World Facts Index > Jamaica > Kingston
 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, 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
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.
Geography of Jamaica
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Location:
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Caribbean, island in the
Caribbean Sea, south of Cuba |
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Coordinates:
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18 15 N, 77 30 W |
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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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Maritime claims:
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measured from claimed
archipelagic baselines
exclusive economic zone: 200 NM
territorial sea: 12 NM
continental shelf: 200 NM or to edge of the continental margin
contiguous zone: 24 NM |
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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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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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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 of Jamaica
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Population:
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2,804,332 (July 2008 est.) |
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Age structure:
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0-14 years: 33.1% (male 464,297/female 449,181)
15-64 years: 59.6% (male 808,718/female 835,394)
65 years and over: 7.3% (male 90,100/female 110,434) |
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Median age:
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23 years |
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Growth rate:
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0.8% |
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Infant mortality:
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15.98 deaths/1,000 live births |
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Life expectancy at birth:
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total population: 73.24 years
male: 71.54 years
female: 75.03 years |
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Fertility rate:
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2.41 children born/woman |
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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%
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Government
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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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Suffrage:
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18 years of age; universal |
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Executive branch:
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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 Bruce GOLDING (since 11 September 2007)
cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the governor general on the advice of the prime
minister
elections: 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). |
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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 |
Economy
The Jamaican economy is heavily dependent on services, which now account
for more than 60% of GDP. The country continues to derive most of its foreign
exchange from tourism, remittances, and bauxite/alumina. Remittances account
for nearly 20% of GDP and are equivalent to tourism revenues. Jamaica's
economy, already saddled with a record of sluggish growth, will suffer an
economic setback from damages caused by Hurricane Dean in August 2007. The
economy faces serious long-term problems: high but declining interest rates,
increased foreign competition, exchange rate instability, a sizable
merchandise trade deficit, large-scale unemployment and underemployment, and a
debt-to-GDP ratio of 135%. Jamaica's onerous debt burden - the fourth highest
per capita - is the result of government bailouts to ailing sectors of the
economy, most notably the financial sector in the mid-to-late 1990s. Inflation
also has declined, standing at about 7% at the end of 2007. High unemployment
exacerbates the serious crime problem, including gang violence that is fueled
by the drug trade. The GOLDING administration 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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$20.48 billion (2007 est.) |
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GDP growth rate:
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1.5% |
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GDP per capita:
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$7,400 |
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GDP composition by sector:
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agriculture: 4.9%
industry: 33.7%
services: 61.5% |
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Inflation rate:
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15.3% |
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Labor force:
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1.2 million |
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Labor force - by occupation:
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agriculture: 19.3%
industry: 16.6%
services: 64.1% |
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Unemployment:
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11.5% |
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Electricity production by source:
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fossil fuel: 96.8%
hydro: 1.8%
other: 1.4%
nuclear: 0% |
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Industries:
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tourism, bauxite/alumina, agro processing, light
manufactures, rum, cement, metal, paper, chemical products, telecommunications |
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Agriculture:
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sugarcane, bananas, coffee, citrus, yams, ackees,
vegetables; poultry, goats, milk; crustaceans, mollusks |
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Exports:
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alumina, bauxite, sugar, bananas, rum, coffee, yams,
beverages, chemicals, wearing apparel, mineral fuels |
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Export partners:
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US 18.1%, France 15.8%, Canada 15.1%, China 9.8%, UK 8.2%,
Norway 6.5%, Netherlands 6.3%, Germany 5.4% |
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Imports:
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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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Import partners:
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US 39.6%, Trinidad and Tobago 13.7%, France 4.6% |
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Currency:
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Jamaican dollar (JMD) |
SOURCES: The CIA World Factbook, U.S. Department of State, Area Handbook of the US Library of Congress
Copyright 2004 - 2008 worldfacts.us |