Jamaica

Jamaica, 1962 to today. Draft, not yet reviewed

Jamaica achieved independence from the United Kingdom on 6 August 1962. Jamaica is a parliamentary constitutional monarchy, with power vested in the bicameral Parliament of Jamaica, consisting of an appointed Senate and a directly elected House of Representatives. Jamaica is the birthplace of the Rastafari religion and reggae music, along with the associated musical genres of dub, ska, and dancehall. Jamaica is an upper-middle-income country with an economy heavily dependent on tourism, including popular resorts.

Seat of power: Kingston

Rulers

Elizabeth II

monarch of Jamaica, 1952–2022

Elizabeth II was Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms from 6 February 1952 until her death in 2022. She reigned as a constitutional monarch through times of significant political change, such as the decolonisation of Africa. In 2002 she marked her Golden Jubilee with an extensive tour of her realms that began in Jamaica.

Portrait of Elizabeth II: Donald McKague, Public domain, file

Clifford Campbell

Governor-General of Jamaica, 1962–1973

Clifford Campbell was a Jamaican educator and politician who served as speaker of the House and President of the Senate. In 1962, after Jamaica achieved independence, he was appointed as the first Jamaica-born and second governor-general of Jamaica, serving in that position for more than a decade. Campbell became the first Jamaican-born Governor-General and served until 2 March 1973.

Portrait of Clifford Campbell: McOleo, CC0, file

Florizel Glasspole

Governor-General of Jamaica, 1973–1991

Florizel Glasspole was the third and longest-serving governor-general of Jamaica, in office from 1973 to 1991. Under the Westminster system, the Jamaican governor-general is appointed by the monarch on the recommendation of the prime minister of Jamaica. Earlier he served as minister of labour from 1955 to 1957 and as minister of education from 1957 to 1962.

Portrait of Florizel Glasspole: White House Television Office, Public domain, file

Herbert Duffus

Governor-General of Jamaica, 1973–1973

He was appointed Chief Justice of Jamaica in 1968, serving in that capacity until 1973. Duffus was appointed acting governor-general of Jamaica until the role was assumed by Florizel Glasspole on 27 June 1973.

Howard Cooke

Governor-General of Jamaica, 1991–2006

Cooke served as the fourth Governor-General of Jamaica from 1 August 1991 to 15 February 2006. Queen Elizabeth visited Jamaica in 1994 and 2002 while Cooke was Governor-General. He retired on 15 February 2006, and became the first Governor-General to invest his successor, Kenneth Octavius Hall.

Portrait of Howard Cooke: Government of Jamaica, Public domain, file

Edward Zacca

Governor-General of Jamaica, 1991–1991

Zacca was chief justice of the Jamaican Supreme Court from 1985 to 1996. Under the Constitution of Jamaica, the chief justice of Jamaica serves as acting governor-general of Jamaica when that office is vacant, and Chief Justice Zacca served in that capacity from March to August 1991.

Kenneth O. Hall

Governor-General of Jamaica, 2006–2009

Kenneth Octavius Hall, a former diplomat, served as the governor-general of Jamaica from 16 February 2006 to 26 February 2009. He was Jamaica's fifth governor-general since independence in 1962. On 13 January 2009, it was announced by the Jamaica Information Service that Hall had resigned as Governor-General of Jamaica, citing health reasons.

Charles III

monarch of Jamaica, 2022 to today

Charles III is King of the United Kingdom and 14 other Commonwealth realms. Jamaica is a Commonwealth realm, with Charles III as its king. In Jamaica the monarch and the governor-general serve largely ceremonial roles, apart from their reserve powers for use in certain constitutional crisis situations.

Portrait of Charles III: White House, Public domain, file

Culture

Bob Marley is probably the best known Jamaican musician, and with his band the Wailers he popularised reggae internationally and sold millions of records.
Jamaica is regarded as a bilingual country, with two major languages used by the population. The primary spoken language is an English-based creole language called Jamaican Patois.
While the most popular local sport is cricket, on the international stage Jamaicans have tended to do particularly well at track and field athletics.
The island is famous for its Jamaican jerk spice, curries and rice and peas which is integral to Jamaican cuisine.

Picture

Blue and John Crow Mountains National Park was inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site for mixed criteria, cultural and natural, on 3 July 2015.

Image: Wolmadrian, Public domain, file

Sources

Text adapted from the Wikipedia articles listed as sources, CC BY-SA 4.0.