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Jamaica

Jamaica, the 3rd largest island in the Caribbean is situated in the Caribbean Sea. The nearest neighbours of the island nation are Cuba, Haiti and the Dominican Republic. Kingston is the capital of Jamaica.

HISTORY:- The Arawak Indians dwelled in the land before the arrival of Christopher Columbus in 1494. Jamaica came under Spanish control and remained until 1655. English Admiral William Penn and General Robert Venables proclaimed British sovereignty over Jamaica in 1655. During the British era, Jamaica evolved as the dominant sugar-exporting nation of the world. Slavery was abolished in 1807, the slaves were emancipated in 1833, and the reduction in the prices of sugar prompted a mutiny in 1865. Jamaica gained the status of a crown colony. In 1953, the nation achieved interval autonomy. Jamaica joined the Federation of the West Indies as a province in 1858. And in 1962 Jamaica became independent after withdrawing from the federation. Michael Manley became the Prime minister in 1972.

GEOGRAPHY:- Jamaica is situated at 18 15 N, 77 30 W in the Caribbean. The country spans through 10,991 sq km area in which 10,831 sq km comprises land and 160 sq km comprises water. The total coastline is 1,022 km bordering the Caribbean Sea. The lowest point is located at the Caribbean Sea (0 m) and the highest point is the Blue Mountain Peak (2,256 m). Jamaica is mostly mountainous, with narrow, disjoint coastal plains.

CLIMATE:- The climate of Jamaica is mostly tropical. The coasts are hot, humid while the interior is temperate.

GOVERNMENT:- Jamaica has a constitutional parliamentary democracy. The constitution was adopted on 6th August 1962. The legal system is based on the English common law. The three major branches of the government are:

Executive branch comprises the Queen (chief of state), the Governor General, the Prime minister (head of government), and cabinet. The Queen is represented by the Governor General. The cabinet is appointed by the governor general on the advice of the prime minister.

Legislative branch comprises the bicameral Parliament which is divided into the Senate (21 seats) and the House of Representatives (60 seats).

Judicial branch comprises the Supreme Court and the Court of Appeal. The judges are appointed by the governor general on the advice of the prime minister.

Major political parties of Jamaica include People's National Party (PNP), Jamaica Labour Party (JLP), National Democratic Movement (NDM), United Peoples Party (UPP). Suffrage is universal at the age of 18.

Monarch Elizabeth II

Governor-General Kenneth Hall

Prime Minister Bruce Golding

ADMINISTRATIVE DIVISIONS:- Jamaica is divided into 14 parishes:

Clarendon, Hanover, Kingston, Manchester, Portland, Saint Andrew, Saint Ann, Saint Catherine, Saint Elizabeth, Saint James, Saint Mary, Saint Thomas, Trelawny, and Westmoreland.

CULTURE:- Jamaica has a rich musical heritage. Music genres of the nation range from reggae, ska, mento, rocksteady, dub, to more recently dancehall and raga. Lee "Scratch" Perry, Peter Tosh, Bunny Wailer, Big Youth, Jimmy Cliff, Dennis Brown, Desmond Dekker, Beres Hammond, Beenie Man, Shaggy, Grace Jones, Shabba Ranks, Supercat, Buju Banton, Sean Paul, I Wayne, Capleton, Bounty Killer are notable Jamaican artists popular worldwide. Cricket, Football (soccer), athletics and horse-racing are the most popular sports of Jamaica.

ECONOMY:- Jamaican economy is a mixed, free-market economy, in which services are the predominant sector, providing 60% of the total GDP. Tourism, remittances, and bauxite or alumina are the major sources of foreign earnings. Agriculture, mining, manufacturing, tourism, financial and insurance services are the major industries of the country.

GDP/PPP (2007 est.): $13.47 billion; per capita $4,800.

Real growth rate: 1.5%.

Inflation: 7.1%.

Unemployment: 10.2%.

Arable land: 16%.

Agriculture: Sugarcane, bananas, coffee, citrus, yams, ackees, vegetables; poultry, goats, milk; crustaceans, mollusks.

Labor force: 1.255 million; agriculture 17%, industry 19%, services 64% (2006).

Budget:

Revenues: $3.707 billion

Expenditures: $4.251 billion (2007 est.)

Public debt: 127.2% of GDP (2007 est.)

Debt - external: $9.657 billion (31 December 2007 est.)

Industries: Tourism, bauxite/alumina, agro processing, light manufactures, rum, cement, metal, paper, chemical products, and telecommunications.

Natural resources: Bauxite, gypsum, limestone.

Exports: $2.229 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.): alumina, bauxite, sugar, bananas, rum, coffee, yams, beverages, chemicals, wearing apparel, mineral fuels.

Imports: $5.709 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.): food and other consumer goods, industrial supplies, fuel, parts and accessories of capital goods, machinery and transport equipment, construction materials.

Major trading partners: U.S., Canada, France, China, UK, Netherlands, Norway, Germany, Trinidad and Tobago, Venezuela (2006).

Monetary unit: Jamaican dollar

LANGUAGE:- English is the official language of Jamaica. Jamaica is the home of the most populous English-speaking people in the region. Jamaican Creole is also widely spoken.

CITIES:- The capital of Jamaica Kingston is the largest city. Other major cities are Portmore, Spanish Town, Mandeville, Ocho Rios, Port Antonio, and Montego Bay.

POPULATION:- Jamaica is the 3rd most populous anglo-phone country in the Americas. The population of Jamaica is estimated 2,780,132 with a growth rate of 0.8%.

Density per sq mi: 665

Literacy rate: 88% (2005 est.)

RACE:-

Black 91.2%

Mixed 6.2%

Other or unknown 2.6% (2001)

RELIGION:-

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)

HEALTH:-

Birth rate: 20.04 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Death rate: 6.37 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Infant mortality rate: total: 15.57 deaths/1,000 live births

Life expectancy at birth: total population: 73.59 years

Total fertility rate: 2.3 children born/woman (2008 est.)

HIV/AIDS - deaths: 900 (2003 est.)

Total expenditure on health per capita (Intl $, 2005): 210

UNICEF:- UNICEF initiated work on a Child Abuse Registry. The Office of the Children’s Advocate was founded in 2006. With the help of The Early Childhood Commission, many projects are undertaken to enrich child care. The National Youth Policy focuses on youth education and training, employment and entrepreneurship, health care, youth participation and empowerment, and care and protection. Awareness campaigns against HIV are going on with the assistance of UNICEF. UNICEF fights against violence against children. UNICEF, UNDP, the Cabinet Office, the Planning Institute of Jamaica, and the Child Development Agency set up the Social Investment Initiative for Children to protect children rights.

TRANSPORTATION:-

Railways: 272 km; (2003).

Highways: total: 20,996 km; paved: 15,386 km; unpaved: 5,610 km (2004 est.).

Ports and harbors: Kingston, Port Esquivel, Port Kaiser, Port Rhoades, Rocky Point. Airports: 34 (2007).

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