Jamaica is the third largest country in the Caribbean and the largest of the English-speaking islands. The capital city, Kingston, situated on the south-eastern coast of the island is Jamaica’s major commercial centre.

It is an independent country, which is completely self-governed since 1962 when the island ceased to be a British colony. After Independence, Jamaica chose to be a part of the British Commonwealth and to keep the Queen of the United Kingdom as the constitutional monarch and titular head of the country.

Jamaica is classified as a developing country with a mixed, free-market economy that consists of both state-owned entities and private sector organisations. The tourism and mining sectors are the main foreign exchange earners with manufacturing and agriculture also contributing to the economy.

The most westerly of the English-speaking Caribbean islands, Jamaica, is located 145 kilometres (90 miles) south of Cuba and 885 kilometres (550 miles) south of Miami, Florida. It is 325 km (146 miles) in length and 82 km (51 miles) wide, covering 10, 990 square kilometres (4,243 square miles). With low coastal plains to the south and its best beaches on the north and west coasts, Jamaica is mountainous in the interior. Its highest peak is in the Blue Mountains at 2,256 metres (7,402 feet). The Jamaican climate is generally tropical ranging from hot and humid at sea level to very cool in the mountains. Coastal temperatures range from 24 degrees Celsius to a maximum of 32 degrees Celsius.

The island has two airports, the Norman Manley International airport which is located near Kingston, and the Sangster International airport located in Montego Bay, the island’s second city.