| | World Fact Book | Mark H. Solsman | Documentation Training and Publications, Center for Academic Computing | mhs108@psu.edu 10/19/93 I _@_Jamaica Geography Total area: 10,990 km2 Land area: 10,830 km2 Comparative area: slightly smaller than Connecticut Land boundaries: none Coastline: 1,022 km Maritime claims: Territorial sea: 12 nm Disputes: none Climate: tropical; hot, humid; temperate interior Terrain: mostly mountains with narrow, discontinuous coastal plain Natural resources: bauxite, gypsum, limestone Land use: arable land 19%; permanent crops 6%; meadows and pastures 18%; forest and woodland 28%; other 29%; includes irrigated 3% Environment: subject to hurricanes (especially July to November); deforestation; water pollution Note: strategic location between Cayman Trench and Jamaica Channel, the main sea lanes for Panama Canal :Jamaica People Population: 2,506,701 (July 1992), growth rate 0.9% (1992) Birth rate: 23 births/1,000 population (1992) Death rate: 6 deaths/1,000 population (1992) Net migration rate: -8 migrants/1,000 population (1992) Infant mortality rate: 18 deaths/1,000 live births (1992) Life expectancy at birth: 72 years male, 76 years female (1992) Total fertility rate: 2.5 children born/woman (1992) Nationality: noun - Jamaican(s); adjective - Jamaican 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% 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) Languages: English, Creole Literacy: 98% (male 98%, female 99%) age 15 and over having ever attended school (1990 est.) Labor force: 1,062,100; services 41%, agriculture 22.5%, industry 19%; unemployed 17.5% (1989) Organized labor: 24% of labor force (1989) :Jamaica Government Long-form name: none Type: parliamentary democracy Capital: Kingston 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 Independence: 6 August 1962 (from UK) Constitution: 6 August 1962 Legal system: based on English common law; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction National holiday: Independence Day (first Monday in August) Executive branch: British monarch, governor general, prime minister, Cabinet Legislative branch: bicameral Parliament consists of an upper house or Senate and a lower house or House of Representatives Judicial branch: Supreme Court Leaders: Chief of State: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952), represented by Governor General Howard COOKE (since 1 August 1991) Head of Government: Prime Minister P. J. Patterson (since 30 March 1992) Political parties and leaders: People's National Party (PNP) P. J. Patterson; Jamaica Labor Party (JLP), Edward SEAGA Suffrage: universal at age 18 Elections: 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 Other political or pressure groups: Rastafarians (black religious/racial cultists, pan-Africanists) 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 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 Flag: diagonal yellow cross divides the flag into four triangles - green (top and bottom) and black (hoist side and fly side) :Jamaica Economy 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. GDP: exchange rate conversion - $3.6 billion, per capita $1,400; real growth rate 1.0% (1991 est.) Inflation rate (consumer prices): 80% (1991 projected) Unemployment rate: 15.1% (1991) Budget: revenues $600 million; expenditures $736 million (FY91 est.) Exports: $1.2 billion (f.o.b., 1991, projected) commodities: bauxite, alumina, sugar, bananas partners: US 36%, UK, Canada, Norway, Trinidad and Tobago 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 External debt: $3.8 billion (1991 est.) Industrial production: growth rate - 2.0% (1990); accounts for almost 25% of GDP Electricity: 1,122,000 kW capacity; 2,520 million kWh produced, 1,012 kWh per capita (1991) Industries: tourism, bauxite mining, textiles, food processing, light manufactures 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 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 Economic aid: US commitments, including Ex-Im (FY70-89), $1.2 billion; other countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments (1970-89), $1.6 billion Currency: Jamaican dollar (plural - dollars); 1 Jamaican dollar (J$) = 100 cents :Jamaica Economy 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) Fiscal year: 1 April - 31 March :Jamaica Communications Railroads: 294 km, all 1.435-meter standard gauge, single track Highways: 18,200 km total; 12,600 km paved, 3,200 km gravel, 2,400 km improved earth Pipelines: petroleum products 10 km Ports: Kingston, Montego Bay 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 Civil air: 8 major transport aircraft 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 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 :Jamaica Defense Forces Branches: Jamaica Defense Force (including Coast Guard and Air Wing), Jamaica Constabulary Force Manpower availability: males 15-49, 640,058; 454,131 fit for military service; no conscription; 26,785 reach minimum volunteer age (18) annually Defense expenditures: exchange rate conversion - $20 million, less than 1% of GDP (FY91) .