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Jamacia

 

                                          

"Out Of Many, One People"

 

                            

Hello,

My name is June Singleton, and the attended audience for this webpage is fourth graders and it's purpose is to educated students about the beautiful country of  Jamaica. I will provide a lesson about Jamaica, based upon 4 of the national geography standards:

  1. Standard 4: The physical and human characteristics of places

  2. Standard 6: How culture and experience influence people's perception of places and regions

  3. Standard 11: The patterns and networks of economic interdependence on Earth's surface.

  4. Standard 15: How physical systems affect human systems

I will also provide a quiz and key to assure that facts was learned and other great websites to learn more about the beautiful Jamaica!!!

Standard 4:

    Standard 4 relates the physical and human characteristics of different places. Jamaica is an island nation of the Greater Antilles, home to the Blue Mountains island, and is surrounded by a narrow coastal plain. Jamaica is 240 kilometers in length and as much as 85 kilometers in width. It is 635 kilometers east of the Central American mainland, 150 kilometers south of Cuba, and 180 kilometers west of the island of Hispaniola. It is considered the third largest island in the Caribbean. Its indigenous Arawakan-speaking Taino inhabitants named the island Xaymaca, meaning either the "Land of Springs" or "Land of Wood and Water."

    Jamaica's population is consisted mainly of African descent, comprising about 90.9 percent of the demographics, other populations on the island are East Indian 1.3%, White 0.2%, Chinese 0.2%, mixed 7.3%, others 0.1%. It is the third most populous Anglophone (English speaking) country in the Americas, after Canada and the United States. Major towns and both cities, also called parishes, are located on the coast. Chief towns include the capital city Kingston, Portmore, Spanish Town, Mandeville, Ocho Rios, Port Antonio, and the city of Montego Bay.

Standard 6:

    Standard 6 relates to how culture and experience influence people's perceptions of places and regions. Jamaican culture represents a rich blend of cultures that have inhabited the island. Spanish and British settlers, and West African slaves brought cultural elements, as did Chinese and Indian immigrants who came to the island as indentured workers. The original inhabitants of the region were the Arawaks, now referred to as Tainos. The Arawaks were a subsistence culture, and were primarily coast-dwelling fishermen. The largest religious group in Jamaica is the Christian faith. The Anglican Church, and the Church of God are throughout the country, and few Jewish synagogues. Elements of ancient witchcraft remain in remote areas, most of which practices are described generally as Obeah.
    The best known side of Jamaican culture is Rastafari and it's Christian music and related rhythms, known as reggae. Rastafari is a local cult loosely based on some selected teachings of the Christian Bible. The Bible is read in an Ethiopian fashion, and followers believe in the Emperor Haile Selassie of Ethiopia as the true descendant of Solomon.

Standard 11:

    Standard 11 related to the patterns and networks of economic interdependence on Earth's surface. Jamaica is a mixed, free market economy with state enterprises as well as private sector businesses. Major sectors of the Jamaican economy include agriculture, mining, manufacturing, tourism and financial and insurance services. Jamaica GDP (gross domestic product) has decline and rose in past years. This mainly was due to problems in the financial sector and, severe island-wide drought that drastically reduced agricultural production. In 1997, nominal GDP was approximately 220,556.2 million which equals to about 6,198.9 million in American dollars.

Standard 15

     Standard 15 is related to how human actions modify the physical environment. The climate in Jamaica is tropical, with hot and humid weather, although higher inland regions have a more temperate climate. Some regions on the south coast, such as the Liguanea Plain and the Pedro Plains are relatively dry rain-shadow areas. Below are average temperatures in two of Jamaica's major cities.

 

Quiz

1.    What is Jamaica's motto?

2.    Jamaica is the fourth largest country in the Caribbean? True or False

3.    "Land of Springs".

4.    Who were the original natives of Jamaica?

5.    Name two major cities in Jamaica?                        

6.    What is the largest religious group in Jamaica?

7.    What other culture is represented in Jamaica?

8.    Who is believed to be the true descendent of Solomon?

9.    What does GDP means?

10.   In July, what is the average temperature in Kingston? 

Key:

1.Out of Many, One People; 2. False; 3.Xaymaca; 4.Taino; 5. Kingston and Montego Bay; 6. Christians; 7. Rastafari; 8. Emperor Haile Selassie; 9. Gross Domestic Product; 10. 83 Fahrenheit

Great Websites to learn more about Jamaica