Kertanagara: Life.: …a meditative Buddha, known as Jaka Dolog, discovered in Surabaja (eastern Java), was also erected by Kertanagara. According to its inscription, the statue was erected for the benefit of the king, the royal family, and the unity of the kingdom. Because the statue was erected on the hermitage of Bharada,…

Zsuzsanna Jakab is a Hungarian epidemiologist who served as director of the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) from 2005 to 2010. In 2019 she became deputy director general of the World Health Organization (WHO). Jakab’s father was a surgeon, and her mother was an agronomist.

Zsuzsanna Jakab is a Hungarian epidemiologist who served as director of the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) from 2005 to 2010. In 2019 she became deputy director general of the World Health Organization (WHO). Jakab’s father was a surgeon, and her mother was an agronomist.

Zsuzsanna Jakab is a Hungarian epidemiologist who served as director of the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) from 2005 to 2010. In 2019 she became deputy director general of the World Health Organization (WHO). Jakab’s father was a surgeon, and her mother was an agronomist.

Jakarta, largest city and capital of Indonesia. Jakarta lies on the northwest coast of Java at the mouth of the Ciliwung (Liwung River), on Jakarta Bay (an embayment of the Java Sea). It is coextensive with the metropolitan district of Greater Jakarta (Jakarta Raya) and nearly coextensive with the

Indonesia: Cultural institutions: …(1821) theatre to become the Jakarta Arts Building (Gedung Kesenian Jakarta); this institution also hosts major musical and theatrical productions from across the globe. Both institutions sponsor an array of international festivals featuring music, dance, film, spoken word, and other arts.

Ragunan Zoological Gardens, zoo in Jakarta, Indonesia, that is one of the world’s notable collections of Southeast Asian flora and fauna. More than 3,500 specimens of approximately 450 animal species are exhibited on the 200-hectare (494-acre) park grounds. Among these are the orangutan, Sumatran

moonshine: The spread of moonshine and the Prohibition era: A drink called jake caused the “jake walk,” a paralytic illness that sometimes led to permanent leg impairment. Contaminants and microorganisms in moonshine caused health issues as well. In addition, organized crime thrived during this era as criminal syndicates sought to control the production and sale of all…

W.O. Mitchell: Mitchell’s Jake and the Kid (1961) was later developed into a popular, long-running radio and television series. His novel The Kite (1962) is about a newsman’s interview with “Daddy Sherry,” supposedly the oldest and wisest man in western Canada. Another novel, The Vanishing Point (1973), deals…

moonshine: The spread of moonshine and the Prohibition era: …called jake caused the “jake walk,” a paralytic illness that sometimes led to permanent leg impairment. Contaminants and microorganisms in moonshine caused health issues as well. In addition, organized crime thrived during this era as criminal syndicates sought to control the production and sale of all forms of alcohol.…

Kingsley Amis: …were The Green Man (1969), Jake’s Thing (1978), and The Old Devils (1986). As a poet, Amis was a representative member of a group sometimes called “The Movement,” whose poems began appearing in 1956 in the anthology New Lines. Poets belonging to this school wrote understated and disciplined verse that…

jackfruit, (Artocarpus heterophyllus), evergreen tree (family Moraceae) native to tropical Asia and widely grown throughout the wetland tropics for its large fruits and durable wood. The greenish unripe fruit is cooked as a vegetable, and the brown ripened fruit is eaten fresh for the sweetly acid

Philip James de Loutherbourg was an early Romantic painter, illustrator, printmaker, and scenographer, especially known for his paintings of landscapes and battles and for his innovative scenery designs and special effects for the theatre. First trained under his father, a miniature painter from

Robert Walser: Jakob von Gunten), a work that defined his vision of day-to-day life in Berlin, where he moved in 1905. He continued to write after returning to Biel in 1913, when his mental disorder began to show its first signs. In 1929 he was admitted to…

Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease: …neurologists Hans Gerhard Creutzfeldt and Alfons Maria Jakob. CJD is similar to other neurodegenerative diseases such as kuru, a human disorder, and scrapie, which occurs in sheep and goats. All three diseases are types of transmissible spongiform encephalopathies, so called because of the characteristic spongelike pattern of neuronal destruction that…

protozoan: Annotated classification: Jakobida Although not a unique characteristic, all jakobids possess tubular mitochondrial cristae and a multilayered structure associated with basal bodies. The jakobic mitochondrial genome is ancestral. Euglenozoa Paraxial rod associated with at least 1 flagellum and 2 functional basal bodies, each with a corresponding flagellum;…

Franz Werfel: …1940 (reflected in his play Jakobowsky und der Oberst, written in 1944 and successfully produced in New York City that year as Jakobowsky and the Colonel), he fled to the United States. In the course of his journey, he found solace in the pilgrimage town of Lourdes, France, where St.…

Franz Werfel: …1940 (reflected in his play Jakobowsky und der Oberst, written in 1944 and successfully produced in New York City that year as Jakobowsky and the Colonel), he fled to the United States. In the course of his journey, he found solace in the pilgrimage town of Lourdes, France, where St.…

Ilulissat, town on the west coast of Greenland, near the mouth of Jakobshavn Fjord on Qeqertarsuup (Disko) Bay. The Greenlandic name of the town means “icebergs.” The town’s first permanent houses were built by Danes in 1741 on the site of a Greenlandic (Eskimo) settlement. It was named in honour

Greenland: Land: …to the peripheral glaciers; the Jakobshavn Glacier, often moving 100 feet (30 metres) a day, is among the world’s fastest glaciers. The remaining ice-free land area occupies the country’s coastal areas and consists largely of highlands; mountain chains parallel the island’s east and west coasts, rising to 12,139 feet (3,700…

Roman Jakobson was a Russian born American linguist and Slavic-language scholar, a principal founder of the European movement in structural linguistics known as the Prague school. Jakobson extended the theoretical and practical concerns of the school into new areas of study. Jakobson left Moscow

Roman Jakobson was a Russian born American linguist and Slavic-language scholar, a principal founder of the European movement in structural linguistics known as the Prague school. Jakobson extended the theoretical and practical concerns of the school into new areas of study. Jakobson left Moscow

Pietarsaari, town, western Finland, northeast of the city of Vaasa. Pietarsaari, which was formerly mainly Swedish-speaking, was founded in 1652; it became an important commercial centre because of its location on the Gulf of Bothnia. The poet Johan Ludvig Runeberg (who wrote in Swedish but is

Hussite: The movement’s chief supporters were Jakoubek of Stříbro (died 1429), Hus’s successor as preacher at the Bethlehem chapel in Prague; Václav Koranda, leader of the Taborites (extreme Hussites named for Tábor, their stronghold, south of Prague); and Jan Želivský, who organized the extreme reform party in Prague.

Sumalia Ndewura Jakpa was an African king who founded a dynasty in Gonja, in what is now northern Ghana, in the early 17th century. Originally a Mande invader, Jakpa established a loosely knit federation of states that extended over the entire northern part of present-day Ghana and parts of Togo

Slovakia: Motion pictures: …recognized Slovak film directors is Juraj Jakubisko, who first gained acclaim during the late 1960s as part of the Czech New Wave. His strongly visual, metaphorical films include It’s Better to Be Healthy and Wealthy Than Poor and Ill (1993) and An Ambiguous Report About the End of the World…

Jakun, any member of an aboriginal people found in the interior eastern portions of the Malay Peninsula. The major Jakun subgroups include the Biduanda, Mantera, Orang Laut, Orang Kanak, and Orang Ulu. The combined population was about 20,000 in the late 20th century. Later invaders from the highly

Japan Airlines (JAL), Japanese airline that became one of the largest air carriers in the world. Founded in 1951, it was originally a private company. It was reorganized in 1953 as a semigovernmental public corporation and was privatized in 1987. It is headquartered in Tokyo. At first a domestic

Japan Airlines (JAL), Japanese airline that became one of the largest air carriers in the world. Founded in 1951, it was originally a private company. It was reorganized in 1953 as a semigovernmental public corporation and was privatized in 1987. It is headquartered in Tokyo. At first a domestic

Abū Kālījār al-Marzubān: …Iraqi lands of another uncle, Jalāl al-Dawlah, and had precipitated a civil war between the Iraqi and the Iranian branches of the Buyid family that lasted until 1037, when the two made peace. With the death of Jalāl al-Dawlah in March 1044, Abū Kālījār was recognized as the Buyid ruler…

al-Suyūṭī was an Egyptian writer and teacher whose works deal with a wide variety of subjects, the Islamic religious sciences predominating. The son of a judge, al-Suyūṭī was tutored by a Sufi (Muslim mystic) friend of his father. He was precocious and was already a teacher in 1462. A controversial

India: The Muslim states of southern India, c. 1350–1680: …by the erstwhile Tughluq general Jalāl al-Dīn Aḥsan Shah in 1335. Lasting only 43 years, with seven rulers in quick succession, Maʿbar covered the mainly Tamil region between Nellore and Quilon and contributed to the commercial importance of south India by encouraging Muslim traders from the Middle East and even…

Iran: The Mongol invasion: His son Jalāl al-Dīn survived until murdered in Kurdistan in 1231. He had eluded Genghis Khan on the Indus River, across which his horse swam, enabling him to escape to India. He returned to attempt restoring the Khwārezmian empire over Iran. However, he failed to unite the…

Moẓaffarid Dynasty: …Shāh Maḥmūd (reigned 1358–75) and Jalāl od-Dīn Shāh Shojāʿ (reigned 1358–84), who divided the Moẓaffarid territories between them.

Arabic literature: Literary drama: …such popular fare, the translator Muḥammad ʿUthmān Jalāl “Egyptianized” several plays by Molière, including, most famously, a version of Tartuffe, Al-Shaykh Matlūf. The Egyptian public thus found an evening’s entertainment might consist of a serious text-based drama based on the fabled Arabian past, a popular farce with strong political overtones,…

Jalal-Abad, city, western Kyrgyzstan. Though made a city in 1877, it remained essentially a large village. Given city status again in 1927, it now is a regional centre for food processing and other light industries and has a theatre and a museum. Pop. (2006 est.)

Jalālābād, town, eastern Afghanistan, on the Kabul River, at an elevation of 1,940 feet (590 metres). It lies on the route from Kabul, the Afghan capital (110 miles [177 km] north-northwest), via the Khyber Pass to Peshawar, Pakistan, and handles much of Afghanistan’s trade with Pakistan and India.

Jalālābād, town, eastern Afghanistan, on the Kabul River, at an elevation of 1,940 feet (590 metres). It lies on the route from Kabul, the Afghan capital (110 miles [177 km] north-northwest), via the Khyber Pass to Peshawar, Pakistan, and handles much of Afghanistan’s trade with Pakistan and India.

Jalandhar, city, north-central Punjab state, northwestern India. It lies on a level plain about 20 miles (32 km) east of the Beas River. Jalandhar is an ancient city. In the 7th century ce it was the capital of a Rajput kingdom. The third largest city in the state, it is an important rail and road

Ipomoea: Major species: Jalap (I. purga), native to tropical Mexico, is an upright herb with solitary reddish flowers. Its apple-sized turnip-shaped roots are the source of an ancient purgative, still in use.

Jalapa, city, southeastern Guatemala, located in a picturesque valley of the central highlands at an elevation of 4,469 feet (1,362 metres) above sea level. Jalapa functions as a commercial, manufacturing, and administrative centre for the fertile agricultural and pastoral hinterland. Because of

Xalapa, city, capital of Veracruz estado (state), east-central Mexico. About 55 miles (90 km) northwest of Veracruz city, Xalapa is located beneath towering volcanic peaks in the Sierra Madre Oriental, at an elevation of about 4,680 feet (1,425 metres). Known for its scenic backdrop and its lush

woodland vole: …closest living relative is the Jalapan pine vole (M. quasiater), which inhabits cool and wet forests of eastern Mexico in the states of San Luis Potosí and Oaxaca.

Jalaun, district, southwestern Uttar Pradesh state, northern India. It is on the Indo-Gangetic Plain alluvial lowland and is bounded by the Yamuna River to the north and east and by the Betwa River to the south. The Betwa Canal system provides irrigation water for extensive agriculture. Crops

Sudan: Ethnic groups: …the two largest are the Jalayin and the Juhaynah. The Jalayin encompasses the sedentary agriculturalists along the middle Nile from Dongola south to Khartoum and includes such tribes as the Jalayin tribe proper, the Shāyqiyyah, and the Rubtab. The Juhaynah, by contrast, traditionally consisted of nomadic tribes, although some of…

Jalāyirid, Mongol tribe that supported the Il-Khan Hülegü’s rise to power and eventually provided the successors to the Il-Khan dynasty as rulers of Iraq and Azerbaijan. A Jalāyirid dynasty made its capital at Baghdad (1336–1432). Ḥasan Buzurg, founder of the dynasty, had served as governor of

Jalāyirid school, school of miniature painting that flourished in Baghdad, Iraq, under the Jalāyirids, a local dynasty of governors in power from 1336 to 1432. Along with their contemporaries, the Moẓaffarids of southern Iran, the Jalāyirid school developed a system of perspective, though in a

Jaldapara Wildlife Sanctuary, wildlife preserve in West Bengal state, northeastern India. The preserve was established in 1941 mainly for the protection of the great Indian rhinoceros (Rhinoceros unicornis). It extends over an area of 84 square miles (217 square km) in the northern part of the

merengue: …three sections: paseo, merengue, and jaleo. There are several varieties, some with other names, e.g., jaleo and juangomero. The traditional accompaniment, which often combines duple and triple metres and sometimes produces 58 effects, is an ensemble consisting of guitar, metal scraper (charrasca), and two drums (one single-headed, the other double).

Jalgaon, city, northern Maharashtra state, western India. It lies in an upland area just south of the Tapti River. Although Jalgaon was insignificant before the 19th century, it then began attracting merchants and weavers and could boast of more than 400 hand looms by 1860. From the late 1800s it

griot, West African troubadour-historian. The griot profession is hereditary and has long been a part of West African culture. The griots’ role has traditionally been to preserve the genealogies, historical narratives, and oral traditions of their people; praise songs are also part of the griot’s

Jalīlī Family, prominent Iraqi family that ruled the Ottoman pașalik (province) of Mosul (in modern Iraq) in the period 1726–1834. Although the founder of the Jalīlī line, ʿAbd al-Jalīl, was a Christian slave, his son Ismāʿīl distinguished himself as a Muslim public official and became wālī

Jalingo, town, capital of Taraba state, eastern Nigeria. It became a state capital in 1991 after Gongola state was divided into Adamawa and Taraba states. Jalingo lies in the savanna-covered foothills of the Shebshi Mountains about 25 miles (40 km) southeast of the Benue River. It is a market town,

Jalisco, estado (state), west-central Mexico. It is bounded by the states of Nayarit to the northwest, Zacatecas and Aguascalientes to the north, San Luis Potosí and Guanajuato to the east, and Michoacán and Colima to the south and by the Pacific Ocean to the west. Its capital and largest city is

Jallianwala Bagh Massacre, incident on April 13, 1919, in which British troops fired on a large crowd of unarmed Indians in an open space known as the Jallianwala Bagh in Amritsar in the Punjab region (now in Punjab state) of India, killing several hundred people and wounding many hundreds more. It

Amritsar: …complex is a spacious park, Jallianwalla Bagh, where on April 13, 1919, British colonial government troops fired on a crowd of unarmed Indian protesters, killing 379 of them and wounding many more. The site of the Massacre of Amritsar—as that incident came to be called—is a national monument. Another violent…

Jallianwala Bagh Massacre, incident on April 13, 1919, in which British troops fired on a large crowd of unarmed Indians in an open space known as the Jallianwala Bagh in Amritsar in the Punjab region (now in Punjab state) of India, killing several hundred people and wounding many hundreds more. It

bullfighting: Origins and early forms: …“running of the bulls,” called jallikattu, occurs among the Tamil of southern India as part of the annual Hindu festival of Pongal.)

Mazo de la Roche: De la Roche’s first success, Jalna (1927), ended with the 100th birthday of Grandmother Adeline Whiteoak, a lusty character later celebrated in a long-run play, Whiteoaks (1936), and a film, Jalna (1935). Though not written in chronological order, the saga continues with 15 other books, covering 100 years of Whiteoak…

Jalor, town, southwestern Rajasthan state, northwestern India. It lies just south of the Sukri River, which is a tributary of the Luni River. Jalor was a medieval stronghold that served as the 12th-century capital of the Cauhan Rajputs (the warrior rulers of the historic region of Rajputana). It

Jalor, town, southwestern Rajasthan state, northwestern India. It lies just south of the Sukri River, which is a tributary of the Luni River. Jalor was a medieval stronghold that served as the 12th-century capital of the Cauhan Rajputs (the warrior rulers of the historic region of Rajputana). It

novel: Antinovel: …writers like Alain Robbe-Grillet in Jealousy (1957), Nathalie Sarraute in Tropisms (1939) and The Planetarium (1959), and Michel Butor in Passing Time (1957) and Degrees (1960) wish mainly to remove the pathetic fallacy from fiction, in which the universe, which is indifferent to man, is made

Murad II: …and were soundly defeated at Jalowaz (1444). After signing a peace treaty at Edirne (June 12, 1444), Murad abdicated in favour of his 12-year-old son, Mehmed II.

Jalpaiguri, city, northern West Bengal state, northeastern India, on the west bank of the Tista River, a major tributary of the Brahmaputra River. Jalpaiguri is the chief agricultural distribution centre of the state. It is connected by road and rail with Darjiling (Darjeeling), Siliguri, and

Yalta, city, Crimea, southern Ukraine. It faces the Black Sea on the southern shore of the Crimean Peninsula. Settlement on the site dates from prehistoric times, but modern Yalta developed only in the early 19th century, becoming a town in 1838. Its favourable climate, with mild winters, and its

percussion instrument: Idiophones: But the jaltarang, also South Asian, makes use of water for fine tuning and for the playing of gamakas (ornaments) by carefully bringing the sticks into contact with the surface of the water. Similar musical cups are played in Japan in Buddhist temples and in the music…

Jaluit Atoll, coral formation in the Ralik (western) chain of the Republic of the Marshall Islands, situated in the west-central Pacific Ocean. Jabor is the chief settlement. The atoll has a total land area of 4.4 square miles (11.4 square km) and a lagoon that is easily accessible and provides a

Islamic arts: Architecture in Iran: … (such as the one at Jām). Shorter and squatter towers were mausoleums. Those were particularly typical of northern Iran. The other characteristic architectural type exists only in Eṣfahān in a much-damaged state. It is the pīshṭāq, a formal gateway that served to emphasize a building’s presence and importance.

Iraq War: Occupation and continued warfare: …such Shiʿi militia group, the Mahdi Army, formed by cleric Muqtadā al-Ṣadr in the summer of 2003, was particularly deadly in its battle against Sunnis and U.S. and Iraqi forces and was considered a major destabilizing force in the country.

fruit processing: Fruit preserves, jams, and jellies: Jams are made from the entire fruit, including the pulp, while preserves are essentially jellies that contain whole or large pieces. Marmalade, usually made from citrus fruit, is a jellylike concentrate of prepared juice and sliced peel.

Jam and Lewis’s emergence as major record producers was kick-started by Prince’s pique. Keyboard player Jimmy Jam (James Harris III) and bassist Terry Lewis played together in local Minneapolis bands while in high school, graduating to Flyte Tyme, which evolved into Prince’s backing band, the Time,

Jam Master Jay was an American rap musician and producer who was a member of Run-DMC, the first rap group to attract a worldwide audience. The group is credited with bringing hip-hop into the cultural mainstream, known for such hits as “It’s Like That” and “Walk This Way.” In 2002 Jam Master Jay

nut: …a thin nut called a jam nut against a standard nut. Another locknut contains a fibre or plastic insert near the top of the nut; locking occurs when this insert interferes with the bolt threads as the nut is tightened. The wing nut is used in applications in which frequent…

Jam and Lewis: Jam and Lewis’s emergence as major record producers was kick-started by Prince’s pique. Keyboard player Jimmy Jam (James Harris III) and bassist Terry Lewis played together in local Minneapolis bands while in high school, graduating to Flyte Tyme, which evolved into Prince’s backing band, the…

the Jam, British rock group that emerged at the height of the punk rock movement but whose sound and image were greatly influenced by the British mod bands of the early 1960s. The principal members were Paul Weller (b. May 25, 1958, Woking, Surrey, Eng.), Rick Buckler (b. Dec. 6, 1955, Woking), and

Mañjuśrī, in Mahāyāna Buddhism, the bodhisattva (“Buddha-to-be”) personifying supreme wisdom. His name in Sanskrit means “gentle, or sweet, glory”; he is also known as Mãnjughoṣa (“Sweet Voice”) and Vāgīśvara (“Lord of Speech”). In China he is called Wen-shu Shih-li, in Japan Monju, and in Tibet

Dalai Lama: … suzerainty over Tibet; the eighth, ’Jam-dpal-rgya-mtsho (1758–1804), saw his country invaded by Gurkha troops from Nepal but defeated them with the aid of Chinese forces. The next four Dalai Lamas all died young, and the country was ruled by regents. They were Lung-rtogs-rgya-mtsho (1806–15), Tshul-khrims-rgya-mtsho (1816–37), Mkhas-grub-rgya-mtsho (1838–56), and ’Phrin-las-rgya-mtsho…

American Medical Association: …of the AMA include the Journal of the American Medical Association, which is released 48 times a year, and 11 journals issued either monthly or bimonthly and devoted to such medical specialties as internal medicine, psychiatry, and pediatrics. In addition, the AMA publishes the online journal JAMA Network Open, which…

Mapun: The Jama Mapun people constitute the great majority of the island’s population. They speak a Sama-Bajau language of the Austronesian language family, and most are adherents of Islam.

Jama Masjid of Delhi, mosque in Old Delhi, India, constructed in 1650–56 by the Mughal emperor Shah Jahān, a noted patron of Islamic architecture whose most famous work is the Taj Mahal, in Agra. Jama Masjid, now the second largest mosque on the Indian subcontinent, is also an impressive example of

Jama’are, town and traditional emirate, Bauchi state, northern Nigeria. The town is situated along the Jamaari River, which is a tributary of the Katagum, and at the intersection of roads leading from Wudil, Azare, and Faggo. Traditionally founded in 1811 by Muhammadu Wabi I, a leader in the Fulani

Marrakech: …heart of the medina is Jamaa el-Fna square, a vibrant marketplace. Nearby is the 12th-century Kutubiyyah (Koutoubia) Mosque with its 253-foot (77-metre) minaret, built by Spanish captives. The 16th-century Saʿdī Mausoleum, the 18th-century Dar el-Beïda Palace (now a hospital), and the 19th-century Bahia royal residence reflect the city’s historical growth.…

Jamaame, town, southern Somalia, eastern Africa. Jamaame is situated on the eastern bank of the lower Jubba River, in the southeastern coastal lowlands near the Indian Ocean. The town is an important agricultural, commercial, and industrial centre. Bananas, the major crop, are exported through

Jama’are, town and traditional emirate, Bauchi state, northern Nigeria. The town is situated along the Jamaari River, which is a tributary of the Katagum, and at the intersection of roads leading from Wudil, Azare, and Faggo. Traditionally founded in 1811 by Muhammadu Wabi I, a leader in the Fulani

Mumbai terrorist attacks of 2008: The attackers: …a second and related organization, Jamaat-ud-Dawa, in the city of Muridke before traveling from Punjab to the port city of Karachi and setting out for Mumbai by sea.

Parashurama: …born to the Brahman sage Jamadagni and the princess Renuka, a member of the Kshatriya class. When Jamadagni suspected Renuka of an unchaste thought, he ordered Parashurama to cut off her head, which the obedient son did. Later, to avenge the murder of his father by a Kshatriya, he killed…

dress: South Asia: …costumes thereafter consisted of the jamah, a long-sleeved coat that reached to the knees or below and was belted in with a sash, and wide trousers known as isar. These garments and the farji, a long, gownlike coat with short sleeves, which was worn by priests, scholars, and high officials,…

Jamaica, island country of the West Indies. It is the third largest island in the Caribbean Sea, after Cuba and Hispaniola. Jamaica is about 146 miles (235 km) long and varies from 22 to 51 miles (35 to 82 km) wide. It is situated some 100 miles (160 km) west of Haiti, 90 miles (150 km) south of

Lena Horne: …performance on Broadway—in the musical Jamaica (1957)—won her a New York Drama Critics’ Poll Award in 1958.

Jamaica Bay, shallow inlet of the Atlantic Ocean covering about 20 square miles (50 square km) on the southwestern shore of Long Island, southeastern New York, U.S. Part of the Port of New York, the bay is sheltered on the south by Rockaway Peninsula and is traversed by the Cross Bay Boulevard.

Windward Passage: The Jamaica Channel, between Jamaica (west) and Hispaniola (east), forms a southwest extension of the Windward Passage.

ebony: Jamaica, American, or green ebony is produced by the unrelated Brya ebenus, a leguminous tree or shrub; the heartwood is a rich dark brown, very heavy, exceedingly hard, and capable of receiving a high polish.

Alfred Hitchcock: First international releases: The Man Who Knew Too Much to Jamaica Inn: …in England, the Gothic costumer Jamaica Inn (1939), from a popular novel by Daphne du Maurier; Charles Laughton played a country squire who secretly heads a band of pirates.

Jamaica: Political process: …main political parties are the Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) and the People’s National Party (PNP), and between them they have dominated legislative elections since the country’s independence, to the virtual exclusion of any third party. The adversarial nature of Jamaican politics conceals broad agreement on constitutionalism, public education, and social…

Letter from Jamaica, Letter written by Latin American soldier, revolutionary, and statesman Simón Bolívar in 1815 while in exile in Jamaica in which he articulates his desire for Latin American unity and his vision of republican government. One of Bolívar’s most important pieces of writing and a

Jamaica: Finance: The central bank is the Bank of Jamaica (founded 1960); it issues currency (the Jamaican dollar) and credit and promotes economic development. Several banks and special funding institutions provide loans for industry, housing, tourism, and agriculture.

national flag with two green and two black triangles separated by a yellow saltire (diagonal cross). The width-to-length ratio of the flag is 1 to 2.After dissolution of the West Indies Federation, a group formed in 1958 of British-ruled islands, Jamaica moved quickly to establish a national flag

Jamaica: History of Jamaica: The following history of Jamaica focuses on events from the time of European contact. For treatments of the island in its regional context, see West Indies and history of Latin America.

Jamaica: The arts and cultural institutions: The Institute of Jamaica, an early patron and promoter of the arts, sponsors exhibitions and awards. The institute administers the National Gallery, Liberty Hall, the African Caribbean Institute of Jamaica, and the Jamaica Journal. The institute is also the country’s museums authority. The Jamaica Library Service,…

Omphalea: triandra, the Jamaican cobnut, or pop nut, is native to the West Indies and cultivated in Europe. It grows to about 3.5 metres (11.5 feet) and bears yellow nuts 3.75 centimetres (1.5 inches) thick, which are edible if the poisonous embryo is removed. Juice from the fruit…