Jamaica

parliamentary democracyIndependence 6 August 1962 (from UK)

Jamaica as the 1991 edition of the CIA World Factbook published it: 68 fields, one of 36 editions from 1990 to 2025.

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CapitalKingston
Area10,990 km2
1991

Every edition of Jamaica

Populationas each edition published it
2.49 million July 1991 · 2.44m in 1990
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
2.6 children per woman 1991 · 2.3 in 1990
Infant mortalitydeaths per 1,000 live births
18 deaths per 1,000 live births 1991 · 16 in 1990
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

10 fields
Total area
10,990km2
land area: 10,830 km2Comparative area: slightly smaller than Connecticut

Coastline

1,022 km Territorial sea: 12 nm

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

People

14 fields
Population
2,489,353
(July 1991), growth rate 0.9% (1991)

Per 1,000 population(1991)

Birth
24Death
6

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%
Literacy
98%
(male 98%, female 99%) age 15 and over having ever attended school (1990 est.)

Net migration rate

- 9 migrants/1,000 population (1991)

Infant mortality rate

18 deaths/1,000 live births (1991)

Life expectancy at birth

72 years male, 76 years female (1991)

Total fertility rate

2.6 children born/woman (1991)

Nationality

noun--Jamaican(s); adjective--Jamaican

Religion

predominantly Protestant 55.9% (Church of God 18.4%, Baptist 10%, Anglican 7.1%, Seven-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)

Language

English, Creole

Labor force

  • 1,062,100;
  • services 41%, agriculture 22.5%, industry 19%;
  • unemployed 17.5% (1989)

Organized labor

24% of labor force (1989)

Government

Parliamentary democracy

16 fields

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

PNP 45JLP 15

Percent of vote

PNP 57%JLP 43%

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

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 13 February 1989) 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)

Member of

ACP, C, CARICOM, CCC, CDB, ECLAC, FAO, G-19, G-77, GATT, 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

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
$3.9billion
per capita $1,580; real growth rate 3.5% (1990)
External debt
$4.1billion
(1990 est.)

Budget

Revenues
$1.0 billionExpenditures
$1.1 billion
expenditures, including capital expenditures of $197 million (FY90 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. In 1990, 3.5% economic growth was led by mining and tourism.

Exports

  • $1.02 billion (f.o.b., 1990);
  • commodities--bauxite, alumina, sugar, bananas;
  • partners--US 36%, UK, Canada, Norway, Trinidad and Tobago

Imports

  • $1.83 billion (c.i.f., 1990);
  • commodities--petroleum, machinery, food, consumer goods, construction goods;
  • partners--US 48%, UK, Venezuela, Canada, Japan, Trinidad and Tobago

Industrial production

growth rate 3% (1989 est.); accounts for almost 25% of GDP

Electricity

1,122,000 kW capacity; 2,508 million kWh produced, 1,030 kWh per capita (1990)

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;
  • livestock 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 ships carrying cocaine and cannabis from central and South America to North America

Economic aid

  • US commitments, including Ex-Im (FY70-89), $1.2 billion;
  • Western (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments (1970-88), $1.45 billion;
  • OPEC bilateral aid (1979-89), $27 million;
  • Communist countries (1974-89), $349 million

Currency

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

Exchange rates

Jamaican dollars (J$) per US$1--8.106 (January 1991), 7.184 (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
2

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

Railroads

370 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

refined products, 10 km

Ports

Kingston, Montego Bay

Civil air

6 major transport aircraft

Telecommunications

  • 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), Jamaica Constabulary Force

3 fields
Defense expenditures
$20million
less than 1% of GDP (FY91)

Branches

Jamaica Defense Force (includes Coast Guard and Air Wing), Jamaica Constabulary Force

Manpower availability

  • males 15-49, 628,225;
  • 446,229 fit for military service;
  • no conscription;
  • 26,442 reach minimum volunteer age (18) annually

Central Intelligence Agency. “Jamaica.” The World Factbook 1991. Archived by The Factbook, thefactbook.org/jamaica/1991.

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