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Jamaica

The World> Jamaica

Jamaica is an island nation of the Greater Antilles, 234 kilometres (146 mi) in length and as much as 80 kilometres (50 mi) in width situated in the Caribbean Sea. It is about 620 kilometres (385 mi) northeast of the Central American mainland, 145 kilometres (90 mi) south of Cuba, and 190 kilometres (120 mi) west of the island of Hispaniola, on which Haiti and the Dominican Republic are situated. Its indigenous Arawakan-speaking TaÃno inhabitants named the island Xaymaca, meaning either the "Land of Springs," or the "Land of Wood and Water". Formerly a Spanish possession known as Santiago, it later became the British West Indies Crown colony of Jamaica. It is the third most populous anglophone country in the Americas, after the United States and Canada.

Jamaica is divided into 14 parishes, which are grouped to three historic counties that have no administrative relevance.

* Surrey (county) in the east, containing the following parishes:
o Kingston
o Portland
o Saint Andrew
o Saint Thomas
* Middlesex (county) in the center, containing the following parishes:
o Clarendon
o Manchester
o Saint Ann
o Saint Catherine
o Saint Mary
* Cornwall (county) in the west, containing the following parishes:
o Hanover
o Saint Elizabeth
o Saint James
o Trelawny
o Westmoreland

Jamaica is the third largest island in the Caribbean, and the most populous English speaking island there. The island of Jamaica is home to the Blue Mountains inland and is surrounded by a narrow coastal plain. Most major towns and both cities are located on the coast. Chief towns include the capital city Kingston, Portmore, Spanish Town, Mandeville, Ocho Rios, Port Antonio, and the city of Montego Bay.

The climate in Jamaica is tropical, with hot and humid weather, although higher inland regions have a more temperate climate. Some regions on the south coast, such as the Liguanea Plain and the Pedro Plains are relatively dry rain-shadow areas.

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