The flag of Jamaica was adopted in 1962, when the country gained independence. Jamaica, which was a British colony for centuries, had a role of center of trade with slaves. After the abolition of slavery in 1838, a violent coup took place and as a result, Jamaica is characterized by social problems and high criminality till nowadays. The flag was chosen in a public tender and it should reflect the turbulent Jamaican history. The version with horizontal stripes was rejected for being too similar to the flag of former Republic of Tanganika. Pan-African colors of black, green and yellow were thus situated to the form of Saint Andrew´s Cross and it should express a motto: “Hardships there are but the land is green and the sun shineth”. Yellow color represents the sun, black stands for difficulties and green means the land.
[/section] [section padding__sm=”15px”] [title text=”Main information”]| Country | Jamaica |
| Capital city | Kingston |
| Population | 2,881,355 (2016) |
| Total area | 10,991 km2 |
| Formation | 6. 8. 1962 |
| Highest point | Blue Mountain Peak (2,256 m) |
| GDP | $26.446 billion (2017) |
| Currency | jamaican dollar (JMD) |
| Code | JM (JAM) |
| ISD Calling code | +1876 |
| How to Dial | Please Add 00 or + as Prefix to these Codes |
| Internet TLD | .jm |
