Jamaica

Jamaica is the birthplace of reggae, recognized by UNESCO as Intangible Cultural Heritage.

Jamaica’s Port Royal lost about two-thirds of its area to the sea during the devastating earthquake of 1692.

Jamaica has produced some of the world’s fastest athletes, including Olympic legend Usain Bolt, whose 100 m world record of 9.58 seconds is the longest-held in the event’s history.

The Blue and John Crow Mountains became Jamaica’s first UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2015 and the first mixed (cultural and natural) World Heritage Site in the Caribbean.

Jamaica’s black, green and gold flag is the world’s only national flag without red, white or blue.

The Homerus swallowtail, the largest butterfly in the Western Hemisphere, is found only in Jamaica.

Jamaica’s Luminous Lagoon is one of the world’s rare bioluminescent lagoons, where the water glows at night.

Dunn’s River Falls is one of Jamaica’s most famous attractions, where visitors can climb a cascading waterfall from the sea to the summit.

Jamaica is the third-largest island in the Caribbean, after Cuba and Hispaniola, and the largest English-speaking one.

In October 2025, Hurricane Melissa became the first Category 5 hurricane on record to make landfall in Jamaica, causing an estimated $8.8 Bn in damage, about 41% of the country’s 2024 GDP.

In 1959, while still a British colony, Jamaica banned trade with apartheid South Africa, one of the first countries in the world to impose such sanctions.

Japan buys over 70% of Jamaica’s Blue Mountain Coffee exports, a trade relationship that began in 1953.