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Background Note: Jamaica
PROFILE
OFFICIAL NAME:
Jamaica
Geography
Area: 10,991 sq. km. (4,244 sq. mi.).
Cities: Capital--Kingston metro area and St. Andrew (pop.
650,000). Other cities--Montego Bay (96,000), Spanish
Town (131,515).
Terrain: Mountainous, coastal plains.
Climate: Tropical.
People
Nationality: Noun and adjective--Jamaican(s).
Population (2006 est.): 2,673,800.
Annual growth rate (2006): 1.5%.
Ethnic groups: African 90.9%, East Indian 1.3%, Chinese 0.2%,
White 0.2%, mixed 7.3%, other 0.1%.
Religious affiliation: Anglican, Baptist and other Protestant,
Roman Catholic, Rastafarian, Jewish.
Languages: English, Patois.
Education: Years compulsory--to age 14. Literacy
(age 15 and over)--79.9%.
Health (2005): Infant mortality rate--19.2/1,000. Life
expectancy--female 75 yrs., male 73 yrs.
Work force (2006, 1.25 million): Industry--17.1%;
agriculture--17.9%; services--64.9%.
Government
Type: Constitutional parliamentary democracy.
Independence: August 6, 1962.
Constitution: August 6, 1962.
Branches: Executive--Governor General (chief of state,
representing British monarch), prime minister, cabinet.
Legislative--bicameral Parliament (21 appointed senators, 60
elected representatives). Judicial--Court of Appeal and
courts of original jurisdiction.
Subdivisions: 14 parishes, 60 electoral constituencies.
Political parties: People's National Party (PNP), Jamaica Labour
Party (JLP), National Democratic Movement (NDM), United Peoples
Party (UPP).
Suffrage: Universal at 18.
Economy
GDP (2005): $9.7 billion.
Real growth rate (2006): 2.5%.
Per capita GDP (2005): $3,640.
Natural resources: Bauxite, gypsum, limestone, marble, sand,
silica.
Agriculture: Products--sugar, bananas, coffee, citrus fruits,
condiments and spices.
Industry: Types--tourism, bauxite and alumina, processed foods,
sugar, rum, cement, metal, chemical products.
Trade (2005): Exports--$1.5 billion: alumina, bauxite, sugar,
bananas, chemicals, citrus fruits and products, rum, coffee.
Major markets (2005)--U.S. 26.3%, U.K. 10.8%, Canada 19.6%,
Trinidad and Tobago 0.6%, Japan 1.0%. Imports (2005)--$4.7
billion: machinery, transportation and electrical equipment,
food, fuels, fertilizer. Major suppliers (2000)--U.S. 40.1%,
Trinidad and Tobago 9.0%, Japan 4.5%, U.K. 2.4%, Canada 2.3%.
PEOPLE AND HISTORY
Arawaks from South America had settled in Jamaica prior to
Christopher Columbus' first arrival at the island in 1494.
During Spain's occupation of the island, starting in 1510, the
Arawaks were exterminated by disease, slavery, and war. Spain
brought the first African slaves to Jamaica in 1517. In 1655,
British forces seized the island, and in 1670, Great Britain
gained formal possession.
Sugar made Jamaica one of the most valuable
possessions in the world for more than 150 years. The British
Parliament abolished slavery as of August 1, 1834. After a long
period of direct British colonial rule, Jamaica gained a degree
of local political control in the late 1930s, and held its first
election under full universal adult suffrage in 1944. Jamaica
joined nine other U.K. territories in the West Indies Federation
in 1958 but withdrew after Jamaican voters rejected membership
in 1961. Jamaica gained independence in 1962, remaining a member
of the Commonwealth.
Historically, Jamaican emigration has been
heavy. Since the United Kingdom restricted emigration in 1967,
the major flow has been to the United States and Canada. About
20,000 Jamaicans emigrate to the United States each year;
another 200,000 visit annually. New York, Miami, Chicago, and
Hartford are among the U.S. cities with a significant Jamaican
population. Remittances from the expatriate communities in the
United States, United Kingdom, and Canada, estimated at up to
$1.6 billion per year, make increasingly significant
contributions to Jamaica's economy. |
