1993 Edition
CIA World Factbook 1993 (Project Gutenberg)
Geography
Area
total area: 10,990 km2 land area: 10,830 km2 comparative area: slightly smaller than Connecticut
Climate
tropical; hot, humid; temperate interior
Coastline
1,022 km
Environment
subject to hurricanes (especially July to November); deforestation; water pollution
International disputes
none
Irrigated land
350 km2 (1989 est.)
Land boundaries
0 km
Land use
arable land: 19% permanent crops: 6% meadows and pastures: 18% forest and woodland: 28% other: 29%
Location
in the northern Caribbean Sea, about 160 km south of Cuba
Map references
Central America and the Caribbean, North America, Standard Time Zones of the World
Maritime claims
exclusive economic zone: 200 nm territorial sea: 12 nm
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
People and Society
Birth rate
22.24 births/1,000 population (1993 est.)
Death rate
5.72 deaths/1,000 population (1993 est.)
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%
Infant mortality rate
17.5 deaths/1,000 live births (1993 est.)
Labor force
1,062,100 by occupation: services 41%, agriculture 22.5%, industry 19%, unemployed 17.5% (1989)
Languages
English, Creole
Life expectancy at birth
total population: 74.09 years male: 71.92 years female: 76.36 years (1993 est.)
Literacy
age 15 and over having ever attended school (1990) total population: 98% male: 98% female: 99%
Nationality
noun: Jamaican(s) adjective: Jamaican
Net migration rate
-6.95 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1993 est.)
Population
2,529,981 (July 1993 est.)
Population growth rate
0.96% (1993 est.)
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)
Total fertility rate
2.47 children born/woman (1993 est.)
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 Sir Howard COOKE (since 1 August 1991)
Constitution
6 August 1962
Digraph
JM
Diplomatic representation in US
chief of mission: Ambassador Richard BERNAL chancery: Suite 355, 1850 K Street NW, Washington, DC 20006 telephone: (202) 452-0660
Executive branch
British monarch, governor general, prime minister, Cabinet
FAX
(809) 926-6743
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 30 March 1993 (next to be held by February 1998); results - percent of vote by party NA; seats - (60 total) PNP 52, JLP 8
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
Member of
ACP, C, CARICOM, CCC, CDB, ECLAC, FAO, 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
Names
conventional long form: none conventional short form: Jamaica
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
18 years of age; universal
Type
parliamentary democracy
US diplomatic representation
chief of mission: Ambassador Glen A. HOLDEN embassy: Kingston mailing address: 3rd Floor, Jamaica Mutual Life Center, 2 Oxford Road, Kingston telephone: (809) 929-4850 through 4859
Economy
Agriculture
accounts for about 9% 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
Budget
revenues $600 million; expenditures $736 million, including capital expenditures of $NA (FY91 est.)
Currency
1 Jamaican dollar (J$) = 100 cents
Economic aid
US commitments, including Ex-Im (FY70-89), $1.2 billion; other countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments (1970-89), $1.6 billion
Electricity
1,127,000 kW capacity; 2,736 million kWh produced, 1,090 kWh per capita (1992)
Exchange rates
Jamaican dollars (J$) per US$1 - 22.173 (September 1992), 12.116 (1991), 7.184 (1990), 5.7446 (1989), 5.4886 (1988), 5.4867 (1987)
Exports
$1.2 billion (f.o.b., 1991) commodities: alumina, bauxite, sugar, bananas, rum partners: US 39%, UK 14%, Canada 12%, Netherlands 8%, Norway 7%
External debt
$4.4 billion (1991 est.)
Fiscal year
1 April - 31 March
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
$1.6 billion (f.o.b., 1991) commodities: fuel, other raw materials, construction materials, food, transport equipment, other machinery and equipment partners: US 51%, UK 6%, Venezuela 5%, Canada 5%, Japan 4.5%
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)
52% (1992 est.)
National product
GDP - exchange rate conversion - $3.7 billion (1992 est.)
National product per capita
$1,500 (1992 est.)
National product real growth rate
1.5% (1992 est.)
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 0.2% as a result of the US recession, lower world bauxite prices, and monetary instability. In 1992, growth was 1.5%, supported by a recovery in tourism and stabilization of the Jamaican dollar in the second half of 1992.
Unemployment rate
15.4% (1992)
Communications
Airports
total: 36 usable: 23 with permanent-surface runways: 10 with runways over 3,659 m: with runways 2,440-3,659 m: 2 with runways 1,220-2,439 m: 1
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 oil tanker, 2 bulk
Pipelines
petroleum products 10 km
Ports
Kingston, Montego Bay, Port Antonio
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 Ground Forces, Coast Guard and Air Wing), Jamaica Constabulary Force
Defense expenditures
exchange rate conversion - $19.3 million, 1% of GDP (FY91/92)
Manpower availability
males age 15-49 651,931; fit for military service 461,980 (1993 est.); no conscription; 26,445 reach minimum volunteer age (18) annually