Jamaica

thumb|300px|right|The flag and national anthem of Jamaica.
Jamaica (pronounced /dʒəˈmeɪkə/) is an island nation of the Greater Antilles, 234 kilometres (145 mi) in length and as much as 80 kilometres (50 mi) in width situated in the Caribbean Sea. It is about 145 kilometres (90 mi) south of Cuba, and 190 kilometres (120 mi) west of the island of Hispaniola, on which Haiti and the Dominican Republic are situated. Its indigenous Arawakan-speaking Taíno inhabitants named the island Xaymaca, meaning the "Land of Wood and Water", or the "Land of Springs". Formerly a Spanish possession known as Santiago, it later became the British Crown colony of Jamaica. It is the third most populous English-speaking country in North America, after the United States of America and Canada. It remains a Commonwealth realm with Queen Elizabeth II as Head of State.
==Religion in Jamaica==
Jamaica is a Christian-majority country. According to the 2001 census the most popular Christian denominationjs are Church of God Prophecy (24% of the population), Seventh-day Adventist Church (11%), Pentecostal (10%), Baptist (7%), Anglican (4%), Romkan Catholic (2%), United Church (2%), Methodist (2%), Jehovah's Witnesses (2%), Moravian (1%) and Plymouth Brethren (1%).
The Rastafari movement began in Jamaica and currently has about 24,000 adherents there.
Religious minorities present in Jamaica include Hindus and Baha'is. There are some 5,000 members of Muslim groups in Jamaica. There is a small Jewish population in Jamaica of about two hundred people, many of whom can trace their ancestors to Jews from Spain and Portugal who arrived in the 15th century. About 0.3% of the people of Jamaica are Buddhists.
==References==
*http://www.thedhamma.com/buddhists_in_the_world.htm
*The Complete Book of Buddha's Lists -- Explained. David N. Snyder, Ph.D., 2006.
*http://www.thedhamma.com/
==External links==
* Wikipedia article about Jamaica.
* Wikivoyage article about Jamaica.
Category:Buddhism by location
Category:Christian-Majority Countries
Category:Rastafari
Category:Americas