Jamaica

American  

[juh-mey-kuh] / dʒəˈmeɪ kə /

noun

1. an island in the West Indies, S of Cuba. 4,413 sq. mi. (11,430 sq. km).

2. a republic coextensive with this island: formerly a British colony; became independent in 1962, retaining membership in the Commonwealth of Nations. Kingston.

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Jamaica British  

/ dʒəˈmeɪkə /

noun

1. an island and state in the Caribbean: colonized by the Spanish from 1494 onwards, large numbers of Black slaves being imported; captured by the British in 1655 and established as a colony in 1866; gained full independence in 1962; a member of the Commonwealth. Exports: chiefly bauxite and alumina, sugar, and bananas. Official language: English. Religion: Protestant majority. Currency: Jamaican dollar. Capital: Kingston. Pop: 2 909 714 (2013 est). Area: 10 992 sq km (4244 sq miles)

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Jamaica Cultural  

1. Nation in the West Indies, situated south of Cuba and west of Haiti, in the Caribbean Sea. Its capital and largest city is Kingston.

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Discover More

The country has a high level of poverty.

Tourism is a major industry.

It was the leading world sugar producer in the eighteenth century, when a large slave population grew up around sugar plantations.

A British colony from 1865 to 1962, Jamaica then became completely independent.

Example Sentences

Landor is an adherent of Rastafari, an Abrahamic religion that developed in Jamaica in the 1930s.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 23, 2026

In 2025, Hurricane Melissa struck Jamaica, inflicting damage worth $8.8 billion, or 41% of the island’s annual gross domestic product.

From Barron's • Jun. 23, 2026

As a result the 26 players on Canada’s roster, or their parents, come from more than 17 countries — from Iran, Croatia, Jamaica and Barbados to Haiti, Lebanon, Nigeria and the Philippines.

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 19, 2026

Black moved to New York from Jamaica in 1983.

From Slate • Jun. 17, 2026

Jamaica has a very large Chinese population that since the nineteenth century has dominated the commercial life of the island.

From "Outliers" by Malcolm Gladwell