Learn 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, replaced by African slaves. England siezed the island in 1655 and a plantation economy – based on sugar, cocoa, and coffee – was established. The abolition of slavery in 1834 freed a quarter million slaves, many of which became small farmers. Jamaica gradually obtained increasing independence from Britain, and 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 created by the major political parties evolved into powerful organized crime networks involved in international drug smuggling and money laundering. The cycle of violence, drugs, and poverty has served to impoverish large sectors of the populace. Nonetheless, many rural and resort areas remain relatively safe and contribute substantially to the economy.

• Geography  

Area – 10,991 sq km (slightly smaller than Connecticut)

Climate – tropical; hot, humid; temperate interior

Elevation extreme – Blue Mountain Peak (2,256 m)

Natural resources – Bauxite, gypsum, limestone

Natural hazards – Hurricanes

International Environmental 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

• People

Population – 2,758,124 (July 2006 est.)

Median Age – total: 23 years — male: 22.4 years —  female: 23.5 years (2006 est.)

Population Growth Rate – 0.8% (est 2006)

Life Expectancy – total population: 73.24 years — male: 71.54 years — female: 75.03 years (2006 est.)

Fertility Rate – 2.41 children per woman

Ethnicity Breakdown – black 90.9%, East Indian 1.3%, white 0.2%, Chinese 0.2%, mixed 7.3%, other 0.1%

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

Languages – English, patois English

Literacy – definition: age 15 and over has ever attended school
                  total population: 87.9% — male: 84.1% — female: 91.6% (2003 est.)

• Government

Government Type – constitutional parliamentary democracy

Capital – Kingston

Independence – August 6th, 1962

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

Government Structure – chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952), represented by Governor General Kenneth O. HALL (since 15 February 2006)
head of government: Prime Minister Portia SIMPSON-MILLER (since 30 March 2006)
cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the governor general on the advice of the prime minister

• Economy

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 remittances, tourism, 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, exchange rate instability, a sizable merchandise trade deficit, large-scale unemployment and underemployment, and a growing stock of internal debt – the result of government bailouts to ailing sectors of the economy, most notably the financial sector in the mid-1990s. The ratio of debt to GDP is 135%. 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 that 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.

Labor force – 1.2 million

Unemployment rate – 11.5%

Export Partners – US 25.8%, Canada 19.3%, UK 10.7%, Netherlands 8.6%, China 7%, Norway 6.4%, Germany 5.6% (2005)

Import Partners – US 41.4%, Trinidad and Tobago 14%, Venezuela 5.5%, Japan 4.6% (2005)

Currency – Jamaican Dollar

Exchance rate w/ US $$ – Jamaican dollars per US dollar – 62.51 (2005), 61.197 (2004), 57.741 (2003), 48.416 (2002), 45.996 (2001)

• Communications

Television stations – 7 (as of 1997)

Landline phone use – 342,000 (2005)

Mobile phone use – 2.7 million (2005)

• Transportation

Airports – 35 (2006) 

paved runways – 11

unpaved runways – 24

Roadways - 18,700 km

paved roads – 13,009 km

unpaved – 5,610 km

 All information provided by www.cia.gov