History of Jamaica in Timeline
Jamaica is an island country situated in the Caribbean Sea and part of the West Indies. It is the third-largest island in the Greater Antilles, after Cuba and Hispaniola, spanning 10,990 square kilometers. Jamaica is located approximately 145 km south of Cuba, 191 km west of Hispaniola, and 215 km southeast of the Cayman Islands.
1912: Synagogue Built
In 1912, Kahal Kadosh Shaare Shalom, also known as the United Congregation of Israelites, was originally built in Kingston.
1920: H. G. de Lisser began publishing Planters' Punch magazine
In 1920, H. G. de Lisser began publishing the magazine Planters' Punch.
1953: Roger Mais published The Hills Were Joyful Together
In 1953, Roger Mais published the novel The Hills Were Joyful Together.
1954: Roger Mais published Brother Man
In 1954, Roger Mais published the novel Brother Man.
1955: Roger Mais published Black Lightning
In 1955, Roger Mais published the novel Black Lightning.
1962: Dr. No filmed in Jamaica
In 1962, the James Bond film Dr. No was filmed in Jamaica.
1962: Independence Murder Rate
In 1962, when Jamaica gained independence, the murder rate was 3.9 per 100,000 inhabitants.
1970: Birth of Marlon James
In 1970, Marlon James, the novelist, was born.
1973: Papillon filmed in Jamaica
In 1973, the film Papillon, starring Steve McQueen, was filmed in Jamaica.
1988: Cocktail filmed in Jamaica
In 1988, the film Cocktail, starring Tom Cruise, was filmed in Jamaica.
1991: Economic Liberalisation and Stabilisation
Since 1991, the Jamaican government followed a programme of economic liberalisation and stabilisation by removing exchange controls, floating the exchange rate, cutting tariffs, stabilising the Jamaican dollar, reducing inflation and removing restrictions on foreign investment.
1993: Cool Runnings Filmed
In 1993, the Disney comedy Cool Runnings, loosely based on Jamaica's first bobsled team, was filmed.
1994: Financial Sector Troubles
In 1994, the financial sector in Jamaica experienced problems, with many banks and insurance companies suffering heavy losses and liquidity issues.
1996: Decrease in GDP
In 1996, there was a decrease in GDP largely due to significant problems in the financial sector.
January 1997: Establishment of Finsac
In January 1997, the government set up the Financial Sector Adjustment Company (Finsac) to assist troubled banks and companies.
January 1997: Agricultural Production Decrease
Since January 1997, Agricultural production, an important engine of growth increased to 5.5% in 2001.
1997: Island-wide Drought and Hurricane
In 1997, a severe island-wide drought (the worst in 70 years) and hurricane drastically reduced agricultural production.
January 1998: Increase in Bauxite Production
In January 1998, bauxite production recorded a 7.1% increase relative to January 1998.
December 1998: Increase in Bauxite and Alumina Production
From January to December 1998, bauxite and alumina production increased 5.5% compared to the corresponding period in 1997.
1998: Nominal GDP High
In 1997 and 1998, nominal GDP was approximately a high of about 8 percent of GDP.
1998: National Football Team Qualified for FIFA World Cup
In 1998, the Jamaica national football team qualified for the FIFA World Cup.
1999: Nominal GDP Lowered
In 1999, nominal GDP lowered to 4½ percent of GDP.
1999: Visitor Arrivals
In 1999, total visitor arrivals reached 2 million, an increase of 100,000 from the previous year.
2000: Nominal GDP Remained
In 2000, nominal GDP remained at 4½ percent of GDP.
2000: Agricultural Production Engine
In 2001, agricultural production increased 5.5% signaling the first positive growth rate in the sector since January 1997.
2001: Census Denominations
According to the 2001 census, the country's largest Protestant denominations are the Church of God (24%), Seventh-day Adventist Church (11%), Pentecostal (10%), Baptist (7%), Anglican (4%), United Church (2%), Methodist (2%), Moravian (1%) and Plymouth Brethren (1%).
2001: Finsac Divestment
From 2001, Finsac divested the banks and companies it had restored to financial health.
2001: Digicel Granted Mobile Service Licence
In 2001, Digicel was granted a license to operate mobile services in the newly liberalized telecom market.
2001: Increased Agricultural Production
In 2001, agricultural production increased to 5.5% compared to the corresponding period in 2000.
2002: FLOW upgraded to GSM
In 2002, FLOW (formerly "LIME" – pre-Columbus Communications merger) which had begun with TDMA standard, subsequently upgraded to GSM.
2004: Jamaican Diaspora Estimate
In 2004, it was estimated that up to 2.5 million Jamaicans and Jamaican descendants lived abroad.
2005: Marlon James published John Crow's Devil
In 2005, Marlon James published his novel John Crow's Devil.
2006: FLOW Decommissioned TDMA
In 2006, FLOW decommissioned TDMA standard.
2006: Joined CSME
In 2006, Jamaica became part of the CARICOM Single Market and Economy (CSME) as one of the pioneering members.
2006: Rugby League Played
Rugby league has been played in Jamaica since 2006.
2006: Economic Growth
Since the first quarter of 2006, the economy of Jamaica has undergone a period of staunch growth, with inflation down to 6.0% and unemployment down to 8.9%.
2007: Economic Potential
All projections for 2007 show an even higher potential for economic growth with all estimates over 3.0%.
2007: Ethanol Production Plant Idle
As of 2007, a facility to refine hydrous ethanol into anhydrous ethanol appeared uneconomic and the production plant was idle.
2007: Jamaica hosted 2007 Cricket World Cup
In 2007, Jamaica was one of the venues for the 2007 Cricket World Cup.
2007: Language Survey
In 2007, a survey by the Jamaican Language Unit found that 17.1 percent of the population were monolingual in Jamaican Standard English (JSE), 36.5 percent were monolingual in Patois, and 46.4 percent were bilingual.
2008: Jamaica won Olympic gold in the men's 4 × 100 m.
In 2008, Jamaica won gold medal in the men's 4 × 100 m.
2009: High Murder Rate
By 2009, Jamaica's murder rate was 62 per 100,000 inhabitants, one of the highest in the world.
2009: Economic Downturn Impact
In 2009, Jamaica's economy was significantly impacted by the global economic downturn, leading to negative economic growth.
2009: Marlon James published The Book of Night Women
In 2009, Marlon James published his novel The Book of Night Women.
2009: Reported Murders
In 2009, there were 1,683 reported murders in Jamaica.
2009: Continued Alumina Production
Through 2009, continued expansion of alumina production planned by Alcoa.
January 2010: Jamaica Debt Exchange (JDX) Implemented
In January 2010, the government implemented the Jamaica Debt Exchange (JDX), a debt management initiative where holders of Government of Jamaica (GOJ) bonds exchanged high-interest bonds for lower-yield, longer-maturity bonds. Over 95% of local financial institutions participated in the JDX.
February 2010: IMF Borrowing Arrangement
On February 4, 2010, the Jamaican government successfully entered into a borrowing arrangement with the IMF for US$1.27 billion, with the loan agreement spanning three years.
2010: Digicel entered the broadband market
In 2010, Digicel entered the broadband market offering WiMAX broadband.
2010: Reported Murders
In 2010, there were 1,447 reported murders in Jamaica.
April 2011: Limited Passenger Rail Service Resumed
On April 13, 2011, a limited passenger rail service was resumed between May Pen, Spanish Town, and Linstead.
2011: Justin Masterson highest paid Jamaican athlete
According to ESPN, in 2011, Justin Masterson, a baseball pitcher, was the highest paid Jamaican professional athlete.
2011: Rastafari Adherents
According to the 2011 census, there are 29,026 adherents to the Rastafari movement in Jamaica, with 25,325 Rastafarian males and 3,701 Rastafarian females.
2011: Murder Rate Decline
After 2011, the murder rate in Jamaica continued to fall following a strategic program.
2011: LIME deployed FTTH
In 2011 LIME deployed FTTH in selected communities.
2011: Claro Jamaica merged with Digicel Jamaica
In 2011, Claro Jamaica merged with Digicel Jamaica.
2012: Decrease in Murders
In 2012, the Ministry of National Security reported a 30 percent decrease in murders.
April 2014: Agreements Signed for Jamaican Logistics Hub
In April 2014, the Governments of Jamaica and China signed preliminary agreements for the first phase of the Jamaican Logistics Hub (JLH), aiming to position Kingston as a key node in the global logistics chain.
2014: Digicel Introduced Digicel Play
In 2014, Digicel introduced a new broadband service called Digicel Play, Jamaica's second FTTH offering.
2014: Marlon James published A Brief History of Seven Killings
In 2014, Marlon James published his novel A Brief History of Seven Killings.
2014: Cable and Wireless Communications acquired LIME
In late 2014, Cable and Wireless Communications acquired LIME and replaced their brand LIME with FLOW.
2015: Formal Patois Instruction
Around 2015, the Jamaican education system began to offer formal instruction in Patois while retaining JSE as the "official language of instruction".
2015: Marlon James won the Man Booker Prize
In 2015, Marlon James won the Man Booker Prize for A Brief History of Seven Killings.
January 2016: Approval for Another Mobile Operator Licence
In January 2016, approval was given for another mobile operator license.
May 2016: New Mobile Carrier Named
On May 20, 2016, the Jamaican Government named Symbiote Investments Limited, operating as Caricel, as the new mobile carrier.
2016: Proposed Second Official Language
In 2016, Prime Minister Andrew Holness suggested making Spanish Jamaica's second official language.
2016: Elaine Thompson double Olympic champion
In Rio 2016, Elaine Thompson became a double Olympic champion in the 100m and 200m.
September 2017: Increase in Stopover Visitors
In September 2017, Jamaica recorded a 41% increase in stopover arrivals from January to September 2017 over the same period from the previous year.
2017: Increase in Murders
In 2017, murders in Jamaica rose by 22% over the previous year.
July 2018: Population Estimate
In July 2018, the estimated population of Jamaica was 2,812,000, primarily of African or partially African descent.
November 2018: Jamaica qualified for Rugby League World Cup
In November 2018, the Jamaican rugby league team qualified for the Rugby League World Cup for the first time after defeating the USA & Canada.
2018: Agricultural Production
In 2018, Jamaica reported a 7.9% increase in corn, 6.1% increase in plantains, 10.4% increase in bananas, 2.2% increase in pineapples, 13.3% increase in dasheen, 24.9% increase in coconuts, and a 10.6% increase in whole milk production.
2018: Jamaica at International Meetings
In 2018, Jamaica represented the CARICOM Caribbean Community at the G20 and the G7 annual meetings.
2018: World Travel Awards
In 2018, Jamaica won several World Travel Awards in Portugal, including "Chairman's Award for Global Tourism Innovation", "Best Tourist Board in the Caribbean" "Best Honeymoon Destination", "Best Culinary Destination", "World's Leading Beach Destination" and "World's Leading Cruise Destination".
2018: Credit Rating Upgrade
In 2018, both Moody's and Standard and Poor's credit ratings upgraded Jamaica's ratings to "stable and positive" respectively.
February 2019: Government Voted to Retake Ownership
On 20 February 2019, the Jamaican Government voted to retake ownership of Venezuela's 49% share of Petrojam.
2019: Lowest Unemployment Rate
In 2019, Jamaica reported its lowest unemployment rate in 50 years.
2021: Jamaica will play in the Rugby League World Cup
In 2021, Jamaica will play in the Rugby League World Cup in England.
2024: Government committed to adding small modular reactors (SMR) to the country's energy mix
In 2024, the Jamaican Government committed to adding small modular reactors (SMR) to the country's energy mix, signing an MOU with Atomic Energy of Canada Limited (AECL) and Canadian Nuclear Laboratories to promote nuclear power adoption.
2024: Global Innovation Index Ranking
Jamaica was ranked 79th in the Global Innovation Index in 2024.
