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This page was last updated on 18 December 2008


Map of Jamaica



Legend: DefinitionDefinition Field ListingField Listing Rank OrderRank Order
   Introduction    Jamaica Top of Page
Background:
Definition Field Listing
The 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 and replaced by African slaves. England seized the island in 1655 and established a plantation economy based on sugar, cocoa, and coffee. 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. Violent crime, drug trafficking, and poverty pose significant challenges to the government today. Nonetheless, many rural and resort areas remain relatively safe and contribute substantially to the economy.
   Geography    Jamaica Top of Page
Location:
Definition Field Listing
Caribbean, island in the Caribbean Sea, south of Cuba
Geographic coordinates:
Definition Field Listing
18 15 N, 77 30 W
Map references:
Definition Field Listing
Central America and the Caribbean
Area:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
total: 10,991 sq km
land: 10,831 sq km
water: 160 sq km
Area - comparative:
Definition Field Listing
slightly smaller than Connecticut
Land boundaries:
Definition Field Listing
0 km
Coastline:
Definition Field Listing
1,022 km
Maritime claims:
Definition Field Listing
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:
Definition Field Listing
tropical; hot, humid; temperate interior
Terrain:
Definition Field Listing
mostly mountains, with narrow, discontinuous coastal plain
Elevation extremes:
Definition Field Listing
lowest point: Caribbean Sea 0 m
highest point: Blue Mountain Peak 2,256 m
Natural resources:
Definition Field Listing
bauxite, gypsum, limestone
Land use:
Definition Field Listing
arable land: 15.83%
permanent crops: 10.01%
other: 74.16% (2005)
Irrigated land:
Definition Field Listing
250 sq km (2002)
Total renewable water resources:
Definition Field Listing
9.4 cu km (2000)
Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural):
Definition Field Listing
total: 0.41 cu km/yr (34%/17%/49%)
per capita: 155 cu m/yr (2000)
Natural hazards:
Definition Field Listing
hurricanes (especially July to November)
Environment - current issues:
Definition Field Listing
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:
Definition Field Listing
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:
Definition Field Listing
strategic location between Cayman Trench and Jamaica Channel, the main sea lanes for the Panama Canal
   People    Jamaica Top of Page
Population:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
2,804,332 (July 2008 est.)
Age structure:
Definition Field Listing
0-14 years: 32% (male 455,871/female 440,928)
15-64 years: 60.6% (male 837,241/female 861,906)
65 years and over: 7.4% (male 93,415/female 114,971) (2008 est.)
Median age:
Definition Field Listing
total: 23.4 years
male: 22.9 years
female: 24 years (2008 est.)
Population growth rate:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
0.779% (2008 est.)
Birth rate:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
20.04 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)
Death rate:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
6.37 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)
Net migration rate:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
-5.88 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2008 est.)
Sex ratio:
Definition Field Listing
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: 0.81 male(s)/female
total population: 0.98 male(s)/female (2008 est.)
Infant mortality rate:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
total: 15.57 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 16.19 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 14.92 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
total population: 73.59 years
male: 71.88 years
female: 75.38 years (2008 est.)
Total fertility rate:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
2.3 children born/woman (2008 est.)
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
1.2% (2003 est.)
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
22,000 (2003 est.)
HIV/AIDS - deaths:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
900 (2003 est.)
Nationality:
Definition Field Listing
noun: Jamaican(s)
adjective: Jamaican
Ethnic groups:
Definition Field Listing
black 91.2%, mixed 6.2%, other or unknown 2.6% (2001 census)
Religions:
Definition Field Listing
Protestant 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)
Languages:
Definition Field Listing
English, English patois
Literacy:
Definition Field Listing
definition: age 15 and over has ever attended school
total population: 87.9%
male: 84.1%
female: 91.6% (2003 est.)
School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education):
Definition Field Listing
total: 12 years
male: 11 years
female: 12 years (2003)
Education expenditures:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
5.3% of GDP (2005)
   Government    Jamaica Top of Page
Country name:
Definition Field Listing
conventional long form: none
conventional short form: Jamaica
Government type:
Definition Field Listing
constitutional parliamentary democracy
Capital:
Definition Field Listing
name: Kingston
geographic coordinates: 18 00 N, 76 48 W
time difference: UTC-5 (same time as Washington, DC during Standard Time)
Administrative divisions:
Definition Field Listing
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:
Definition Field Listing
6 August 1962 (from UK)
National holiday:
Definition Field Listing
Independence Day, 6 August (1962)
Constitution:
Definition Field Listing
6 August 1962
Legal system:
Definition Field Listing
based on English common law; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
Suffrage:
Definition Field Listing
18 years of age; universal
Executive branch:
Definition Field Listing
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 Bruce GOLDING (since 11 September 2007)
cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the governor general on the advice of the prime minister
elections: 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:
Definition Field Listing
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 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 33, PNP 27
Judicial branch:
Definition Field Listing
Supreme Court (judges appointed by the governor general on the advice of the prime minister); Court of Appeal
Political parties and leaders:
Definition Field Listing
Jamaica Labor Party or JLP [Bruce GOLDING]; People's National Party or PNP [Portia SIMPSON-MILLER]; National Democratic Movement or NDM [Michael WILLIAMS]
Political pressure groups and leaders:
Definition Field Listing
New Beginnings Movement or NBM; Rastafarians (black religious/racial cultists, pan-Africanists)
International organization participation:
Definition Field Listing
ACP, 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 US:
Definition Field Listing
chief of mission: Ambassador Anthony JOHNSON
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:
Definition Field Listing
chief 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) 702-6001
Flag description:
Definition Field Listing
diagonal yellow cross divides the flag into four triangles - green (top and bottom) and black (hoist side and outer side)
   Economy    Jamaica Top of Page
Economy - overview:
Definition Field Listing
The 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. Remittances account for nearly 20% of GDP and are equivalent to tourism revenues. Jamaica's economy, already saddled with a record of sluggish growth, will suffer an economic setback from damages caused by Hurricane Dean in August 2007. 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 debt-to-GDP ratio of 135%. Jamaica's onerous debt burden - the fourth highest per capita - is the result of government bailouts to ailing sectors of the economy, most notably the financial sector in the mid-to-late 1990s. Inflation also has declined, standing at about 7% at the end of 2007. High unemployment exacerbates the serious crime problem, including gang violence that is fueled by the drug trade. The GOLDING administration 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):
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
$20.48 billion (2007 est.)
GDP (official exchange rate):
Definition Field Listing
$11.21 billion (2007 est.)
GDP - real growth rate:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
1.2% (2007 est.)
GDP - per capita (PPP):
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
$7,400 (2007 est.)
GDP - composition by sector:
Definition Field Listing
agriculture: 5.1%
industry: 32.7%
services: 62.2% (2007 est.)
Labor force:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
1.255 million (2007 est.)
Labor force - by occupation:
Definition Field Listing
agriculture: 17%
industry: 19%
services: 64% (2006)
Unemployment rate:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
9.9% (2007 est.)
Household income or consumption by percentage share:
Definition Field Listing
lowest 10%: 2.1%
highest 10%: 35.8% (2004)
Distribution of family income - Gini index:
Definition Field Listing
45.5 (2004)
Investment (gross fixed):
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
34.2% of GDP (2007 est.)
Budget:
Definition Field Listing
revenues: $3.716 billion
expenditures: $4.261 billion (2007 est.)
Public debt:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
126.5% of GDP (2007 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
9.5% (2007 est.)
Central bank discount rate:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
NA (31 December 2007)
Commercial bank prime lending rate:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
17.2% (31 December 2007)
Stock of money:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
$1.369 billion (31 December 2007)
Stock of quasi money:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
$4.54 billion (31 December 2007)
Stock of domestic credit:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
$6.609 billion (31 December 2007)
Agriculture - products:
Definition Field Listing
sugarcane, bananas, coffee, citrus, yams, ackees, vegetables; poultry, goats, milk; crustaceans, mollusks
Industries:
Definition Field Listing
tourism, bauxite/alumina, agro processing, light manufactures, rum, cement, metal, paper, chemical products, telecommunications
Industrial production growth rate:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
1.2% (2007 est.)
Electricity - production:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
7.04 billion kWh (2006 est.)
Electricity - consumption:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
6.1 billion kWh (2006 est.)
Electricity - exports:
Definition Field Listing
0 kWh (2007 est.)
Electricity - imports:
Definition Field Listing
0 kWh (2007 est.)
Oil - production:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
0 bbl/day (2005 est.)
Oil - consumption:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
73,370 bbl/day (2006 est.)
Oil - exports:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
1,535 bbl/day (2005)
Oil - imports:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
71,280 bbl/day (2005)
Oil - proved reserves:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
0 bbl (1 January 2006 est.)
Natural gas - production:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
0 cu m (2007 est.)
Natural gas - consumption:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
0 cu m (2007 est.)
Natural gas - exports:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
0 cu m (2007 est.)
Natural gas - imports:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
0 cu m (2007 est.)
Natural gas - proved reserves:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
0 cu m (1 January 2006 est.)
Current account balance:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
-$1.83 billion (2007 est.)
Exports:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
$2.331 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)
Exports - commodities:
Definition Field Listing
alumina, bauxite, sugar, bananas, rum, coffee, yams, beverages, chemicals, wearing apparel, mineral fuels
Exports - partners:
Definition Field Listing
US 37.2%, Canada 15%, UK 9.7%, Netherlands 9.1% (2007)
Imports:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
$5.784 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)
Imports - commodities:
Definition Field Listing
food and other consumer goods, industrial supplies, fuel, parts and accessories of capital goods, machinery and transport equipment, construction materials
Imports - partners:
Definition Field Listing
US 37.2%, Trinidad and Tobago 14.5%, Grenada 9.7%, Venezuela 8.3%, Brazil 4.2% (2007)
Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
$1.905 billion (31 December 2007 est.)
Debt - external:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
$9.657 billion (31 December 2007 est.)
Market value of publicly traded shares:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
$12.28 billion (2006)
Currency (code):
Definition Field Listing
Jamaican dollar (JMD)
Exchange rates:
Definition Field Listing
Jamaican dollars (JMD) per US dollar - 69.034 (2007), 65.768 (2006), 62.51 (2005), 61.197 (2004), 57.741 (2003)
   Communications    Jamaica Top of Page
Telephones - main lines in use:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
342,000 (2006)
Telephones - mobile cellular:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
2.495 million (2006)
Telephone system:
Definition Field Listing
general assessment: fully automatic domestic telephone network
domestic: the 1999 agreement to open the market for telecommunications services resulted in rapid growth in mobile-cellular telephone usage while the number of fixed-lines in use has declined; combined mobile-cellular teledensity now exceeds 100 per 100 persons
international: country code - 1-876; the Fibralink submarine cable network provides enhanced delivery of business and broadband traffic and is linked to the Americas Region Caribbean Ring System (ARCOS-1) submarine cable in the Dominican Republic; the link to ARCOS-1 provides seamless connectivity to US, parts of the Caribbean, Central America, and South America; satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean) (2006)
Radio broadcast stations:
Definition Field Listing
AM 10, FM 13, shortwave 0 (1998)
Television broadcast stations:
Definition Field Listing
7 (1997)
Internet country code:
Definition Field Listing
.jm
Internet hosts:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
1,292 (2008)
Internet users:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
1.5 million (2007)
   Transportation    Jamaica Top of Page
Airports:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
34 (2007)
Airports - with paved runways:
Definition Field Listing
total: 11
2,438 to 3,047 m: 2
914 to 1,523 m: 4
under 914 m: 5 (2007)
Airports - with unpaved runways:
Definition Field Listing
total: 23
914 to 1,523 m: 2
under 914 m: 21 (2007)
Roadways:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
total: 21,552 km
paved: 15,937 km (includes 33 km of expressways)
unpaved: 5,615 km (2005)
Merchant marine:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
total: 20
by type: bulk carrier 6, cargo 6, carrier 1, container 4, roll on/roll off 3
foreign-owned: 17 (Denmark 2, Germany 4, Greece 6, Hong Kong 1, Latvia 1, Russia 3) (2008)
Ports and terminals:
Definition Field Listing
Kingston, Port Esquivel, Port Kaiser, Port Rhoades, Rocky Point
   Military    Jamaica Top of Page
Military branches:
Definition Field Listing
Jamaica Defense Force: Ground Forces, Coast Guard, Air Wing (2007)
Military service age and obligation:
Definition Field Listing
18 years of age for voluntary military service; younger recruits may be conscripted with parental consent (2001)
Manpower available for military service:
Definition Field Listing
males age 16-49: 688,480
females age 16-49: 709,548 (2008 est.)
Manpower fit for military service:
Definition Field Listing
males age 16-49: 566,477
females age 16-49: 583,075 (2008 est.)
Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually:
Definition Field Listing
male: 32,000
female: 31,428 (2008 est.)
Military expenditures:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
0.6% of GDP (2006 est.)
   Transnational Issues    Jamaica Top of Page
Disputes - international:
Definition Field Listing
none
Illicit drugs:
Definition Field Listing
transshipment point for cocaine from South America to North America and Europe; illicit cultivation and consumption 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

This page was last updated on 18 December 2008


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