Jamaica is an island country situated in the Caribbean Sea. Spanning 10,990 square kilometres (4,240 sq mi) in area, it is the third-largest island of the Greater Antilles and the Caribbean. Jamaica lies about 145 kilometres (90 mi) south of Cuba, and 191 kilometres (119 mi) west of Hispaniola ; the British Overseas Territory of the Cayman Islands lies some 215 kilometres (134 mi) to the north-west.
Kingston is the capital and largest city of Jamaica, located on the southeastern coast of the island. It faces a natural harbour protected by the Palisadoes, a long sand spit which connects the town of Port Royal and the Norman Manley International Airport to the rest of the island. In the Americas, Kingston is the largest predominantly English-speaking city south of the United States.
Spanish Town is the capital and the largest town in the parish of St. Catherine in the historic county of Middlesex, Jamaica. It was the Spanish and British capital of Jamaica from 1534 until 1872. The town is home to numerous memorials, the national archives, and one of the oldest Anglican churches outside England.
Saint Ann is the largest parish in Jamaica. It is situated on the north coast of the island, in the county of Middlesex, roughly halfway between the eastern and western ends of the island. It is often called "the Garden Parish of Jamaica" on account of its natural floral beauty. Its capital is Saint Ann's Bay. Saint Ann comprises New Seville, the first Spanish Settlement in Jamaica.
Saint Catherine is a parish in the south east of Jamaica. It is located in the county of Middlesex, and is one of the island's largest and most economically valued parishes because of its many resources. It includes the first capital of Jamaica, Spanish Town, originally known as San Jago de la Vega or Santiago de la Vega.
May Pen is the capital and largest town in the parish of Clarendon in Middlesex County, Jamaica. It is located on the Rio Minho river, and is a major market centre for the Parish. The population was 61,548 at the 2011 census increasing from 59,550 in 2001, including the surrounding suburbs of Sandy Bay, Mineral Heights, Hazard, Palmers Cross, Denbigh, Race Track, and Four Paths among others. The town has a mayor.
Jamaica College is a public, Christian, secondary school and sixth form for boys in Kingston, Jamaica. It was established in 1789 by Charles Drax, who was the grand-nephew of wealthy Barbadian sugar planter James Drax.
Ian Fleming International Airport (IFIA) is an international airport located in Boscobel, Saint Mary Parish, Jamaica, 10 km (6.2 mi) east of Ocho Rios, in northern Jamaica. The airport historically provided service to the United States and to other Caribbean islands. It is named for Ian Fleming, the creator of the James Bond novels, whose Goldeneye estate is located in St. Mary parish.
Port Maria is the capital town of the Jamaican parish of Saint Mary.
The Gleaner Company Ltd. is a newspaper publishing enterprise in Jamaica. Established in 1834 by Joshua and Jacob De Cordova, the company's primary product is The Gleaner, a morning broadsheet published six days each week. It also publishes a Sunday paper, the Sunday Gleaner, and an evening tabloid, The Star. Overseas weekly editions are published in Canada, the United Kingdom and the United States. The paper was known as The Daily Gleaner until 1992.
Fort Augusta Adult Correctional Centre, formerly Fort Augusta Prison, is Jamaica's only prison for women. It was built to accommodate 250 female inmates but has held over 280 on occasions. It has been known to run short of food.
Alexandria is a town in the parish of Saint Ann, Jamaica.
The Department of Correctional Services, Jamaica (DCSJ) is a department of the Ministry of National Security of Jamaica, headquartered in Kingston. The department operates prisons and jails in Jamaica. The current Commissioner of Corrections is Ina Hunter.
Elaine Sandra-Lee Thompson-Herah OD is a Jamaican sprinter who competes in the 60 metres, 100 metres and 200 metres. One of the greatest sprinters of all time, she is a five-time Olympic champion, the fastest woman alive, and the second-fastest in history over both the 100 m and 200 m. Thompson-Herah is the first woman in history, and the second sprinter after her compatriot Usain Bolt, to win the "sprint double" at consecutive Olympics, capturing gold in both the 100 m and 200 m at the 2016 Rio Olympics and again at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.
Amy Bailey OJ, OD, OBE, MBE was a Jamaican educator, social worker and women's rights advocate. She was a co-founder of the Jamaican aid organization Save the Children and was the driving force behind the drive for introducing birth control to the island. She received many honours and awards in her career, including the Order of the British Empire, the Jamaican Order of Distinction and the Marcus Garvey Award for Excellence in 1988. In 1990, shortly before her death, she was honoured with the Order of Jamaica.
Hazel Monteith, O.D., J.P. was an Afro-Jamaican consumer rights advocate, radio personality and social worker. Graduating from the first course in social work offered by the University of the West Indies, Monteith worked for twelve years as a traveling field agent coordinating social welfare projects for the Jamaica Federation of Women. In 1972 she became a regional officer at the Council of Voluntary Social Services and was tasked with creating the Citizen's Advice Bureau. Through innovative programs, she developed training and advice centers and radio broadcasts to help citizens with a wide variety of issues, from how to register vital records, to employment training, to where to obtain assistance for household goods. She was honored as an officer in the Order of Distinction in 1982 and subsequently appointed a Senator from 1986 to 1989.
Chanice Porter is a Jamaican track and field athlete who specializes in long jump. She represented Jamaica at the 2019 World Athletics Championships, competing in women's long jump.
Royal tours of Jamaica by the Jamaican Royal Family have been taking place since the 20th century. The Queen of Jamaica, Elizabeth II, has visited the island six times; in 1953, 1966, 1975, 1983, 1994, and 2002. Other members of the Royal Family have also paid visits.
The Carib Theatre, also known as the Carib 5, is a cinema in northern Kingston, Jamaica. Opened in 1938, it has been owned and operated by the Palace Amusement Company since ca. 1939. The Carib was the largest and highest-grossing theatre in the West Indies, and was once Jamaica's largest building. It served as a one-screen facility until a 1996 fire and 1997 renovation/conversion into a five-screen multiplex.
