Jamaica

parliamentary democracyIndependence 6 August 1962 (from UK)

Jamaica as the 1990 edition of the CIA World Factbook published it: 70 fields, one of 36 editions from 1990 to 2025.

field in that editiontext changed from the edition beforenot in that editionthe open editionEach field below ends in its editions, 1990 to 2025. Point at a year above to follow it down.

CapitalKingston

Area10,990 km2

Populationas each edition published it

2.44 million July 1990 · 2.94m in 2025

Population growth% a year

Not in this edition 0.96% in 1993

Median ageyears

Not in this edition 26.5 yrs in 2003

Life expectancyyears at birth

Not in this edition 74.09 yrs in 1993

Fertility ratechildren per woman

2.3 children per woman 1990 · 1.86 in 2025

Infant mortalitydeaths per 1,000 live births

16 deaths per 1,000 live births 1990 · 14.5 in 2025

GDP per capitaeach edition's own dollars

Not in this edition $1,500 in 1993

GDP real growth% a year

Not in this edition 1.5% in 1993

Geography

11 fields

Land useshare of 10,990 km2

arable land 19%permanent crops 6%meadows and pastures 18%forest and woodland 28%other 29%includes 3% irrigated

Total area

10,990km2

land area: 10,830 km2Comparative area: slightly smaller than Connecticut

Coastline

1,022km

land boundaries: noneTerritorial sea: 12 nm

Terrain

mostly mountains with narrow, discontinuous coastal plain

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

People

14 fields

Population

2,441,396

(July 1990), growth rate 0.6% (1990)

Per 1,000 population(1990)

Birth

21Death

Ethnic divisions

African 76.3%Afro-European 15.1%East Indian and Afro-East Indian 3.4%white 3.2%Chinese and Afro-Chinese 1.2%other 0.8%

Literacy

74%

Religion

predominantly Protestant (including Anglican and Baptist), some Roman Catholic, some spiritualist cults

Labor force

728,700;
32% agriculture, 28% industry and commerce, 27% services, 13% government;
shortage of technical and managerial personnel (1984)

Government

Parliamentary democracy

17 fields

House of Representatives, 60 seats, elected 9 February 1989one dot, one seat

PNP 45JLP 15

Percent of vote

PNP 57%JLP 43%

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

Legal system

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

National holiday

Independence Day (first Monday in August), 6 August 1990

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 Chief of State--Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952), represented by Governor General Sir Florizel A. GLASSPOLE (since 2 March 1973);
Head of Government--Prime Minister Michael MANLEY (since 9 February 1989)

Political parties and leaders

People's National Party (PNP), Michael Manley;
Jamaica Labor Party (JLP), Edward Seaga;
Workers' Party of Jamaica (WPJ), Trevor Munroe

Suffrage

universal at age 18 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

Communists

Workers' Party of Jamaica (Marxist-Leninist) Rastafarians (black religious/racial cultists, pan-Africanists)

ACP, CARICOM, CCC, Commonwealth, FAO, G-77, GATT, IADB, IAEA, IBA, IBRD, ICAO, ICO, IDB--Inter-American Development Bank, IFAD, IFC, ILO, IMF, IMO, INTELSAT, INTERPOL, ISO, ITU, NAM, OAS, PAHO, SELA, UN, UNESCO, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO

Diplomatic representation

Ambassador Keith JOHNSON;
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 HOLDEN;
Embassy at 3rd Floor, Jamaica Mutual Life Center, 2 Oxford Road, Kingston;
telephone [809] 929-4850

Flag

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

Economy

The economy is based on sugar, bauxite, and tourism.

17 fields

GDP, purchasing power parity

$3.8billion

per capita $1,529; real growth rate 3.0% (1989 est.)

Inflation, consumer prices

15%

(1989)

Unemployment rate

18.7%

(1988)

External debt

$4.4billion

(1989 est.)

Budget

Revenues

$1.1 billionExpenditures

$1.5 billion

expenditures, including capital expenditures of $NA (FY88 est.)

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.

Exports

$948 million (f.o.b., 1989 est.);
commodities--bauxite, alumina, sugar, bananas;
partners--US 40%, UK, Canada, Trinidad and Tobago, Norway

Imports

$1.6 billion (c.i.f., 1989 est.);
commodities--petroleum, machinery, food, consumer goods, construction goods;
partners--US 46%, UK, Venezuela, Canada, Japan, Trinidad and Tobago

Industrial production

growth rate 3% (1989 est.)

Electricity

1,437,000 kW capacity; 2,390 million kWh produced, 960 kWh per capita (1989)

Industries

tourism, bauxite mining, textiles, food processing, light manufactures

Agriculture

accounts for about 9% of GDP, one-third of work force, and 17% of exports;
commercial crops--sugarcane, bananas, coffee, citrus, potatoes, and vegetables;
livestock and livestock products include poultry, goats, milk;
not self-sufficient in grain, meat, and dairy products

Illicit drugs

illicit cultivation of cannabis has decreased, with production shifting from large to small plots and nurseries to evade aerial detection and eradication

Aid

US commitments, including Ex-Im (FY70-88), $1.1 billion;
Western (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments (1970-87), $1.2 billion;
OPEC bilateral aid (1979-89), $27 million;
Communist countries (1974-88), $349 million

Currency

Jamaican dollar (plural--dollars); 1 Jamaican dollar (J$) = 100 cents

Exchange rates

Jamaican dollars (J$) per US$1--6.5013 (January 1990), 5.7446 (1989), 5.4886 (1988), 5.4867 (1987), 5.4778 (1986), 5.5586 (1985)

Fiscal year

1 April-31 March

Communications

8 fields

Merchant marine, 5 ships by typeone square, one ship

cargo 1container 1roll-on/roll-off cargo 1petroleum, oils, and lubricants (POL) tanker 1bulk 15 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 13,048 GRT/21,412 DWT

Airports, 41 total, 25 usable

permanent-surface runways

14runways over 3,659 m

nonerunways 2,440-3,659 m

2runways 1,220-2,439 m

Networkskm

Highways

18,200Railroads

370

Highways: ; 12,600 km paved, 3,200 km gravel, 2,400 km improved earth · Railroads: , all 1.435-meter standard gauge, single track

fully automatic domestic telephone network;
127,000 telephones;
stations--10 AM, 17 FM, 8 TV;
2 Atlantic Ocean INTELSAT earth stations;
3 coaxial submarine cables

Defense Forces

Jamaica Defense Force (includes Coast Guard and Air Wing)

3 fields

Defense expenditures

1.1%of GDP

(1987)

Branches

Jamaica Defense Force (includes Coast Guard and Air Wing)

Military manpower

males 15-49, 620,400;
440,967 fit for military service;
no conscription;
27,014 reach minimum volunteer age (18) annually

Central Intelligence Agency. “Jamaica.” The World Factbook 1990. Archived by The Factbook, thefactbook.org/jamaica/1990.

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