Do you beleive Jamaica is the loudest nation? Many of us are so used to music blasting around us that it seems normal. When you seriously think about it there is alot of loud music. Here is an interesting article in the BBC exploring if Jamaican is the loudest nation.
Jamaica: The loudest island on the planet?
By Colin Grant
Source: BBC World Service, Kingston
Everywhere you go in Jamaica, you hear music – loud music. Although authorities recently enforced an island-wide musical curfew, there is a growing campaign to relax the restrictions. Why has the Caribbean nation gained a reputation for being the loudest island on the planet?
A wide smile breaks out over the hotel porter’s face when I say that I’d love to hear him sing. Before my traditional breakfast of ackee and saltfish is served, the waiter joins in, beating out a syncopated rhythm on his chest. They launch into a love song with all the gusto of a duo auditioning for a top record producer – except that I am a tourist.
Driving around the capital Kingston, the volume dial on the taxi driver’s radio appears to be permanently glued to a point beyond 11, as music blasts through speakers worthy of a mobile dancehall. In many of the world’s cities, irritated commuters might tut at the tinny leakage from a fellow traveller’s earphones but on Jamaica, no-one bothers with earphones.
Welcome to the loudest island on the planet – up until 02:00 anyway. Recently, after so many sleep-deprived tourists complained about the noise, the government began to enforce legislation which curbs all music publicly aired beyond the early hours of the morning, especially in and around resorts.
