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Background:
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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:
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Caribbean, island
in the Caribbean Sea, south of Cuba |
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Geographic coordinates:
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18 15 N, 77 30 W |
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Map references:
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Central
America and the Caribbean |
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Area:
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total:
10,991 sq km
land: 10,831 sq km
water: 160 sq km |
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Area - comparative:
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slightly smaller
than Connecticut |
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Land boundaries:
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0 km |
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Coastline:
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1,022 km |
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Climate:
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tropical; hot,
humid; temperate interior |
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Terrain:
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mostly mountains,
with narrow, discontinuous coastal plain |
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Elevation extremes:
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lowest point:
Caribbean Sea 0 m
highest point: Blue Mountain Peak 2,256 m |
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Natural resources:
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bauxite, gypsum,
limestone |
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Land use:
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arable land:
16.07%
permanent crops: 9.23%
other: 74.7% (1998 est.) |
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Irrigated land:
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250 sq km (1998
est.) |
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Natural hazards:
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hurricanes
(especially July to November) |
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Environment - current issues:
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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 |
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Environment - international agreements:
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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
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected
agreements |
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Geography - note:
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strategic
location between Cayman Trench and Jamaica Channel, the main
sea lanes for the Panama Canal |
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Population:
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2,713,130 (July
2004 est.) |
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Age structure:
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0-14 years:
28.2% (male 390,966; female 372,961)
15-64 years: 65% (male 883,053; female 880,296)
65 years and over: 6.9% (male 82,788; female 103,066)
(2004 est.) |
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Median age:
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total:
26.8 years
male: 26.2 years
female: 27.6 years (2004 est.) |
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Population growth rate:
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0.66% (2004 est.) |
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Birth rate:
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16.94
births/1,000 population (2004 est.) |
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Death rate:
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5.4 deaths/1,000
population (2004 est.) |
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Net migration rate:
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-4.92 migrant(s)/1,000
population (2004 est.) |
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Sex ratio:
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at birth:
1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.8 male(s)/female
total population: 1 male(s)/female (2004 est.) |
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Infant mortality rate:
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total:
12.81 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 11.75 deaths/1,000 live births (2004 est.)
male: 13.82 deaths/1,000 live births |
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Life expectancy at birth:
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total
population: 76.07 years
male: 74.04 years
female: 78.21 years (2004 est.) |
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HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
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1.2% (2001 est.) |
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HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
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20,000 (2001
est.) |
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HIV/AIDS - deaths:
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980 (2001 est.) |
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Nationality:
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noun:
Jamaican(s)
adjective: Jamaican |
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Ethnic groups:
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black 90.9%, East
Indian 1.3%, white 0.2%, Chinese 0.2%, mixed 7.3%, other 0.1% |
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Religions:
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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% |
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Languages:
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English, patois
English |
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Literacy:
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definition:
age 15 and over has ever attended school
total population: 87.9%
male: 84.1%
female: 91.6% (2003 est.) |
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Country name:
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conventional
long form: none
conventional short form: Jamaica |
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Government type:
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constitutional
parliamentary democracy |
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Capital:
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Kingston |
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Administrative divisions:
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14 parishes;
Clarendon, Hanover, Kingston, Manchester, Portland, Saint
Andrew, Saint Ann, Saint Catherine, Saint Elizabeth, Saint
James, Saint Mary, Saint Thomas, Trelawny, Westmoreland
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 |
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Independence:
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6 August 1962
(from UK) |
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National holiday:
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Independence Day,
first Monday in August (1962) |
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Constitution:
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6 August 1962 |
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Legal system:
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based on English
common law; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction |
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Executive branch:
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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 |
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Legislative branch:
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bicameral
Parliament consists of the Senate (a 21-member body appointed
by the governor general on the recommendations of the prime
minister and the leader of the opposition; ruling party is
allocated 13 seats, and the opposition is allocated eight
seats) and the House of Representatives (60 seats; members are
elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms)
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 |
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Judicial branch:
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Supreme Court
(judges appointed by the governor general on the advice of the
prime minister); Court of Appeal |
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Political parties and leaders:
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Jamaica Labor
Party or JLP [Edward SEAGA]; National Democratic Movement or
NDM [Hyacinth BENNETT]; People's National Party or PNP [Percival
James PATTERSON] |
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Political pressure groups and leaders:
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New Beginnings
Movement or NBM; Rastafarians (black religious/racial
cultists, pan-Africanists) |
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Diplomatic representation in the US:
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chief of
mission: Ambassador Seymour Edward MULLINGS
consulate(s) general: Miami and New York
FAX: [1] (202) 452-0081
telephone: [1] (202) 452-0660
chancery: 1520 New Hampshire Avenue NW, Washington, DC
20036 |
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Diplomatic representation from the US:
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chief of
mission: Ambassador Sue McCourt COBB
embassy: Jamaica Mutual Life Center, 2 Oxford Road, 3rd
floor, Kingston 5
mailing address: use embassy street address
telephone: [1] (876) 929-4850 through 4859
FAX: [1] (876) 935-6001 |
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Economy - overview:
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The
Jamaican economy is heavily dependent on services, which now
account for 70% 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 2002,
stunted economic growth; the economy rebounded moderately in
2003, with one of the best tourist seasons on record. 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. Depressed economic conditions have led to increased
civil unrest, including gang violence fueled by the drug
trade. In 2004, the government faces 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. |
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GDP:
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purchasing
power parity - $10.21 billion (2003 est.) |
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GDP - real growth rate:
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1.9%
(2003 est.) |
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GDP - per capita:
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purchasing
power parity - $3,800 (2003 est.) |
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GDP - composition by sector:
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agriculture:
6%
industry: 24%
services: 70% (2003 est.) |
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Population below poverty line:
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19.7%
(2002 est.) |
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Inflation rate (consumer prices):
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14.1%
(2003 est.) |
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Labor force:
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1.12
million (1998) |
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Labor force - by occupation:
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services
60%, agriculture 21%, industry 19% (1998) |
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Unemployment rate:
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15.9%
(2003 est.) |
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Budget:
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revenues:
$2.23 billion
expenditures: $2.56 billion, including capital
expenditures of $236 million (FY99/00 est.) |
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Industries:
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tourism,
bauxite/alumina, textiles, agro processing, wearing apparel,
light manufactures, rum, cement, metal, paper, chemical
products, telecommunications |
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Industrial production growth rate:
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-2%
(2000 est.) |
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Electricity - production:
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6.272
billion kWh (2001) |
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Electricity - production by source:
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fossil
fuel: 96.8%
hydro: 1.8%
other: 1.4% (2001)
nuclear: 0% |
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Electricity - consumption:
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5.833
billion kWh (2001) |
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Oil - production:
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0
bbl/day (2002 est.) |
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Oil - consumption:
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66,000
bbl/day (2002 est.) |
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Agriculture - products:
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sugarcane,
bananas, coffee, citrus, yams, vegetables, poultry, goats,
milk, crustaceans, and mollusks |
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Exports:
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$1.355
billion f.o.b. (2003 est.) |
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Exports - commodities:
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alumina,
bauxite, sugar, bananas, rum, coffee, yams, beverages,
chemicals, wearing apparel, mineral fuels |
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Exports - partners:
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US
28.3%, Canada 14.1%, Netherlands 12.2%, UK 12.1%, Norway 8.4%
(2002) |
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Imports:
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$3.265
billion f.o.b. (2003 est.) |
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Imports - commodities:
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food
and other consumer goods, industrial supplies, fuel, parts and
accessories of capital goods, machinery and transport
equipment, construction materials |
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Imports - partners:
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US
44%, Trinidad and Tobago 9.1%, Japan 5.9%, Venezuela 4% (2002) |
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Debt - external:
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$4.3
billion (2003 est.) |
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Economic aid - recipient:
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$16
million (2003) |
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Currency:
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Jamaican
dollar (JMD) |
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Currency code:
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JMD |
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Exchange rates:
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Jamaican
dollars per US dollar - 57.74 (2003), 48.42 (2002), 46 (2001),
42.7 (2000), 39.04 (1999) |
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Fiscal year:
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1
April - 31 March |
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Telephones - main lines in use:
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444,400 (2002) |
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Telephones - mobile cellular:
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1.4 million
(2002) |
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Telephone system:
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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 |
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Radio broadcast stations:
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AM 10, FM 13,
shortwave 0 (1998) |
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Television broadcast stations:
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7 (1997) |
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Internet country code:
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.jm |
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Internet hosts:
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1,276 (2002) |
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Internet users:
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600,000 (2002) |
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Railways:
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total: 272
km
standard gauge: 272 km 1.435-m gauge
note: 207 km belonging to the Jamaica Railway
Corporation were in common carrier service but are no longer
operational; the remaining track is privately owned and used
to transport bauxite (2002) |
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Highways:
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total:
18,700 km
paved: 13,109 km
unpaved: 5,591 km (1999 est.) |
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Waterways:
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none |
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Pipelines:
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petroleum
products 10 km |
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Ports and harbors:
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Alligator Pond,
Discovery Bay, Kingston, Montego Bay, Ocho Rios, Port Antonio,
Rocky Point, Port Esquivel (Longswharf) |
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Merchant marine:
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total: 6
ships (1,000 GRT or over) 74,881 GRT/100,682 DWT
by type: bulk 2, petroleum tanker 1, refrigerated cargo
2, short-sea/passenger 1
foreign-owned: Greece 2, Iceland 1, Latvia 1, United
States 2 (2003 est.) |
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Airports:
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35 (2003 est.) |
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Airports - with paved runways:
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total: 11
2,438 to 3,047 m: 2
914 to 1,523 m: 4
under 914 m: 5 (2003 est.) |
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Airports - with unpaved runways:
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total: 24
914 to 1,523 m: 2
under 914 m: 22 (2003 est.) |
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Military branches:
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Jamaica Defense
Force: Ground Forces, Coast Guard, Air Wing |
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Military manpower - military age:
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18 years of age
(2004 est.) |
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Military manpower - availability:
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males age
15-49: 764,266 (2004 est.) |
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Military manpower - fit for military service:
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males age
15-49: 533,768 (2004 est.) |
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Military manpower - reaching military age annually:
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males:
27,126 (2004 est.) |
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Military expenditures - dollar figure:
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$31 million
(2003) |
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Military expenditures - percent of GDP:
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0.4% (2003) |
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Disputes - international:
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none |
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Illicit drugs:
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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 |
This page was last updated on 11 May, 2004
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