Jamaica is an island state in Central America in the West Indies (the traditional name for the islands in the Caribbean Sea and the adjacent waters of the Gulf of Mexico and the Atlantic Ocean).
According to smb, the capital is Kingston. The official language is English (locals speak the Patois dialect, which is an amazing mixture of English and West African dialects).
Currency – Jamaican dollar (Jamaican dollar (JMD) = 100 cents. 1$ USA = 47 JMD. US dollars, traveler’s checks and major credit cards are accepted for payment).
Religion – Christianity. Administrative-territorial division: 3 counties and 14 parishes. Population – 2713 thousand people. The ratio of urban and rural population – 58% and 42%. More than 90% of the population is made up of black Jamaicans – descendants of slaves from Africa and mixed origin.
The climate is tropical, trade wind, humid. Temperature +24*ะก, +28*C. The rainy season is in May-June and September-October (accompanied by floods), the dry season is January-April. Hurricanes that cause great destruction are rare. Sometimes in August – September tropical cyclones pass here.
Useful Phones
Embassy of the Russian Federation in Jamaica Kingston (22 Norbrook Drive, Kingston 8, Jamaica)
Tel: (+876) 924-1048, 924-5803, fax(+876) 926-8546.
Time behind Moscow from October to April by 8 hours, from April to October by 9 hours. Flight duration 13 hours.
The island lies 140 km south of Cuba, washed by the waters of the Caribbean Sea. Together with Cuba, Haiti and Puerto Rico, Jamaica is part of the Greater Antilles archipelago. Jamaica is the third largest island (10,991 km2) in the Greater Antilles. The length of the island from west to east is 225 km, from north to south – from 35 to 82 km, the length of the coastline is 1022 km. The country owns small islands southeast of the main island – Pedro and Morant.
The state is located on the island of the same name, the third largest in the Caribbean. It is part of the British Commonwealth. Jamaica is a real paradise with a lot of sunny days, a country of golden beaches, picturesque mountain landscapes with many waterfalls, green hills and blue mountains, an amazing emerald island washed by the warm waters of the Caribbean Sea, a country of eternal summer.
Jamaica is an entertainment resort with a variety of dance groups, musical ensembles and colorful sunsets, the birthplace of the musical reggae style, whose performer Bob Marley has gained worldwide fame.
Jamaica is a place where lovers of noisy nightlife and those who want to relax in a quiet corner will feel at home. There are a lot of hotels on the island for every taste – from modern comfortable to small secluded cottages. But wherever tourists stay, they are always waiting for exquisite service and excellent conditions for recreation.
In the center of the island and on the northeastern slopes of the mountains, dense moist evergreen tropical forests with valuable tree species – ceiba, caoba – have been preserved. In the western part and on the plains of the south, savannahs with xerophilous shrubs and many cacti predominate.
The fauna of the island is poor – birds, small rodents, reptiles and bats.
You can get a Jamaican visa upon arrival at Sangster Montego Bay International Airport. This requires a valid international passport, hotel booking confirmation and a return air ticket. The visa fee is $20. The airport tax for foreigners leaving the country is 1,000 Jamaican dollars.
Resorts and attractions in Jamaica
Jamaica is recognized as the third largest island in the Caribbean archipelago. Holidays in Jamaica will not leave you indifferent. The nature here is romantic and unique in its own way – picturesque gorges, golden beaches, waterfalls of unique beauty, turbulent rivers and green meadows await you. Majestic mountains are spread all over the island in a chain.
Ocho Rios. The name of the resort Ocho Rios is translated as “eight rivers”. Here you can admire numerous waterfalls against the backdrop of exotic nature. There is a great Laughing Waters beach. And you can swim in the “Caribbean Niagara” is the name of the Dance River Falls.
Interesting Facts
About Jamaica Christopher Columbus heard from the Indians during the second expedition. They claimed that on the neighboring island, a little to the south, you can find a lot of gold. In 1494, the Spaniards discovered the island and named it in honor of the royal family the island of Ferdinand and Isabella, but the name did not take root and the local Shamaika remained, which means the Land of Springs.
In 1508, the Spanish colonization of the island began, during which the entire indigenous population was exterminated.
From 1513, Spanish colonialists began to import black slaves from Africa to work on sugar plantations.
In 1655, the island was captured by the British (officially annexed to England in 1670).
From 1958 to 1961, Jamaica was part of the West Indies Federation created by Great Britain.
When importing foreign currency equivalent to more than $10,000, it must be declared. It is forbidden to import firearms, drugs, meat, fresh fruits and vegetables, rum, coffee in any form, honey.
The electrical voltage is 110 volts, but in most hotels in the bathrooms there are sockets familiar to us with the ability to switch to 220 volts.
Jamaican cuisine is filled with exoticism and combines the traditions of Spanish, African and Chinese cuisine: seafood, meat (mainly chicken and goat meat), rice, local greens, a variety of desserts and pastries with the addition of tropical fruits (coconut, guava, pineapple, mango, etc.). ). The main alcoholic drink is Jamaican rum and the popular Rum Punch cocktail. Blue Mountain coffee is popular.
Folk art products can be purchased almost everywhere. Straw crafts, linen embroidery, wood carving and jewelry (to which Jamaicans also include bamboo beads) are very popular. Local perfumery based on extracts of tropical flowers is also a good gift. Bargaining is possible everywhere, except for supermarkets and boutiques. It is forbidden to buy and sell black coral products.
Car rental
To conclude a rental agreement, you need a driver’s license, credit card, and insurance. Rental price – from $40 per day, depending on the season and car class.
The procedure for issuing a visa
To visit Jamaica during this period, a simplified procedure for issuing visas is provided. Documents are processed at the Jamaican Embassy in Berlin within 5 working days. A tourist receives a visa directly at the airport in Jamaica.
Required documents for obtaining a visa to Jamaica:
1. 2 photocopies of the international passport. The passport must be valid for at least another 6 months and have a blank sheet for visa stamping.
2. 2 application forms for the issuance of a CARICOM visa (put only a signature corresponding to the signature in the passport form of the questionnaire (you do NOT need to fill out the questionnaire).
3. Personal data.
4. Two photographs (black and white or color):
– size 35 x 45 mm, white background, no oval, on matte photo paper, the photo must have been taken within the last 6 months. On the reverse side, they must be signed in block letters in English – the name and surname, according to the spelling in the passport.
5. confirmation of hotel booking and stay program.
Consular fee – $100 (non-refundable).
You can pay with international credit cards Visa, MasterCard or American Express or Traveler’s Check. The cost of sending/receiving documents is $260. The amount is non-refundable. Children under 12 years of age and younger are exempt from paying the consular fee. Visa processing time: 15-20 days.
