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Jamaica is known to be an island in the West Indies, 90 mi (145 km) south of Cuba and 100 mi (161 km) west of Haiti. It is known to be a little modester than Connecticut. Did you know that the island is made up of coastal lowlands, a limestone plateau, and the Blue Mountains, a group of volcanic hills, in the east.

Jamaica is recognized to be one of the bigger islands in the Caribbean. When you say Jamaica you immediately think of Bob Marley, Rum and Bobsleighing.

Kingston the capital city is the originaldestination the majority of business visitors arrive. It is situated on the South coast lineof the island. Did you know that the city offers world class business hotels, upscale shopping and top entertainment and dining.

Located in the Caribbean Sea south of Cuba, Jamaica was claimed by Spain in 1494 by Christopher Columbus, although fully inhabited by the Taino and Arawak people. It was originally named Santiago, but in 1655, the English renamed it Jamaica when it became a British colony. Under English rule, Jamaica developed into one of the world’s largest exporters of sugar, using slaves as free labor. After the slave trade was abolished in 1807 by the British, the profitable sugar economy was maintained through Indian and Chinese indentured servants. However, slavery continued covertly, with the island government maintaining that the slaves were happy. Twenty years later, Jamaica fully freed the slaves. Jamaica became an independent nation of the British Commonwealth in 1962. While tourism plays a large part of the economy, the island has suffered for several years from the closure of large alumina producers and mines closing. This has impacted the development of infrastructure on the island and the failure to decrease the unemployment rate.

While the island is classified as tropical, the mountainous inland region holds more temperate weather patterns. Deemed hot and humid, the island is in the hurricane belt and has been affected by severe storms, including most recently, Hurricanes Ivan, Dean, and Gustav. Hurricane season is June through November. The average annual temperature is 82 degrees Fahrenheit, but northeasterly trade winds tend to keep the temperature from feeling oppressive.

Jamaica boasts a population of 2.8 million people. Much of the population can trace their ethnic origin to Africa, although some can claim Irish ancestry as well. Mixed race citizens can be classified as African with Indian and Chinese ancestry. In the last number of years, there has been a slight increase in immigration from Columbia, China, Haiti, Britain, Canada, and the United States.