Jamaica is among the largest of the Caribbean Islands, with an area of 11,420 square kilometers, located 145 kilometers south of Cuba and 600 kilometers south of Florida. The World Bank estimates the population at 2,847,232. Its economy is dependent on tourism, manufacturing, bauxite, and remittances. Jamaica experienced a marginal growth rate of 1 percent between 1990 and 2009, and paid a public debt of 134 percent of its total gross domestic product (GDP) in 2010. As of 2010, Jamaica was approved for a $1.27 billion International Monetary Fund loan (IMF) for economic reforms. Currently, a fifth of the population lives below the poverty line. Jamaica's legacy as a former British colony until 1962 shaped its demographics, economics, and educational structure.

In the 18th century, Jamaica ...