Map of Jamaica | Geography | People | Government | Economy | Energy | Communication
Military | Transportation | Transnational Issues | Year: Guide1989199019911992199319941995199619971998199920002001200220032004200520062007200820092010201120122013201420152016201720182019202020212022202320242025 | More stats

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Background: Jamaica gained full independence within the British Commonwealth in 1962. Deteriorating economic conditions during the 1970s led to recurrent violence and a drop off in tourism. Elections in 1980 saw the democratic socialists voted out of office. Political violence marred elections during the 1990s.


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Location: Caribbean island in the Caribbean Sea south of Cuba

Geographic coordinates: 18 15 N 77 30 W

Map reference: Central America and the Caribbean

Area
Total: 10,991 km²
Land: 10,831 km²
Water: 160 km²
Comparative: slightly smaller than Connecticut

Land boundaries: 0 km

Coastline: 1022 km

Maritime claims
Territorial sea: 12 nm
Contiguous zone: 24 nm
Exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
Continental shelf: 200 nm or to edge of the continental margin

Climate: tropical; hot humid; temperate interior

Terrain: mostly mountains with narrow discontinuous coastal plain

Elevation
Extremes lowest point: Caribbean Sea 0 m
Extremes highest point: Blue Mountain Peak 2,256 m

Natural resources: bauxite gypsum limestone

Land use
Arable land: 16.07%
Permanent crops: 10.16%
Other: 73.77% (2001)

Irrigated land: 250 km² (1998 est.)

Major rivers

Major watersheds area km²

Total water withdrawal

Total renewable water resources

Natural hazards: hurricanes (especially July to November)

Geography
Note: strategic location between Cayman Trench and Jamaica Channel the main sea lanes for the Panama Canal


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Population: 2,731,832 (July 2005 est.)
Growth rate: 0.71% (2005 est.)
Below poverty line: 19.7% (2002 est.)

Nationality
Noun: Jamaican
Adjective: Jamaican

Ethnic groups: black 90.9% East Indian 1.3% white 0.2% Chinese 0.2% mixed 7.3% other 0.1%

Languages: English patois English

Religions: Protestant 61.3% (Church of God 21.2% Baptist 8.8% Anglican 5.5% Seventh-Day Adventist 9% Pentecostal 7.6% Methodist 2.7% United Church 2.7% Brethren 1.1% Jehovah's Witness 1.6% Moravian 1.1%) Roman Catholic 4% other including some spiritual cults 34.7%

Demographic profile

Age structure
0-14 years: 27.5% (male 385,099/female 367,398)
15-64 years: 65.6% (male 897,953/female 893,509)
65 years and over: 6.9% (male 83,632/female 104,241) (2005 est.)

Dependency ratios

Median age
Total: 27.25 years
Male: 26.55 years
Female: 27.97 years (2005 est.)

Population growth rate: 0.71% (2005 est.)

Birth rate: 16.56 births/1000 population (2005 est.)

Death rate: 5.37 deaths/1000 population (2005 est.)

Net migration rate: -4.07 migrant(s)/1000 population (2005 est.)

Population distribution

Urbanization

Major urban areas

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
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
International agreements signed but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Air pollutants

Sex ratio
At birth: 1.05 male/female
Under 15 years: 1.05 male/female
15-64 years: 1.01 male/female
65 years and over: 0.8 male/female
Total population: 1 male/female (2005 est.)

Mothers mean age at first birth

Maternal mortality ratio

Infant mortality rate
Total: 12.36 deaths/1000 live births
Male: 13.35 deaths/1000 live births
Female: 11.32 deaths/1000 live births (2005 est.)

Life expectancy at birth
Total population: 73.33 years
Male: 71.63 years
Female: 75.12 years (2005 est.)

Total fertility rate: 1.95 children born/woman (2005 est.)

Contraceptive prevalence rate

Drinking water source

Current health expenditure

Physicians density

Hospital bed density

Sanitation facility access

Hiv/Aids
Adult prevalence rate: 1.2% (2003 est.)
People living with hivaids: 22,000 (2003 est.)
Deaths: 900 (2003 est.)

Major infectious diseases

Obesity adult prevalence rate

Alcohol consumption

Tobacco use

Children under the age of 5 years underweight

Education expenditures

Literacy
Definition: age 15 and over has ever attended school
Total population: 87.9%
Male: 84.1%
Female: 91.6% (2003 est.)

School life expectancy primary to tertiary education

Youth unemployment


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Country name
Conventional long form: none
Conventional short form: Jamaica

Government type: constitutional parliamentary democracy

Capital: Kingston

Administrative divisions
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

Dependent areas

Independence: 6 August 1962 (from UK)

National holiday: Independence Day 6 August (1962)

Constitution: 6 August 1962

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

International law organization participation

Citizenship

Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal

Executive branch
Chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952), represented by Governor General Sir Howard Felix COOKE (since 1 August 1991)
Head of government: Prime Minister Percival James PATTERSON (since 30 March 1992)
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
Elections: last held 16 October 2002 (next to be held in October 2007)
Election results: percent of vote by party - PNP 52%, JLP 47.3%; seats by party - PNP 34, JLP 26

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]; National Democratic Movement or NDM [Hyacinth BENNETT]; People's National Party or PNP [Percival James PATTERSON]

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

Diplomatic representation
In the us chief of mission: Ambassador Gordon SHIRLEY
In the us chancery: 1520 New Hampshire Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20,036
In the us telephone: [1] (202) 452-0660
In the us fax: [1] (202) 452-0081
In the us consulates general: Miami and New York
From the us chief of mission: Ambassador Sue McCourt COBB
From the us embassy: Jamaica Mutual Life Center, 2 Oxford Road, 3rd floor, Kingston 5
From the us mailing address: use embassy street address
From the us telephone: [1] (876) 929-4,850 through 4,859
From the us fax: [1] (876) 935-6,001

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

National symbols

National anthem

National heritage


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Economy overview: The Jamaican economy is heavily dependent on services which now account for 60% of GDP. The country continues to derive most of its foreign exchange from tourism remittances and bauxite/alumina. The global economic slowdown particularly after the terrorist attacks in the US on 11 September 2001 stunted economic growth; the economy rebounded moderately in 2003-04 with brisk tourist seasons. But the economy faces serious long-term problems: high interest rates; increased foreign competition; a pressured sometimes sliding exchange rate; a sizable merchandise trade deficit; large-scale unemployment; and a growing internal debt the result of government bailouts to ailing sectors of the economy. The ratio of debt to GDP is close to 150%. Inflation previously a bright spot is expected to remain in the double digits. Uncertain economic conditions have led to increased civil unrest including gang violence fueled by the drug trade. In 2004 the government faced the difficult prospect of having to achieve fiscal discipline in order to maintain debt payments while simultaneously attacking a serious and growing crime problem which is hampering economic growth. Attempts at deficit control were derailed by Hurricane Ivan in September 2004 which required substantial government spending to repair the damage. Despite the hurricane tourism looks set to enjoy solid growth for the foreseeable future.

Real gdp purchasing power parity: $11.13 billion (2004 est.)

Real gdp growth rate: 1.9% (2004 est.)

Real gdp per capita: purchasing power parity - $4,100 (2004 est.)

Gross national saving

Gdp composition by end use

Gdp composition by sector of origin
Agriculture: 6.1%
Industry: 32.7%
Services: 61.3% (2004 est.)

Agriculture products: sugarcane bananas coffee citrus yams vegetables poultry goats milk crustaceans and mollusks

Industries: tourism bauxite/alumina textiles agro processing wearing apparel light manufactures rum cement metal paper chemical products telecommunications

Industrial production growth rate: -2% (2000 est.)

Labor force: 1.14 million (2004 est.)
By occupation agriculture: 20.1%
By occupation industry: 16.6%
By occupation services: 63.4% (2003)

Unemployment rate: 15% (2004 est.)

Youth unemployment

Population below poverty line: 19.7% (2002 est.)

Gini index

Household income or consumption by percentage share
Lowest 10: 2.7%
Highest 10: 30.3% (2000)

Distribution of family income gini index: 37.9 (2000)

Budget
Revenues: $2.793 billion
Expenditures: $3.157 billion, including capital expenditures of $236 million (2004 est.)

Taxes and other revenues

Public debt: 146.1% of GDP (2004 est.)

Revenue

Fiscal year: 1 April - 31 March

Inflation rate consumer prices: 12.4% (2004 est.)

Central bank discount rate

Commercial bank prime lending rate

Stock of narrow money

Stock of broad money

Stock of domestic credit

Market value of publicly traded shares

Current account balance: $-830.7 million (2004 est.)

Exports: $1.679 billion f.o.b. (2004 est.)
Commodities: alumina bauxite sugar bananas rum coffee yams beverages chemicals wearing apparel mineral fuels
Partners: US 17.4% Canada 14.8% France 13% China 10.5% UK 8.7% Netherlands 7.5% Norway 6% Germany 5.9% (2004)

Imports: $3.624 billion f.o.b. (2004 est.)
Commodities: food and other consumer goods industrial supplies fuel parts and accessories of capital goods machinery and transport equipment construction materials
Partners: US 38.7% Trinidad and Tobago 13.2% France 5.6% Japan 4.7% (2004)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold: $1.4 billion (2004 est.)

Debt external: $5.964 billion (2004 est.)

Stock of direct foreign investment at home

Stock of direct foreign investment abroad

Exchange rates: Jamaican dollars per US dollar - 61.197 (2004) 57.741 (2003) 48.416 (2002) 45.996 (2001) 42.986 (2000)


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Electricity
Production: 6.289 billion kWh (2002)
Consumption: 5.849 billion kWh (2002)
Exports: 0 kWh (2002)
Imports: 0 kWh (2002)

Coal

Petroleum

Crude oil

Refined petroleum

Natural gas

Carbon dioxide emissions

Energy consumption per capita


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Telephones
Main lines in use: 444,400 (2002)
Mobile cellular: 1.4 million (2002)

Telephone system
General assessment: fully automatic domestic telephone network
Domestic: NA
International: country code - 1-876; satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean); 3 coaxial submarine cables

Broadcast media

Internet
Country code: .jm
Hosts: 1480 (2003)
Users: 600,000 (2002)

Broadband fixed subscriptions


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Military expenditures
Dollar figure: $31.2 million (2003)
Percent of gdp: 0.4% (2003)

Military and security forces

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

Space program

Terrorist groups


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National air transport system

Civil aircraft registration country code prefix

Airports: 35 (2004 est.)
With paved runways total: 11
With paved runways 2438 to 3047 m: 2
With paved runways 914 to 1523 m: 4
With paved runways under 914 m: 5 (2004 est.)
With unpaved runways total: 24
With unpaved runways 914 to 1523 m: 2
With unpaved runways under 914 m: 22 (2004 est.)

Heliports

Pipelines

Railways
Total: 272 km
Standard gauge: 272 km 1.435-m gauge
Note: 207 of these km belonging to the Jamaica Railway Corporation had been in common carrier service until 1992 but are no longer operational; 57 km of the remaining track is privately owned and used by ALCAN to transport bauxite (2003)

Roadways

Waterways

Merchant marine
Total: 9 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 74,881 GRT/100,682 DWT
By type: bulk carrier 5, petroleum tanker 1, roll on/roll off 3
Foreign owned: 8 (Germany 2, Greece 5, UAE 1) (2005)

Ports and terminals


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Disputes international: none

Refugees and internally displaced persons

Illicit drugs: major transshipment point for cocaine from South America to North America and Europe; illicit cultivation 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