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Background:
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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. |
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Location:
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Caribbean, island in the Caribbean Sea, south of Cuba
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Geographic coordinates:
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18 15 N,
77 30 W |
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Map references:
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Central
America and the Caribbean |
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Area:
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total:
10,991 sq km
land: 10,831 sq km
water: 160 sq km |
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Area - comparative:
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slightly
smaller than Connecticut |
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Land boundaries:
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0 km |
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Coastline:
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1,022 km
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Maritime claims:
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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 |
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Climate:
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tropical;
hot, humid; temperate interior |
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Terrain:
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mostly
mountains, with narrow, discontinuous coastal plain |
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Elevation extremes:
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lowest
point: Caribbean Sea 0 m
highest point: Blue Mountain Peak 2,256 m |
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Natural resources:
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bauxite,
gypsum, limestone |
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Land use:
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arable
land: 16.07%
permanent crops: 10.16%
other: 73.77% (2001) |
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Irrigated land:
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250 sq km
(1998 est.) |
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Natural hazards:
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hurricanes (especially July to November) |
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Environment - current issues:
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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 |
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Environment - international agreements:
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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 |
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Geography - note:
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strategic
location between Cayman Trench and Jamaica Channel, the
main sea lanes for the Panama Canal |
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Population:
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2,731,832
(July 2005 est.) |
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Age structure:
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0-14
years: 27.5% (male 385,099/female 367,398)
15-64 years: 65.6% (male 897,953/female 893,509)
65 years and over: 6.9% (male 83,632/female
104,241) (2005 est.) |
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Median age:
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total:
27.25 years
male: 26.55 years
female: 27.97 years (2005 est.) |
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Population growth rate:
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0.71%
(2005 est.) |
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Birth rate:
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16.56
births/1,000 population (2005 est.) |
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Death rate:
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5.37
deaths/1,000 population (2005 est.) |
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Net migration rate:
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-4.07
migrant(s)/1,000 population (2005 est.) |
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Sex ratio:
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at
birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1.01 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.8 male(s)/female
total population: 1 male(s)/female (2005 est.)
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Infant mortality rate:
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total:
12.36 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 13.35 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 11.32 deaths/1,000 live births (2005
est.) |
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Life expectancy at birth:
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total
population: 73.33 years
male: 71.63 years
female: 75.12 years (2005 est.) |
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Total fertility rate:
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1.95
children born/woman (2005 est.) |
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HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
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1.2%
(2003 est.) |
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HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
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22,000
(2003 est.) |
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HIV/AIDS - deaths:
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900 (2003
est.) |
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Nationality:
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noun:
Jamaican(s)
adjective: Jamaican |
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Ethnic groups:
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black
90.9%, East Indian 1.3%, white 0.2%, Chinese 0.2%, mixed
7.3%, other 0.1% |
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Religions:
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Protestant 61.3% (Church of God 21.2%, Baptist 8.8%,
Anglican 5.5%, Seventh-Day Adventist 9%, Pentecostal
7.6%, Methodist 2.7%, United Church 2.7%, Brethren 1.1%,
Jehovah's Witness 1.6%, Moravian 1.1%), Roman Catholic
4%, other including some spiritual cults 34.7% |
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Languages:
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English,
patois English |
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Literacy:
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definition: age 15 and over has ever attended school
total population: 87.9%
male: 84.1%
female: 91.6% (2003 est.) |
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Country name:
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conventional long form: none
conventional short form: Jamaica |
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Government type:
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constitutional parliamentary democracy |
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Capital:
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Kingston
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Administrative divisions:
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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 |
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Independence:
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6 August
1962 (from UK) |
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National holiday:
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Independence Day, 6 August (1962) |
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Constitution:
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6 August
1962 |
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Legal system:
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based on
English common law; has not accepted compulsory ICJ
jurisdiction |
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Suffrage:
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18 years
of age; universal |
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Executive branch:
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chief
of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February
1952), represented by Governor General Sir Howard Felix
COOKE (since 1 August 1991)
head of government: Prime Minister Percival James
PATTERSON (since 30 March 1992)
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 |
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Legislative branch:
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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 in October 2007)
election results: percent of vote by party - PNP
52%, JLP 47.3%; seats by party - PNP 34, JLP 26 |
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Judicial branch:
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Supreme
Court (judges appointed by the governor general on the
advice of the prime minister); Court of Appeal |
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Political parties and leaders:
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Jamaica
Labor Party or JLP [Bruce GOLDING]; National Democratic
Movement or NDM [Hyacinth BENNETT]; People's National
Party or PNP [Percival James PATTERSON] |
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Political pressure groups and leaders:
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New
Beginnings Movement or NBM; Rastafarians (black
religious/racial cultists, pan-Africanists) |
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International organization participation:
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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 (observer), ISO, ITU,
LAES, MIGA, NAM, OAS, OPANAL, OPCW, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO,
UNIDO, UPU, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO |
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Diplomatic representation in the US:
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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 and New York |
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Diplomatic representation from the US:
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chief
of mission: Ambassador Sue McCourt COBB
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 |
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Flag description:
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diagonal
yellow cross divides the flag into four triangles -
green (top and bottom) and black (hoist side and outer
side) |
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Economy - overview:
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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 tourism,
remittances, 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; a pressured, sometimes sliding, exchange
rate; a sizable merchandise trade deficit; large-scale
unemployment; and a growing internal debt, the result of
government bailouts to ailing sectors of the economy.
The ratio of debt to GDP is close to 150%. 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 which 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. |
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GDP (purchasing power parity):
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$11.13
billion (2004 est.) |
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GDP - real growth rate:
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1.9%
(2004 est.) |
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GDP - per capita:
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purchasing power parity - $4,100 (2004 est.) |
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GDP - composition by sector:
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agriculture: 6.1%
industry: 32.7%
services: 61.3% (2004 est.) |
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Labor force:
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1.14
million (2004 est.) |
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Labor force - by occupation:
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agriculture 20.1%, industry 16.6%, services 63.4% (2003)
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Unemployment rate:
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15% (2004
est.) |
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Population below poverty line:
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19.7%
(2002 est.) |
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Household income or consumption by percentage share:
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lowest
10%: 2.7%
highest 10%: 30.3% (2000) |
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Distribution of family income - Gini index:
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37.9
(2000) |
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Inflation rate (consumer prices):
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12.4%
(2004 est.) |
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Investment (gross fixed):
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32% of
GDP (2004 est.) |
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Budget:
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revenues: $2.793 billion
expenditures: $3.157 billion, including capital
expenditures of $236 million (2004 est.) |
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Public debt:
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146.1% of
GDP (2004 est.) |
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Agriculture - products:
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sugarcane, bananas, coffee, citrus, yams, vegetables,
poultry, goats, milk, crustaceans, and mollusks |
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Industries:
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tourism,
bauxite/alumina, textiles, agro processing, wearing
apparel, light manufactures, rum, cement, metal, paper,
chemical products, telecommunications |
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Industrial production growth rate:
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-2% (2000
est.) |
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Electricity - production:
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6.289
billion kWh (2002) |
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Electricity - production by source:
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fossil
fuel: 96.8%
hydro: 1.8%
nuclear: 0%
other: 1.4% (2001) |
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Electricity - consumption:
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5.849
billion kWh (2002) |
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Electricity - exports:
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0 kWh
(2002) |
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Electricity - imports:
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0 kWh
(2002) |
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Oil - production:
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0 bbl/day
(2001 est.) |
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Oil - consumption:
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66,000
bbl/day (2001 est.) |
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Oil - exports:
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NA |
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Oil - imports:
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NA |
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Current account balance:
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$-830.7
million (2004 est.) |
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Exports:
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$1.679
billion f.o.b. (2004 est.) |
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Exports - commodities:
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alumina,
bauxite, sugar, bananas, rum, coffee, yams, beverages,
chemicals, wearing apparel, mineral fuels |
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Exports - partners:
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US 17.4%,
Canada 14.8%, France 13%, China 10.5%, UK 8.7%,
Netherlands 7.5%, Norway 6%, Germany 5.9% (2004) |
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Imports:
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$3.624
billion f.o.b. (2004 est.) |
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Imports - commodities:
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food and
other consumer goods, industrial supplies, fuel, parts
and accessories of capital goods, machinery and
transport equipment, construction materials |
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Imports - partners:
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US 38.7%,
Trinidad and Tobago 13.2%, France 5.6%, Japan 4.7%
(2004) |
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Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:
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$1.4
billion (2004 est.) |
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Debt - external:
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$5.964
billion (2004 est.) |
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Economic aid - recipient:
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$16
million (2003) |
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Currency (code):
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Jamaican
dollar (JMD) |
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Currency code:
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JMD |
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Exchange rates:
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Jamaican
dollars per US dollar - 61.197 (2004), 57.741 (2003),
48.416 (2002), 45.996 (2001), 42.986 (2000) |
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Fiscal year:
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1 April -
31 March |
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Telephones - main lines in use:
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444,400
(2002) |
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Telephones - mobile cellular:
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1.4
million (2002) |
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Telephone system:
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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 |
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Radio broadcast stations:
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AM 10, FM
13, shortwave 0 (1998) |
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Radios:
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1.215
million (1997) |
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Television broadcast stations:
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7 (1997)
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Televisions:
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460,000
(1997) |
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Internet country code:
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.jm |
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Internet hosts:
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1,480
(2003) |
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Internet Service Providers (ISPs):
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21 (2000)
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Internet users:
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600,000
(2002) |
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Railways:
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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) |
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Highways:
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total:
18,700 km
paved: 13,109 km
unpaved: 5,591 km (1999 est.) |
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Ports and harbors:
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Kingston,
Port Esquivel, Port Kaiser, Port Rhoades, Rocky Point
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Merchant marine:
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total:
9 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 74,881 GRT/100,682 DWT
by type: bulk carrier 5, petroleum tanker 1, roll
on/roll off 3
foreign-owned: 8 (Germany 2, Greece 5, UAE 1)
(2005) |
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Airports:
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35 (2004
est.) |
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Airports - with paved runways:
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total:
11
2,438 to 3,047 m: 2
914 to 1,523 m: 4
under 914 m: 5 (2004 est.) |
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Airports - with unpaved runways:
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total:
24
914 to 1,523 m: 2
under 914 m: 22 (2004 est.) |
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Military branches:
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Jamaica
Defense Force: Ground Forces, Coast Guard, Air Wing |
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Military service age and obligation:
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18 years
of age for voluntary military service; younger recruits
may be conscripted with parental consent (2001) |
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Manpower available for military service:
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males
age 18-49: 696,900 (2005 est.) |
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Manpower fit for military service:
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males
age 18-49: 587,006 (2005 est.) |
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Manpower reaching military service age annually:
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males:
26,080 (2005 est.) |
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Military expenditures - dollar figure:
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$31.2
million (2003) |
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Military expenditures - percent of GDP:
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0.4%
(2003) |
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Disputes - international:
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none |
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Illicit drugs:
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major
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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This page was last updated on
20 October, 2005 |
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