Jamaica

Overview
Locally known as “Xaymaca” meaning “Land of Springs”, it was formerly a colony of Spain named as “Santiago.” Now, it has gained independence where it is an island nation located in the Greater Antilles, Jamaica is 240 kilometers in length and 85 kilometers in width situated in the Caribbean Sea. Its neighboring regions include Central America in the east, Cuba in the south and Hispaniola Island in the west. It is also the third most populous country in its continent right after United States and Canada.

The city of Kingston is the capital of Jamaica where its official language is English even though more than half of its present population is composed of those that descended from the black race. Queen Elizabeth II is the Head of State where it follows a government of constitutional monarchy. Currently, Kenneth Hall serves as the Governor General and Portia Simpson- Miller as Prime Minister. It was only in August 6, 1962 that they gained complete liberty from the United Kingdom.

Education
Due to the emancipation of the slaves, the Jamaican Education System was founded for the commoners. Before that, there were already prestigious institutions for those that are considered of the upper class in the society. There were even others that sent their children to England to pursue further studies of the best quality. In the dawn of the West Indian Commission, there was a large amount of money that constructed campuses for a lot of graders. It is now recognized as the All Age Schools for the offspring of the slaves that have been freed. A lot are Christian based as it is established by religious organizations. There is no such thing as free education in their region however, they have a place for those who do not have enough to pay the tuition fee.

Demographics
At least 90% of the people living in Jamaica have ancestors of the Western Africans where they have been abducted during the slave trade. Only a percentage of 4.9 comprise the mixed heritage of West European and East Indian, among the others. The minorities consist of Cuban, Lebanese, Chinese and Syrian. However, over the years, a lot of its natives have already changed their location to the nearby United States as well as in Canada and United Kingdom. Due to the Seasonal Agricultural Worker Program of the Canadians, it has been drawing more from the Caribbean especially Jamaicans.

The Patois which is a form of Creole in Jamaica is still widely spoken. Most of them utilize such language aside from English which actually depends on the situation that they belong. Patios is very much interesting to learn as it is a combination of Spanish, Yoruba, Akan, Arawak, French, Chinese, Portuguese and Indian words. Generally, it differs a lot from the world’s universal tongue basing on both the pronunciation and syntax.