 ft. and drop down to over 150ft. These walls are completely covered in a large variety of hard and soft corals. Beautiful elephant-ear, basket, tube, and rope sponge are found in beautiful colours of red, pink, yellow, and orange as well as enormous trees of black coral and gorgonia. The walls here have many overhangs and ledges for you to explore and see lobster, king crab, green and spotted moray eels, and a host of other marine creatures.
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![[Country Map]](http://retrieverimages.lycos.com/images/j/a/m/jamaica/i/006.jpg)
Jamaica has diplomatic relations with most nations and is a member of the United Nations and the Organization of American States. It was an active participant in the April 2001 Quebec Summit of the Americas. Jamaica is an active member of the British Commonwealth, the Non-Aligned Movement, the G-15, and the G-77. Jamaica is a beneficiary of the Cotonou Conventions, through which the European Union (EU) grants trade preferences to selected states in Asia, the Caribbean, and the Pacific.
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Though a small nation, Jamaica is rich in culture, and has a strong global presence. The musical genres reggae, ska, mento, rocksteady, dub, and, more recently, dancehall and ragga all originated in the island's vibrant popular urban recording industry. Internationally known reggae musician Bob Marley was born in Jamaica and is very respected there. Many other internationally known artists were born in Jamaica including Lee "Scratch" Perry, Peter Tosh, Bunny Wailer, Big Youth, Jimmy Cliff, Dennis Brown, Desmond Dekker, Beres Hammond, Beenie Man, Shaggy, Grace Jones, Shabba Ranks, Supercat, Buju Banton, Sean Paul, I Wayne, Capleton, Bounty Killer and many others. Famous band artist groups that came from Jamaica include Black Uhuru, Third World Band, Inner Circle, Chalice Reggae Band, Fab Five, and Morgan Heritage. The genre jungle emerged from London's Jamaican diaspora.
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Jamaica's economy, already saddled with a record of sluggish growth, was hit hard by Hurricane Ivan in late 2004, but has made a gradual recovery. The economy faces serious long-term problems: high but declining interest rates, increased foreign competition, exchange rate instability, a sizable merchandise trade deficit, large-scale unemployment and underemployment, and a high debt burden - the result of government bailouts to ailing sectors of the economy, most notably the financial sector in the mid-to-late 1990s. Following a strategy begun in 2004, Jamaica has reduced its public debt to 133.3% of GDP. Inflation ... had declined to 5.8% at the end of 2006. High unemployment exacerbates the serious crime problem, including gang violence fueled by the drug trade. The government faces the difficult prospect of having to achieve fiscal discipline in order to maintain debt payments while simultaneously attacking a serious and growing crime problem that is hampering economic growth.
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Jamaica