You know that Jamaica is an island in the Caribbean, but do you know how it came to be there, or just how unique Jamaica really is?
Geologists believe that the Caribbean islands came from a series of volcanoes that erupted in the seas billions of years ago. In fact, it took 30 million years and mountain-shattering earthquakes to raise these islands from the sea.
There is not a single blooming plant on the island of Jamaica that wasn’t imported by a human or a bird that arrived there after the island rose from the depths of sea.
In Jamaica, there are over 3,000 varieties of flowering plants and 800 of these cannot be found anywhere else in the world.
Sugar is the largest industry in Jamaica, but this is not the only commodity produced on the island. Jamaica was the first commercial producer of bananas in the Western Hemisphere, and coffee from Jamaica’s Blue Mountains is some of the world’s most famous and expensive.
There is a lot to see on this lush tropical island, and as a Great Shape! volunteer you will have a chance to experience all of the beauty and variety that Jamaica has to offer while making a difference!
For more information and to register for our 2010 fall projects, visit: www.gsjamaica.org