10 Interesting Facts About Jamaica

1. Jamaica was the first country in the Western world to build a railroad. They built their railroad a mere 18 years after Britain built theirs. In 1994, Jamaica also became the first Caribbean nation to launch its own website.

2. In 1872, the mongoose was imported to Jamaica to rid the cane fields of rats. As an unintentional side effect, the mongoose also killed off almost the entire snake population.

3. Rum is the national drink of Jamaica. Here, rum is mixed with most other beverages. You can try rum and coconut water for a refreshing island drink!

4. Jamaica is one of only two countries in the world that has no common colours with the flag of the United States of America. The other country is Mauritania with a green and yellow coloured flag.

5. Jamaica as the fastest runners on Earth. This is primarily because they come from a genetic pool of Africans that are naturally athletic and mostly feed on ground provisions such as yams and a lot of fruits. The USA and China are the only two countries with more Olympic medals than Jamaica.

6. Jamaica has the most churches per square mile. According to the National Library of Jamaica, there are approximately 2.75 churches per square mile, a fact recognized by the “Guinness World Book of Records.” There are also churches in people’s backyards and living rooms that haven’t been taken into consideration.  

7. Jamaica was the first tropical country to take part in the Winter Olympics. This event has always been dominated by countries that are farther away from the equator, and it was a big joke in Jamaica when the government announced that they were sending a bobsled team to the 1988 Winter Olympics. Infact, the Jamaican bobsled team did not even own a bobsled and had to borrow one to compete. Things have changed since then, and the Jamaicans won the gold medal at the 2000 World push championship in Monaco. This story was made into a Disney film called Cool Runnings.

8. The James Bond series was written in Jamaica. Renowned author Ian Fleming, famous for introducing the world to James Bond, wrote more than a dozen of his agent 007 novels and short stories while in Jamaica.   

9. With 4 winners and 3 runners-up in the Miss World competitions, Jamaica truly does boast some of the most beautiful women in the world. Tori Ann Singh of Jamaica is the latest winner of the Miss World Competition held in 2019. India and Venezuela top the list with 6 wins each.

10. Did you know that a Jamaican is responsible for introducing hip hop music to the world? Kool Herc, a Jamaican DJ is credited for originating rap and hip-hop music all over the world. Google celebrated the 44th anniversary of the birth of Hip Hop with a doodle on their home page on August 11, 2017.

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