Jamaica

• tropical;
• hot, humid;
• temperate interior

total:

0.93 cu km/yr (32%/16%/52%)

per capita:

369.9 cu m/yr (2009)

• heavy rates of deforestation;
• coastal waters polluted by industrial waste, sewage, and oil spills;
• damage to coral reefs;
• air pollution in Kingston from vehicle emissions

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

noun:

Jamaican(s)

adjective:

Jamaican

at birth:

1.05 male(s)/female

0-14 years:

1.04 male(s)/female

15-24 years:

1.01 male(s)/female

25-54 years:

0.97 male(s)/female

55-64 years:

0.98 male(s)/female

65 years and over:

0.81 male(s)/female

total population:

0.98 male(s)/female (2014 est.)

total number:

38,516

percentage:

6 % (2005 est.)

conventional long form:

none

conventional short form:

Jamaica

name:

Kingston

geographic coordinates:

18 00 N, 76 48 W

time difference:

UTC-5 (same time as Washington, DC, during Standard Time)

• several previous (preindependence);
• latest drafted 1961-62, submitted to British Parliament 24 July 1962, entered into force 6 August 1962 (at independence);
• amended many times, last in 2011 (2011)

chief of state:

Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952); represented by Governor General Dr. Patrick L. ALLEN (since 26 February 2009)

head of government:

Prime Minister Portia SIMPSON MILLER (since 5 January 2012)

cabinet:

Cabinet is appointed by the governor general on the advice of the prime minister; (For more information visit theWorld Leaders website)

elections:

• the monarchy 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

highest court(s):

Court of Appeal (consists of president of the court and a minimum of 4 judges; Supreme Court (40 judges organized in specialized divisions); note - appeals beyond Jamaica's highest courts are submitted to the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council (in London) rather than to the Caribbean Court of Justice (the appellate court implemented for member states of the Caribbean Community)

judge selection and term of office:

• chief justice of the Supreme Court and president of the Court of Appeal appointed by the governor-general on the advice of the prime minister;
• other judges of both courts appointed by the governor-general on the advice of the Judicial Service Commission;
• judges of both courts serve till age 70

subordinate courts:

resident magistrate courts, district courts, and petty sessions courts

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

chief of mission:

Ambassador Stephen C. VASCIANNIE (since 20 July 2012)

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

chief of mission:

Ambassador (vacant); Charge d'Affaires a.i. Elizabeth Martinez

embassy:

142 Old Hope Road, Kingston 6

mailing address:

P.O. Box 541, Kingston 5

telephone:

[1] (876) 702-6000

FAX:

[1] (876) 702-6001

• diagonal yellow cross divides the flag into four triangles - green (top and bottom) and black (hoist side and outer side);
• green represents hope, vegetation, and agriculture, black reflects hardships overcome and to be faced, and yellow recalls golden sunshine and the island's natural resources

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

agriculture:

17%

industry:

19%

services:

64% (2006)

lowest 10%:

2.1%

highest 10%:

35.8% (2004)

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 while the number of fixed-lines in use has declined;
• combined mobile-cellular teledensity exceeded 110 per 100 persons in 2011

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;
• the ALBA-1 fiber-optic submarine cable links Jamaica, Cuba, and Venezuela;
• satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean) (2010)

total:

22,121 km (includes 44 km of expressways)

country comparison to the world: 104

paved:

16,148 km

unpaved:

5,973 km (2011)

major seaport(s):

Discovery Bay (Port Rhoades), Kingston, Montego Bay, Port Antonio, Port Esquivel, Port Kaiser, Rocky Point

container port(s) (TEUs):

Kingston (1,724,928)

males age 16-49:

726,263

females age 16-49:

742,958 (2010 est.)

males age 16-49:

590,673

females age 16-49:

596,414 (2010 est.)

male:

33,369

female:

32,702 (2010 est.)

• 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