1992 Edition
CIA World Factbook 1992 (Project Gutenberg)
Geography
Climate
tropical; hot, humid; temperate interior
Coastline
1,022 km
Comparative area
slightly smaller than Connecticut
Disputes
none
Environment
subject to hurricanes (especially July to November); deforestation; water pollution
Land area
10,830 km2
Land boundaries
none
Land use
arable land 19%; permanent crops 6%; meadows and pastures 18%; forest and woodland 28%; other 29%; includes irrigated 3%
Natural resources
bauxite, gypsum, limestone
Note
strategic location between Cayman Trench and Jamaica Channel, the main sea lanes for Panama Canal
Terrain
mostly mountains with narrow, discontinuous coastal plain
Territorial sea
12 nm
Total area
10,990 km2
People and Society
Birth rate
23 births/1,000 population (1992)
Death rate
6 deaths/1,000 population (1992)
Ethnic divisions
African 76.3%, Afro-European 15.1%, East Indian and Afro-East Indian 3.0%, white 3.2%, Chinese and Afro-Chinese 1.2%, other 1.2%
Infant mortality rate
18 deaths/1,000 live births (1992)
Labor force
1,062,100; services 41%, agriculture 22.5%, industry 19%; unemployed 17.5% (1989)
Languages
English, Creole
Life expectancy at birth
72 years male, 76 years female (1992)
Literacy
98% (male 98%, female 99%) age 15 and over having ever attended school (1990 est.)
Nationality
noun - Jamaican(s); adjective - Jamaican
Net migration rate
-8 migrants/1,000 population (1992)
Organized labor
24% of labor force (1989)
Population
2,506,701 (July 1992), growth rate 0.9% (1992)
Religions
predominantly 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 39.1%, including some spiritualist cults (1982)
Total fertility rate
2.5 children born/woman (1992)
Government
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
Capital
Kingston
Chief of State
Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952), represented by Governor General Howard COOKE (since 1 August 1991)
Constitution
6 August 1962
Diplomatic representation
Ambassador Richard BERNAL; Chancery at Suite 355, 1850 K Street NW, Washington, DC 20006; telephone (202) 452-0660; there are Jamaican Consulates General in Miami and New York US: Ambassador Glen A. HOLDEN; Embassy at 3rd Floor, Jamaica Mutual Life Center, 2 Oxford Road, Kingston; telephone (809) 929-4850 through 4859, FAX (809) 926-6743
Executive branch
British monarch, governor general, prime minister, Cabinet
Flag
diagonal yellow cross divides the flag into four triangles - green (top and bottom) and black (hoist side and fly side)
Head of Government
Prime Minister P. J. Patterson (since 30 March 1992)
House of Representatives
last held 9 February 1989 (next to be held by February 1994); results - PNP 57%, JLP 43%; seats - (60 total) PNP 45, JLP 15
Independence
6 August 1962 (from UK)
Judicial branch
Supreme Court
Legal system
based on English common law; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
Legislative branch
bicameral Parliament consists of an upper house or Senate and a lower house or House of Representatives
Long-form name
none
Member of
ACP, C, CARICOM, CCC, CDB, ECLAC, FAO, G-15, G-19, G-77, GATT, G-15, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU, IFAD, IFC, ILO, IMF, IMO, INTELSAT, INTERPOL, IOC, ISO, ITU, LAES, LORCS, NAM, OAS, OPANAL, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO
National holiday
Independence Day (first Monday in August)
Other political or pressure groups
Rastafarians (black religious/racial cultists, pan-Africanists)
Political parties and leaders
People's National Party (PNP) P. J. Patterson; Jamaica Labor Party (JLP), Edward SEAGA
Suffrage
universal at age 18
Type
parliamentary democracy
Economy
Agriculture
accounts for about 9% of GDP, 22% of work force, and 17% of exports; commercial crops - sugarcane, bananas, coffee, citrus, potatoes, and vegetables; live-stock and livestock products include poultry, goats, milk; not self-sufficient in grain, meat, and dairy products
Budget
revenues $600 million; expenditures $736 million (FY91 est.)
Currency
Jamaican dollar (plural - dollars); 1 Jamaican dollar (J$) = 100 cents
Economic aid
US commitments, including Ex-Im (FY70-89), $1.2 billion; other countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments (1970-89), $1.6 billion
Electricity
1,122,000 kW capacity; 2,520 million kWh produced, 1,012 kWh per capita (1991)
Exchange rates
Jamaican dollars (J$) per US$1 - 21.946 (January 1992), 12.116 (1991), 7.184 (1990), 5.7446 (1989), 5.4886 (1988), 5.4867 (1987), 5.4778 (1986)
Exports
$1.2 billion (f.o.b., 1991, projected) commodities: bauxite, alumina, sugar, bananas partners: US 36%, UK, Canada, Norway, Trinidad and Tobago
External debt
$3.8 billion (1991 est.)
Fiscal year
1 April - 31 March
GDP
exchange rate conversion - $3.6 billion, per capita $1,400; real growth rate 1.0% (1991 est.)
Illicit drugs
illicit cultivation of cannabis; transshipment point for cocaine from Central and South America to North America; government has an active cannabis eradication program
Imports
$1.8 billion (c.i.f., 1991 projected) commodities: petroleum, machinery, food, consumer goods, construction goods partners: US 48%, UK, Venezuela, Canada, Japan, Trinidad and Tobago
Industrial production
growth rate - 2.0% (1990); accounts for almost 25% of GDP
Industries
tourism, bauxite mining, textiles, food processing, light manufactures
Inflation rate (consumer prices)
80% (1991 projected)
Overview
The economy is based on sugar, bauxite, and tourism. In 1985 it suffered a setback with the closure of some facilities in the bauxite and alumina industry, a major source of hard currency earnings. Since 1986 an economic recovery has been under way. In 1987 conditions began to improve for the bauxite and alumina industry because of increases in world metal prices. The recovery has also been supported by growth in the manufacturing and tourism sectors. In September 1988, Hurricane Gilbert inflicted severe damage on crops and the electric power system, a sharp but temporary setback to the economy. By October 1989 the economic recovery from the hurricane was largely complete, and real growth was up about 3% for 1989. In 1991, however, growth dropped to 1.0% as a result of the US recession, lower world bauxite prices, and monetary instability.
Unemployment rate
15.1% (1991)
Communications
Airports
36 total, 23 usable; 13 with permanent-surface runways; none with runways over 3,659 m; 2 with runways 2,440-3,659 m; 1 with runways 1,220-2,439 m
Civil air
8 major transport aircraft
Highways
18,200 km total; 12,600 km paved, 3,200 km gravel, 2,400 km improved earth
Merchant marine
4 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 9,619 GRT/16,302 DWT; includes 1 roll-on/roll-off cargo, 1 petroleum tanker, 2 bulk
Pipelines
petroleum products 10 km
Ports
Kingston, Montego Bay
Railroads
294 km, all 1.435-meter standard gauge, single track
Telecommunications
fully automatic domestic telephone network; 127,000 telephones; broadcast stations - 10 AM, 17 FM, 8 TV; 2 Atlantic Ocean INTELSAT earth stations; 3 coaxial submarine cables
Military and Security
Branches
Jamaica Defense Force (including Coast Guard and Air Wing), Jamaica Constabulary Force
Defense expenditures
exchange rate conversion - $20 million, less than 1% of GDP (FY91)
Manpower availability
males 15-49, 640,058; 454,131 fit for military service; no conscription; 26,785 reach minimum volunteer age (18) annually