Jamaica is a tropical island located in the Caribbean Sea south of Cuba and west of Haiti. It is the third largest island in the Caribbean, following Cuba and Hispaniola. Jamaica's total area is 4,244 square miles which is a bit smaller than the US State of Connecticut. Jamaica has a population of about 3,000,000 people and a population density of 614 people per square mile due to the small overall area. Jamaica's Gross Domestic Product (GDP) per capita is $9,000 which is lower compared to other surrounding countries and Latin American states. Jamaica is a country of interesting terrain and topography with a colorful history.
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"Redware People" and Taino/Arawaks are the two groups considered the first settlers of Jamaica. Christopher Columbus later came in the year 1494 and Juan De Esquivel established the first settlement on the island in 1509. Many years later in 1655, Jamaica was taken over by the British and forced under British rule. A trading system called The Royal African Company formed and Jamaica became the busiest area for slave trafficking around the year 1672. After a decreasing population, eventually in the 1670s the population rose to about 18,000 because of European immigration and slave trafficking. Many years later on August 6, 1962, Jamaica became an independent country but within a decade, the economy started to decrease because of violence, gangs, and drug smuggling. In current day Jamaica, the economy has remained steady over the past few years with Andrew Micheal Holness as Prime Minister starting in February 2016. He was Member of Parliament years before he became Prime Minister.