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Jamaica, A Large Melting Pot Of Many Cultures And Tourist Attractions

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Jamaica, a large melting pot of many cultures and tourist attractions, is one of most interesting places on earth. Jamaica currently has a population of 2.9 million, making it the third largest countries in the Caribbean region. Christianity is the largest religion present in Jamaica, the largest branches being the Anglican Church, the Baptists, and The Catholic; with the Rastafarian movement being derived from Christian culture. The original inhabitants of Jamaica were a South American group called Arawaks. Over 2,500 years ago, the Arawaks found settlement on the island and called it “Xaymaca” a phrase which means “the land of water and food.” The settlers lived off the land, growing fruits, vegetables, cotton, tobacco; they tended to settle near rivers in order to hunt for fish, an important part of a their diet. The Arawaks lived on the island for centuries in harmony until the Spaniards found and destroyed their settlement after Christopher Columbus reached the island in 1494. The Arawaks were tortured and killed by the Spaniards; this along with European diseases cleared the native Indians from existence on the island. In 1509, the first Spanish colony was settled and was called New Seville. The colony was very weak due to lack of support from the government of Spain and found themselves defenseless against attacks by other foreigners. In 1655, Great Britain, led by Robert Venables and William Penn executed a successful attack on Jamaica, in which the Spaniards

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