Tourism of Jamaica

GEOGRAPHY
Jamaica is one of the Antilles Majors, third of the Caribbean Sea, in the gulf of Mexico. The Spanish is halfway between Cuba and.

Very mountainous, the island is covered with an ebullient tropical vegetation. Of this the west the island is crossed by an immense mountain range that occupies the two third parts of territory. Towards the east Monte Azul rises (2,256 meters), the maximum height of country. Jamaica presents/displays an ample variety of landscapes from high mountain to valleys, cascades, plains and paradisiac beaches and bays. Between the rivers, the Black partly of its course is only navigable. This diversity makes him lodge some of the most beautiful landscapes of the Caribbean they equip and it with a rich one and varied flora and tropical fauna.?

Jamaica is a quite poor country that lives mainly of tourism, attracted by its history, beautiful landscapes and character of its people.

CULTURE
The Jamaica word is associate almost unconsciously with music reggae and rastafaris. However, many do not know that the rastafarismo is a religion, mixture of African and Biblical beliefs, founded on the Twenties by Marcus Garvey.

Rastafaris continues hoping to which, after the Armagedón or it battles final between the good and the evil, gives back to the engaged Earth. While, dreadlocks or rastas lets grow his and smokes marijuana. Rastas copies hairdos of the African soldiers and, contrary to the popular opinion, they are not product of the dirt, but of not combing the typical curled hair of the black race. This process is carried out since rastafaris begins from their youth like “nattydreads”, with rastas still short.

The marijuana or “ganja”, the sacred grass of Salomón, is not used with recreational aims, but it is a form to communicate with jah or God. All good it consumes rastafari it cultivates and it, while it fights against the ominous influence of “bald-heads” (without rastas) that serves Babylon, while they wait for a leader who again leads Ethiopia to them, whose flag (red, green and yellow) adorns houses and clothes.

Music and the dance are fundamental elements of the culture, strongly black, of the island. From calypso, ska, dub or the well-known one and extended reggae, whole Jamaica moves to are of these rates of African origin. On names so recognized as those of The Wailers, Pete Tosh, Burning Spear, Third World, Jimmy Cliff or Lee “scratch” Perry fly over the one of Bob Marley, authentic Jamaican icon.

One becomes spokesman of Third World, of the misery, the operation and the injustices, mixes in his multiple letters references to the rastafarismo, religion that it professed

FLAG
The flag that uses is composed by the colors green, that the future represent and the agricultural force, yellow, the light of sun and the natural wealth of country, and black, that symbolizes the force and creativity of Jamaican town.

CELEBRATIONS
Music reggae, indissoluble part of Jamaica, can be enjoyed to great in July and the August, when it is celebrated the festival Reggae Sunsplash in Eight Rivers and the Reggae Sumfest in Montego Bay. Also the Carnival, after Passover, is a good occasion to dance and to drink rum. ? In Christmas the Jonkanoo takes place, an original parade of masks of western Africa and that takes place from the days of the slavery.

CLIMATE
The heat and the humidity are the notes characteristic of this Caribbean zone of constant temperatures. Tropical, warm and very humid climate sometimes, although inside the island much more is tempered. It is not recommended to visit Jamaica between June and November due to the hurricane possibility.

DOCUMENTATION
In order to visit Jamaica it is essential the passport and the roundtrip ticket. A visa for stays is not precise inferiors to 30 days. Another requirement is to demonstrate sufficient budget for the stay in the island. It is necessary to fill up in the airplane forms of declaration of customs.? For more information, it is possible to be contacted with the Office of Tourism of Jamaica in Spain:

Avenue Pau Casals, 4? 08021 Barcelona? Tfno: 93 2011385? Fax: 93 2018657

The embassy of Spain in Jamaica is in its capital, Kingston:

10th floor, The Towers, 25? Dominican Dirve? Kingston 5? Post-office box: Embassy of Spain. P.O.B. 8506. - C.S.O. Kingston. Jamaica W.I. Tfno: 929 67 10, 929 85 75 and 920 16 50? Fax: 929 89 65 and 968 81 10? email: embespjm@mail.mae.es? email: jamesp@jamweb.net

MONEY
The official currency is the Jamaican dollar (jay). However, the best thing is to travel with American dollars in travel checks and to change in banks, houses of change and hotels. It must conserve receipts since to their exit of country if it wants to change the leftover money will demand them. The credit cards normally are accepted. ? Generally, Jamaica is a country relatively cheap. A lodging of average range leaves by about 40 American dollars to the day, and a decent food by 15. The Government burdens a 15% the rooms of hotel and the accounts of restaurants. A gratuity of 10% usually is left, although in some premises this one already is including. In the swap-meets the bargaining is habitual.

DISPLACEMENTS
At the island it can be arrived as much in airplane at the airports of Kingston or Montego Bay, for example through the airline company Air Jamaica, like in boat from other near islands. Once there are several options of transport there. Domestic flights to the main points in airplane as in helicopter, good option for long passages exist as much, although expensive. ? To rent a car is a good option, although little economic. The highways are not very good and the local conductors have much temperament. One needs to be greater 21 years and to have membership card and credit card. The taxi drivers are also good guides and leaves something more cheap than to rent an automobile, but it is necessary to fix the price before raising because the majority lacks taximeter. The Jamaican buses take to almost all the points of country nearly money, but is slow, goes always filled and they do not have fixed schedule.

Those that lodges in great hotels or resorts free have the transfer from the airport to the hotel.

GASTRONOMY
The Jamaican kitchen is a mixture of Caribbean kitchen with African, Spanish and British elements. The plates with pig, chicken abound, fish and seafood, mainly lobster, all good especiados and seasoned. The base of the majority of prescriptions is the rice, the beans, the potatoes, the green banana fried and flour cakes of wheat or maize. A very traditional plate is the codfish with ackee, a native fruit whose flavor is resembled the one of the scrambled eggses and that usually are taken for the breakfast. ? The lunches are with soups and plates of rice, beans and meat or fish, as the strips of pig to the live coal with pepper and berries or meat and marinaded fish. Of dessert they wait for delicious tropical fruits to us: banana, handle, the Coco, ortanica pineapple, maracuyá or, a native hybrid of orange and mandarin. In order to drink, the rum or the Aunt is traditional Maria (coffee liquor). Also there are beers and juices. The coffee Blue Mountain, of the great prestige and fort flavor and aroma, is original of Jamaica.

HEALTH
It is not a especially dangerous island concerning diseases and the sanitary conditions are good. One is due to have well-taken care of with the sun, that can get to cause blisters (the rays are stronger than it is possible to be imagined), and to be supplied of repulsive of mosquitos.? To those visitors who come from an area infected by the yellow fever, a vaccination certificate will be demanded to them to enter the island. A good doctor remembers to be made surely before dividing since any intervention or consults can be to him expensive.

SECURITY
Jamaica is especially a poor country where the delinquency index is high, in suburbs of Kingston like Downtown, West and Spanish Kingston, where the firearms are habitual and the Mafias impose their law. It very well is saying that it agrees to avoid them. The rest of the capital and Downtown Montego Bay can be visited, but with precautions.

PURCHASES
The swap-meets of Jamaica are full of tempting merchandize. From glass bead clothes, equipment rasta, t-shirts, burners and all type of objects with the face of Bob Marley, wood statures, bracelets and pendants, pipes for marijuana, casettes and cedés with music reggae, ska or calypso… That yes, is filled with people and often it is necessary to haggle, and so to buy an exhausting experience can be.? It cannot return from Jamaica without acquiring one of his famous statures representing the colorful and colorful buses, realized with a charming style naif. The paintings are also a common purchase. ? A good gift is a bottle of rum or Aunt Maria, coffee pure Blue Mountain or.

SPORTS
The submarine fishing by all the coast is one of the most attractive activities; between the most common captures 련 in Port is 롧 uja blue Antonio is celebrated an annual trophy), the fish guards, the tuna 뷡 hoo 묠 the dolphin and tuna. Also they are possible to be practiced surf and windsurf, although the wonderful marine bottoms of Jamaica and the cleaning of their blue waters are perfect for the diving. ? Golf is habitual in the most tourist places like Montego Bay. The lovers of the pure blood will be able to practice riding in mountains or beaches and to take classes from sum, jump and pole. The best equestrian center of will find it the Caribbean in Chukka Cove, near Eight Rivers

Here we must emphasize to the well-known Ussain sprinter Volt

Usain St. Leo Volt (21 of August of 1986 in Trelawny Parish, Jamaica), nicknamed “Lightning Volt” (lightning), is a specialistic athlete in speed, world-wide and Olympic champion of 100 and 200 smooth ms, and the fastest man of history until the moment.

It emphasizes of the other athletes by his physicist, because it owns a height of 1.96 ms and a weight of 86.

It at the moment shows the world-wide records of the 100 smooth ms, with a mark of 9.58 secured s the 16 of August of 2009; and the 200 smooth ms, with a time of 19.19 s, obtained the 20 of August of 2009, both obtained in the World-wide one of Berlin.

PLACES THAT TO VISIT
Kingston

Although ballast by his fame of dirty and dangerous city, and although many zones they cannot be visited by his danger, this capital port of country offers some incentives. Most of the tourists concentrate themselves in New Kingston, a full safe zone of hotels and restaurants. Here the Museum Bob Marley, located in the study is due to visit where it recorded many of his mythical compositions. Also the beautiful botanical gardens Hope and Castleton and the Devon house are here.? Those that is ventured in downtown, to the south, in the zone bathed by the Caribbean do not have to lose Port Royal, old home of pirates like Morgan. Although partially it was destroyed by an earthquake in century XVII, still it conserves beautiful and colorful houses, churches and the Fort Charles, where it is the House of I am annoying, twisted by a seism. In Kingston Mall it is the National Gallery of Art, with works of the most famous plastic artists of Jamaica.? Although there is to visit it with precaution, Spanish Town is one of the oldest districts and tuna of Kingston. Capital during the Spanish occupation, almost was devastated by the English, that reconstructed later it maintaining the flavor, patent in the Place with their white buildings or the facade of the House of King Spanish. In Martin Street it is Cecil's Restaurant, one of the most concurred. Trenchtown was and is a suburb poor, depressed and dangerous, that nevertheless saw be born reggae from hands of Bob Marley, names that it in songs like “Not wona, not cry” or Pete Tosh.

Blue mountains

Near the capital, in the Eastern part of the island, is this beautiful covered mountain range of tropical forests between the fog where the coffee Blue Mountain is cultivated, one of the best ones of world. The best thing is to go on trip in 4x4 from Kingston and to kick the zone, full vegetation, birds and small cascades and lagoons. The most trained they can try to ascend more than 2,000 meters of Middle Peak.

Eight Rivers

Paradisiac beaches, colorful towns, nature in pure state, good natured people… All this and much more is Eight Rivers, to the north of Jamaica, one of the places more visited of the island to represent the essence of the Caribbean in pure state. The lovers of the beach have a good assortment of white sand places and crystalline waters where to take the sun, to dive or to take a daikiri. Turtle Beach, Dolphin Cove or Reggae Vibes are some of best beaches. The beach James Bond is visited by personalities of the fashion, music or the businesses, reason why the prices are prohibitive. ? But for that they wish something more authentic and characteristic of the island, as much Eight Rivers as the colorful towns and surrounding villages offer history and local culture. Brown's Town, Santa Ana, Moenague or Oracabassa are some of them. In Nine Mile it was born and it is buried the national icon and it stars of reagge Bob Marley. Its mausoleum can be visited and often they are there familiar and friendly.

To three kilometers of Eight Rivers is more the visited attraction of Jamaica, Dunn's River Falls. This slope of 180 meters surrounded by tropical forest where the fresh water falls in innumerable cascades that create small natural swimming pools. In Santa Ana they are the Caves Green Grotto, refuge of slaves fled during century XVIII. Readily accessible, they suppose a beautiful spectacle with its stalactites and stalagmites and the inner lake.

Montego Bay

In the corner the northwest of Jamaica is the tourist center of Montego Bay, designed in accordance with the western tourist. Hotels of luxury, restaurants, animated nocturnal life, stores, golf courses, beaches, excursions in 4x4 or to horse… All the necessary one to perfectly live wonderful and impersonal vacations.

Cockpit Country

From Montego Bay towards the interior this uninhabited plateau of thick vegetation extends almost, abundant fauna and almost unexplored caves only recommendable for very adventurous spirits by its steep ways, in which are abrir itself passage to machete blows. It is possible to be arrived in bus until the towns of his shores, from where the best thing is to rent a helicopter to have a panoramic vision of set.

Negril

This tourist destiny in the western end of Jamaica perfectly combines the comforts of resorts with the local enchantment. Hotels of luxury are combined with swap-meets of crafts and positions of skewers of pig between precious beaches and natural enchantments little damaged. The sun puttings are everything a spectacle.

Port Antonio

During century XIX the rich retailers and landowners of the island constructed in this coastal town of east, behind Blue Mountains, their precious houses of recreation. Today, the majority, except perfectly conserved and furnished Demontevin, the others is in a semiruinous state that provides a declining enchantment to them. Closely together it waits for one to us of the natural wonders of the island, the Blue Lake, whose waters of a deep bluish tone communicate with of the Caribbean between massive palms and of tropical flowers. To swim and to dive in her not only are allowed, but it is almost one obligation not to lose the experience.

South coast

The South coast is one of most beautiful and virgin of Jamaica. Although lodgings and certain restaurants exist that guarantee to the tourist comforts, generally the operation is minimum. The Coast of Treasure, call thus for being refuge of pirates in centuries XVII and XVIII, is plagued of bays and solitary coralline beaches. Although luck can be tried and to look for some of the pirate treasures that are still said they are buried in this zone, is more probable to see marine turtles laying eggs in the beaches that to find the treasure of Morgan. Going towards the west we ran into with Alligator Pond, a typical box-like town between the bay and the dunes where to dive and to swim in the Sandy Keys.

The Mountains of John Crow or John Crow Mountains

They are a mountain range in Jamaica. They extend paralelamente to the coast this of north of the island, limited the west by the shore of Grande River, and it is united with the Eastern end of Blue Mountains in the south-east. The highest point reaches a little more than 1,140 meters.

It moats of the Cayman
The grave of the Cayman, is a complex zone of transforming fault that owns a small divergent elevation in I milk marine of the zone the west of the Caribbean Sea between Jamaica and the islands Cayman.

The grave form part of the tectonic border between the North American plate and the plate of the Caribbean.

Teacher in Cuba extends from the Passage of Winds, crossing to the south of the Mountain range towards Guatemala. The geographic feature continues in mainland, there fault of Motagua is denominated that crosses Guatemala and it is grasped in the Pacific Ocean where it intersects the zone of subduction of the Mesoamericana grave. This grave is relatively narrow and runs in this-northeast direction of west-southwestern.

The grave owns a maximum depth of 7.686 meters; being the deepest point of the Caribbean Sea. Within the grave a submarine elevation exists that is developed slowly in North-South direction that could be the product of a fault of approximately 420 kilometers in length mounted on the main fault.

During the Eocene the grave lodged a zone of subduction that formed the volcanic arc of the Mountain range of the Cayman and the volcanic land of the Mountain range Teacher in Cuba to the north when moving in northeast direction the plate of the Caribbean underwent a subduction throughout the Cuban microplate (Sigurdsson).

The science film fiction The Abyss, (filmed in 1989), is acclimated in the depths of this grave

Keys of Morant

The Keys of Morant are a group of islands to 51 kilometers to the south-east of Morant End in the main island of Jamaica. One is one of both great groups of islands pertaining to this country, (the other are the Keys of Pedro). They closely consist of four small small barren islands grouped throughout the south-east edge of Bank of Morant forming an extensive bank of chorale in the form of average moon of than 7 km in length, happening more of the 1000 ms. The area of Bank of Morant is of approximately 100 km ⮠ Morant Keys are low, in its majority vacated, seasonally visited by fishermen, and in front of reefs on which the sea breaks constantly. The islands have little vegetation and are prolific of marine birds and constitute zone of anidación of marine turtles.

Fuente: http://us.monografias.com/