Arawak. The British seized Jamaica in
1655. They brought in Africans to work
as slaves on sugar plantations. Jamaica
gained independence in 1962.
..More to explore
Arawak • Kingston •West Indies
Many people visit Jamaica for its beautiful
beaches and mild weather.
Facts About
JAMAICA
Population
(2008 estimate)
2,688,000
Area
4,244 sq mi
(10,991 sq km)
Capital
Kingston
Form of
government
Constitutional
monarchy
Major cities
Kingston, Portmore,
Spanish
Town, Montego
Bay, May Pen
10 Jamaica BRITANNICA STUDENT ENCYCLOPEDIA
Jamestown
Jamestown was the first permanent
English colony in North America. It was
located on a piece of land in the James
River, near what is nowWilliamsburg,
Virginia.
The people who founded Jamestown
were members of the Virginia Company
of London. King James I of England
gave them the right to settle along the
east coast of North America. Their goal
was to find ways to make money.
The 105 colonists, all men, arrived in
North America in May 1607. Life in the
colony was hard. Many colonists died
from illness and lack of food.
Conditions in Jamestown improved
under the leadership of Captain John
Smith. Under his direction, the colonists
built houses and forts and dug a well.
They also fished and planted crops.
After being injured, Smith returned to
England in the autumn of 1609.
The Native Americans of the region,
called the Powhatan confederacy, sometimes
gave the colonists food. But the
two groups did not always trust each
other.
After Smith left, the Native Americans
stopped sharing food with the colonists.
They also attacked colonists who left
Jamestown. As a result more than 80
percent of the colonists died during the
winter of 1609–10. This period was
called the Starving Time.
More colonists arrived in 1610. In 1612
a colonist named John Rolfe began
growing tobacco. The colonists sold
tobacco to England, which helped
Jamestown to survive.
In 1614 Rolfe married Pocahontas, the
daughter of the chief of the Powhatan
confederacy. This brought eight years of
peace between the colonists and the
Native Americans.
The colonists formed a democratic government
in 1619. In the same year the
first Africans arrived. The colonists
treated Africans first as servants and later
as slaves.
In 1624 Virginia became a royal colony,
ruled by the king of England. Jamestown
was Virginia’s capital at first. In
1699 the capital was moved toWilliamsburg.
Today the site of Jamestown
is part of Colonial National Historical
Park.
#More to explore
Americas, Exploration and Settlement of
the • Colony • Pocahontas • Virginia
The first colonists built Jamestown on a
marshy piece of land on the James River.
BRITANNICA STUDENT ENCYCLOPEDIA Jamestown 11
Japan
The Asian country of Japan is marked
by contrast between old and new. The
country values its complex and ancient
cultural traditions. Yet Japan is known
for its powerful, modern economy and
its advanced technology. Japan’s capital
is Tokyo.
Geography
Japan is located off the east coast of Asia.
It consists of four large islands and more
than 3,900 smaller islands. The islands
form an arc that stretches across about
1,500 miles (2,400 kilometers). From
north to south the main islands are
Hokkaido, Honshu, Shikoku, and
Kyushu. The largest is Honshu, which is
considered the Japanese mainland.
The Pacific Ocean borders Japan’s eastern
shores. On the west the Sea of Japan,
also called the East Sea, separates Japan
from North Korea, South Korea, and
Russia. China is to the southwest, across
the East China Sea.
Mountains cover most of the land. Some
mountains are active volcanoes. Mount
Fuji, in central Honshu, is Japan’s highest
point. It is 12,388 feet (3,776
meters) high.
The southern islands are generally
warmer than the northern ones. All the
islands receive plenty of rain. Japan also
experiences hundreds of earthquakes
every year.
Plants and Animals
Forests cover a large part of Japan. The
country’s evergreen trees include pines,
cypresses, hemlocks, cedars, firs, and
spruces. Numerous broad-leaved trees
include oaks, maples, ashes, birches,
beeches, and poplars. Bamboo and
palms grow in southern and central
Japan. Cherry trees are known as sym-
Cherry flowers surround a pagoda in
Kyoto, Japan. A pagoda is a tower that
may serve as a temple or a memorial.
12 Japan BRITANNICA STUDENT ENCYCLOPEDIA
bols of Japan. The Japanese plant them
throughout the country. They also grow
wild in the mountains.
Many animals live in the forested
mountains. Mammals include bears,
foxes, deer, wild boars, antelope, hares,
and wild monkeys. The seas are home
to whales, dolphins, porpoises, and a
wide variety of fish. The raising of
goldfish and colorful carp is a Japanese
specialty.
People
Most Japanese people share the same
ethnic and cultural background. They
are closely related to the other peoples of
East Asia. One group of Japanese, the
burakumin (people of the village), often
live in poorer conditions than other
Japanese. Their ancestors belonged to
the lowest class in traditional Japanese
society. Koreans form the largest minority
group. There are also small numbers
of Ainu, a native people of northern
Japan.
