Columbus landed on an island in the middle of the Bahamas, which he named San Salvador. However, there is no certainty exactly which island it was - its description in the ship's log is rather laconic: large, beautiful, with a lagoon. Today it is considered that this island was one of the islands of the southern Bahamas, which in 1926 was named San Salvador, adapting its name to the message of Columbus. 1)
Patois is the local name for the Jamaican language. It is mainly used as a spoken language, although you will also come across it in Jamaican literature and reggae lyrics. 2)
Haile Selassie was born as Tafari Makonnen Woldemiael. As governor of Harer Province, he was known as Ras Tafari Makonnen (“Ras” means prince). It is from his name that Rastafarianism, a movement started in the 1930s in Jamaica, takes its name. Rastafarians see Haile Selassie as the messiah foretold in the Bible. Today, there are between 200,000 and 800,000 Rastafarians in the world. 3)
The Bermudas as elegant short-leg pants were commissioned by the Bank of Bermuda and were modeled on the short pants used by the British Royal Navy. Since then, they have been a part of the formal dress on the islands - along with the obligatory long socks. 4)
The Cathedral of Santa Maria la Menor in Santo Domingo is the oldest cathedral in America. Its construction began in 1512. Inside the cathedral, you will find as many as 12 chapels. Some of the original decorative elements of the church, such as the frescoes and the carved mahogany woodwork, have survived to this day - still in perfect condition after 500 years in the tropics. The date on the mahogany cross is 1514; this is the first documented use of this wood. Its flower is the national tree of the Dominican Republic. 5)