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Jamaica
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 and replaced by African slaves. England seized the island in 1655 and established a plantation economy based on sugar, cocoa, and coffee. The abolition of slavery in 1834 freed a quarter million slaves, many of whom became small farmers. Jamaica gradually obtained increasing independence from Britain. 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. Violent crime, drug trafficking, and poverty pose significant challenges to the government today. Nonetheless, many rural and resort areas remain relatively safe and contribute substantially to the economy.
Location :
Caribbean, island in the Caribbean Sea, south of Cuba
Geographic Coordinates Center :
18 15 N, 77 30 W (Latitude, Longtitude)
Geographic Coordinates Rectangle :
| West | -78.37 |
| North | 18.53 |
| East | -76.18 |
| South | 17.70 |
Map references :
America
Area :
| total | 10 991 | square km |
| land | 10 831 | square km |
| water | 160 | square km |
Coastline :
1022.00 km
Climate :
tropical; hot, humid; temperate interior
Terrain :
mostly mountains, with narrow, discontinuous coastal plain
Elevation extremes :
| lowest point | 0 | metres |
| highest point | 2 256 | metres |
Natural resources :
| bauxite | gypsum |
| limestone |
Land use :
| arable land | 15.83 | % |
| permanent crops | 10.01 | % |
| other | 74.16 | % |
Irrigated land :
250 square km
Total renewable water resources :
9 cubic km
Natural hazards :
| hurricanes |
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
international agreements :
| 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 |
Population :
2 825 928
Indicators :
| Growth rate | 0.76 | % |
| Birth rate | 19.68 | births/1,000 population |
| Total fertility rate | 2.25 | children born/woman |
| Death rate | 6.43 | deaths/1,000 population |
| Net migration rate | -5.70 | migrant(s)/1,000 population |
Age structure :
| 0-14 years | 31.40 | % |
| 15-64 years | 61.10 | % |
| 65 years and over | 7.50 | % |
Median age :
| total | 23.70 | years |
| male | 23.10 | years |
| female | 24.20 | years |
Sex ratio :
| at birth | 1.05 | male(s)/female |
| under 15 years | 1.03 | male(s)/female |
| 15-64 years | 0.97 | male(s)/female |
| 65 years and over | 0.81 | male(s)/female |
| total population | 0.98 | male(s)/female |
Health :
| Infant mortality rate | 15.22 | deaths/1,000 live births |
| Life expectancy at birth - total population | 73.53 | years |
| Life expectancy at birth - male | 71.83 | years |
| Life expectancy at birth - female | 75.30 | years |
| HIV-AIDS adult prevalence rate | 1.60 | % |
| HIV-AIDS people living with HIV-AIDS | 27 000 | |
| HIV-AIDS deaths | 1 500 |
Religions :
| Protestant | 62.50 | % |
| Roman Catholic | 2.60 | % |
| other | 14.20 | % |
| none | 20.90 | % |
Languages :
| English | |
| English patois |
Literacy :
| total population | 87.90 | % |
| male | 84.10 | % |
| female | 91.60 | % |
Country name :
| conventional short form | Jamaica |
Country Codes :
| ISO 3166 | JM |
| ISO Numeric | 388 |
| ISO3 | JAM |
| FIPS | JM |
| ccTLD | jm |
| English | Jamaica |
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 :
| name | Kingston |
| geographic coordinates | 18 00 N, 76 48 W |
| time difference | -5.00 |
International organization participation :
| ACP | AOSIS |
| C | CDB |
| Caricom | FAO |
| G-15 | G-77 |
| IADB | IAEA |
| IBRD | ICAO |
| ICCt (signatory) | ICRM |
| IFAD | IFC |
| IFRCS | IHO |
| ILO | IMF |
| IMO | IOC |
| IOM | ISO |
| ITSO | ITU |
| Interpol | LAES |
| MIGA | NAM |
| OAS | OPANAL |
| OPCW | PetroCaribe |
| RG | UN |
| UNCTAD | UNESCO |
| UNIDO | UNWTO |
| UPU | WCO |
| WFTU | WHO |
| WIPO | WMO |
| WTO |
Independence :
1962-08-06
National holiday :
Independence Day
1962-08-06
Executive branch :
| Prime Minister Bruce GOLDING | Queen ELIZABETH II |
Legislative branch :
| JLP | 50.10 | % |
| PNP | 49.80 | % |
GDP - Gross Domestic product :
| PPP - Purchasing Power Parity | 23 360 000 000 | $ |
| Official Exchange Rate | 11 920 000 000 | |
| RGR - Real Growth rate | -4.00 | % |
| PPP - per capita | 8 300 | $ |
GDP Composition by sector :
| agriculture | 5.70 | % |
| industry | 29.70 | % |
| services | 64.70 | % |
Labor force - by occupation :
| agriculture | 17.00 | % |
| industry | 19.00 | % |
| services | 64.00 | % |
Other Indicators :
| Labor force | 1 311 000 | people |
| Unemployment rate | 14.50 | % |
| Population below poverty line | 14.80 | % |
| Distribution of family income - Gini index | 45.50 | |
| Inflation rate (consumer prices) | 8.60 | % |
| Investment (gross fixed) | 22.20 | % of GDP |
| Current account balance | - 1 349 000 000 | $ |
| Reserves of foreign exchange and gold | 2 109 999 999 | $ |
| Debt external | 11 550 000 000 | $ |
| Market value of publicly traded shares | 7 513 000 000 | $ |
| Military expenditures | 0.60 | % of GDP |
| Public debt | 131.70 | % of GDP |
Household income or consumption by percentage share :
| lowest 10% | 2.10 | % |
| highest 10% | 35.80 | % |
Budget :
| revenues | 2 898 000 000 | $ |
| expenditures | 4 332 000 000 | $ |
Agriculture - products :
| ackees | bananas |
| citrus | coffee |
| crustaceans | goats |
| milk | mollusks |
| poultry | sugarcane |
| vegetables | yams |
Industries :
| agricultural processing | bauxite |
| cement | chemical products |
| light manufactures | metals |
| paper | rum |
| telecommunications | tourism |
Industrial production growth rate :
-13.50 %
Energy :
| Electricity Production | 7 324 000 000 | kWh |
| Electricity Consumption | 6 345 000 000 | kWh |
| Oil Consumption | 78 000 | bbl/day |
| Oil Imports | 77 720 | bbl/day |
Value :
1 422 000 000 $
Partners :
| United States (us) | 40.60 | % |
| Canada (ca) | 10.70 | % |
| United Kingdom (gb) | 9.30 | % |
| Netherlands (nl) | 7.90 | % |
| France (fr) | 5.40 | % |
| Russia (ru) | 5.30 | % |
Commodities :
| alumina | apparel |
| bauxite | beverages |
| chemicals | coffee |
| mineral fuels | rum |
| sugar | yams |
Value :
4 625 000 000 $
Partners :
| United States (us) | 39.70 | % |
| Trinidad and Tobago (tt) | 17.60 | % |
| Venezuela (ve) | 11.70 | % |
Commodities :
| construction materials | food industrial supplies |
| fuels | machinery and transportation equipment |
| parts and accessories of capital products |
Currency-code :
JMD
Currency-name :
Jamaican dollar
Communications :
| Telephons Main lines in use | 316 600 | |
| Telephons Mobile, Cellular | 2 723 000 | |
| FM Radio broadcast stations | 13 | |
| Television broadcast stations | 7 | |
| Internet Country code (ccTLD) | jm | |
| Internet Hosts | 3 961 | |
| Internet Users | 1 540 000 |
Transportation :
| Airports with paved runways | 12 | |
| Roadways - total | 21 552 | km |
| Roadways - expressways | 33 | km |
| Roadways - paved | 15 937 | km |
| Roadways - unpaved | 5 615 | km |
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