2010 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. 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

land

10,831 sq km

total

10,991 sq km

water

160 sq km

Area - comparative

slightly smaller than Connecticut

Climate

tropical; hot, humid; temperate interior

Coastline

1,022 km

Elevation extremes

highest point

Blue Mountain Peak 2,256 m

lowest point

Caribbean Sea 0 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)

per capita

155 cu m/yr (2000)

total

0.41 cu km/yr (34%/17%/49%)

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%

other

74.16% (2005)

permanent crops

10.01%

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

contiguous zone

24 nm

continental shelf

200 nm or to edge of the continental margin

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

Total renewable water resources

9.4 cu km (2000)

Age structure

0-14 years: 31.4% (male 451,310/female 436,466) 15-64 years: 61.1% (male 851,372/female 875,132) 65 years and over: 7.5% (male 94,833/female 116,815) (2010 est.)

Birth rate

19.47 births/1,000 population (2010 est.)

Death rate

6.48 deaths/1,000 population (July 2010 est.)

Education expenditures

6.2% of GDP (2008)

Ethnic groups

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

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate

1.6% (2007 est.)

HIV/AIDS - deaths

1,500 (2007 est.)

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS

27,000 (2007 est.)

Infant mortality rate

female

14.3 deaths/1,000 live births (2010 est.)

male

15.5 deaths/1,000 live births

total

14.91 deaths/1,000 live births

Languages

English, English patois

Life expectancy at birth

female

75.25 years (2010 est.)

male

71.8 years

total population

73.48 years

Literacy

definition: age 15 and over has ever attended school

female

91.6% (2003 est.)

male

84.1%

total population

87.9%

Median age

female

24.5 years (2010 est.)

male

23.4 years

total

23.9 years

Nationality

adjective

Jamaican

noun

Jamaican(s)

Net migration rate

-5.52 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2010 est.)

Population

2,847,232 (July 2010 est.)

Population growth rate

0.747% (2010 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)

female

14 years (2008)

male

13 years

total

14 years

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 (2010 est.)

Total fertility rate

2.21 children born/woman (2010 est.)

Urbanization

rate of urbanization

0.9% annual rate of change (2005-10 est.)

urban population

53% of total population (2008)

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

geographic coordinates

18 00 N, 76 48 W

name

Kingston

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 Pamela BRIDGEWATER

embassy

142 Old Hope Road, Kingston 6

FAX

[1] (876) 702-6001

mailing address

P.O. Box 541, Kingston 5

telephone

[1] (876) 702-6000

Diplomatic representation in the US

chancery

1520 New Hampshire Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20036

chief of mission

Ambassador Audrey P. MARKS

consulate(s) general

Miami, New York

FAX

[1] (202) 452-0081

telephone

[1] (202) 452-0660

Executive branch

cabinet

Cabinet is appointed by the governor general on the advice of the prime minister (For more information visit the World Leaders website )

chief of state

Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952); represented by Governor General Dr. Patrick L. ALLEN (since 26 February 2009)

elections

the monarchy 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 recommended by the prime minister

head of government

Prime Minister Bruce GOLDING (since 11 September 2007)

Flag description

diagonal yellow cross divides the flag into four triangles - green (top and bottom) and black (hoist side and outer side); green represents hope, vegetation, and agriculture, black reflects hardships overcome and to be faced, and yellow recalls golden sunshine and the island's natural resources

Government type

constitutional parliamentary democracy and a Commonwealth realm

Independence

6 August 1962 (from the UK)

International organization participation

ACP, AOSIS, C, Caricom, CDB, FAO, G-15, G-77, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICRM, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO, ITSO, ITU, LAES, MIGA, NAM, OAS, OPANAL, OPCW, PetroCaribe, RG, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNITAR, 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; Privy Council in UK; member of the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ)

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 elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms)

election results

percent of vote by party - JLP 50.1%, PNP 49.8%; seats by party - JLP 33, PNP 27

elections

last held on 3 September 2007 (next to be held no later than October 2012)

National anthem

lyrics/music

Hugh Braham SHERLOCK/Robert Charles LIGHTBOURNE note: adopted 1962

name

"Jamaica, Land We Love"

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

Central bank discount rate

NA% (31 December 2009) NA% (31 December 2008)

Commercial bank prime lending rate

16.43% (31 December 2009 est.) 16.83% (31 December 2008 est.)

Current account balance

-$1.382 billion (2010 est.) -$876 million (2009 est.)

Debt - external

$12.66 billion (31 December 2010 est.) $10.56 billion (31 December 2009 est.)

Distribution of family income - Gini index

45.5 (2004) 37.9 (2000)

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 15% of GDP and exports of bauxite and alumina make up about 10%. Tourism revenues account for roughly 10% of GDP, and both arrivals and revenues grew in 2010, up 4% and 6% respectively. The Economic growth faces many

challenges

high crime and corruption, large-scale unemployment and underemployment, and a debt-to-GDP ratio of more than 120%. Jamaica's onerous debt burden - the fourth highest per capita - is the result of government bailouts to ailing sectors of the economy, most notably to the financial sector in the mid-to-late 1990s. The Government of Jamaica signed a $1.27 billion, 27-month Standby Agreement with the International Monetary Fund for balance of payment support in February 2010. Other multilaterals have also provided millions of dollars in loans and grants. The government's difficult fiscal position hinders spending on infrastructure and social programs, particularly as job losses rise in a shrinking economy. 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. High unemployment exacerbates the crime problem, including gang violence that is fueled by the drug trade.

Electricity - consumption

6.345 billion kWh (2007 est.)

Electricity - exports

0 kWh (2008 est.)

Electricity - imports

0 kWh (2008 est.)

Electricity - production

7.324 billion kWh (2007 est.)

Exchange rates

Jamaican dollars (JMD) per US dollar - 87.41 (2010), 87.894 (2009), 72.236 (2008), 69.034 (2007), 65.768 (2006)

Exports

$1.487 billion (2010 est.) $1.263 billion (2009 est.)

Exports - commodities

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

Exports - partners

US 38.19%, Canada 12.2%, UK 10.79%, Norway 4.89%, Netherlands 4.69% (2009)

GDP - composition by sector

agriculture

5.7%

industry

29.7%

services

64.6% (2010 est.)

GDP - per capita (PPP)

$8,400 (2010 est.) $8,500 (2009 est.) $8,800 (2008 est.) note: data are in 2010 US dollars

GDP - real growth rate

-0.8% (2010 est.) -2.8% (2009 est.) -0.9% (2008 est.)

GDP (official exchange rate)

$13.74 billion (2010 est.)

GDP (purchasing power parity)

$23.93 billion (2010 est.) $24.12 billion (2009 est.) $24.81 billion (2008 est.) note: data are in 2010 US dollars

Household income or consumption by percentage share

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

Imports

$5.378 billion (2010 est.) $4.581 billion (2009 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 28.32%, Trinidad and Tobago 22.98%, Venezuela 12.14%, China 4.61%, Brazil 4.18% (2009)

Industrial production growth rate

-2% (2010 est.)

Industries

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

Inflation rate (consumer prices)

13% (2010 est.) 9.6% (2009 est.)

Investment (gross fixed)

25.1% of GDP (2010 est.)

Labor force

1.317 million (2010 est.)

Labor force - by occupation

agriculture

17%

industry

19%

services

64% (2006)

Market value of publicly traded shares

$6.201 billion (31 December 2009) $7.513 billion (31 December 2008) $12.33 billion (31 December 2007)

Natural gas - consumption

0 cu m (2008 est.)

Natural gas - exports

0 cu m (2008 est.)

Natural gas - imports

0 cu m (2008 est.)

Natural gas - production

0 cu m (2008 est.)

Natural gas - proved reserves

0 cu m (1 January 2010 est.)

Oil - consumption

77,000 bbl/day (2009 est.)

Oil - exports

0 bbl/day (2007 est.)

Oil - imports

77,720 bbl/day (2007 est.)

Oil - production

0 bbl/day (2008 est.)

Oil - proved reserves

0 bbl (1 January 2010 est.)

Population below poverty line

14.8% (2003 est.)

Public debt

123.2% of GDP (2010 est.) 124.4% of GDP (2009 est.)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold

$1.85 billion (31 December 2010 est.) $2.081 billion (31 December 2009 est.)

Stock of broad money

$5.782 billion (31 December 2010 est.) $5.472 billion (31 December 2009 est.)

Stock of domestic credit

$7.922 billion (31 December 2010 est.) $7.282 billion (31 December 2009 est.)

Stock of narrow money

$1.432 billion (31 December 2010 est) $1.371 billion (31 December 2009 est)

Unemployment rate

12.9% (2010 est.) 11.4% (2009 est.)

Broadcast media

privately-owned Radio Jamaica Limited and its subsidiaries operate multiple television stations, subscription cable services, and radio stations; 2 other privately-owned television stations broadcast; roughly 70 radio stations (2007)

Internet country code

.jm

Internet hosts

3,099 (2010)

Internet users

1.581 million (2009)

Telephone system

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 exceeded 110 per 100 persons in 2009

general assessment

fully automatic domestic telephone network

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) (2008)

Telephones - main lines in use

302,300 (2009)

Telephones - mobile cellular

2.971 million (2009)

Airports

27 (2010)

Airports - with paved runways

total

12 2,438 to 3,047 m: 2 914 to 1,523 m: 3 under 914 m: 7 (2010)

Airports - with unpaved runways

total

15 under 914 m: 15 (2010)

Merchant marine

by type

bulk carrier 9, cargo 5, container 4, roll on/roll off 1

foreign-owned

19 (Denmark 1, Germany 10, Greece 8) (2010)

total

19

Ports and terminals

Discovery Bay (Port Rhoades), Kingston, Montego Bay, Port Antonio, Port Esquivel, Port Kaiser, Rocky Point

Roadways

paved

15,937 km (includes 33 km of expressways)

total

21,552 km

unpaved

5,615 km (2005)

Manpower available for military service

males age 16-49: 712,627 females age 16-49: 730,845 (2010 est.)

Manpower fit for military service

males age 16-49: 581,033 females age 16-49: 590,437 (2010 est.)

Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually

female

32,098 (2010 est.)

male

32,723

Military branches

Jamaica Defense Force

Ground Forces, Coast Guard, Air Wing (2010)

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 page last updated on January 20, 2011 ======================================================================