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Top Jamaica vacation Resources

The third largest island in the Caribbean (after Cuba and Hispaniola), the English-speaking nation of Jamaica enjoys a self- sufficiency based on tourism, agriculture and mining. Its attractions include jungle mountaintops, clear waterfalls and unforgettable beaches, yet the country's greatest resource may very well be the Jamicans themselves. Althougn 95 per cent of the population trace their bloodlines to Africa, their national origins lie wlsewhere:in Europe, the Middle East, India, china, South America and many of the other islands in the Caribbean. The music, art and cuisine of Jamaica are vibrant, with a spirit easy to sense but as hard to describe as the rhythms of reggae or a flourish of streetwise patois.

Jamaica is a cultural leader in the Caribbean; its boisterous culture of reggae and rastafari is known throughout the world and attracts visitors who are looking for a little more than the traditional Caribbean image of sun, sea and sand. Economically, though, the 2.6 million islanders have not had an easy ride recently; rising prices for imports and a fall in earnings from the main export, bauxite, led to austerity measures in the 1980s, and there is still considerable unemployment and inflation.