Jamaica

 

Geography                 Economy                 Defense Forces
 

People                    Transportation          Government



Communications            History      	          Travel

GEOGRAPHY

Location

Caribbean, island in the Caribbean Sea, south of Cuba

Area

Total area: 10,990 sq km
Land area: 10,830 sq km
Comparative area: slightly smaller than Connecticut

Land Boundaries

0 km

Coastline

1,022 km

Maritime Claims

Continental shelf: 200-m depth or to the depth of exploitation
Exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
Territorial sea: 12 nm

International Disputes

None

Climate

Tropical; hot, humid; temperate interior

Terrain

Mostly mountains with narrow, discontinuous coastal plain
lowest point: Caribbean Sea 0 m
highest point: Blue Mountain Peak 2,256 m

Natural Resources

Bauxite
Gypsum
Limestone

Land Use

Arable land: 19%
Permanent crops: 6%
Meadows and pastures: 18%
Forest and woodland: 28%
Other: 29%

Irrigated Land

350 sq km (1989 est.)

Environment

Current issues: deforestation; coastal waters polluted by industrial waste, sewage, and oil spills; damage to coral reefs; air pollution in Kingston results from vehicle emissions
Natural hazards: hurricanes (especially July to November)
International agreements: party to - Biodiversity, Climate Change, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Marine Life Conservation, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution

Note: Strategic location between Cayman Trench and Jamaica Channel, the main sea lanes for Panama Canal

PEOPLE

Population

2,595,275 (July 1996 est.)
2,574,291 (July 1995 est.)

Age Structure

0-14 Years

32% (male 430,609; female 411,966) (July 1996 est.)
33% (male 431,043; female 412,565) (July 1995 est.)

15-64 Years

61% (male 781,626; female 795,808) (July 1996 est.)
60% (male 770,681; female 786,700) (July 1995 est.)

65 Years and Over

7% (male 77,725; female 97,541) (July 1996 est.)
7% (female 96,348; male 76,954) (July 1995 est.)

Population Growth Rate

0.8% (1996 est.)
0.78% (1995 est.)

Birth Rate

22.19 births/1,000 population (1996 est.)
22.03 births/1,000 population (1995 est.)

Death Rate

5.57 deaths/1,000 population (1996 est.)
5.62 deaths/1,000 population (1995 est.)

Net Migration Rate

-8.58 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1996 est.)
-8.65 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1995 est.)

Sex ratio

at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.98 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.8 male(s)/female
all ages: 0.99 male(s)/female (1996 est.)

Infant Mortality Rate

15.6 deaths/1,000 live births (1996 est.)
16.1 deaths/1,000 live births (1995 est.)

Life Expectancy at Birth

Total population: 74.88 years (1996 est.), 74.65 years (1995 est.)
Male: 72.6 years (1996 est.), 72.39 years (1995 est.)
Female: 77.29 years (1996 est.), 77.01 years (1995 est.)

Total Fertility Rate

2.45 children born/woman (1996 est.)
2.42 children born/woman (1995 est.)

Nationality

Noun: Jamaican(s)
Adjective: Jamaican

Ethnic Divisions

African 76.3%
Afro-European 15.1%
East Indian and Afro-East Indian 3%
White 3.2%
Chinese and Afro-Chinese 1.2%
Other 1.2%

Religions

Protestant 55.9% (Church of God 18.4%
Baptist 10%
Anglican 7.1%
Seventh-Day Adventist 6.9%
Pentecostal 5.2%
Methodist 3.1%
United Church 2.7%
Other 2.5%), Roman Catholic 5%
Other, including some spiritual cults 39.1% (1982)

Languages

English, Creole

Literacy

Age 15 and over that has ever attended school (1995 est.)

Total population: 85%
Male: 80.8%
Female: 89.1%

Labor Force

1,062,100

By occupation:

Services 41%
Agriculture 22.5%
Industry 19%
Unemployed 17.5% (1989)

GOVERNMENT

Names

Conventional long form: none
Conventional short form: Jamaica

Digraph

Type

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

Independence

6 August 1962 (from U.K.)

National Holiday

Independence Day (first Monday in 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 Sir Howard COOKE (since 1 August 1991)
Head of government: Prime Minister P. J. PATTERSON (since 30 March 1992); Deputy Prime Minister Seymour MULLINGS (since NA 1993)
Cabinet: Cabinet; appointed by the governor general on the advice of the prime minister

Legislative Branch

Bicameral Parliament

Senate

Consists of a 21-member body appointed by the governor general

House of Representatives

Elections last held 30 March 1993 (next to be held by March 1998); results - percent of vote by party NA; seats - (60 total) PNP 52, JLP 8

Judicial Branch

Supreme Court

Political Parties and Leaders

People's National Party (PNP), P. J. PATTERSON; Jamaica Labor Party (JLP), Edward SEAGA; National Democratic Movement (NDM), Bruce GOLDING

Other Political or Pressure Groups

Rastafarians (black religious/racial cultists, pan-Africanists); New Beginnings Movement (NBM)

Member of

ACP, C, Caricom, CCC, CDB, ECLAC, FAO, G-15, G-19, G-77, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU, ICRM, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Intelsat, Interpol, IOC, ISO, ITU, LAES, NAM, OAS, OPANAL, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNITAR, UNMIH, UPU, WCL, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO

National Anthem

National anthem

Flag

Diagonal yellow cross divides the flag into four triangles - green (top and bottom) and black (hoist side and fly side)

ECONOMY

Overview

Key sectors in this island economy are bauxite (alumina and bauxite account for more than half of exports) and tourism. Since assuming office in 1992, Prime Minister PATTERSON has consolidated the market-oriented reforms initiated by his predecessor, Michael MANLEY, to make Jamaica a regional leader in economic reform. PATTERSON has eliminated most price controls, streamlined tax schedules, and privatized government enterprises. Tight monetary and fiscal policies under an IMF program have helped slow inflation and stabilize the exchange rate, but, as a result, economic growth has slowed down and unemployment remains high. Jamaica's medium-term prospects depend largely on its ability to continue to attract foreign capital and limit speculation against the Jamaican dollar.

National Product

GDP - purchasing power parity - $8.2 billion (1995 est.), $7.8 billion (1994 est.)

National Product Real Growth Rate

0.8% (1995 est.)
2% (1994 est.)

National Product Per Capita

$3,200 (1995 est.)
$3,050 (1994 est.)

Inflation Rate (consumer Prices)

25.5% (1995)
26.7% (1994)

Unemployment Rate

15.4% (1994 est.)
15.7% (1992)

Budget

Revenues: $1.45 billion (FY95/96), $600 million (FY90/91)
Expenditures: $2 billion, including capital expenditures of $732 million (FY95/96 est.), $736 million, including capital expenditures of NA (FY90/91 est.)

Exports

$2 billion (f.o.b., 1995 est.)
$1.2 billion (f.o.b., 1994 est.)

Commodities:

Alumina
Bauxite
Sugar
Bananas
Rum

Partners:

U.S. 47%
U.K. 11%
Canada 9%
Norway 7%; France 4% (1993)

Imports

$2.7 billion (f.o.b., 1995 est.)
$2.2 billion (f.o.b., 1994 est.)

Commodities:

Machinery and transport equipment
Construction materials
Fuel
Food
Chemicals

Partners:

U.S. 54%
Japan 4.0%
Mexico 6%
U.K. 4%
Venezuela 3% (1993)

External Debt

$3.6 billion (1994 est.)

Industrial Production

Growth rate 0.4% (1992); accounts for almost 30% of GDP

Electricity

Capacity: 730,000 kW
Production: 2.6 billion kWh
Consumption per capita: 988 kWh (1993)

Industries

Bauxite mining
Tourism
Textiles
Food processing
Light manufactures

Agriculture

Accounts for about 7% of GDP, 22% of work force, and 17% of exports; commercial crops - sugarcane, bananas, coffee, citrus, potatoes, vegetables; livestock and livestock products include poultry, goats, milk; not self-sufficient in grain, meat, and dairy products

Illicit Drugs

Transshipment point for cocaine from Central and South America to North America and Europe; illicit cultivation of cannabis; government has an active cannabis eradication program

Economic Aid

Recipient: ODA, $239 million (1993), U.S. commitments, including Ex-Im (FY70-89), $1.2 billion; other countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments (1970-89), $1.6 billion

Currency

1 Jamaican dollar (J$) = 100 cents

Exchange Rates

Jamaican dollars (J$) per US$1 - 39.86 (December 1995), 33.086 (1994), 24.949 (1993), 22.960 (1992), 12.116 (1991), 7.184 (1990)

Fiscal Year

1 April - 31 March

TRANSPORTATION

Railroads

Total: 272 km
Standard gauge: 272 km 1.435-m gauge; note - 207 km belonging to the Jamaica Railway Corporation which were in common carrier service are no longer operational; the remaining track is privately owned and used to transport bauxite

Highways

Total: 18,094 km
Paved: 12,528 km
Unpaved: gravel 5,566 (1988 est.)

Pipelines

Petroleum products 10 km

Ports

Alligator Pond, Discovery Bay, Kingston, Montego Bay, Ocho Rios, Port Antonio, Longs Wharf, Rocky Point

Merchant Marine

Total: 2 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 3,435 GRT/6,105 DWT
Ships by type: oil tanker 1, roll-on/roll-off cargo 1 (1995 est.)

Airports

Total: 27
With paved runways 2,438 to 3,047 m: 2
With paved runways 914 to 1,523 m: 3
With paved runways under 914 m: 21
With unpaved runways 914 to 1,523 m: 1 (1995 est.)

COMMUNICATIONS

Telephone System

212,257 telephones (1991 est.); fully automatic domestic telephone network

Local: NA
Intercity: NA
International: 2 INTELSAT (Atlantic Ocean) earth stations; 3 coaxial submarine cables

Radio

Broadcast stations: AM 10, FM 17, shortwave 0
Radios: 1.04 million (1992 est.)

Television

Broadcast stations: 8
Televisions: 330,000 (1992 est.)

DEFENSE FORCES

Branches

Jamaica Defense Force (includes Ground Forces, Coast Guard and Air Wing), Jamaica Constabulary Force

Manpower Availability

Males age 15-49 680,965; males fit for military service 481,616; males reach military age (18) annually 25,810 (1995 est.)

Defense Expenditures

Exchange rate conversion - $30 million, NA% of GDP (FY95/96), $19.3 million, 1% of GDP (FY91/92)

For more information about Jamaica, contact the Embassy of Jamaica.

History
World Atlas

last updated: 23 november 1997

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