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Facts
& General Info
Introduction
Jamaica
Background:
Jamaica gained full independence within the
British Commonwealth in 1962. Deteriorating
economic conditions during the 1970s led to
recurrent violence and a drop off in tourism.
Elections in 1980 saw the democratic socialists
voted out of office. Political violence marred
elections during the 1990s
Geography
Jamaica
Location:
Caribbean, island in the Caribbean Sea, south
of Cuba
Geographic coordinates:
18 15 N, 77 30 W
Map references:
Central America and the Caribbean
Area:
total: 10,991 sq km
land: 10,831 sq km
water: 160 sq km
Area - comparative:
slightly smaller than Connecticut
Land boundaries:
0 km
Coastline:
1,022 km
Maritime claims:
measured from claimed archipelagic straight
baselines
territorial sea: 12 nm
contiguous zone: 24 nm
exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
continental shelf: 200 nm or to edge of the
continental margin
Climate:
tropical; hot, humid; temperate interior
Terrain:
mostly mountains, with narrow, discontinuous
coastal plain
Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Caribbean Sea 0 m
highest point: Blue Mountain Peak 2,256 m
Natural resources:
bauxite, gypsum, limestone
Land use:
arable land: 15.83%
permanent crops: 10.01%
other: 74.16% (2005)
Irrigated land:
250 sq km (2002)
Natural hazards:
hurricanes (especially July to November)
Environment - current issues:
heavy rates of deforestation; coastal waters
polluted by industrial waste, sewage, and oil
spills; damage to coral reefs; air pollution
in Kingston results from vehicle emissions
Environment - international agreements:
party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate
Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered
Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine
Dumping, Marine Life Conservation, Ozone Layer
Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected
agreements
Geography - note:
strategic location between Cayman Trench and
Jamaica Channel, the main sea lanes for the
Panama Canal
People Jamaica
Population:
2,758,124 (July 2006 est.)
Age structure:
0-14 years: 33.1% (male 464,297/female 449,181)
15-64 years: 59.6% (male 808,718/female 835,394)
65 years and over: 7.3% (male 90,100/female
110,434) (2006 est.)
Median age:
total: 23 years
male: 22.4 years
female: 23.5 years (2006 est.)
Population growth rate:
0.8% (2006 est.)
Birth rate:
20.82 births/1,000 population (2006 est.)
Death rate:
6.52 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.)
Net migration rate:
-6.27 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.)
Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.03 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.97 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.82 male(s)/female
total population: 0.98 male(s)/female (2006
est.)
Infant mortality rate:
total: 15.98 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 16.66 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 15.27 deaths/1,000 live births (2006
est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 73.24 years
male: 71.54 years
female: 75.03 years (2006 est.)
Total fertility rate:
2.41 children born/woman (2006 est.)
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
1.2% (2003 est.)
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
22,000 (2003 est.)
HIV/AIDS - deaths:
900 (2003 est.)
Nationality:
noun: Jamaican(s)
adjective: Jamaican
Ethnic groups:
black 90.9%, East Indian 1.3%, white 0.2%, Chinese
0.2%, mixed 7.3%, other 0.1%
Religions:
Protestant 61.3% (Church of God 21.2%, Seventh-Day
Adventist 9%, Baptist 8.8%, Pentecostal 7.6%,
Anglican 5.5%, Methodist 2.7%, United Church
2.7%, Jehovah's Witness 1.6%, Brethren 1.1%,
Moravian 1.1%), Roman Catholic 4%, other including
some spiritual cults 34.7%
Languages:
English, patois English
Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over has ever attended
school
total population: 87.9%
male: 84.1%
female: 91.6% (2003 est.)
Government Jamaica
Country
name:
conventional long form: none
conventional short form: Jamaica
Government type:
constitutional parliamentary democracy
Capital:
Kingston
Administrative divisions:
14 parishes; Clarendon, Hanover, Kingston, Manchester,
Portland, Saint Andrew, Saint Ann, Saint Catherine,
Saint Elizabeth, Saint James, Saint Mary, Saint
Thomas, Trelawny, Westmoreland
note: for local government purposes, Kingston
and Saint Andrew were amalgamated in 1923 into
the present single corporate body known as the
Kingston and Saint Andrew Corporation
Independence:
6 August 1962 (from UK)
National holiday:
Independence Day, 6 August (1962)
Constitution:
6 August 1962
Legal system:
based on English common law; has not accepted
compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
Suffrage:
18 years of age; universal
Executive branch:
chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6
February 1952), represented by Governor General
Kenneth O. HALL (since 15 February 2006)
head of government: Prime Minister Portia SIMPSON-MILLER
(since 30 March 2006)
cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the governor general
on the advice of the prime minister
elections: none; the monarch is hereditary;
governor general appointed by the monarch on
the recommendation of the prime minister; following
legislative elections, the leader of the majority
party or the leader of the majority coalition
in the House of Representatives is appointed
prime minister by the governor general; the
deputy prime minister is recommended by the
prime minister
Legislative branch:
bicameral Parliament consists of the Senate
(a 21-member body appointed by the governor
general on the recommendations of the prime
minister and the leader of the opposition; ruling
party is allocated 13 seats, and the opposition
is allocated eight seats) and the House of Representatives
(60 seats; members are elected by popular vote
to serve five-year terms)
elections: last held 16 October 2002 (next to
be held no later than October 2007)
election results: percent of vote by party -
PNP 52%, JLP 47.3%; seats by party - PNP 34,
JLP 26
Judicial branch:
Supreme Court (judges appointed by the governor
general on the advice of the prime minister);
Court of Appeal
Political parties and leaders:
Jamaica Labor Party or JLP [Bruce GOLDING];
National Democratic Movement or NDM [Hyacinth
BENNETT]; People's National Party or PNP [Percival
James PATTERSON]
Political pressure groups and leaders:
New Beginnings Movement or NBM; Rastafarians
(black religious/racial cultists, pan-Africanists)
International organization participation:
ACP, C, Caricom, CDB, FAO, G-15, G-77, IADB,
IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt (signatory), ICFTU, ICRM,
IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol,
IOC, IOM, ISO, ITU, LAES, MIGA, NAM, OAS, OPANAL,
OPCW, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCO, WFTU,
WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO
Diplomatic representation in the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Gordon SHIRLEY
chancery: 1520 New Hampshire Avenue NW, Washington,
DC 20036
telephone: [1] (202) 452-0660
FAX: [1] (202) 452-0081
consulate(s) general: Miami, New York
Diplomatic representation from the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Brenda LaGrange
JOHNSON
embassy: Jamaica Mutual Life Center, 2 Oxford
Road, 3rd floor, Kingston 5
mailing address: use embassy street address
telephone: [1] (876) 929-4850 through 4859
FAX: [1] (876) 935-6001
Flag description:
diagonal yellow cross divides the flag into
four triangles - green (top and bottom) and
black (hoist side and outer side)
Economy
Jamaica
Economy
- overview:
The Jamaican economy is heavily dependent on
services, which now account for 60% of GDP.
The country continues to derive most of its
foreign exchange from remittances, tourism,
and bauxite/alumina. The global economic slowdown,
particularly after the terrorist attacks in
the US on 11 September 2001, stunted economic
growth; the economy rebounded moderately in
2003-04, with brisk tourist seasons. But the
economy faces serious long-term problems: high
interest rates, increased foreign competition,
exchange rate instability, a sizable merchandise
trade deficit, large-scale unemployment and
underemployment, and a growing stock of internal
debt - the result of government bailouts to
ailing sectors of the economy, most notably
the financial sector in the mid-1990s. The ratio
of debt to GDP is 135%. Inflation, previously
a bright spot, is expected to remain in the
double digits. Uncertain economic conditions
have led to increased civil unrest, including
gang violence fueled by the drug trade. In 2004,
the government faced the difficult prospect
of having to achieve fiscal discipline in order
to maintain debt payments while simultaneously
attacking a serious and growing crime problem
that is hampering economic growth. Attempts
at deficit control were derailed by Hurricane
Ivan in September 2004, which required substantial
government spending to repair the damage. Despite
the hurricane, tourism looks set to enjoy solid
growth for the foreseeable future.
GDP (purchasing power parity):
$12.17 billion (2005 est.)
GDP (official exchange rate):
$9.127 billion (2005 est.)
GDP - real growth rate:
1.5% (2005 est.)
GDP - per capita (PPP):
$4,400 (2005 est.)
GDP - composition by sector:
agriculture: 4.9%
industry: 33.7%
services: 61.5% (2005 est.)
Labor force:
1.2 million (2005 est.)
Labor force - by occupation:
agriculture: 19.3%
industry: 16.6%
services: 64.1% (2004)
Unemployment rate:
11.5% (2005 est.)
Population below poverty line:
19.1% (2003 est.)
Household income or consumption by percentage
share:
lowest 10%: 2.7%
highest 10%: 30.3% (2000)
Distribution of family income - Gini
index:
37.9 (2003)
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
15.3% (2005 est.)
Investment (gross fixed):
32.4% of GDP (2005 est.)
Budget:
revenues: $2.8 billion
expenditures: $3.21 billion; including capital
expenditures of $180.4 million (2005 est.)
Public debt:
128.7% of GDP (2005 est.)
Agriculture - products:
sugarcane, bananas, coffee, citrus, yams, ackees,
vegetables; poultry, goats, milk; crustaceans,
mollusks
Industries:
tourism, bauxite/alumina, agro processing, light
manufactures, rum, cement, metal, paper, chemical
products, telecommunications
Industrial production growth rate:
-2% (2000 est.)
Electricity - production:
3.717 billion kWh (2004)
Electricity - consumption:
2.974 billion kWh (2004)
Electricity - exports:
0 kWh (2004)
Electricity - imports:
0 kWh (2004)
Oil - production:
0 bbl/day (2003 est.)
Oil - consumption:
69,000 bbl/day (2003 est.)
Oil - exports:
NA bbl/day
Oil - imports:
NA bbl/day
Natural gas - production:
0 cu m (2003 est.)
Natural gas - consumption:
0 cu m (2003 est.)
Current account balance:
-$974 million (2005 est.)
Exports:
$1.608 billion f.o.b. (2004 est.)
Exports - commodities:
alumina, bauxite, sugar, bananas, rum, coffee,
yams, beverages, chemicals, wearing apparel,
mineral fuels
Exports - partners:
US 18.1%, France 15.8%, Canada 15.1%, China
9.8%, UK 8.2%, Norway 6.5%, Netherlands 6.3%,
Germany 5.4% (2005)
Imports:
$4.093 billion f.o.b. (2004 est.)
Imports - commodities:
food and other consumer goods, industrial supplies,
fuel, parts and accessories of capital goods,
machinery and transport equipment, construction
materials
Imports - partners:
US 39.6%, Trinidad and Tobago 13.7%, France
4.6% (2005)
Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:
$2.17 billion (2005 est.)
Debt - external:
$7.162 billion (2005 est.)
Economic aid - recipient:
$18.5 million; note - US aid only (2004)
Currency (code):
Jamaican dollar (JMD)
Exchange rates:
Jamaican dollars per US dollar - 62.51 (2005),
61.197 (2004), 57.741 (2003), 48.416 (2002),
45.996 (2001)
Fiscal year:
1 April - 31 March
Communications
Jamaica
Telephones
- main lines in use:
390,700 (2004)
Telephones - mobile cellular:
2.2 million (2004)
Telephone system:
general assessment: fully automatic domestic
telephone network
domestic: NA
international: country code - 1-876; satellite
earth stations - 2 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean);
3 coaxial submarine cables
Radio broadcast stations:
AM 10, FM 13, shortwave 0 (1998)
Television broadcast stations:
7 (1997)
Internet country code:
.jm
Internet hosts:
1,271 (2005)
Internet users:
1.067 million (2005)
Transportation
Jamaica
Airports:
35 (2005)
Airports - with paved runways:
total: 11
2,438 to 3,047 m: 2
914 to 1,523 m: 4
under 914 m: 5 (2005)
Airports - with unpaved runways:
total: 24
914 to 1,523 m: 2
under 914 m: 22 (2005)
Railways:
total: 272 km
standard gauge: 272 km 1.435-m gauge
note: 207 of these km belonging to the Jamaica
Railway Corporation had been in common carrier
service until 1992 but are no longer operational;
57 km of the remaining track is privately owned
and used by ALCAN to transport bauxite (2003)
Roadways:
total: 18,700 km
paved: 13,009 km
unpaved: 5,610 km (1999)
Merchant marine:
total: 10 ships (1000 GRT or over) 117,805 GRT/166,922
DWT
by type: bulk carrier 4, cargo 1, chemical tanker
1, petroleum tanker 1, roll on/roll off 3
foreign-owned: 10 (Germany 2, Greece 5, UAE
3) (2005)
Ports and terminals:
Kingston, Port Esquivel, Port Kaiser, Port Rhoades,
Rocky Point
Military Jamaica
Military
branches:
Jamaica Defense Force: Ground Forces, Coast
Guard, Air Wing
Military service age and obligation:
18 years of age for voluntary military service;
younger recruits may be conscripted with parental
consent (2001)
Manpower available for military service:
males age 18-49: 592,018
females age 18-49: 616,500 (2005 est.)
Manpower fit for military service:
males age 18-49: 478,761
females age 18-49: 504,541 (2005 est.)
Manpower reaching military service age
annually:
males age 18-49: 27,923
females age 18-49: 27,889 (2005 est.)
Military expenditures - dollar figure:
$31.17 million (2003 est.)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP:
0.4% (2003 est.)
Transnational Issues
Jamaica
Disputes
- international:
none
Illicit drugs:
transshipment point for cocaine from South America
to North America and Europe; illicit cultivation
of cannabis; government has an active manual
cannabis eradication program; corruption is
a major concern; substantial money-laundering
activity; Colombian narcotics traffickers favor
Jamaica for illicit financial transactions
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