Jamaica

Branches

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

Defense expenditures

exchange rate conversion - $30 million, NA% of GDP (FY95/96)

Manpower availability

males age 15-49: 680,965 males fit for military service: 481,616 males reach military age (18) annually: 25,810 (1996 est.)

Radio broadcast stations

AM 10, FM 17, shortwave 0

Radios

1.04 million (1992 est.)

Telephone system

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

Telephones

212,257 (1991 est.)

Television broadcast stations

8

Televisions

330,000 (1992 est.) Defense

Agriculture

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

Budget

revenues: $1.45 billion expenditures: $2 billion, including capital expenditures of $732 million (FY95/96 est.)

Currency

1 Jamaican dollar (J$) = 100 cents

Economic aid

recipient: ODA, $239 million (1993)

Economic 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 limit speculation against the Jamaican dollar.

Electricity

capacity: 730,000 kW production: 2.6 billion kWh consumption per capita: 988 kWh (1993)

Exchange rates

Jamaican dollars (J$) per US$1 - 39.86 (December 1995), 33.086 (1994), 24.949 (1993), 22.960 (1992), 12.116 (1991)

Exports

$2 billion (f.o.b., 1995 est.) commodities: alumina, bauxite, sugar, bananas, rum partners: US 47%, UK 11%, Canada 9%, Norway 7%, France 4% (1993)

External debt

$3.6 billion (1994 est.)

Fiscal year

1 April - 31 March

GDP

purchasing power parity - $8.2 billion (1995 est.)

GDP composition by sector

agriculture: 7.9% industry: 28.1% services: 64% (1993 est.)

GDP per capita

$3,200 (1995 est.)

GDP real growth rate

0.8% (1995 est.)

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

Imports

$2.7 billion (f.o.b., 1995 est.) commodities: machinery and transport equipment, construction materials, fuel, food, chemicals partners: US 54%, Japan 4.0%, Mexico 6%, UK 4%, Venezuela 3% (1993)

Industrial production growth rate

NA%

Industries

bauxite, tourism, textiles, food processing, light manufactures

Inflation rate (consumer prices)

25.5% (1995)

Labor force

1,062,100 by occupation: services 41%, agriculture 22.5%, industry 19%, unemployed 17.5% (1989)

Unemployment rate

15.4% (1994 est.)

Area

total area: 10,990 sq km land area: 10,830 sq km comparative area: slightly smaller than Connecticut

Climate

tropical; hot, humid; temperate interior

Coastline

1,022 km

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, Whaling

Geographic coordinates

18 15 N, 77 30 W

Geographic note

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

International disputes

none

Irrigated land

350 sq km (1989 est.)

Land boundaries

0 km

Land use

arable land: 19% permanent crops: 6% meadows and pastures: 18% forest and woodland: 28% other: 29%

Location

Caribbean, island in the Caribbean Sea, south of Cuba

Map references

Central America and the Caribbean

Maritime claims

continental shelf: 200-m depth or to the depth of exploitation exclusive economic zone: 200 nm territorial sea: 12 nm

Natural resources

bauxite, gypsum, limestone

Terrain

mostly mountains with narrow, discontinuous coastal plain lowest point: Caribbean Sea 0 m highest point: Blue Mountain Peak 2,256 m

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

Capital

Kingston

Constitution

6 August 1962

Data code

JM

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

Executive branch

chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952), a hereditary monarch, is represented by Governor General Sir Howard COOKE (since 1 August 1991) who was appointed by the queen on recommendation of the prime minister head of government: Prime Minister Percival James PATTERSON (since 30 March 1992) and the Deputy Prime Minister Seymour MULLINGS (since NA 1993) were appointed by the governor general cabinet: Cabinet was appointed by the governor general on the advice of the prime minister

FAX

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

FAX

[1] (809) 926-6743

Flag

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

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

Independence

6 August 1962 (from UK)

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, ILO, IMF, IMO, Intelsat, Interpol, IOC, ISO, ITU, LAES, NAM, OAS, OPANAL, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNITAR, UNMIH, UPU, WCL, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO

Judicial branch

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

Legal system

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

Legislative branch

bicameral Parliament

Name of country

conventional long form: none conventional short form: Jamaica

National holiday

Independence Day (first Monday in August) (1962)

Other political or pressure groups

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

Political parties and leaders

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

Senate

consists of a 21-member body appointed by the governor general

Suffrage

18 years of age; universal

Type of government

parliamentary democracy

US diplomatic representation

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] (809) 929-4850 through 4859

Age structure

0-14 years: 32% (male 430,609; female 411,966) 15-64 years: 61% (male 781,626; female 795,808) 65 years and over: 7% (male 77,725; female 97,541) (July 1996 est.)

Birth rate

22.19 births/1,000 population (1996 est.)

Death rate

5.57 deaths/1,000 population (1996 est.)

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%

Infant mortality rate

15.6 deaths/1,000 live births (1996 est.)

Languages

English, Creole

Life expectancy at birth

total population: 74.88 years male: 72.6 years female: 77.29 years (1996 est.)

Literacy

age 15 and over has ever attended school (1995 est.) total population: 85% male: 80.8% female: 89.1%

Nationality

noun: Jamaican(s) adjective: Jamaican

Net migration rate

-8.58 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1996 est.)

Population

2,595,275 (July 1996 est.)

Population growth rate

0.8% (1996 est.)

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)

Sex ratio

at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.98 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.8 male(s)/female all ages: 0.99 male(s)/female (1996 est.)

Total fertility rate

2.45 children born/woman (1996 est.)

Airports

total: 27 with paved runways 2 438 to 3 047 m: 2 with paved runways 914 to 1 523 m: 3 with paved runways under 914 m: 21 with unpaved runways 914 to 1 523 m: 1 (1995 est.)

Highways

total: 18,094 km paved: 12,528 km unpaved: 5,566 km (1988 est.)

Merchant marine

total: 2 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 3,435 GRT/6,105 DWT ships by type: oil tanker 1, roll-on/roll-off cargo 1 (1995 est.)

Pipelines

petroleum products 10 km

Ports

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

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