Jamaica

parliamentary democracyIndependence 6 August 1962 (from UK)

Jamaica as the 1994 edition of the CIA World Factbook published it: 120 fields, one of 36 editions from 1990 to 2025.

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CapitalKingston
LocationCaribbean, in the northern Caribbean Sea, about 160 km south of Cuba
1994

Every edition of Jamaica

Populationas each edition published it
2.56 million July 1994 est. · 2.44m in 1990
Population growth% a year
1.02% 1994 est. · 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
2.41 children per woman 1994 est. · 2.3 in 1990
Infant mortalitydeaths per 1,000 live births
16.8 deaths per 1,000 live births 1994 est. · 16 in 1990
GDP per capitaeach edition's own dollars
$3,200 1992 est. · $1,500 in 1993
GDP real growth% a year
1.2% 1992 est. · 1.5% in 1993

Geography

Caribbean, in the northern Caribbean Sea, about 160 km south of Cuba

23 fields
Coastline
1,022km
land boundaries: 0 km
Irrigated land
350sq km
(1989 est.)

Location

Caribbean, in the northern Caribbean Sea, about 160 km south of Cuba

Map references

Central America and the Caribbean, North America, Standard Time Zones of the World

total area

10,990 sq km

land area

10,830 sq km

comparative area

slightly smaller than Connecticut

exclusive economic zone

200 nm

territorial sea

12 nm

Climate

  • tropical;
  • hot, humid;
  • temperate interior

Terrain

mostly mountains with narrow, discontinuous coastal plain

Natural resources

bauxite, gypsum, limestone

arable land

19%

permanent crops

6%

meadows and pastures

18%

forest and woodland

28%

other

29%

current issues

deforestation; water pollution

natural hazards

subject to hurricanes (especially July to November)

international agreements

  • party to - Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Marine Life Conservation, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution;
  • signed, but not ratified - Biodiversity, Climate Change

Note

strategic location between Cayman Trench and Jamaica Channel, the main sea lanes for Panama Canal

People

21 fields
Population
2,555,064
(July 1994 est.)growth rate: 1.02% (1994 est.)

Per 1,000 population(1994 est.)

Birth
21.69Death
5.62Net migration
-5.9

Ethnic divisions

African 76.3%Afro-European 15.1%East Indian and Afro-East Indian 3%white 3.2%Chinese and Afro-Chinese 1.2%other 1.2%
Labor force
1,062,100
Literacy
15
age · and over having ever attended school (1990 est.)

Infant mortality rate

16.8 deaths/1,000 live births (1994 est.)

total population

74.36 years

male

72.16 years

female

76.68 years (1994 est.)

Total fertility rate

2.41 children born/woman (1994 est.)

noun

Jamaican(s)

adjective

Jamaican

Religions

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, including some spiritual cults 39.1% (1982)

Languages

English, Creole

total population

98%

male

98%

female

99%

by occupation

services 41%, agriculture 22.5%, industry 19%, unemployed 17.5% (1989)

Government

Parliamentary democracy

32 fields

Legislature, 60 seatsone dot, one seat

PNP 52JLP 8

conventional long form

none

conventional short form

Jamaica

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)

National holiday

Independence Day (first Monday in August) (1962)

Constitution

6 August 1962

Suffrage

18 years of age; universal

chief of state

Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952), represented by Governor General Sir Howard COOKE (since 1 August 1991)

head of government

Prime Minister P. J. PATTERSON (since 30 March 1992); Deputy Prime Minister Seymour MULLINGS (since NA)

cabinet

Cabinet; appointed by the governor general on the advice of the prime minister

Legislative branch

bicameral Parliament

Senate

consists of a 21-member body appointed by the governor general

House of Representatives

  • elections last held 30 March 1993 (next to be held by February 1998);
  • results - percent of vote by party NA;
  • seats - (60 total) PNP 52, JLP 8

Judicial branch

Supreme Court

Political parties and leaders

People's National Party (PNP) P. J. PATTERSON; Jamaica Labor Party (JLP), Edward SEAGA

Other political or pressure groups

Rastafarians (black religious/racial cultists, pan-Africanists); New Beginnings Movement (NBM)

Member of

ACP, C, CARICOM, CCC, CDB, ECLAC, FAO, 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

chief of mission

Ambassador Richard Leighton BERNAL

chancery

Suite 355, 1850 K Street NW, Washington, DC 20006

telephone

(202) 452-0660

FAX

(202) 452-0081

consulate(s) general

Miami and New York

chief of mission

(vacant); Charge d'Affaires Lacy A. WRIGHT, Jr.

embassy

Jamaica Mutual Life Center, 2 Oxford Road, 3rd floor, Kingston

mailing address

use Embassy street address

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)

Economy

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

26 fields
GDP per capita, PPP
$3,200
(1992 est.)
Real growth rate
1.2%
(1992 est.)industrial production growth: growth rate 2% (1990); accounts for almost 25% of GDP

Overview

The economy is based on sugar, bauxite, and tourism. 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 to about 3% for 1989.

In 1991, however, growth dropped to 0.2% as a result of the US recession, lower world bauxite prices, and monetary instability. In 1992, growth was 1.2%, supported by a recovery in tourism and stabilization of the Jamaican dollar in the second half of 1992.

National product

GDP - purchasing power equivalent - $8 billion (1992 est.)

revenues

$600 million

expenditures

$736 million, including capital expenditures of $NA (FY91 est.)

Exports

$1.1 billion (f.o.b., 1992)

commodities

alumina, bauxite, sugar, bananas, rum

partners

US 40%, UK 14%, Germany 10%, Canada 10%, Norway 7%

Imports

$1.5 billion (f.o.b., 1992)

commodities

fuel, other raw materials, construction materials, food, transport equipment, other machinery and equipment

partners

US 53%, UK 5%, Venezuela 6%, Germany 5%, Japan 4.0%

External debt

$4.5 billion (1992 est.)

capacity

1,127,000 kW

production

2.736 trillion kWh

consumption per capita

1,090 kWh (1992)

Industries

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

Agriculture

  • accounts for about 7% of GDP, 23% of work force, and 17% of exports;
  • commercial crops - sugarcane, bananas, coffee, citrus, potatoes, vegetables;
  • livestock and livestock products include poultry, goats, milk;
  • not self-sufficient in grain, meat, and dairy products

Illicit drugs

  • transshipment point for cocaine from Central and South America to North America and Europe;
  • illicit cultivation of cannabis;
  • government has an active cannabis eradication program

recipient

US commitments, including Ex-Im (FY70-89), $1.2 billion; other countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments (1970-89), $1.6 billion

Currency

1 Jamaican dollar (J$) = 100 cents

Exchange rates

Jamaican dollars (J$) per US$1 -32.758 (31 December 1993), 22.960 (1992), 12.116 (1991), 7.184 (1990), 5.7446 (1989)

Fiscal year

1 April - 31 March

Communications

14 fields

Railroads

370 km, all 1.435-meter standard gauge, single track

total

18,200 km

paved

12,600 km

unpaved

gravel 3,200 km; improved earth 2,400 km

Pipelines

petroleum products 10 km

Ports

Kingston, Montego Bay, Port Antonio

Merchant marine

4 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 9,618 GRT/16,215 DWT, bulk 2, oil tanker 1, roll-on/roll-off cargo 1

total

40

usable

27

with permanent-surface runways

10

with runways over 3,659 m

0

with runways 2,440-3,659 m

2

with runways 1,220-2,439 m

1

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

Defense Forces

Jamaica Defense Force (including Ground Forces, Coast Guard and Air | Wing), Jamaica Constabulary Force

4 fields

Branches

Jamaica Defense Force (including Ground Forces, Coast Guard and Air Wing), Jamaica Constabulary Force

Manpower availability

  • males age 15-49 664,122;
  • fit for military service 469,982;
  • reach military age (18) annually 26,103 (1994 est.)

Defense expenditures

exchange rate conversion - $19.3 million, 1% of GDP (FY91/92)

Affiliation

(territory of Norway)

Central Intelligence Agency. “Jamaica.” The World Factbook 1994. Archived by The Factbook, thefactbook.org/jamaica/1994.

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