Do not read this page If you’re planning a trip to Jamaica and have your flight and hotel already booked.

Why, you might ask? These facts about Jamaica just might push you to cancel your reservations so you can travel sooner. From interesting facts about Jamaica’s beaches to historical facts that will make you want to hop on a flight and immediately explore the historical sites scattered around the island, these facts are sure to inspire wanderlust.  

Facts About Jamaica’s Natural Beauty

1. Jamaica’s Luminous Lagoon is One of a Few Bioluminescent Lagoons in the World

Imagine a lagoon shimmering with blue bioluminescent lights – if you can’t picture it, go to Jamaica to see the rare sight, as the island is home to one of only a few places you can experience it in the world.

2. Jamaica’s Most Famous Beach Is Almost 7 Miles Long

Negril, Jamaica’s most popular beach, is almost 7 miles of sugar white sands and sublime turquoise waters.

3. Jamaica is Home to more than 50 Waterfalls

You may know the famous one, Dunns River Waterfalls, but Jamaica is home to more than 50 waterfalls waiting for you to explore.

4. Jamaica’s Blue Mountains Are a UNESCO Site

The beautiful mountain range got the rare designation in 2015 for both natural and cultural reasons.

Jamaican Historical Facts

5. Jamaica Should Have Been a Spanish Speaking Island

Like Cuba, Jamaica was colonized by the Spanish in its early history. In 1655 the British attacked the Spanish and took over the island, changing it into an English speaking island

6. Jamaica was a Crown Colony of Britain until 1962

Jamaica was under British rule with the queen as its head until the island gained independence in 1962

7. Jamaica Was Given Its Name By its Indigenous people

Before European rule, Jamaica was home to the Taino peoples who called the island “Xaymaca”, an Arawak word that means land of wood and water

Facts About Jamaican Food

8. Jamaican Food is influenced by Indian, British, African, and Indigenous peoples

Jamaica’s world class curries come from its Indian population, its jerk style of barbeque from the indigenous Taino people, and the heavy use of ground tubers like yams and potatoes from the African peoples 

9. Jamaica’s Blue Mountain Coffee Is Among the Most Expensive and Rarest in the World

Jamaica’s famous Blue Mountain coffee is so rare because only coffee grown in a tiny area of the island (about 23 square miles or 6000 hectares) qualifies to be called Blue Mountain Coffee. There are also strict restrictions on what elevations it can be grown in and how it should be processed (exclusively by hand) – no wonder it’s so expensive.

10. Two of the Rums on ‘Top 10 Most Expensive Rums’ Lists Comes From Jamaican Brands
    Wray and Nephew’s 1949 rum and Appleton Estates 50 Year Old were sold for $6,500 and $54,000 putting them among the most expensive in the world
    
    
11. Authentic Jamaican Jerk Chicken Is Grilled Over Pimento Wood

When done authentically, Jamaica’s popular jerk style of barbeque uses wood from the pimento (allspice) tree to impart flavor and the smoky quality loved by all. 

12. Jamaica’s National Dish is Ackee and Saltfish

Visitors sometimes mistake the yellow food for eggs but ackee is actually a fruit made savory by combining it with salted codfish and herbs and spices.

13. Jamaican ‘Ortanique’ Fruits Can Not be Found Anywhere Else in The World

In the1900s a farmer in Manchester parish crossed oranges with tangerines and invented a tangy-sweet citrus fruit known locally as ortaniques – you will have to travel to Jamaica to try it!

Facts About Jamaica’s Achievements

14. Jamaica had Running Water and Electricity Before Developed Nations Like the U.S

Jamaica had a piped water system as early as 1799, years before the U.S. 

15. In 2008 Jamaica Had Both the Fastest Man and the Fastest Woman in the World

Shelly Ann Fraser-Pryce and Usain Bolt captured the titles in the Olympics of that year and made the island home to the fastest athletes in both genders.

16. Jamaica was the First Island in the Caribbean to Launch a Website

The island launched jamaicatravel.com in 1994, before any other Caribbean island had a website.

Fun Facts About Jamaica

17. Jamaica’s National Bird, the Hummingbird, Needs to Eat More Than its Body Weight

Ever wonder why hummingbirds, Jamaica’s national birds, are always hovering over flowers? The answer is that hummingbirds have to eat more than their body weight in nectar every day

18. Every James Bond Novel Was Written in Jamaica

Author Ian Flemming fell in love with Jamaica in the 1940s and wrote his famous James Bond series on the island.

19. Jamaica Has a Bobsledding Team

Yes you read that right – although it doesn’t snow in Jamaica, the island has a bobsledding team that represents the island in international bobsledding competitions

20. The Island of Jamaica is the Peak of an Underwater Mountain

When you see Jamaica you’re actually looking at the uppermost peak of a huge underwater mountain!

21. The Japanese Really Love Jamaican Blue Mountain Coffee

The Japanese people love Blue Mountain Coffee so much that they buy 80% of all the Blue Mountain Coffee produced in the island.

Read more about Jamaica on our blog, or experience some of the places on this list with one of our handpicked tours.