2008 Edition

Background

The island - discovered by Christopher COLUMBUS in 1494 - was settled by the Spanish early in the 16th century. The native Taino Indians, who had inhabited Jamaica for centuries, were gradually exterminated and replaced by African slaves. England seized the island in 1655 and established a plantation economy based on sugar, cocoa, and coffee. The abolition of slavery in 1834 freed a quarter million slaves, many of whom became small farmers. Jamaica gradually obtained increasing independence from Britain, and in 1958 it joined other British Caribbean colonies in forming the Federation of the West Indies. Jamaica gained full independence when it withdrew from the Federation in 1962. Deteriorating economic conditions during the 1970s led to recurrent violence as rival gangs affiliated with the major political parties evolved into powerful organized crime networks involved in international drug smuggling and money laundering. Violent crime, drug trafficking, and poverty pose significant challenges to the government today. Nonetheless, many rural and resort areas remain relatively safe and contribute substantially to the economy.

Area

total: 10,991 sq km land: 10,831 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

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

Environment - international agreements

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

Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural)

total: 0.41 cu km/yr (34%/17%/49%) per capita: 155 cu m/yr (2000)

Geographic coordinates

18 15 N, 77 30 W

Geography - note

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

Irrigated land

250 sq km (2002)

Land boundaries

0 km

Land use

arable land: 15.83% permanent crops: 10.01% other: 74.16% (2005)

Location

Caribbean, island in the Caribbean Sea, south of Cuba

Map references

Central America and the Caribbean

Maritime claims

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

Natural hazards

hurricanes (especially July to November)

Natural resources

bauxite, gypsum, limestone

Terrain

mostly mountains, with narrow, discontinuous coastal plain

Total renewable water resources

9.4 cu km (2000)

Age structure

0-14 years: 32% (male 455,871/female 440,928) 15-64 years: 60.6% (male 837,241/female 861,906) 65 years and over: 7.4% (male 93,415/female 114,971) (2008 est.)

Birth rate

20.04 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Death rate

6.37 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Education expenditures

5.3% of GDP (2005)

Ethnic groups

black 91.2%, mixed 6.2%, other or unknown 2.6% (2001 census)

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate

1.2% (2003 est.)

HIV/AIDS - deaths

900 (2003 est.)

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS

22,000 (2003 est.)

Infant mortality rate

total: 15.57 deaths/1,000 live births male: 16.19 deaths/1,000 live births female: 14.92 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)

Languages

English, English patois

Life expectancy at birth

total population: 73.59 years male: 71.88 years female: 75.38 years (2008 est.)

Literacy

definition: age 15 and over has ever attended school total population: 87.9% male: 84.1% female: 91.6% (2003 est.)

Median age

total: 23.4 years male: 22.9 years female: 24 years (2008 est.)

Nationality

noun: Jamaican(s) adjective: Jamaican

Net migration rate

-5.88 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Population

2,804,332 (July 2008 est.)

Population growth rate

0.779% (2008 est.)

Religions

Protestant 62.5% (Seventh-Day Adventist 10.8%, Pentecostal 9.5%, Other Church of God 8.3%, Baptist 7.2%, New Testament Church of God 6.3%, Church of God in Jamaica 4.8%, Church of God of Prophecy 4.3%, Anglican 3.6%, other Christian 7.7%), Roman Catholic 2.6%, other or unspecified 14.2%, none 20.9%, (2001 census)

School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education)

total: 12 years male: 11 years female: 12 years (2003)

Sex ratio

at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.03 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.97 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.81 male(s)/female total population: 0.98 male(s)/female (2008 est.)

Total fertility rate

2.3 children born/woman (2008 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 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

Capital

name: Kingston geographic coordinates: 18 00 N, 76 48 W time difference: UTC-5 (same time as Washington, DC during Standard Time)

Constitution

6 August 1962

Country name

conventional long form: none conventional short form: Jamaica

Diplomatic representation from the US

chief of mission: Ambassador Brenda LaGrange JOHNSON embassy: 142 Old Hope Road, Kingston 6 mailing address: P.O. Box 541, Kingston 5 telephone: [1] (876) 702-6000

Diplomatic representation in the US

chief of mission: Ambassador Anthony JOHNSON chancery: 1520 New Hampshire Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20036 telephone: [1] (202) 452-0660

Executive branch

chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952); represented by Governor General Kenneth O. HALL (since 15 February 2006) head of government: Prime Minister Bruce GOLDING (since 11 September 2007) cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the governor general on the advice of the prime minister elections: 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

FAX

[1] (202) 452-0081 consulate(s) general: Miami, New York

[1] (876) 702-6001

Flag description

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

Government type

constitutional parliamentary democracy

Independence

6 August 1962 (from UK)

International organization participation

ACP, C, Caricom, CDB, FAO, G-15, G-77, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt (signatory), ICRM, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO, ITSO, ITU, LAES, MIGA, NAM, OAS, OPANAL, OPCW, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO

Judicial branch

Supreme Court (judges appointed by the governor general on the advice of the prime minister); Court of Appeal

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 is allocated 13 seats, and the opposition is allocated 8 seats) and the House of Representatives (60 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms) elections: last held 3 September 2007 (next to be held no later than October 2012) election results: percent of vote by party - JLP 50.1%, PNP 49.8%; seats by party - JLP 33, PNP 27

National holiday

Independence Day, 6 August (1962)

Political parties and leaders

Jamaica Labor Party or JLP [Bruce GOLDING]; People's National Party or PNP [Portia SIMPSON-MILLER]; National Democratic Movement or NDM [Michael WILLIAMS]

Political pressure groups and leaders

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

Suffrage

18 years of age; universal

Agriculture - products

sugarcane, bananas, coffee, citrus, yams, ackees, vegetables; poultry, goats, milk; crustaceans, mollusks

Budget

revenues: $3.716 billion expenditures: $4.261 billion (2007 est.)

Central bank discount rate

NA (31 December 2007)

Commercial bank prime lending rate

17.2% (31 December 2007)

Currency (code)

Jamaican dollar (JMD)

Currency code

JMD

Current account balance

-$1.83 billion (2007 est.)

Debt - external

$9.657 billion (31 December 2007 est.)

Distribution of family income - Gini index

45.5 (2004)

Economic aid - recipient

$35.74 million (2005)

Economy - overview

The Jamaican economy is heavily dependent on services, which now account for more than 60% of GDP. The country continues to derive most of its foreign exchange from tourism, remittances, and bauxite/alumina. Remittances account for nearly 20% of GDP and are equivalent to tourism revenues. Jamaica's economy, already saddled with a record of sluggish growth, will suffer an economic setback from damages caused by Hurricane Dean in August 2007. The economy faces serious long-term problems: high but declining interest rates, increased foreign competition, exchange rate instability, a sizable merchandise trade deficit, large-scale unemployment and underemployment, and a debt-to-GDP ratio of 135%. Jamaica's onerous debt burden - the fourth highest per capita - is the result of government bailouts to ailing sectors of the economy, most notably the financial sector in the mid-to-late 1990s. Inflation also has declined, standing at about 7% at the end of 2007. High unemployment exacerbates the serious crime problem, including gang violence that is fueled by the drug trade. The GOLDING administration faces the difficult prospect of having to achieve fiscal discipline in order to maintain debt payments while simultaneously attacking a serious and growing crime problem that is hampering economic growth.

Electricity - consumption

6.1 billion kWh (2006 est.)

Electricity - exports

0 kWh (2007 est.)

Electricity - imports

0 kWh (2007 est.)

Electricity - production

7.04 billion kWh (2006 est.)

Electricity - production by source

fossil fuel: 96.8% hydro: 1.8% nuclear: 0% other: 1.4% (2001)

Exchange rates

Jamaican dollars (JMD) per US dollar - 69.034 (2007), 65.768 (2006), 62.51 (2005), 61.197 (2004), 57.741 (2003)

Exports

$2.331 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)

Exports - commodities

alumina, bauxite, sugar, bananas, rum, coffee, yams, beverages, chemicals, wearing apparel, mineral fuels

Exports - partners

US 37.2%, Canada 15%, UK 9.7%, Netherlands 9.1% (2007)

Fiscal year

1 April - 31 March

GDP - composition by sector

agriculture: 5.1% industry: 32.7% services: 62.2% (2007 est.)

GDP - per capita (PPP)

$7,400 (2007 est.)

GDP - real growth rate

1.2% (2007 est.)

GDP (official exchange rate)

$11.21 billion (2007 est.)

GDP (purchasing power parity)

$20.48 billion (2007 est.)

Household income or consumption by percentage share

lowest 10%: 2.1% highest 10%: 35.8% (2004)

Imports

$5.784 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)

Imports - commodities

food and other consumer goods, industrial supplies, fuel, parts and accessories of capital goods, machinery and transport equipment, construction materials

Imports - partners

US 37.2%, Trinidad and Tobago 14.5%, Grenada 9.7%, Venezuela 8.3%, Brazil 4.2% (2007)

Industrial production growth rate

1.2% (2007 est.)

Industries

tourism, bauxite/alumina, agro processing, light manufactures, rum, cement, metal, paper, chemical products, telecommunications

Inflation rate (consumer prices)

9.5% (2007 est.)

Investment (gross fixed)

34.2% of GDP (2007 est.)

Labor force

1.255 million (2007 est.)

Labor force - by occupation

agriculture: 17% industry: 19% services: 64% (2006)

Market value of publicly traded shares

$12.28 billion (2006)

Natural gas - consumption

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - exports

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - imports

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - production

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - proved reserves

0 cu m (1 January 2006 est.)

Oil - consumption

73,370 bbl/day (2006 est.)

Oil - exports

1,535 bbl/day (2005)

Oil - imports

71,280 bbl/day (2005)

Oil - production

0 bbl/day (2005 est.)

Oil - proved reserves

0 bbl (1 January 2006 est.)

Population below poverty line

14.8% (2003 est.)

Public debt

126.5% of GDP (2007 est.)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold

$1.905 billion (31 December 2007 est.)

Stock of domestic credit

$6.609 billion (31 December 2007)

Stock of money

$1.369 billion (31 December 2007)

Stock of quasi money

$4.54 billion (31 December 2007)

Unemployment rate

9.9% (2007 est.)

Internet country code

.jm

Internet hosts

1,292 (2008)

Internet Service Providers (ISPs)

21 (2000)

Internet users

1.5 million (2007)

Radio broadcast stations

AM 10, FM 13, shortwave 0 (1998)

Radios

1.215 million (1997)

Telephone system

general assessment: fully automatic domestic telephone network domestic: the 1999 agreement to open the market for telecommunications services resulted in rapid growth in mobile-cellular telephone usage while the number of fixed-lines in use has declined; combined mobile-cellular teledensity now exceeds 100 per 100 persons international: country code - 1-876; the Fibralink submarine cable network provides enhanced delivery of business and broadband traffic and is linked to the Americas Region Caribbean Ring System (ARCOS-1) submarine cable in the Dominican Republic; the link to ARCOS-1 provides seamless connectivity to US, parts of the Caribbean, Central America, and South America; satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean) (2006)

Telephones - main lines in use

342,000 (2006)

Telephones - mobile cellular

2.495 million (2006)

Television broadcast stations

7 (1997)

Televisions

460,000 (1997)

Airports

34 (2007)

Airports - with paved runways

total: 11 2,438 to 3,047 m: 2 914 to 1,523 m: 4 under 914 m: 5 (2007)

Airports - with unpaved runways

total: 23 914 to 1,523 m: 2 under 914 m: 21 (2007)

Merchant marine

total: 20 by type: bulk carrier 6, cargo 6, carrier 1, container 4, roll on/roll off 3 foreign-owned: 17 (Denmark 2, Germany 4, Greece 6, Hong Kong 1, Latvia 1, Russia 3) (2008)

Ports and terminals

Kingston, Port Esquivel, Port Kaiser, Port Rhoades, Rocky Point

Roadways

total: 21,552 km paved: 15,937 km (includes 33 km of expressways) unpaved: 5,615 km (2005)

Jamaica Defense Force

Ground Forces, Coast Guard, Air Wing (2007)

Manpower available for military service

males age 16-49: 688,480 females age 16-49: 709,548 (2008 est.)

Manpower fit for military service

males age 16-49: 566,477 females age 16-49: 583,075 (2008 est.)

Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually

male: 32,000 female: 31,428 (2008 est.)

Military expenditures

0.6% of GDP (2006 est.)

Military service age and obligation

18 years of age for voluntary military service; younger recruits may be conscripted with parental consent (2001)

Disputes - international

none

Illicit drugs

transshipment point for cocaine from South America to North America and Europe; illicit cultivation and consumption 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 This page was last updated on 18 December, 2008