Jamaica

• tropical;
• hot, humid;
• temperate interior

• third largest island in the Caribbean (after Cuba and Hispaniola);
• strategic location between Cayman Trench and Jamaica Channel, the main sea lanes for the Panama Canal

noun:

Jamaican(s)

adjective:

Jamaican

at birth:

1.05 male(s)/female

0-14 years:

1.04 male(s)/female

15-24 years:

1.02 male(s)/female

25-54 years:

0.94 male(s)/female

55-64 years:

0.98 male(s)/female

65 years and over:

0.9 male(s)/female

total population:

0.98 male(s)/female (2020 est.)

• 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;
• land erosion

party to:

Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Climate Change-Paris Agreement, Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping-London Convention, Marine Life Conservation, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands

signed, but not ratified:

none of the selected agreements

particulate matter emissions:

13.25 micrograms per cubic meter (2016 est.)

carbon dioxide emissions:

8.23 megatons (2016 est.)

methane emissions:

1.08 megatons (2020 est.)

• tropical;
• hot, humid;
• temperate interior

urban population:

56.7% of total population (2021)

rate of urbanization:

0.79% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)

municipal:

140 million cubic meters (2017 est.)

industrial:

1.1 billion cubic meters (2017 est.)

agricultural:

114 million cubic meters (2017 est.)

conventional long form:

none

conventional short form:

Jamaica

etymology:

from the native Taino word "haymaca" meaning "Land of Wood and Water" or possibly "Land of Springs"

name:

Kingston

geographic coordinates:

18 00 N, 76 48 W

time difference:

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

etymology:

the name is a blending of the words "king's" and "town"; the English king at the time of the city's founding in 1692 was William III (r. 1689-1702)

history:

several previous (preindependence); latest drafted 1961-62, submitted to British Parliament 24 July 1962, entered into force 6 August 1962 (at independence)

amendments:

• proposed by Parliament;
• passage of amendments to "non-entrenched" constitutional sections, such as lowering the voting age, requires majority vote by the Parliament membership;
• passage of amendments to "entrenched" sections, such as fundamental rights and freedoms, requires two-thirds majority vote of Parliament;
• passage of amendments to "specially entrenched" sections such as the dissolution of Parliament or the executive authority of the monarch requires two-thirds approval by Parliament and approval in a referendum;
• amended many times, last in 2017

citizenship by birth:

yes

citizenship by descent only:

yes

dual citizenship recognized:

yes

residency requirement for naturalization:

4 out of the previous 5 years

chief of state:

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

head of government:

Prime Minister Andrew HOLNESS (since 3 March 2016)

cabinet:

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

elections/appointments:

• 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 majority coalition in the House of Representatives is appointed prime minister by the governor general

highest courts:

• 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 referred to the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council (in London) rather than to the Caribbean Court of Justice (the appellate court 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 Michael HOLNESS]
• People's National Party or PNP [Dr. Peter David PHILLIPS]
• National Democratic Movement or NDM [Peter TOWNSEND]

chief of mission:

Ambassador (vacant); Charge d'Affaires Scott FEEKEN (since 9 August 2021)

embassy:

142 Old Hope Road, Kingston 6

mailing address:

3210 Kingston Place, Washington DC 20521-3210

telephone:

(876) 702-6000 (2018)

FAX:

(876) 702-6348 (2018)

email address and website:

[email protected]; https://jm.usembassy.gov/

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

name:

Jamaica, Land We Love

lyrics/music:

Hugh Braham SHERLOCK/Robert Charles LIGHTBOURNE

note: adopted 1962

Fitch rating:

B+ (2019)

Moody's rating:

B2 (2019)

Standard & Poors rating: B+ (2019)

agriculture:

16.1%

industry:

16%

services:

67.9% (2017)

total:

20.6%

male:

16.8%

female:

25.4% (2019 est.)

lowest 10%:

2.6%

highest 10%:

29.3% (2015)

total:

22,121 km (includes 44 km of expressways) (2011)

paved:

16,148 km (2011)

unpaved:

5,973 km (2011)

total:

43

by type:

bulk carrier 1, container ship 5, general cargo 9, oil tanker 1, other 27 (2021)

major seaport(s):

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

container port(s) (TEUs):

Kingston (1,647,609) (2019)

• no conscription;
• 18-23 for voluntary military service (17 with parental consent; 18-28 for the reserves);
• since 2017, the JDF's standard mode of recruitment is to enroll recruits ages 18-23 through the Jamaica National Service Corps (JNSC);
• in the JNSC, soldiers receive basic military, vocational, and life skills training;
• upon completion of 1-year of service, soldiers can continue on with JDF or seek other opportunities with law enforcement (2021)

• the largest Caribbean source of marijuana which is trafficked to other Caribbean countries for illegal weapons and other contraband;
• transit point for cocaine trafficked from South America to North America and other international markets