One of the largest of the Caribbean islands, a member of the *Commonwealth since 1962. Visited by *Columbus in 1494 and conquered by Spain in 1509, Jamaica was captured by the English in 1655 and was ceded to England in 1670. The island was a member of the *West Indies Federation from 1958 but seceded with *Trinidad in 1962 to become separately independent, thus setting the future pattern for many neighbouring Commonwealth nations much smaller than itself.
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