Jamaica

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Introduction - Jamaica:
CountryJamaica
BackgroundThe island - discovered by Christopher COLUMBUS in 1494 - was settled by the Spanish early in the 16th century. The native Taino Indians, who had inhabited Jamaica for centuries, were gradually exterminated, replaced by African slaves. England seized the island in 1655 and a plantation economy - based on sugar, cocoa, and coffee - was established. The abolition of slavery in 1834 freed a quarter million slaves, many of whom became small farmers. Jamaica gradually obtained increasing independence from Britain, and in 1958 it joined other British Caribbean colonies in forming the Federation of the West Indies. Jamaica gained full independence when it withdrew from the Federation in 1962. Deteriorating economic conditions during the 1970s led to recurrent violence as rival gangs affiliated with the major political parties evolved into powerful organized crime networks involved in international drug smuggling and money laundering. The cycle of violence, drugs, and poverty has served to impoverish large sectors of the populace. Nonetheless, many rural and resort areas remain relatively safe and contribute substantially to the economy.
Location - Jamaica:
LocationCaribbean, island in the Caribbean Sea, south of Cuba
Geographic coordinates18 15 N, 77 30 W
Map referencesCentral America and the Caribbean
Areatotal: 10,991 sq km
land: 10,831 sq km
water: 160 sq km
Area comparativeslightly smaller than Connecticut
Land boundaries0 km
Coastline1,022 km
Maritime claimsmeasured 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
Climatetropical; hot, humid; temperate interior
Terrainmostly mountains, with narrow, discontinuous coastal plain
Elevation extremeslowest point: Caribbean Sea 0 m
highest point: Blue Mountain Peak 2,256 m
Natural resourcesbauxite, gypsum, limestone
Land usearable land: 15.83%
permanent crops: 10.01%
other: 74.16% (2005)
Irrigated land250 sq km (2002)
Natural hazardshurricanes (especially July to November)
Environment current issuesheavy 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 agreementsparty 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 notestrategic location between Cayman Trench and Jamaica Channel, the main sea lanes for the Panama Canal
People - Jamaica:
Population2,780,132 (July 2007 est.)
Age structure0-14 years: 32.5% (male 459,968/female 444,963)
15-64 years: 60.1% (male 822,486/female 848,310)
65 years and over: 7.4% (male 91,856/female 112,549) (2007 est.)
Median agetotal: 23.2 years
male: 22.6 years
female: 23.7 years (2007 est.)
Population growth rate0.777% (2007 est.)
Birth rate20.44 births/1,000 population (2007 est.)
Death rate6.59 deaths/1,000 population (2007 est.)
Net migration rate-6.07 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2007 est.)
Sex ratioat birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.034 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.97 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.816 male(s)/female
total population: 0.978 male(s)/female (2007 est.)
Infant mortality ratetotal: 15.73 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 16.4 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 15.01 deaths/1,000 live births (2007 est.)
Life expectancy at birthtotal population: 73.12 years
male: 71.43 years
female: 74.9 years (2007 est.)
Total fertility rate2.36 children born/woman (2007 est.)
Hiv aids adult prevalence rate1.2% (2003 est.)
Hiv aids people living with hiv aids22,000 (2003 est.)
Hiv aids deaths900 (2003 est.)
Nationalitynoun: Jamaican(s)
adjective: Jamaican
Ethnic groupsblack 91.2%, mixed 6.2%, other or unknown 2.6% (2001 census)
ReligionsProtestant 62.5% (Seventh-Day Adventist 10.8%, Pentecostal 9.5%, Other Church of God 8.3%, Baptist 7.2%, New Testament Church of God 6.3%, Church of God in Jamaica 4.8%, Church of God of Prophecy 4.3%, Anglican 3.6%, other Christian 7.7%), Roman Catholic 2.6%, other or unspecified 14.2%, none 20.9%, (2001 census)
LanguagesEnglish, English patois
Literacydefinition: age 15 and over has ever attended school
total population: 87.9%
male: 84.1%
female: 91.6% (2003 est.)
Government - Jamaica:
Country nameconventional long form: none
conventional short form: Jamaica
Government typeconstitutional parliamentary democracy
Capitalname: Kingston
geographic coordinates: 18 00 N, 76 48 W
time difference: UTC-5 (same time as Washington, DC during Standard Time)
Administrative divisions14 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
Independence6 August 1962 (from UK)
National holidayIndependence Day, 6 August (1962)
Constitution6 August 1962
Legal systembased on English common law; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
Suffrage18 years of age; universal
Executive branchchief 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 branchbicameral 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 8 seats) and the House of Representatives (60 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms)
elections: last held 3 September 2007 (next to be held no later than October 2012)
election results: percent of vote by party - JLP 50.1%, PNP 49.8%; seats by party - JLP 32, PNP 28
Judicial branchSupreme Court (judges appointed by the governor general on the advice of the prime minister); Court of Appeal
Political parties and leadersJamaica Labor Party or JLP [Bruce GOLDING]; Peoples National Party or PNP [Portia SIMPSON-MILLER]; National Democratic Movement or NDM [Michael WILLIAMS]
Political pressure groups and leadersNew Beginnings Movement or NBM; Rastafarians (black religious/racial cultists, pan-Africanists)
International organization participationACP, C, Caricom, CDB, FAO, G-15, G-77, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt (signatory), ICRM, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO, ITSO, ITU, LAES, MIGA, NAM, OAS, OPANAL, OPCW, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO
Diplomatic representation in the uschief 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 uschief of mission: Ambassador Brenda LaGrange JOHNSON
embassy: 142 Old Hope Road, Kingston 6
mailing address: P.O. Box 541, Kingston 5
telephone: [1] (876) 702-6000
FAX: [1] (876) 702-6348
Flag descriptiondiagonal yellow cross divides the flag into four triangles - green (top and bottom) and black (hoist side and outer side)
Economy - Jamaica:
Economy overviewThe Jamaican economy is heavily dependent on services, which now account for more than 60% of GDP. The country continues to derive most of its foreign exchange from tourism, remittances, and bauxite/alumina. Jamaicas economy, already saddled with a record of sluggish growth, was hit hard by Hurricane Ivan in late 2004, but has made a gradual recovery. The economy faces serious long-term problems: high but declining interest rates, increased foreign competition, exchange rate instability, a sizable merchandise trade deficit, large-scale unemployment and underemployment, and a high debt burden - the result of government bailouts to ailing sectors of the economy, most notably the financial sector in the mid-to-late 1990s. Following a strategy begun in 2004, Jamaica has reduced its public debt to 133.3% of GDP. Inflation also had declined to 5.8% at the end of 2006. High unemployment exacerbates the serious crime problem, including gang violence fueled by the drug trade. The government faces 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.
Gdp purchasing power parity $12.82 billion (2006 est.)
Gdp official exchange rate $9.23 billion (2006 est.)
Gdp real growth rate2.3% (2006 est.)
Gdp per capita ppp $4,600 (2006 est.)
Gdp composition by sectoragriculture: 5.2%
industry: 27.3%
services: 67.5% (2006 est.)
Labor force1.1 million (2006 est.)
Labor force by occupationagriculture: 18.1%
industry: 17.3%
services: 64.6% (2004)
Unemployment rate11.3% (2006 est.)
Population below poverty line14.8% (2003 est.)
Household income or consumption by percentage sharelowest 10%: 2.4%
highest 10%: 30.3% (2000)
Distribution of family income gini index38.1 (2003)
Inflation rate consumer prices 5.8% (2006 est.)
Investment gross fixed 30.8% of GDP (2006 est.)
Budgetrevenues: $2.85 billion
expenditures: $3.174 billion; including capital expenditures of $180.4 million (2006 est.)
Public debt133.3% of GDP (2006 est.)
Agriculture productssugarcane, bananas, coffee, citrus, yams, ackees, vegetables; poultry, goats, milk; crustaceans, mollusks
Industriestourism, bauxite/alumina, agro processing, light manufactures, rum, cement, metal, paper, chemical products, telecommunications
Industrial production growth rate-2% (2000 est.)
Electricity production6.913 billion kWh (2004)
Electricity consumption6.429 billion kWh (2004)
Electricity exports0 kWh (2004)
Electricity imports0 kWh (2004)
Oil production0 bbl/day (2004 est.)
Oil consumption72,080 bbl/day (2004 est.)
Oil exportsNA bbl/day
Oil importsNA bbl/day
Oil proved reserves0 bbl
Natural gas production0 cu m (2004 est.)
Natural gas consumption0 cu m (2004 est.)
Current account balance-$970 million (2006 est.)
Exports$2.087 billion f.o.b. (2006 est.)
Exports commoditiesalumina, bauxite, sugar, bananas, rum, coffee, yams, beverages, chemicals, wearing apparel, mineral fuels
Exports partnersUS 23.7%, Canada 16.5%, China 15.1%, UK 10.1%, Germany 7.5%, Netherlands 6.4%, Norway 5.9% (2006)
Imports$4.682 billion f.o.b. (2006 est.)
Imports commoditiesfood and other consumer goods, industrial supplies, fuel, parts and accessories of capital goods, machinery and transport equipment, construction materials
Imports partnersUS 39.4%, Trinidad and Tobago 14.4%, Venezuela 5.8% (2006)
Reserves of foreign exchange and gold$2.317 billion (2006 est.)
Debt external$7.384 billion (2006 est.)
Economic aid recipient$254.7 million (2004)
Currency code Jamaican dollar (JMD)
Exchange ratesJamaican dollars per US dollar - 65.768 (2006), 62.51 (2005), 61.197 (2004), 57.741 (2003), 48.416 (2002)
Communications - Jamaica:
Fiscal year1 April - 31 March
Telephones main lines in use319,000 (2005)
Telephones mobile cellular2.804 million (2005)
Telephone systemgeneral assessment: fully automatic domestic telephone network
domestic: NA
international: country code - 1-876; 3 coaxial submarine cables; satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean)
Radio broadcast stationsAM 10, FM 13, shortwave 0 (1998)
Television broadcast stations7 (1997)
Internet country code.jm
Internet hosts1,402 (2006)
Internet users1.232 million (2005)
Transportation - Jamaica:
Airports35 (2006)
Airports with paved runwaystotal: 11
2,438 to 3,047 m: 2
914 to 1,523 m: 4
under 914 m: 5 (2006)
Airports with unpaved runwaystotal: 24
914 to 1,523 m: 2
under 914 m: 22 (2006)
Roadwaystotal: 20,996 km
paved: 15,386 km (includes 33 km of expressways)
unpaved: 5,610 km (2004)
Merchant marinetotal: 10 ships (1000 GRT or over) 124,323 GRT/184,247 DWT
by type: bulk carrier 5, cargo 2, petroleum tanker 1, roll on/roll off 2
foreign-owned: 10 (Germany 3, Greece 6, Italy 1) (2006)
Ports and terminalsKingston, Port Esquivel, Port Kaiser, Port Rhoades, Rocky Point
Military - Jamaica:
Military branchesJamaica Defense Force: Ground Forces, Coast Guard, Air Wing (2007)
Military service age and obligation18 years of age for voluntary military service; younger recruits may be conscripted with parental consent (2001)
Manpower available for military servicemales age 18-49: 592,018
females age 18-49: 616,500 (2005 est.)
Manpower fit for military servicemales age 18-49: 478,761
females age 18-49: 504,541 (2005 est.)
Manpower reaching military service age annuallymales age 18-49: 27,923
females age 18-49: 27,889 (2005 est.)
Military expenditures percent of gdp0.6% (2006 est.)
Disputes internationalnone
This page was last updated on 16 September, 2007
Source: CIA >>>


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