Comparing the History and Culture of The United States and Jamaica

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After visiting the country of Jamaica this past summer, I realized how dissimilar some countries can be from the United States. Jamaica was not unlike the United States in a terrible way, but the disparities made me additionally interested in researching about the beautiful and culture-rich country of Jamaica. Even though the majority of facts about the history and culture of the United States and Jamaica are dissimilar, I was surprised to come across some similarities among these two countries.

Alike the United States, Jamaica also acquired their independence from Great Britain. However, Jamaica did not obtain their independence until August 6th, 1962; virtually 200 years after the United States achieved their independence on July 4th, 1776. After Jamaica gained their independence, they decided to carry on a Constitutional parliamentary democracy, comparable to the government of Great Britain. So, in opposition to of having a president run the country, akin to the United States, Jamaica has a Prime Minister govern their country. However, their government is made up of three branches, legislative, executive, and judicial, reminiscent of the United States. The executive branch consists of the Governor General, the prime minister and, the cabinet. The legislative branch is a bicameral Parliament made up of twenty one appointed senators and sixty elected representatives. Lastly, the judicial branch consists of the Court of Appeal and the courts of original jurisdiction (Jamaica)

In spite of this, the Jamaican government does not have to govern as many people as the United States’ government is obliged to. The entire country of Jamaica has an area merely of about 4,244 square miles and a population of approximately 2,825,928, wit...

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...t of State, 06 Aug. 2011. Web. 19 Sept. 2011. .

"Jamaican Patois." Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia. Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia, 09 Sept. 2011. Web. 19 Sept. 2011. .

"Jamaica Unemployment Rate - Economy." Index Mundi - Country Facts. Index Mundi, Mar. 2011. Web. 19 Sept. 2011. .

"List of U.S. States and Territories by Area." Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia. Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia, 16 Sept. 2011. Web. 19 Sept. 2011. .

"World Bank, World Development Indicators-Google Public Data Explorer." Google. World Bank, World Development Indicators, 28 July 2011. Web. 19 Sept. 2011. .

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