World Facts

conventional long form: none
Capital: Kingston
Type of Government: constitutional parliamentary democracy-
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
Age Structure: 0-14 years: 27.5% (male 385,099/female 367,398)
Agriculture: sugarcane, bananas, coffee, citrus, yams, vegetables, poultry, goats, milk, crustaceans, and mollusks
Airports: 35 (2004 est.)
With Paved Runways: total: 11
With Unpaved Runways:
Area: total: 10,991 sq km. slightly smaller than Connecticut
Background: Jamaica gained full independence within the British Commonwealth in 1962. Deteriorating economic conditions during the 1970s led to recurrent violence and a drop off in tourism. Elections in 1980 saw the democratic socialists voted out of office. Political violence marred elections during the 1990s.
Birth rate: 16.56 births/1,000 population (2005 est.)
Budget: revenues: $3.224 billion
Coastline: 1,022 km-
Climate: tropical; hot, humid; temperate interior
Communications:
Constitution: 6-Aug-62
Currency: Jamaican dollar (JMD)-
Current account balance:
Death rate: 5.37 deaths/1,000 population (2005 est.)
Debt - external: $6.792 billion (2005 est.)-
Dependency status: -
Dependent areas:
Diplomatic representation from the US: chief of mission: Ambassador Brenda LaGrange JOHNSON
Diplomatic representation in the US: chief of mission: Ambassador Gordon SHIRLEY
Disputes - international: none-
Distribution of family income: -
Economic aid - donor: -
Economic aid - recipient:
Economy - overview: The Jamaican economy is heavily dependent on services, which now account for 60% of GDP. The country continues to derive most of its foreign exchange from tourism, remittances, and bauxite/alumina. The global economic slowdown, particularly after the terrorist attacks in the US on 11 September 2001, stunted economic growth; the economy rebounded moderately in 2003-04, with brisk tourist seasons. But the economy faces serious long-term problems: high interest rates; increased foreign competition; a pressured, sometimes sliding, exchange rate; a sizable merchandise trade deficit; large-scale unemployment; and a growing internal debt, the result of government bailouts to ailing sectors of the economy. The ratio of debt to GDP is more than 125%. Inflation, previously a bright spot, is expected to remain in the double digits. Uncertain economic conditions have led to increased civil unrest, including gang violence fueled by the drug trade. In 2004, the government faced the difficult prospect of having to achieve fiscal discipline in order to maintain debt payments while simultaneously attacking a serious and growing crime problem which is hampering economic growth. Attempts at deficit control were derailed by Hurricane Ivan in September 2004, which required substantial government spending to repair the damage. Despite the hurricane, tourism looks set to enjoy solid growth for the foreseeable future.-
Electricity - consumption:
Electricity - exports:
Electricity - imports:
Electricity - production:
Elevation extremes: 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:
Ethnic groups: black 90.9%, East Indian 1.3%, white 0.2%, Chinese 0.2%, mixed 7.3%, other 0.1%
Exchange rates: Jamaican dollars per US dollar - 62.04 (2005), 61.197 (2004), 57.741 (2003), 48.416 (2002), 45.996 (2001)
Executive branch: chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952), represented by Governor General Sir Howard Felix COOKE (since 1 August 1991)
Exports: $1.593 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.)
Exports - partners: US 17.4%, Canada 14.8%, France 13%, China 10.5%, UK 8.7%, Netherlands 7.5%, Norway 6%, Germany 5.9% (2004)
Fiscal year: 1 April - 31 March
Flag description: diagonal yellow cross divides the flag into four triangles - green (top and bottom) and black (hoist side and outer side)
GDP (official exchange rate): $8.704 billion (2005 est.)
GDP (purchasing power parity): $11.69 billion (2005 est.)
GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 4.9%
GDP - per capita: purchasing power parity - $4,300 (2005 est.)
GDP - real growth rate: 3.2% (2005 est.)
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-
Government - note:
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.)-
Heliports:
Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%: 2.7%-
Illicit drugs:
Imports: $4.144 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.)
Imports - partners: US 38.7%, Trinidad and Tobago 13.2%, France 5.6%, Japan 4.7% (2004)
Independence: 6 August 1962 (from UK)
Industrial production growth rate: -2% (2000 est.)
Industries: tourism, bauxite/alumina, textiles, agro processing, wearing apparel, light manufactures, rum, cement, metal, paper, chemical products, telecommunications
Infant mortality rate: total: 12.36 deaths/1,000 live births
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 14.9% (2005 est.)
International organization participation: ACP, C, Caricom, CDB, FAO, G-15, G-77, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt (signatory), ICFTU, ICRM, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO, ITU, LAES, MIGA, NAM, OAS, OPANAL, OPCW, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO
Internet country code: .jm
Internet hosts: 1,480 (2003)
Internet users: 600,000 (2002)
Investment (gross fixed): 32.4% of GDP (2005 est.)
Irrigated land: 250 sq km (1998 est.)
Judicial branch: Supreme Court (judges appointed by the governor general on the advice of the prime minister); Court of Appeal
Labor force: 1.2 million (2005 est.)
Labor force - by occupation:
Land boundaries: 0 km
Land use: arable land: 16.07%
Languages: English, patois English
Legal system: based on English common law; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
Legislative branch:
Life expectancy at birth: total population: 73.33 years
Literacy: definition: age 15 and over has ever attended school
Location: Caribbean, island in the Caribbean Sea, south of Cuba-
Major infectious diseases: -
Manpower available for military service: -
Manpower fit for military service:
Manpower reaching military service age annually: males: 26,080 (2005 est.)
Map references: Central America and the Caribbean
Maritime claims: measured from claimed archipelagic straight baselines
Median age: total: 27.25 years
Merchant marine: total: 9 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 74,881 GRT/100,682 DWT-
Military - note: -
Military branches: -
Military expenditures - dollar figure:
Military expenditures - percent of GDP: 0.4% (2003)
Military service age and obligation: 18 years of age for voluntary military service; younger recruits may be conscripted with parental consent (2001)
National holiday: Independence Day, 6 August (1962)
Nationality: noun: Jamaican(s)-
Natural gas - consumption: -
Natural gas - exports: -
Natural gas - imports:
Natural gas - production: -
Natural gas - proved reserves:
Natural hazards: hurricanes (especially July to November)
Natural resources: bauxite, gypsum, limestone
Net migration rate: -4.07 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2005 est.)-
Oil - consumption: -
Oil - exports: -
Oil - imports: -
Oil - production: -
Oil - proved reserves: -
People - note: -
Political parties and leaders: Jamaica Labor Party or JLP [Bruce GOLDING]; National Democratic Movement or NDM [Hyacinth BENNETT]; People's National Party or PNP [Percival James PATTERSON]
Political pressure groups and leaders: New Beginnings Movement or NBM; Rastafarians (black religious/racial cultists, pan-Africanists)
Population: 2,731,832 (July 2005 est.)
Population below poverty line: 19.7% (2002 est.)
Population growth rate: 0.71% (2005 est.)
Ports and terminals: Kingston, Port Esquivel, Port Kaiser, Port Rhoades, Rocky Point
Public debt: 127.5% of GDP (2005 est.)
Radio broadcast stations: AM 10, FM 13, shortwave 0 (1998)
Railways: total: 272 km-
Refugees and internally displaced persons:
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%-
Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:
Roadways: total: 18,700 km
Sex ratio:
Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal
Telephone system: general assessment: fully automatic domestic telephone network
Telephones - main lines in use: 444,400 (2002)
Telephones - mobile cellular: 1.4 million (2002)
Television broadcast stations: 7 (1997)
Terrain: mostly mountains, with narrow, discontinuous coastal plain
Total fertility rate: 1.95 children born/woman (2005 est.)-
Transportation - note:
Unemployment rate: 11.5% (2005 est.)-
Waterways: