Jamaica

constitutional parliamentary democracyIndependence 6 August 1962 (from UK)

Jamaica as the 2007 edition of the CIA World Factbook published it: 122 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, UTC-5
Position18 15 N, 77 30 W
Area10,991 sq km
LocationCaribbean, island in the Caribbean Sea, south of Cuba
2007

Every edition of Jamaica

Populationas each edition published it
2.78 million July 2007 est. · 2.44m in 1990
Population growth% a year
0.777% 2007 est. · 0.96% in 1993
Median ageyears
23.2 years 2007 est. · 26.5 yrs in 2003
Life expectancyyears at birth
73.12 years 2007 est. · 74.09 yrs in 1993
Fertility ratechildren per woman
2.36 children per woman 2007 est. · 2.3 in 1990
Infant mortalitydeaths per 1,000 live births
15.73 deaths per 1,000 live births 2007 est. · 16 in 1990
GDP per capitaeach edition's own dollars
$4,700 2006 est. · $1,500 in 1993
GDP real growth% a year
2.5% 2006 est. · 1.5% in 1993

Introduction

1 field

Background

The island - discovered by Christopher COLUMBUS in 1494 - was settled by the Spanish early in the 16th century. The native Taino Indians, who had inhabited Jamaica for centuries, were gradually exterminated, replaced by African slaves. England seized the island in 1655 and a plantation economy - based on sugar, cocoa, and coffee - was established. The abolition of slavery in 1834 freed a quarter million slaves, many of whom became small farmers.

Jamaica gradually obtained increasing independence from Britain, and in 1958 it joined other British Caribbean colonies in forming the Federation of the West Indies. Jamaica gained full independence when it withdrew from the Federation in 1962. Deteriorating economic conditions during the 1970s led to recurrent violence as rival gangs affiliated with the major political parties evolved into powerful organized crime networks involved in international drug smuggling and money laundering.

The cycle of violence, drugs, and poverty has served to impoverish large sectors of the populace. Nonetheless, many rural and resort areas remain relatively safe and contribute substantially to the economy.

Geography

Caribbean, island in the Caribbean Sea, south of Cuba

18 fields

Land useshare of 10,991 sq km

arable land 15.83%permanent crops 10.01%other 74.16% (2005)irrigated 250 sq km (2002)
Area
10,991sq km
land: 10,831 sq kmwater: 160 sq kmslightly smaller than Connecticut
Coastline
1,022km
land boundaries: 0 kmMaritime claims: measured from claimed archipelagic straight baselinesterritorial sea: 12 nmcontiguous zone: 24 nmexclusive economic zone: 200 nmcontinental shelf: 200 nm or to edge of the continental margin
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

  • heavy rates of 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, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Marine Life Conservation, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands
signed, but not ratified:
none of the selected agreements

Geography - note

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

People

19 fields

Age structuremale left, female right · (2007 est.)

91,856
65 and over7.4%
112,549
822,486
15-6460.1%
848,310
459,968
0-1432.5%
444,963
MaleFemale
Population
2,780,132
(July 2007 est.)growth rate: 0.777% (2007 est.)

Per 1,000 population(2007 est.)

Birth
20.44Death
6.59Net migration
-6.07

Male · female

TotalMale · femaleLife expectancy years (2007 est.)73.12
71.43 · 74.9Infant mortality deaths/1,000 live births (2007 est.)15.73
16.4 · 15.01
TotalMale · femaleLiteracy (2003 est.)87.9%
84.1% · 91.6%Median age years (2007 est.)23.2
22.6 · 23.7
MaleFemaleLiteracy definition: age 15 and over has ever attended school

Ethnic groups(2001 census)

black 91.2%mixed 6.2%other or unknown 2.6% (2001 census)

Sex ratio

at birth:
1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years:
1.034 male(s)/female
15-64 years:
0.97 male(s)/female
65 years and over:
0.816 male(s)/female
total population:
0.978 male(s)/female (2007 est.)

Total fertility rate

2.36 children born/woman (2007 est.)

HIV/AIDS - deaths

900 (2003 est.)

Nationality

noun:
Jamaican(s)
adjective:
Jamaican

Religions

Protestant 62.5% (Seventh-Day Adventist 10.8%, Pentecostal 9.5%, Other Church of God 8.3%, Baptist 7.2%, New Testament Church of God 6.3%, Church of God in Jamaica 4.8%, Church of God of Prophecy 4.3%, Anglican 3.6%, other Christian 7.7%), Roman Catholic 2.6%, other or unspecified 14.2%, none 20.9%, (2001 census)

Languages

English, English patois

Government

Constitutional parliamentary democracy; Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952); Prime Minister Bruce GOLDING (since 11 September 2007)

18 fields

Presidential electionpercent of vote

50.1%
JLP 50.1%PNP 49.8%last held 3 September 2007 (next to be held no later than October 2012)

Legislature, 60 seats, elected 3 September 2007one dot, one seat

JLP 33PNP 27

Percent of vote

JLP 50.1%PNP 49.8%

Country name

conventional long form:
none
conventional short form:
Jamaica

Government type

constitutional parliamentary democracy

Capital

name:
Kingston
geographic coordinates:
18 00 N, 76 48 W
time difference:
UTC-5 (same time as Washington, DC during Standard Time)

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 note: for local government purposes, Kingston and Saint Andrew were amalgamated in 1923 into the present single corporate body known as the Kingston and Saint Andrew Corporation

Independence

6 August 1962 (from UK)

National holiday

Independence Day, 6 August (1962)

Constitution

6 August 1962

Suffrage

18 years of age; universal

Executive branch

chief of state:
Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952); represented by Governor General Kenneth O. HALL (since 15 February 2006)
head of government:
Prime Minister Bruce GOLDING (since 11 September 2007)
cabinet:
Cabinet appointed by the governor general on the advice of the prime minister
elections:
  • none;
  • the monarch is hereditary;
  • governor general appointed by the monarch on the recommendation of the prime minister;
  • following legislative elections, the leader of the majority party or the leader of the majority coalition in the House of Representatives is appointed prime minister by the governor general;
  • the deputy prime minister is recommended by the prime minister

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 is allocated 13 seats, and the opposition is allocated 8 seats) and the House of Representatives (60 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms)

elections:
last held 3 September 2007 (next to be held no later than October 2012)
election results:
percent of vote by party - JLP 50.1%, PNP 49.8%; seats by party - JLP 33, PNP 27

Judicial branch

Supreme Court (judges appointed by the governor general on the advice of the prime minister); Court of Appeal

Political parties and leaders

  • Jamaica Labor Party or JLP [Bruce GOLDING];
  • People's National Party or PNP [Portia SIMPSON-MILLER];
  • National Democratic Movement or NDM [Michael WILLIAMS]

Political pressure groups and leaders

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

International organization participation

ACP, C, Caricom, CDB, FAO, G-15, G-77, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt (signatory), ICRM, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO, ITSO, ITU, LAES, MIGA, NAM, OAS, OPANAL, OPCW, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO

Diplomatic representation in the US

chief of mission:
Ambassador Gordon SHIRLEY
chancery:
1520 New Hampshire Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20036
telephone:
[1] (202) 452-0660
FAX:
[1] (202) 452-0081
consulate(s) general:
Miami, New York

Diplomatic representation from the US

chief of mission:
Ambassador Brenda LaGrange JOHNSON
embassy:
142 Old Hope Road, Kingston 6
mailing address:
P.O. Box 541, Kingston 5
telephone:
[1] (876) 702-6000
FAX:
[1] (876) 702-6348

Flag description

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

Economy

The Jamaican economy is heavily dependent on services, which now account for more than 60% of GDP. The country continues to derive most of its foreign exchange from tourism, remittances, and bauxite/alumina.

44 fields
GDP, purchasing power parity
$12.84billion
(2006 est.)official exchange rate: $9.23 billion (2006 est.)
GDP per capita, PPP
$4,700
(2006 est.)
Real growth rate
2.5%
(2006 est.)industrial production growth: -2% (2000 est.)

GDP - composition by sector(2006 est.)

agriculture 5.4%industry 33.8%services 60.8% (2006 est.)

Trading partnersexports left, imports right

30.2%
US
39.3%
15.6%
Canada
15.2%
China
Trinidad and Tobago
13.6%
10.3%
UK
Venezuela
9.5%
7%
Netherlands
4.6%
Norway
Exports $2.117 billion f.o.b. (2006 est.)Imports $5.062 billion f.o.b. (2006 est.)(2006)

Budget

Revenues
$3.214 billionExpenditures
$3.772 billion (2006 est.)

Electricity

Electricity production
6.985 billion (2005)Electricity consumption
6.131 billion (2005)

Economy - overview

The Jamaican economy is heavily dependent on services, which now account for more than 60% of GDP. The country continues to derive most of its foreign exchange from tourism, remittances, and bauxite/alumina. Jamaica's economy, already saddled with a record of sluggish growth, was hit hard by Hurricane Ivan in late 2004, but has made a gradual recovery.

The economy faces serious long-term problems: high but declining interest rates, increased foreign competition, exchange rate instability, a sizable merchandise trade deficit, large-scale unemployment and underemployment, and a high debt burden - the result of government bailouts to ailing sectors of the economy, most notably the financial sector in the mid-to-late 1990s.

Following a strategy begun in 2004, Jamaica has reduced its public debt to 133.3% of GDP. Inflation also had declined to 5.8% at the end of 2006. High unemployment exacerbates the serious crime problem, including gang violence fueled by the drug trade. The government faces the difficult prospect of having to achieve fiscal discipline in order to maintain debt payments while simultaneously attacking a serious and growing crime problem that is hampering economic growth.

Labor force

1.249 million (2006 est.)

Labor force - by occupation

agriculture:
18.1%
industry:
17.3%
services:
64.6% (2004)

Unemployment rate

11.3% (2006 est.)

Household income or consumption by percentage share

lowest 10%:
2.1%
highest 10%:
35.8% (2004)

Investment (gross fixed)

32.9% of GDP (2006 est.)

Public debt

137.1% of GDP (2006 est.)

Agriculture - products

  • sugarcane, bananas, coffee, citrus, yams, ackees, vegetables;
  • poultry, goats, milk;
  • crustaceans, mollusks

Industries

tourism, bauxite/alumina, agro processing, light manufactures, rum, cement, metal, paper, chemical products, telecommunications

Oil - production

0 bbl/day (2004 est.)

Oil - consumption

72,080 bbl/day (2004 est.)

Oil - exports

NA bbl/day

Oil - imports

NA bbl/day

Oil - proved reserves

0 bbl (1 January 2006)

Natural gas - production

0 cu m (2005 est.)

Natural gas - consumption

0 cu m (2005 est.)

Current account balance

$-1.096 billion (2006 est.)

Exports

$2.117 billion f.o.b. (2006 est.)

Exports - commodities

alumina, bauxite, sugar, bananas, rum, coffee, yams, beverages, chemicals, wearing apparel, mineral fuels

Imports

$5.062 billion f.o.b. (2006 est.)

Imports - commodities

food and other consumer goods, industrial supplies, fuel, parts and accessories of capital goods, machinery and transport equipment, construction materials

Economic aid - recipient

$35.74 million (2005)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold

$2.318 billion (2006 est.)

Debt - external

$6.926 billion (2006 est.)

Currency (code)

Jamaican dollar (JMD)

Exchange rates

Jamaican dollars per US dollar - 65.768 (2006), 62.51 (2005), 61.197 (2004), 57.741 (2003), 48.416 (2002)

Fiscal year

1 April - 31 March

Communications

8 fields
Mobile cellular
2.804 million
(2005)
Internet users
1,213
(2007)
Fixed lines
319,000
(2005) · country code .jm

Telephone system

general assessment:
fully automatic domestic telephone network
domestic:
  • the 1999 agreement to open the market for telecommunications services resulted in rapid growth in mobile-cellular telephone usage;
  • mobile-cellular teledensity now exceeds 100 per 100 persons;
  • the number of fixed-lines in use has been declining
international:
  • country code - 1-876;
  • the Fibralink submarine cable network provides enhanced delivery of business and broadband traffic and is linked to the Americas Region Caribbean Ring System (ARCOS-1) submarine cable in the Dominican Republic;
  • the link to ARCOS-1 provides seamless connectivity to US, parts of the Caribbean, Central America, and South America;
  • satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean)

Radio broadcast stations

AM 10, FM 13, shortwave 0 (1998)

Internet users

1.232 million (2005)

Transportation

6 fields

Airports by runway lengthpaved left, unpaved right

2
2,438 to 3,047 m
4
914 to 1,523 m
2
5
under 914 m
21
Paved 11Unpaved 23

Airports

34 (2007)

Roadways

total:
20,996 km
paved:
15,386 km (includes 33 km of expressways)
unpaved:
5,610 km (2004)

Merchant marine

total:
13 ships (1000 GRT or over) 161,700 GRT/241,663 DWT
by type:
bulk carrier 6, cargo 2, carrier 1, petroleum tanker 1, roll on/roll off 3
foreign-owned:
12 (Denmark 1, Germany 1, Greece 8, Latvia 2)
registered in other countries:
1 (Panama 1) (2007)

Ports and terminals

Kingston, Port Esquivel, Port Kaiser, Port Rhoades, Rocky Point

Military

Jamaica Defense Force: Ground Forces, Coast Guard, Air Wing (2007)

6 fields

Military branches

Jamaica Defense Force: Ground Forces, Coast Guard, Air Wing (2007)

Military service age and obligation

18 years of age for voluntary military service; younger recruits may be conscripted with parental consent (2001)

Manpower available for military service

males age 18-49:
592,018
females age 18-49:
616,500 (2005 est.)

Manpower fit for military service

males age 18-49:
478,761
females age 18-49:
504,541 (2005 est.)

Manpower reaching military service age annually

males age 18-49:
27,923
females age 18-49:
27,889 (2005 est.)

Transnational Issues

2 fields

Illicit drugs

  • transshipment point for cocaine from South America to North America and Europe;
  • illicit cultivation and consumption of cannabis;
  • government has an active manual cannabis eradication program;
  • corruption is a major concern;
  • substantial money-laundering activity;
  • Colombian narcotics traffickers favor Jamaica for illicit financial transactions

Central Intelligence Agency. “Jamaica.” The World Factbook 2007. Archived by The Factbook, thefactbook.org/jamaica/2007.

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