1998 Edition

Area

total: 10,990 sq km land: 10,830 sq km water: 160 sq km

Area-comparative

slightly smaller than Connecticut

Climate

tropical; hot, humid; temperate interior

Coastline

1,022 km

Elevation extremes

lowest point: Caribbean Sea 0 m highest point: Blue Mountain Peak 2,256 m

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

Environment-international agreements

party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Marine Life Conservation, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Whaling signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Geographic coordinates

18 15 N, 77 30 W

Geography-note

strategic location between Cayman Trench and Jamaica Channel, the main sea lanes for Panama Canal

Irrigated land

350 sq km (1993 est.)

Land boundaries

0 km

Land use

arable land: 14% permanent crops: 6% permanent pastures: 24% forests and woodland: 17% other: 39% (1993 est.) note: irrigated land-3% (350 sq km)(1993 est.)

Location

Caribbean, island in the Caribbean Sea, south of Cuba

Map references

Central America and the Caribbean

Maritime claims

measured from claimed archipelagic baselines continental shelf: 200-m depth or to the depth of exploitation exclusive economic zone: 200 nm territorial sea: 12 nm

Natural hazards

hurricanes (especially July to November)

Natural resources

bauxite, gypsum, limestone

Terrain

mostly mountains with narrow, discontinuous coastal plain

Age structure

0-14 years: 32% (male 425,233; female 406,529) 15-64 years: 62% (male 806,846; female 817,145) 65 years and over: 6% (male 79,125; female 99,800) (July 1998 est.)

Birth rate

20.91 births/1,000 population (1998 est.)

Death rate

5.45 deaths/1,000 population (1998 est.)

Ethnic groups

black 90.4%, East Indian 1.3%, white 0.2%, Chinese 0.2%, mixed 7.3%, other 0.6%

Infant mortality rate

14.47 deaths/1,000 live births (1998 est.)

Languages

English, Creole

Life expectancy at birth

total population: 75.37 years male: 73.01 years female: 77.84 years (1998 est.)

Literacy

definition: age 15 and over has ever attended school total population: 85% male: 80.8% female: 89.1% (1995 est.)

Nationality

noun: Jamaican(s) adjective: Jamaican

Net migration rate

-8.45 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1998 est.)

Population

2,634,678 (July 1998 est.)

Population growth rate

0.7% (1998 est.)

Religions

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%

Sex ratio

at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.99 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.79 male(s)/female (1998 est.)

Total fertility rate

2.33 children born/woman (1998 est.)

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

Constitution

6 August 1962

Country name

conventional long form: none conventional short form: Jamaica

Data code

JM

Executive branch

chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II of the UK (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) and Deputy Prime Minister Seymour MULLINGS (since NA 1993) cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the governor general on the advice of the prime minister elections: none; the queen is a hereditary monarch; governor general appointed by the queen on the recommendation of the prime minister; prime minister and deputy prime minister appointed by the governor general

FAX

[1] (202) 452-0081 consulate(s) general: Miami and New York Diplomatic representation from the US: chief of mission: Ambassador Stanley Louis MCLELLAND embassy: Jamaica Mutual Life Center, 2 Oxford Road, 3rd floor, Kingston mailing address: use embassy street address telephone: [1] (809) 929-4850 through 4859

[1] (809) 926-6743

Flag description

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

Government type

parliamentary democracy

Independence

6 August 1962 (from UK)

International organization participation

ACP, C, Caricom, CCC, CDB, ECLAC, FAO, G-15, G-19, G-77, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU, ICRM, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO (pending member), ILO, IMF, IMO, Intelsat, Interpol, IOC, ISO, ITU, LAES, NAM, OAS, OPANAL, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNITAR, UPU, WCL, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO Diplomatic representation in the US: chief of mission: Ambassador Richard Leighton BERNAL chancery: 1520 New Hampshire Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20036 telephone: [1] (202) 452-0660

Judicial branch

Supreme Court, judges appointed by the governor general on advice of the prime minister Political parties and leaders: People's National Party (PNP), P. J. PATTERSON; Jamaica Labor Party (JLP), Edward SEAGA; National Democratic Movement (NDM), Bruce GOLDING Political pressure groups and leaders: Rastafarians (black religious/racial cultists, pan-Africanists); New Beginnings Movement (NBM)

Legal system

based on English common law; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

Legislative branch

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 13 seats, opposition 8 seats) and the House of Representatives (60 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms) elections: last held 18 December 1997 (next to be held by March 2002) election results: percent of vote by party-NA; seats by party-PNP 50, JLP 10

National capital

Kingston

National holiday

Independence Day (first Monday in August) (1962)

Suffrage

18 years of age; universal

Agriculture-products

sugarcane, bananas, coffee, citrus, potatoes, vegetables; poultry, goats, milk

Budget

revenues: $3 billion expenditures: $3 billion, including capital expenditures of $1.163 billion (FY97/98 est.)

Currency

1 Jamaican dollar (J$) = 100 cents

Debt-external

$3.2 billion (1997 est.)

Economic aid

recipient: ODA, $306 million (1996)

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 eliminated most price controls, streamlined tax schedules, and privatized government enterprises. Continued tight monetary and fiscal policies have helped slow inflation and stabilize the exchange rate, but have resulted in the slow-down of economic growth (moving from 1.5% in 1992 to 0.5% in 1995. In 1996, GDP was in negative growth (-1.4%) and remained so in 1997. Serious problems include: high interest rates; increased foreign competition; the weak financial condition of business in general resulting in receiverships or closures and downsizings of companies; the shift in investment portfolios to non-productive, short-term high yield instruments; a pressured, sometimes sliding, exchange rate; a widening merchandise trade deficit; and a growing internal debt for government bailouts to various ailing sectors of the economy. Jamaica's medium-term prospects will depend upon encouraging investment in the productive sectors, maintaining a competitive exchange rate, stabilizing the labor environment, and implementing proper fiscal and monetary policies.

Electricity-capacity

1.182 million kW (1995)

Electricity-consumption per capita

1,503 kWh (1995)

Electricity-production

3.87 billion kWh (1995)

Exchange rates

Jamaican dollars (J$) per US$1-36.051 (November 1997), 37.120 (1996), 35.142 (1995), 33.086 (1994), 24.949 (1993)

Exports

total value: $1.4 billion (f.o.b., 1996) commodities: alumina, bauxite, sugar, bananas, rum partners: US 37%, UK 13%, Canada 12%, Netherlands 9%, Norway 7%

Fiscal year

1 April-31 March Communications

GDP

purchasing power parity-$9.5 billion (1996 est.)

GDP-composition by sector

agriculture: 8% industry: 37% services: 55% (1996 est.)

GDP-per capita

purchasing power parity-$3,660 (1996 est.)

GDP-real growth rate

-1.4% (1996 est.)

Imports

total value: $2.9 billion (f.o.b., 1996 est.) commodities: machinery and transport equipment, construction materials, fuel, food, chemicals partners: US 52%, Trinidad and Tobago 8%, Japan 6%, UK 4%, Canada 3%

Industrial production growth rate

NA%

Industries

tourism, bauxite, textiles, food processing, light manufactures

Inflation rate-consumer price index

17% (1996 est.)

Labor force

total: 1.14 million (1996) by occupation: services 41%, agriculture 22.5%, industry 19%, unemployed 17.5% (1989)

Radio broadcast stations

AM 1, FM 7, shortwave 0 (1997)

Radios

1.973 million (1997)

Telephone system

fully automatic domestic telephone network domestic: NA international: satellite earth stations-2 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean); 3 coaxial submarine cables

Telephones

350,000 (1997 est.)

Television broadcast stations

8

Televisions

330,000 (1992 est.)

Unemployment rate

16% (1996 est.)

Airports

36 (1997 est.) Airports-with paved runways: total: 11 2,438 to 3,047 m: 2 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 3 under 914 m: 5 (1997 est.) Airports-with unpaved runways: total: 25 914 to 1,523 m: 2 under 914 m: 23 (1997 est.)

Highways

total: 18,700 km paved: 13,100 km unpaved: 5,600 km (gravel 3,200 km; improved earth 2,400 km) (1997 est.)

Merchant marine

total: 3 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 5,931 GRT/10,545 DWT ships by type: bulk 1, oil tanker 1, roll-on/roll-off cargo 1 (1997 est.)

Pipelines

petroleum products 10 km Ports and harbors: Alligator Pond, Discovery Bay, Kingston, Montego Bay, Ocho Rios, Port Antonio, Rocky Point, Longswharf

Railways

total: 370 km standard gauge: 370 km 1.435-m gauge; note-207 km belong to the Jamaica Railway Corporation in common carrier service, but are no longer operational; the remaining track is privately owned and used to transport bauxite

Military branches

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

Military expenditures-dollar figure

$47.9 million (FY97/98 est.)

Military expenditures-percent of GDP

NA%

Military manpower-availability

males age 15-49: 703,697 (1998 est.) Military manpower-fit for military service: males: 496,276 (1998 est.)

Military manpower-military age

18 years of age

Military manpower-reaching military age annually

males: 25,525 (1998 est.)

Disputes-international

none

Illicit drugs

transshipment point for cocaine from Central and South America to North America and Europe; illicit cultivation of cannabis; government has an active manual cannabis eradication program (territory of Norway)