Interesting Jamaican Things

Interesting Jamaican things

If you are familiar with Jamaica , I can probably bet you (and win) you never knew half of these interesting facts on Jamaica . I myself was even surprised at some of these findings. Here you go!

* Jamaica has the most "churches" per square mile of any country in the world. Source-Guinness Book of World Records. Over 1,600 "churches" all over Jamaica . That number is growing.
* Jamaica was the first country in the Western world to construct a railway, even before the United States ! This was only 18 years after Britain !
* Jamaica is the first Caribbean Country to gain Independence .
* Jamaica is the first team from the English-speaking Caribbean to qualify for the Football (Soccer) World Cup. This was the 1998 championship.
* Jamaica stands strong in 3rd place on the list of countries to win the Miss World titles the most! [Hmmm!] The only countries to have won it more than Jamaica is India , Venezuela and the UK , but considering the size of Jamaica , you have to say that this achievement is monumental!
* On his second voyage to the New World in 1494, the tip of the Blue Mountains in Jamaica was the first land sighted by Christopher Columbus.
* Jamaica was the first commercial producer of bananas in the Western Hemisphere .
* Jamaica also was the first island in the Caribbean to produce rum on a commercial basis.
* The Manchester Golf Club in Jamaica , established in 1868, is the oldest in the western hemisphere!
* Apart from the United States , Jamaica has won the most world and olympic medals.
* 2006-2007: World Fastest man and woman - you bet, are Jamaicans [Asafa Powell and Sherone Simpson].
* Jamaica has more multiple (two or more) live births than anywhere else in the world.
* Jamaica was the first country to impose economic sanctions against the apartheid regime of South Africa .
* Jamaica is the third largest island in the Caribbean .
* Jamaica was the first Caribbean island to enact legislation, "The Motion Picture Industry (Encouragement) Act" to promote the making of films.
* Jamaica is the first country to sign a Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria grant agreement.
* Jamaica was the first tropical country to enter the IOC Winter Olympics. The bobsleigh team's efforts inspired the film ‘Cool Runnings’.
* Jamaica was the first colony England acquired by conquest. This was in the year 1655 when the Spanish were driven from the island.
* We have the second largest butterfly in the world? (The Giant Swallowtail).
* Another of the interesting facts on Jamaica is that it was the first British colonial territory to establish a postal service (in 1688).
* Jamaica was the first Caricom country to liberalize the telecommunications sector. Since then, other Caricom countries have opened up to competition.
* Another one I found to be one of the most interesting facts on Jamaica is that Jamaica was the first country in the Caribbean region to launch a web site, jamaicatravel.com. This was in 1994!
* And if you know none of the above, (which is fine) I expect you at least know that Jamaica is the birth place of Robert ("Bob") Marley [smile]

* that Port Royal in Jamaica was once labeled 'The wickedest city on Earth'?

* that the Jamaican Flag is the ONLY flag in the world, that doesn't share any of the colors of the American flag?