Jamaica

Jamaica is an island country situated in the Caribbean Sea. Spanning 10,990 square kilometres in area, it is the third largest island — after Cuba and Hispaniola — of the Greater Antilles and the Caribbean. Jamaica lies about 145 km south of Cuba, and 191 km west of Hispaniola; the British Overseas Territory of the Cayman Islands lies some 215 km to the north-west.Originally inhabited by the indigenous Taíno peoples, the island came under Spanish rule following the arrival of Christopher Columbus in 1494. Many of the indigenous people either were killed or died of diseases, after which the Spanish brought large numbers of African slaves to Jamaica as labourers.