Discovered by Columbus in 1494, Jamaica was occupied by the Spanish from 1509.
In 1655 the island was captured by the English, and was confirmed as a British possession by the Treaty of Madrid in 1670.
During its first 200 years of British rule, Jamaica became the world's largest sugar exporting nation, achieved through the use of African slave labour. Slavery was formally abolished in 1834.
Self-government was introduced in 1944 and gradually extended until Jamaica achieved complete independence on 6 August 1962. The 1962 Constitution established a parliamentary system based on the United Kingdom model, with The Queen as Sovereign.
