Jamaica

parliamentary democracyIndependence 6 August 1962 (from UK)

Jamaica as the 1995 edition of the CIA World Factbook published it: 83 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 sq km

LocationCaribbean, island in the Caribbean Sea, south of Cuba

Populationas each edition published it

2.57 million July 1995 est. · 2.44m in 1990

Population growth% a year

0.78% 1995 est. · 0.96% in 1993

Median ageyears

Not in this edition 26.5 yrs in 2003

Life expectancyyears at birth

74.65 years 1995 est. · 74.09 yrs in 1993

Fertility ratechildren per woman

2.42 children per woman 1995 est. · 2.3 in 1990

Infant mortalitydeaths per 1,000 live births

16.1 deaths per 1,000 live births 1995 est. · 16 in 1990

GDP per capitaeach edition's own dollars

$3,050 1994 est. · $1,500 in 1993

GDP real growth% a year

2% 1994 est. · 1.5% in 1993

Geography

Caribbean, island in the Caribbean Sea, south of Cuba

14 fields

Land useshare of 10,990 sq km

arable land 19%permanent crops 6%meadows and pastures 18%forest and woodland 28%other 29%irrigated 350 sq km (1989 est.)

Area

10,990sq km

land area: 10,830 sq kmcomparative area: slightly smaller than Connecticut

Coastline

1,022km

land boundaries: 0 kmcontinental shelf: 200-m depth or to the depth of exploitationexclusive economic zone: 200 nmterritorial sea: 12 nm

Location

Caribbean, island in the Caribbean Sea, south of Cuba

Terrain

mostly mountains with narrow, discontinuous coastal plain

Environment

current issues:: deforestation;
coastal waters polluted by industrial waste, sewage, and oil spills;
damage to coral reefs;
air pollution in Kingston results from vehicle emissions
natural hazards:: hurricanes (especially July to November)
international agreements:: party to - Biodiversity, Climate Change, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Marine Life Conservation, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution

Note

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

People

15 fields

Population

2,574,291

(July 1995 est.)growth rate: 0.78% (1995 est.)

Per 1,000 population(1995 est.)

Birth

22.03Death

5.62Net migration

-8.65

Male · female(1995 est.)

TotalMale · femaleLife expectancy years74.65

72.39 · 77.01

TotalMale · femaleLiteracy82%

77% · 86%

MaleFemaleLiteracy age 15 and over has ever attended school (1987)

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

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

Age structure

0-14 years:: 33% (female 412,565; male 431,043)
15-64 years:: 60% (female 786,700; male 770,681)
65 years and over:: 7% (female 96,348; male 76,954) (July 1995 est.)

Infant mortality rate

16.1 deaths/1,000 live births (1995 est.)

Nationality

noun:: Jamaican(s)
adjective:: Jamaican

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

Government

Parliamentary democracy; Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952), represented by Governor General Sir Howard COOKE (since 1 August 1991); Prime Minister P. J. PATTERSON (since 30 March 1992)

23 fields

Legislature, 60 seatsone dot, one seat

PNP 52JLP 8

Names

conventional long form:: none
conventional short form:: Jamaica

Digraph

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

Legal system

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

Suffrage

18 years of age; universal

Executive branch

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 1993)
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 March 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-15, G-19, G-77, GATT, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU, ICRM, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, INTELSAT, INTERPOL, IOC, ISO, ITU, LAES, NAM, OAS, OPANAL, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNITAR, UPU, WCL, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO

Diplomatic representation in US

chief of mission:: Ambassador Richard Leighton BERNAL
chancery:: 1520 New Hampshire Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20036
telephone:: [1] (202) 452-0660

FAX

[1] (202) 452-0081; consulate(s) general: Miami and New York

US diplomatic representation

chief of mission:: Ambassador J. Gary COOPER (since October 1994)
embassy:: Jamaica Mutual Life Center, 2 Oxford Road, 3rd floor, Kingston
mailing address:: use embassy street address
telephone:: [1] (809) 929-4850 through 4859

FAX

[1] (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

Key sectors in this island economy are bauxite (alumina and | bauxite account for more than half of exports) and tourism.

19 fields

GDP per capita, PPP

$3,050

(1994 est.)

Real growth rate

(1994 est.)industrial production growth: growth rate 0.4% (1992); accounts for almost 30% of GDP

Inflation, consumer prices

26.7%

(1994)

Unemployment rate

15.7%

(1992)

Budget

Revenues

$600 millionExpenditures

$736 million

expenditures including capital expenditures of $NA (FY90/91 est.)

Installed generating capacity, 730,000 kW

Electricity production

2.6 billionElectricity consumption per capita

988 (1993)

Overview

Key sectors in this island economy are bauxite (alumina and bauxite account for more than half of exports) and tourism. The government's tight fiscal and monetary policies, which have been partially successful in curbing inflation, have held growth to 1.2% in 1993 and 2.0% in 1994.

National product

GDP - purchasing power parity - $7.8 billion (1994 est.)

Exports

$1.2 billion (f.o.b., 1994 est.)

commodities:: alumina, bauxite, sugar, bananas, rum
partners:: US 47%, UK 11%, Canada 9%, Norway 7%; France 4% (1993)

Imports

$2.2 billion (f.o.b., 1994 est.)

commodities:: machinery and transport equipment, construction materials, fuel, food, chemicals
partners:: US 54%, Japan 4.0%, Mexico 6%, UK 4%, Venezuela 3% (1993)

External debt

$3.6 billion (1994 est.)

Industries

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

Agriculture

accounts for about 7% of GDP, 22% 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