The island is cigar shaped, about 150 miles long and 50 miles wide at the middle, with an area about the size of Connecticut. The Blue Mountains in the East reach heights of 7,400 feet and have tropical rain forest conditions, while the lowlands in the south central region have desert conditions and cactus. Jamaica was discovered in 1494 by Christopher Columbus on his second voyage. The Spanish then colonized and controlled the island until 1655, when the British captured it from the Spanish after failing to invade and control Santo Domingo. British rule continued until Jamaica peacefully gained its independence in 1962.
Tourism is the largest foreign-exchange earning industry.
Many tourists are drawn to the sun and beaches of Jamaica, as well as the other natural and cultural attractions. Jamaica has large deposits of bauxite, the ore from which aluminum is derived. Alumina and Bauxite account for almost 50 percent of the island's exports. Sugar is the largest export crop, accounting for about 10 percent of exports, but bananas and coffee are also grown on an export scale. Many slaves were brought in from Africa to work the sugar and other plantations, under both Spanish and English rule.