The largest island of the former British West Indies, Jamaica is 234 km (145 mi) long and 80 km (50 mi) wide. After being a British colony since 1655, the island has been an independent nation since 1962. Kingston, on the south coast, is the country’s capital, largest city and most important port.
The Prime Minister of Jamaica (also, the head of government of Jamaica) is currently Portia Simpson Miller, a Jamaican politician who served as the country’s first female Prime Minister (2006-07) and was elected to a second term in 2012. Jamaica it is one of the few global communities that still adopts the Westminster System of government. She has contributed to the infrastructure of this beautiful and fascinating island.
Transportation
Roads: Jamaica’s road network extends to almost 21,000 kilometers of roads, of which more than 15,000 kilometers are paved. The Highway 2000 project, which ultimately seeks to connect Kingston to Montego Bay and the North Shore, is currently in a series of phases/stages.
Railways – Railways in Jamaica no longer enjoy the prominent position they once did as they have been largely replaced by highways as the primary means of transportation. Of the 169 miles (272 km) of railway found in Jamaica, only 35 miles (57 km) remain in operation, currently used to transport bauxite. Jamaica is one of the main producers of bauxite and about a third of Jamaica’s bauxite is shipped unprocessed.
Air Transportation: There are 3 airports in Jamaica. Norman Manley International Airport, formerly known as Palisadoes Airport, serves Kingston in Jamaica. There are over 130 international flights a week from Norman Manley International Airport. This airport is located in the Palisadoes tombolo on the outskirts of Kingston Harbor and faces the city on one side and the Caribbean Sea on the other. The airport was named in honor of Norman Washington Manley.
Sangster International Airport in Montego Bay is one of the largest, busiest and ultra-modern airports in the Caribbean, capable of handling nine million passengers per year. Sangster is often referred to as the gateway to the Caribbean and is the Caribbean hub for many airlines. It serves as the most popular airport for tourists visiting the north coast of Jamaica. The airport is named after the Prime Minister of Jamaica, Sir Donald Sangster. There are over 1.7 million visitors to Jamaica, of which over 70% use SIA as their primary airport. Approximately 95% of the total passengers in SIA are passengers traveling internationally.
Ian Fleming International Airport, formerly Boscobel Aerodrome, is an airport located in Boscobel, Saint Mary Parish, Jamaica. The airport provides service to the United States and other Caribbean islands. It was named after Ian Fleming, the creator of the James Bond novels, whose Goldeneye estate is in the parish of St Mary. The airport is designed to handle private and commercial aircraft as large as the Cessna Citation Excel.
Sea ports, navigation and lighthouses
Jamaica has a total of 15 ports. The ports of Kingston and Montego Bay are world-class seaports. In fact, the Port of Kingston was estimated to be the seventh largest transshipment port (a port at which goods arrive to be distributed by other means) in the world, according to the EIU Country Profile for 1997-1998. However, Jamaica has lost some international shipping business due to the high cost of shipping operations in the country. Jamaica has seven historic lighthouses.
Energy
Jamaica relies on oil imports to meet its domestic energy needs. Many test sites have been explored for oil, but no commercially viable quantities have been found. The most convenient sources of imported oil and motor fuels (diesel, gasoline, and jet fuel) are from Mexico and Venezuela.
Communication
Jamaica has a fully digital telephone communication system with mobile penetration. The country has three mobile operators: Cable and Wireless, Digicel and Oceanic Digital. Flow Jamaica is the new entrant in Jamaican communications that has laid a new submarine cable connecting Jamaica with the United States. This new cable brings to four the total number of submarine cables that connect this place with the rest of the world.
If you are looking forward to traveling to this place, book a ticket and get a free transfer to Jamaica.
Enjoy a trip to this fascinating island and feel trapped with all the activities of Jamaica.
