 Jamaica is well known as the home of Bob Marley, reggae and Rastafarians, but there’s much more to be found on the third-largest island in the Caribbean. Beautiful white-sand beaches, world-class resorts, lush mountain scenery, hidden waterfalls, exotic wildlife and some of the best game fishing in the Caribbean lure visitors from all corners of the globe. Kingston is the island’s bustling and often chaotic capital, surprising many visitors with its charming and elegant colonial houses backed by the stunning peaks of the Blue Mountains. Although some areas in Kingston are plagued by violence, overall most visitors find that Jamaicans are exceedingly friendly, fun-loving and welcoming.
 The two main tourist resort areas are Montego Bay and Negril. Montego Bay is also Jamaica’s second largest city, known locally as Mo’ Bay, and one of Jamaica’s popular destinations for visitors looking for a lively holiday. Days are filled with water sports options and evenings are usually spent along the hip Gloucester avenue strip with the sounds of reggae everywhere. Negril’s beach, at seven miles long, is one of the longest in the country. Just a short distance along the coast, you will find the ‘real Jamaica’, with fishing villages such as Oracabessa, Port Antonio and Treasure Beach providing quieter retreats. The Port Antonio area boasts the best surfing on the island.
 Tourism continues to grow with the support of the government and the island sees many visitors return, who have become enchanted by Jamaica’s charm, its spectacular scenery, the warmth of its people, the diversity of activities available and undoubtedly, its music. There are a number of hotels on the island offering excellent facilities and service. The majority can be found in Montego Bay and Negril, with many of these offering all-exclusive deals and all-night family entertainment. There are hotels by the beach, in the town and isolated in their own lush surroundings. The best time to visit is from December through until April, but you must make sure that you book your hotel in advance as this is the peak tourist season and therefore many places are fully booked.
Weather
 Jamaica's tropical climate boasts temperatures that are consistently warm throughout the year. Cooler temperatures can be found in the higher areas. May through until November are the wettest months and characterised by short, heavy showers with the most significant rain occurring in September and October. Hurricane season runs from June to November, but relatively few ever touch Jamaica.
The climate is at its most appealing during the peak tourist season, which runs from mid-December to mid-April. Rainfall is at its lowest and the heat is tempered by the cooling influence of the trade winds. Evenings can be quite cool during this time. Temperatures rise considerably during the summer and in September and October, the humidity can be oppressive. Outside the peak season, it's quieter everywhere in Jamaica, although the main resorts stay pretty lively for much of the year. Off-season rates are considerably lower and discounts are offered by many businesses. A number of festivals, including reggae festivals are scheduled during this time, to entice tourists to the island.
History
 Early inhabitants of the island were the Arawak Indians, who were there when Christopher Columbus arrived in 1494. Not long afterwards, the Spanish formally colonised the island, with their rule lasting until 1655. The British in turn replaced the Spanish, turning Jamaica into the most important British slaving colony in the Caribbean. By the end of the first century of British rule, virtually the entire island had been divided into large plantations, owned by absentee landlords and worked by West Africans, who were shipped to the island and forced into labour. Slavery was abolished in 1834 and a period of relative prosperity followed in Jamaica under more orthodox colonial rule.
 In the early part of the 20th century, the country suffered from a number of natural disasters, which, compounded by the economic depression in the 1930s, sent the country into decline. Black political activity and trade unions increased in the 30s as well, setting the stage for political change. From 1944 to 1962, the island underwent major political changes and significant transformation in the structure of the economy, from a single-crop export economy, to one diversified around the export of bananas, sugar and other agricultural products, the export of minerals and the growth of tourism. A manufacturing sector and a healthy construction industry were stimulated by the new economic structure and the UK was displaced by the US as Jamaica's principal trading partner.
Since independence in 1962, politics in Jamaica has been dominated by the struggle between the left-wing People’s National Party (PNP) and the right-wing Jamaican Labour Party (JLP). The JLP was in power until the early 1970s when it lost the national election in 1972 to the PNP, under Michael Manley’s leadership. The PNP’s radical socialist agenda was widely popular and in spite of increasing economic difficulties, the PNP returned to office in 1976 with an even greater majority. Manley, however, had begun to develop close relations with Cuba, which led to the US government providing substantial backing for the rival JLP and its leader, Edward Seaga, in the subsequent elections.
 Amid widespread violence, Seaga won the 1979 election and adopted a pro-American stance in economic and foreign affairs. Seaga ran the country through most of the 1980s, but was unable to improve the country’s economic condition. Manley once again returned to power in the 1989 elections, but due to poor health, he retired in 1992, replaced by his deputy ‘PJ’ Patterson. Much of the party’s former radical agenda and rhetoric were dropped and free-market economic policies were adopted, in an effort to maintain a good relationship with the US. Patterson has continued in the post ever since and the PNP remains in power.
Elections continue to be marred by violence and intimidation, particularly in the most deprived urban areas, but no serious complaints have been lodged about the outcome of the voting. In addition to dealing with the island’s continuing economic difficulties, the government is also forced to address increasingly vocal demands for constitutional reform, meaning specifically, the electing of a head to state to replace the British monarch. The current government now seems amenable to disposing of this ‘last vestige of colonialism’ and is making preparations for the constitutional changes required.
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