Jamaica Fun Facts
Here are just a few fun facts and information on Jamaica. * Independence Day: August 16, 1962 * National Flower: Lignum Vitae (Wood of Life) * National Tree: Hibiscus elatus (Blue Mahoe) * National Bird: Trochilus polytmus (Doctor Bird) * National Dish: Ackee and saltfish * It was Harry Belefonte who called Jamaica Island in the sun * The national dish of Jamaica is Ackee and Saltfish * The name Jamaica comes from a word of the Arawak Indians, "Xaymaca", meaning land of wood and water. * The words barbecue, canoe, hurricane, potato and tobacco come from the language of the first colonists of Jamaica, the Arawak Indians. * Rum is the national drink of Jamaica; the island was the world's first commercial producer of rum. * Today, the sugar industry is the highest employer in Jamaica - in the eighteenth century the island was the world's largest sugar producer. Coffee from Jamaica's Blue Mountains is among the world's most famous and expensive. * The Blue Mountains are named for the mists that often cover them, which look blue from a distance. * Noel Coward spent many years living in his Jamaican home, "Firefly", near Ocho Rios. He is buried in the garden. * Errol Flynn, the famous film star, bought a hotel and a large estate in Jamaica and lived there for a number of years. * Ian Fleming designed and built his home, "Goldeneye", in Jamaica and wrote ten of his James Bond novels there. * Fleming borrowed the name of his famous spy, James Bond, from James Bond, the author of a guide to the birds of the West Indies. Now...this one is not "fun" but he is a legend, and it is a fact, so I will include this... Bob Marley, a major influence on modern popular music - Jammin; No Woman, No Cry - died of cancer at the age of 36. Related Information
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