Jamaica

parliamentary democracyIndependence 6 August 1962 (from UK)

Jamaica as the 1997 edition of the CIA World Factbook published it: 99 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
Position18 15 N, 77 30 W
Area10,990 sq km
LocationCaribbean, island in the Caribbean Sea, south of Cuba
1997

Every edition of Jamaica

Populationas each edition published it
2.62 million July 1997 est. · 2.44m in 1990
Population growth% a year
0.75% 1997 est. · 0.96% in 1993
Median ageyears
Not in this edition 26.5 yrs in 2003
Life expectancyyears at birth
75.12 years 1997 est. · 74.09 yrs in 1993
Fertility ratechildren per woman
2.39 children per woman 1997 est. · 2.3 in 1990
Infant mortalitydeaths per 1,000 live births
15 deaths per 1,000 live births 1997 est. · 16 in 1990
GDP per capitaeach edition's own dollars
$3,260 1996 est. · $1,500 in 1993
GDP real growth% a year
0.5% 1996 est. · 1.5% in 1993

Geography

Caribbean, island in the Caribbean Sea, south of Cuba

18 fields

Land useshare of 10,990 sq km

arable land 14%permanent crops 6%permanent pastures 24%forests and woodland 17%other 39% (1993 est.)irrigated 350 sq km (1993 est.)
Area
10,990sq km
land: 10,830 sq kmwater: 160 sq kmslightly smaller than Connecticut
Coastline
1,022km
land boundaries: 0 kmMaritime claims: measured from claimed archipelagic baselinescontinental shelf: 200-m depth or to the depth of exploitationexclusive economic zone: 200 nmterritorial sea: 12 nm
Highest point
2,256m
Blue Mountain Peaklowest point: Caribbean Sea 0 m

Location

Caribbean, island in the Caribbean Sea, south of Cuba

Geographic coordinates

18 15 N, 77 30 W

Map references

Central America and the Caribbean

Climate

  • tropical;
  • hot, humid;
  • temperate interior

Terrain

mostly mountains with narrow, discontinuous coastal plain

Natural resources

bauxite, gypsum, limestone

Natural hazards

hurricanes (especially July to November)

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

Environment - international agreements

party to:
Biodiversity, Climate Change, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Marine Life Conservation, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Whaling
signed, but not ratified :
none of the selected agreements

Geography - note

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

People

15 fields
Population
2,615,582
(July 1997 est.)growth rate: 0.75% (1997 est.)

Per 1,000 population(1997 est.)

Birth
21.56Death
5.5Net migration
-8.51

Ethnic groups

black 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%
Literacy
85%
definition: age 15 and over has ever attended schoolmale: 80.8%female: 89.1% (1995 est.)

Age structure

0-14 years : 32% (male 428,831; female 409,959)

15-64 years:
61% (male 793,609; female 806,031)
65 years and over:
7% (male 78,453; female 98,699) (July 1997 est.)

Sex ratio

at birth:
1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years:
1.05 male(s)/female
15-64 years:
0.98 male(s)/female
65 years and over:
0.8 male(s)/female
total population:
0.99 male(s)/female (1997 est.)

Infant mortality rate

15 deaths/1,000 live births (1997 est.)

Life expectancy at birth

total population:
75.12 years
male :
72.8 years
female:
77.56 years (1997 est.)

Total fertility rate

2.39 children born/woman (1997 est.)

Nationality

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

Government

Parliamentary democracy; Queen ELIZABETH II of the UK (since 6 February 1952), represented by Governor General Sir Howard Felix COOKE (since 1 August 1991); Prime Minister Percival James PATTERSON (since 30 March 1992) and Deputy Prime Minister Seymour MULLINGS (since NA 1993)

21 fields

Legislature, 60 seats, elected 30 March 1993one dot, one seat

PNP 52JLP 8

Country name

conventional long form:
none
conventional short form:
Jamaica

Government type

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

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

Executive branch

chief of state:
Queen ELIZABETH II of the UK (since 6 February 1952), represented by Governor General Sir Howard Felix COOKE (since 1 August 1991)
head of government:
Prime Minister Percival James PATTERSON (since 30 March 1992) and Deputy Prime Minister Seymour MULLINGS (since NA 1993)
cabinet :
Cabinet appointed by the governor general on the advice of the prime minister
elections:
  • none;
  • the queen is a hereditary monarch;
  • governor general appointed by the queen on the recommendation of the prime minister;
  • prime minister and deputy prime minister appointed by the governor general

Legislative branch

bicameral Parliament consists of the Senate (a 21-member body appointed by the governor general on the recommendations of the prime minister and the leader of the opposition; ruling party 13 seats, opposition 8 seats) and the House of Representatives (60 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms)

elections:
last held 30 March 1993 (next to be held by March 1998)
election results:
  • percent of vote by party - NA;
  • seats by party - PNP 52, JLP 8;
  • note - the establishment of a major third party, the National Democratic Movement (NDM) in 1995 led to a realignment of seats - PNP 51, JLP 7, NDM 2

Judicial branch

Supreme Court, judges appointed by the governor general on advice of the prime minister

Political parties and leaders

  • People's National Party (PNP), P. J. PATTERSON;
  • Jamaica Labor Party (JLP), Edward SEAGA;
  • National Democratic Movement (NDM), Bruce GOLDING

Political pressure groups and leaders

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

International organization participation

ACP, C, Caricom, CCC, CDB, ECLAC, FAO, G-15, G-19, G-77, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU, ICRM, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO (pending member), ILO, IMF, IMO, Intelsat, Interpol, IOC, ISO, ITU, LAES, NAM, OAS, OPANAL, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNITAR, UPU, WCL, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO

Diplomatic representation in the 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

Diplomatic representation from the US

chief of mission:
Ambassador J. Gary COOPER
embassy:
Jamaica Mutual Life Center, 2 Oxford Road, 3rd floor, Kingston
mailing address :
use embassy street address
telephone:
[1] (876) 929-4850 through 4859

FAX

[1] (876) 926-6743

Flag description

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

Economy

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

22 fields
Real growth rate
0.5%
(1996 est.)industrial production growth: NA%
Unemployment rate
15.4%
(1994 est.)
Labor force
1,062,100
by occupation: services 41%, agriculture 22.5%, industry 19%, unemployed 17.5% (1989)

GDP - composition by sector(1995 est.)

agriculture 8.1%industry 36.2%services 55.7% (1995 est.)

Budget

Revenues
$1.45 billionExpenditures
$2 billion
expenditures including capital expenditures of $732 million (FY95/96 est.)

Economy - overview

Key sectors in this island economy are bauxite (alumina and bauxite account for more than half of exports) and tourism. Since assuming office in 1992, Prime Minister PATTERSON has consolidated the market-oriented reforms initiated by his predecessor, Michael MANLEY, to make Jamaica a regional leader in economic reform.

PATTERSON has eliminated most price controls, streamlined tax schedules, and privatized government enterprises. Tight monetary and fiscal policies under an IMF program have helped slow inflation and stabilize the exchange rate, but, as a result, economic growth has slowed down and unemployment remains high.

Jamaica's medium-term prospects depend largely on its ability to continue to attract foreign capital and to limit speculation against the Jamaican dollar.

GDP

purchasing power parity - $8.4 billion (1996 est.)

GDP - per capita

purchasing power parity - $3,260 (1996 est.)

Industries

bauxite, tourism, textiles, food processing, light manufactures

Electricity - capacity

848,400 kW (1995)

Electricity - production

5.829 billion kWh (1995)

Agriculture - products

sugarcane, bananas, coffee, citrus, potatoes, vegetables; poultry, goats, milk

Exports

total value:
$1.4 billion (f.o.b., 1996 est.)
commodities:
alumina, bauxite, sugar, bananas, rum
partners:
US 47%, UK 11%, Canada 9%, Norway 7%, France 4% (1993)

Imports

total value:
$2.8 billion (f.o.b., 1996 est.)
commodities:
machinery and transport equipment, construction materials, fuel, food, chemicals
partners:
US 54%, Japan 4.0%, Mexico 6%, UK 4%, Venezuela 3% (1993)

Debt - external

$4.2 billion (1995)

Economic aid

recipient: ODA, $239 million (1993)

Currency

1 Jamaican dollar (J$) = 100 cents

Exchange rates

Jamaican dollars (J$) per US$1 - 34.952 (December 1996), 37.120 (1996), 35.142 (1995), 33.086 (1994), 24.949 (1993), 22.960 (1992)

Fiscal year

1 April - 31 March

Communications

6 fields
Fixed lines
212,257
(1991 est.)

Telephone system

fully automatic domestic telephone network

domestic:
NA
international:
satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean); 3 coaxial submarine cables

Radio broadcast stations

AM 10, FM 17, shortwave 0

Radios

1.04 million (1992 est.)

Televisions

330,000 (1992 est.)

Transportation

8 fields

Merchant marine, 2 ships by typeone square, one ship · (1996 est.)

oil tanker 1roll-on/roll-off cargo 1

Airports by runway lengthpaved only

under 914 m
20
total: 25 2,438 to 3,047 m : 2 914 to 1,523 m: 3

Networkskm

Highways
18,600Railways
272
Highways: paved: 13,132 km · unpaved : 5,468 km (1995 est.) · Railways: standard gauge: 272 km 1.435-m gauge; note - 207 km belonging to the Jamaica Railway Corporation which were in common carrier service are no longer operational; the remaining track is privately owned and used to transport bauxite

Railways

total:
272 km
standard gauge:
  • 272 km 1.435-m gauge;
  • note - 207 km belonging to the Jamaica Railway Corporation which were in common carrier service are no longer operational;
  • the remaining track is privately owned and used to transport bauxite

Highways

total:
18,600 km
paved:
13,132 km
unpaved :
5,468 km (1995 est.)

Pipelines

petroleum products 10 km

Ports and harbors

Alligator Pond, Discovery Bay, Kingston, Montego Bay, Ocho Rios, Port Antonio, Rocky Point

Airports

26 (1996 est.)

Airports - with unpaved runways

total: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 1 (1996 est.)

Military

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

7 fields

Military branches

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

Military manpower - availability

males age 15-49: 691,799 (1997 est.)

Transnational Issues

2 fields

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 JAN MAYEN (territory of Norway)

Central Intelligence Agency. “Jamaica.” The World Factbook 1997. Archived by The Factbook, thefactbook.org/jamaica/1997.

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