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Jamaica
Page history
last edited
by PBworks 15 years, 9 months ago
Jamaica Promotions Corporation
Country Details
Discovered by Christopher Columbus in 1494, Jamaica remained a Spanish colony until captured by the English in 1655. It gained its independence in 1962, and is an important force in the tourism economy and politics of the Caribbean.
It's about the size of the U.S. State of Connecticut, and measures 4,400 square miles. It's 145 miles from east to west, and 20 and 50 miles from north to south.
Jamaica is dominated by mountains, mostly covered with lush, green forests. Blue Mountain is the highest point, at 7,402 feet.
White beaches suround this tropical island, and over 100 small rivers (mostly streams) flow from the mountains to the Caribbean coast.
Located 95 miles south of Cuba, Jamaica is known for many things - but certainly on top of any list are the numerous idyllic beach resorts, local pirate history, Reggae music, culture and food, and of course, delicious Blue Mountain Coffee.
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 seized 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 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. 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.
Quick Facts and Figures
Official Name Jamaica
Capital City Kingston (590,000)
Languages English, Creole
Official Currency Jamaican Dollar
Religions Protestant, others
Population 2,772,000
Land Area 10,830 sq km (4,181 sq miles)
Latitude/Longitude 18º 15N, 77º 30W
Highest Point Blue Mountain (2,256 meters)
Economy
- Tourism in the Caribbean is impacted by a (relatively) new rule requiring US visitors to carry a passport. What impact will this have on tourism going forward?
- Trade Unions are relatively strong (how do they compare vs Puerto Rico?)
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. Jamaica's economy, already saddled with a record of sluggish growth, was hit hard by Hurricane Ivan in late 2004, but has made a gradual recovery. 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 high debt burden - the result of government bailouts to ailing sectors of the economy, most notably the financial sector in the mid-to-late 1990s. Following a strategy begun in 2004, Jamaica has reduced its public debt to 133.3% of GDP. Inflation also had declined to 5.8% at the end of 2006. High unemployment exacerbates the serious crime problem, including gang violence fueled by the drug trade. 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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Jamaica is a mixed, free-market economy with state enterprises as well as private sector businesses. Major sectors of the Jamaican economy include agriculture, mining, manufacturing, tourism and financial and insurance services. Tourism and mining are the leading foreign exchange earners.
Supported by multilateral financial institutions, Jamaica has, since the early 1980s, sought to implement structural reforms aimed at fostering private sector activity and increasing the role of market forces in resource allocation. Since 1991, the Government has followed a programme of economic liberalization and stabilization by removing exchange controls, floating the exchange rate, cutting tariffs, stabilising the Jamaican currency, reducing inflation and removing restrictions on foreign investment. Emphasis has been placed on maintaining strict fiscal discipline, greater openness to trade and financial flows, market liberalisation and reduction in the size of government. During this period, a large share of the economy was returned to private sector ownership through divestment and privatisation programmes.
The macroeconomic stabilisation programme introduced in 1991, which focused on tight fiscal and monetary policies, has contributed to a controlled reduction in the rate of inflation. The annual inflation rate has decreased from a high of 80.2% in 1991 to 7.9% in 1998. inflation for FY1998/99 was 6.2% compared to 7.2% in the corresponding period in CUU1997/98. The Government remains committed to lowering inflation, with a long-term objective of bringing it in line with that of its major trading partners.
After a period of steady growth from 1985 to 1995, real GDP decreased by 1.8% and 2.4% in 1996 and 1997, respectively. The decrease in GDP in 1996 and 1997 was largely due to significant problems in the financial sector and, in 1997, a severe island-wide drought (the worst in 70 years) that drastically reduced agricultural production. In 1997, nominal GDP was approximately J$220,556.2 million (US$6,198.9 million based on the average annual exchange rate of the period).
Fishing boats and bauxite cargo ships share the waterways near Alligator Pond, Jamaica
The economy in 1997 was marked by low levels of import growth, high levels of private capital inflows and relative stability in the foreign exchange market.
Recent economic performance shows the Jamaican economy is recovering. Agricultural production, an important engine of growth increased 15.3% in third quarter of 1998 compared to the corresponding period in 1997, signaling the first positive growth rate in the sector since January 1997. Bauxite and alumina production increased 5.5% from January to December, 1998 compared to the corresponding period in 1997. January's bauxite production recorded a 7.1% increase relative to January 1998 and continued expansion of alumina production through 2009 is planned by Alcoa. Tourism, which is the largest foreign exchange earner, showed improvement as well. In the third quarter of 1998, growth in tourist arrivals accelerated with an overall increase of 8.5% in tourism earnings in 1998 when compared to the corresponding period in 1997.
Jamaica has a wide variety of industrial and commercial activities. The aviation industry is able to perform most routine aircraft maintenance, except for heavy structural repairs. There is a considerable amount of technical support for transport and agricultural aviation. Jamaica has a considerable amount of industrial engineering, light manufacturing, including metal fabrication, metal roofing, and furniture manufacturing. Food and beverage processing, glassware manufacturing, computer software and data processing, printing and publishing, insurance underwriting, music and recording, and advanced education activities can be found in the larger urban areas. The Jamaican construction industry is entirely self-sufficient, with professional technical standards and guidance.
Since the first quarter of 2006, the economy of Jamaica has undergone a period of staunch growth. With inflation for the 2006 calendar year down to 6.0% and unemployment down to 8.9%, the nominal GDP grew by an unprecedented 2.9%. An investment programme in island transportation and utility infrastructure and gains in the tourism, mining, and service sectors all contributed this figure. All projections for 2007 show an even higher potential for economic growth with all estimates over 3.0% and hampered only by urban crime and public policies.
In 2006, Jamaica became part of the CARICOM Single Market and Economy (CSME) as one of the pioneering members.
International trade
Exports: (1999) 1,238 billion $ (Natural resources: 55.7%, Food 19.1%, Bananas 4%, Chemicals 3.6%, Machinery 2.2%). The main export countries: USA 33.4% , United Kingdom 13.4%, France 5%, Germany 4%, Canada 14.1%, Netherlands 10.2%, Norway 5.8%, Japan 2.3%. Imports: (1999) 2,89 billion $ (Energy 50.5%, Machinery and Equipment 7.6%, Consumer goods 33.2%). The main import countries: USA 48.1%, Trinidad and Tobago 7.8%, Japan 6.9%, United Kingdom 3.7%, France 5%, Canada 3%. Exports and Imports (January 2007) Exports : (January 2007) Total Goods Exports 166,495 (US$000) (General Merchandise Exports 93.4%, Freezone Exports 2.6%, Goods Procured in Ports 4.0%) Imports: (January 2007) : Total Goods Import 511,015 (US$000); General Merchandise Imports 97.8%, Freezone Imports 0.3%, Goods Procured in Ports 1.8%)
Owing to its location in the Caribbean Sea in the shipping lane to the Panama Canal and relative proximity to large markets in North America and emerging markets in Latin America, Jamaica receives high container traffic. The container terminal at the Port of Kingston has undergone large expansion in capacity in recent years to handle growth both already realised as well as that which is projected in coming years. In addition, as the island is a large exporter of bauxite, there is considerable freighter traffic.
Energy
Jamaica depends on petroleum imports to satisfy its national energy needs. Many test sites have been explored for oil, but no commercially viable quantities have been found. The most convenient sources of imported oil and motor fuels (diesel, gasoline, and jet fuel) are Mexico and Venezuela. Jamaica's electrical power is produced by diesel (bunker oil) generators located in Old Harbour. Jamaica imports approximately 80,000 barrels of oil energy products per day[11], including asphalt and lubrication products. Just 20% of imported fuels are used for road transportation, the rest being used by the bauxite industry, electricity generation, and aviation. Jamaica produces enormous quantities of hydrous ethanol (5% water content), most of which appears to be consumed as beverages, and none of it used as motor fuel. Facilities exist to refine hydrous ethanol feedstock into anhydrous ethanol (0% water content), but the process appears to be uneconomic at this time and the facility remains idle[12].
Communication
Jamaica has a fully digital telephone communication system with a mobile penetration of over 95%.[8] The country’s three mobile operators - Cable and Wireless (marketed as bmobile), Digicel, and Oceanic Digital (operating as MiPhone) - have spent millions in network upgrade and expansion. The Irish owned Digicel has become a generic term for mobile phones in Jamaica. Both Digicel and Oceanic Digital were granted licenses in 2001 to operate mobile services in the newly liberalised telecom market that had once been the sole domain of the incumbent Cable and Wireless monopoly. Digicel opted for the more widely used GSM wireless system, while Oceanic opted for the CDMA standard. Cable and Wireless, which had begun with TDMA standard, subsequently upgraded to GSM, and currently utilises both standards on its network. With wireless usage increasing, land lines supplied by Cable and Wireless have declined from just over half a million to roughly about three hundred thousand as of 2006.[9] In a bid to grab more market share, Cable and Wireless recently launched a new land line service called HomeFone Prepaid that would allow customers to pay for minutes they use rather than pay a set monthly fee for service, much like prepaid wireless service. A new entrant to the Jamaican communications market, Flow Jamaica, recently laid a new submarine cable connecting Jamaica to the United States. This new cable increases the total number of submarine cables connecting Jamaica to the rest of the world to four. In its 'Watch, Talk,Click' campaign, Flow Jamaica is also currently rolling out several residential services: Cable Television, Digital Telephone, and Broadband Internet. Island-wide coverage however, is not yet available.
Two more licenses were auctioned by the Jamaican government to provide mobile services on the island, including one that was previously owned by AT&T Wireless but never utilised, and one new licence. Industry analysts argue that with a near market saturation, there is very little room for new operators.
Parishes
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Jamaica is divided into 14 parishes, which are grouped to three historic counties that have no administrative relevance.
- Surrey (county) in the east, containing the following parishes:
- Middlesex (county) in the centre, containing the following parishes:
- Cornwall (county) in the west, containing the following parishes:
External Links
Location:
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Caribbean, island in the Caribbean Sea, south of Cuba |
Geographic coordinates:
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18 15 N, 77 30 W |
Map references:
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Central America and the Caribbean |
Area:
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total: 10,991 sq km
land: 10,831 sq km
water: 160 sq km |
Area - comparative:
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slightly smaller than Connecticut |
Land boundaries:
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0 km |
Coastline:
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1,022 km |
Maritime claims:
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measured from claimed archipelagic straight baselines
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:
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tropical; hot, humid; temperate interior |
Terrain:
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mostly mountains, with narrow, discontinuous coastal plain |
Elevation extremes:
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lowest point: Caribbean Sea 0 m
highest point: Blue Mountain Peak 2,256 m |
Natural resources:
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bauxite, gypsum, limestone |
Land use:
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arable land: 15.83%
permanent crops: 10.01%
other: 74.16% (2005) |
Irrigated land:
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250 sq km (2002) |
Natural hazards:
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hurricanes (especially July to November) |
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 |
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 |
Geography - note:
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strategic location between Cayman Trench and Jamaica Channel, the main sea lanes for the Panama Canal |
Population:
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2,780,132 (July 2007 est.) |
Age structure:
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0-14 years: 32.5% (male 459,968/female 444,963)
15-64 years: 60.1% (male 822,486/female 848,310)
65 years and over: 7.4% (male 91,856/female 112,549) (2007 est.) |
Median age:
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total: 23.2 years
male: 22.6 years
female: 23.7 years (2007 est.) |
Population growth rate:
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0.777% (2007 est.) |
Birth rate:
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20.44 births/1,000 population (2007 est.) |
Death rate:
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6.59 deaths/1,000 population (2007 est.) |
Net migration rate:
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-6.07 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2007 est.) |
Sex ratio:
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at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.034 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.97 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.816 male(s)/female
total population: 0.978 male(s)/female (2007 est.) |
Infant mortality rate:
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total: 15.73 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 16.4 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 15.01 deaths/1,000 live births (2007 est.) |
Life expectancy at birth:
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total population: 73.12 years
male: 71.43 years
female: 74.9 years (2007 est.) |
Total fertility rate:
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2.36 children born/woman (2007 est.) |
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
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1.2% (2003 est.) |
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
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22,000 (2003 est.) |
HIV/AIDS - deaths:
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900 (2003 est.) |
Nationality:
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noun: Jamaican(s)
adjective: Jamaican |
Ethnic groups:
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black 91.2%, mixed 6.2%, other or unknown 2.6% (2001 census) |
Religions:
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Protestant 62.5% (Seventh-Day Adventist 10.8%, Pentecostal 9.5%, Other Church of God 8.3%, Baptist 7.2%, New Testament Church of God 6.3%, Church of God in Jamaica 4.8%, Church of God of Prophecy 4.3%, Anglican 3.6%, other Christian 7.7%), Roman Catholic 2.6%, other or unspecified 14.2%, none 20.9%, (2001 census) |
Languages:
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English, English patois |
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.) |
Country name:
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conventional long form: none
conventional short form: Jamaica |
Government type:
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constitutional parliamentary democracy |
Capital:
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name: Kingston
geographic coordinates: 18 00 N, 76 48 W
time difference: UTC-5 (same time as Washington, DC during Standard Time) |
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 |
Independence:
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6 August 1962 (from UK) |
National holiday:
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Independence Day, 6 August (1962) |
Constitution:
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6 August 1962 |
Legal system:
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based on English common law; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction |
Suffrage:
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18 years of age; universal |
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: 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:
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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 8 seats) and the House of Representatives (60 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms)
elections: last held 3 September 2007 (next to be held no later than October 2012)
election results: percent of vote by party - JLP 50.1%, PNP 49.8%; seats by party - JLP 33, PNP 27 |
Judicial branch:
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Supreme Court (judges appointed by the governor general on the advice of the prime minister); Court of Appeal |
Political parties and leaders:
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Jamaica Labor Party or JLP [Bruce GOLDING]; People's National Party or PNP [Portia SIMPSON-MILLER]; National Democratic Movement or NDM [Michael WILLIAMS] |
Political pressure groups and leaders:
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New Beginnings Movement or NBM; Rastafarians (black religious/racial cultists, pan-Africanists) |
International organization participation:
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ACP, C, Caricom, CDB, FAO, G-15, G-77, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt (signatory), ICRM, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO, ITSO, ITU, LAES, MIGA, NAM, OAS, OPANAL, OPCW, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO |
Diplomatic representation in the US:
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chief of mission: Ambassador Gordon SHIRLEY
chancery: 1520 New Hampshire Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20036
telephone: [1] (202) 452-0660
FAX: [1] (202) 452-0081
consulate(s) general: Miami, New York |
Diplomatic representation from the US:
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chief of mission: Ambassador Brenda LaGrange JOHNSON
embassy: 142 Old Hope Road, Kingston 6
mailing address: P.O. Box 541, Kingston 5
telephone: [1] (876) 702-6000
FAX: [1] (876) 702-6348 |
Flag description:
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diagonal yellow cross divides the flag into four triangles - green (top and bottom) and black (hoist side and outer side) |
Economy - overview:
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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. Jamaica's economy, already saddled with a record of sluggish growth, was hit hard by Hurricane Ivan in late 2004, but has made a gradual recovery. 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 high debt burden - the result of government bailouts to ailing sectors of the economy, most notably the financial sector in the mid-to-late 1990s. Following a strategy begun in 2004, Jamaica has reduced its public debt to 133.3% of GDP. Inflation also had declined to 5.8% at the end of 2006. High unemployment exacerbates the serious crime problem, including gang violence fueled by the drug trade. 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. |
GDP (purchasing power parity):
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$12.84 billion (2006 est.) |
GDP (official exchange rate):
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$9.23 billion (2006 est.) |
GDP - real growth rate:
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2.5% (2006 est.) |
GDP - per capita (PPP):
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$4,700 (2006 est.) |
GDP - composition by sector:
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agriculture: 5.4%
industry: 33.8%
services: 60.8% (2006 est.) |
Labor force:
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1.249 million (2006 est.) |
Labor force - by occupation:
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agriculture: 18.1%
industry: 17.3%
services: 64.6% (2004) |
Unemployment rate:
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11.3% (2006 est.) |
Population below poverty line:
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14.8% (2003 est.) |
Household income or consumption by percentage share:
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lowest 10%: 2.1%
highest 10%: 35.8% (2004) |
Distribution of family income - Gini index:
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45.5 (2004) |
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
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8.6% (2006 est.) |
Investment (gross fixed):
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32.9% of GDP (2006 est.) |
Budget:
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revenues: $3.214 billion
expenditures: $3.772 billion; including capital expenditures of $180.4 million (2006 est.) |
Public debt:
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137.1% of GDP (2006 est.) |
Agriculture - products:
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sugarcane, bananas, coffee, citrus, yams, ackees, vegetables; poultry, goats, milk; crustaceans, mollusks |
Industries:
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tourism, bauxite/alumina, agro processing, light manufactures, rum, cement, metal, paper, chemical products, telecommunications |
Industrial production growth rate:
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-2% (2000 est.) |
Electricity - production:
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6.985 billion kWh (2005) |
Electricity - consumption:
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6.131 billion kWh (2005) |
Electricity - exports:
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0 kWh (2005) |
Electricity - imports:
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0 kWh (2005) |
Oil - production:
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0 bbl/day (2004 est.) |
Oil - consumption:
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72,080 bbl/day (2004 est.) |
Oil - exports:
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NA bbl/day |
Oil - imports:
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NA bbl/day |
Oil - proved reserves:
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0 bbl |
Natural gas - production:
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0 cu m (2005 est.) |
Natural gas - consumption:
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0 cu m (2005 est.) |
Current account balance:
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-$1.096 billion (2006 est.) |
Exports:
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$2.117 billion f.o.b. (2006 est.) |
Exports - commodities:
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alumina, bauxite, sugar, bananas, rum, coffee, yams, beverages, chemicals, wearing apparel, mineral fuels |
Exports - partners:
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US 30.2%, Canada 15.6%, China 15.2%, UK 10.3%, Netherlands 7%, Norway 4.6% (2006) |
Imports:
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$5.062 billion f.o.b. (2006 est.) |
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 |
Imports - partners:
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US 39.3%, Trinidad and Tobago 13.6%, Venezuela 9.5% (2006) |
Economic aid - recipient:
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$35.74 million (2005) |
Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:
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$2.318 billion (2006 est.) |
Debt - external:
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$6.926 billion (2006 est.) |
Market value of publicly traded shares:
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$12.28 billion (2006) |
Currency (code):
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Jamaican dollar (JMD) |
Exchange rates:
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Jamaican dollars per US dollar - 65.768 (2006), 62.51 (2005), 61.197 (2004), 57.741 (2003), 48.416 (2002) |
Fiscal year:
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1 April - 31 March |
Airports:
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34 (2007) |
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 (2007) |
Airports - with unpaved runways:
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total: 23
914 to 1,523 m: 2
under 914 m: 21 (2007) |
Roadways:
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total: 20,996 km
paved: 15,386 km (includes 33 km of expressways)
unpaved: 5,610 km (2004) |
Merchant marine:
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total: 13 ships (1000 GRT or over) 161,700 GRT/241,663 DWT
by type: bulk carrier 6, cargo 2, carrier 1, petroleum tanker 1, roll on/roll off 3
foreign-owned: 12 (Denmark 1, Germany 1, Greece 8, Latvia 2)
registered in other countries: 1 (Panama 1) (2007) |
Ports and terminals:
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Kingston, Port Esquivel, Port Kaiser, Port Rhoades, Rocky Point |
Jamaica
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