Aminet 6/Aminet 6 - June 1995.iso/Aminet/docs/misc/wfbook93_texi.lha/texi/119.data

Text File | 1995-03-27 | 9.1 KB | 354 lines

@node Geography (Jamaica)
@section Geography (Jamaica)

@display

Location:
  in the northern Caribbean Sea, about 160 km south of Cuba
Map references:
  Central America and the Caribbean, North America, Standard Time Zones of the
  World
Area:
 total area:
  10,990 km2
 land area:
  10,830 km2
 comparative area:
  slightly smaller than Connecticut
Land boundaries:
  0 km
Coastline:
  1,022 km
Maritime claims:
 exclusive economic zone:
  200 nm
 territorial sea:
  12 nm
International disputes:   none
Climate:
  tropical; hot, humid; temperate interior
Terrain:
  mostly mountains with narrow, discontinuous coastal plain
Natural resources:
  bauxite, gypsum, limestone
Land use:
 arable land:
  19%
 permanent crops:
  6%
 meadows and pastures:
  18%
 forest and woodland:
  28%
 other:
  29%
Irrigated land:
  350 km2 (1989 est.)
Environment:
  subject to hurricanes (especially July to November); deforestation; water
  pollution
Note:
  strategic location between Cayman Trench and Jamaica Channel, the main sea
  lanes for Panama Canal



@end display

@node People (Jamaica)
@section People (Jamaica)

@display

Population:
  2,529,981 (July 1993 est.)
Population growth rate:
  0.96% (1993 est.)
Birth rate:
  22.24 births/1,000 population (1993 est.)
Death rate:
  5.72 deaths/1,000 population (1993 est.)
Net migration rate:
  -6.95 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1993 est.)
Infant mortality rate:
  17.5 deaths/1,000 live births (1993 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
 total population:
  74.09 years
 male:
  71.92 years
 female:
  76.36 years (1993 est.)
Total fertility rate:
  2.47 children born/woman (1993 est.)
Nationality:
 noun:
  Jamaican(s)
 adjective:   Jamaican
Ethnic divisions:
  African 76.3%, Afro-European 15.1%, East Indian and Afro-East Indian 3%,
  white 3.2%, Chinese and Afro-Chinese 1.2%, other 1.2%
Religions:
  Protestant 55.9% (Church of God 18.4%, Baptist 10%, Anglican 7.1%,
  Seventh-Day Adventist 6.9%, Pentecostal 5.2%, Methodist 3.1%, United Church
  2.7%, other 2.5%), Roman Catholic 5%, other, including some spiritual cults
  39.1% (1982)
Languages:
  English, Creole
Literacy:
  age 15 and over having ever attended school (1990)
 total population:
  98%
 male:
  98%
 female:
  99%
Labor force:
  1,062,100
 by occupation:
  services 41%, agriculture 22.5%, industry 19%, unemployed 17.5% (1989)



@end display

@node Government (Jamaica)
@section Government (Jamaica)

@display

Names:
 conventional long form:
  none
 conventional short form:
  Jamaica
Digraph:
  JM
Type:
  parliamentary democracy
Capital:
  Kingston
Administrative divisions:
  14 parishes; Clarendon, Hanover, Kingston, Manchester, Portland, Saint
  Andrew, Saint Ann, Saint Catherine, Saint Elizabeth, Saint James, Saint
  Mary, Saint Thomas, Trelawny, Westmoreland
Independence:
  6 August 1962 (from UK)
Constitution:
  6 August 1962
Legal system:
  based on English common law; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
National holiday:
  Independence Day (first Monday in August)
Political parties and leaders:
  People's National Party (PNP) P. J. PATTERSON; Jamaica Labor Party (JLP),
  Edward SEAGA
Other political or pressure groups:
  Rastafarians (black religious/racial cultists, pan-Africanists)
Suffrage:
  18 years of age; universal
Elections:
 House of Representatives:
  last held 30 March 1993 (next to be held by February 1998); results -
  percent of vote by party NA; seats - (60 total) PNP 52, JLP 8
Executive branch:
  British monarch, governor general, prime minister, Cabinet
Legislative branch:
  bicameral Parliament consists of an upper house or Senate and a lower house
  or House of Representatives
Judicial branch:
  Supreme Court
Leaders:
 Chief of State:
  Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952), represented by Governor General
  Sir Howard COOKE (since 1 August 1991)
 Head of Government:
  Prime Minister P. J. PATTERSON (since 30 March 1992)
Member of:
  ACP, C, CARICOM, CCC, CDB, ECLAC, FAO, G-19, G-77, GATT, G-15, IADB, IAEA,
  IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU, IFAD, IFC, ILO, IMF, IMO, INTELSAT, INTERPOL, IOC, ISO,
  ITU, LAES, LORCS, NAM, OAS, OPANAL, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCL,
  WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO
Diplomatic representation in US:
 chief of mission:
  Ambassador Richard BERNAL
 chancery:
  Suite 355, 1850 K Street NW, Washington, DC 20006
 telephone:
  [phone]



@end display

@node Government (Jamaica 2. usage)
@section Government (Jamaica 2. usage)

@display

 consulates general:
  Miami and New York
US diplomatic representation:
 chief of mission:
  Ambassador Glen A. HOLDEN
 embassy:
  Kingston
 mailing address:
  3rd Floor, Jamaica Mutual Life Center, 2 Oxford Road, Kingston
 telephone:
  [phone] through 4859
 FAX:
  [phone]
Flag:
  diagonal yellow cross divides the flag into four triangles - green (top and
  bottom) and black (hoist side and fly side)



@end display

@node Economy (Jamaica)
@section Economy (Jamaica)

@display

Overview:
  The economy is based on sugar, bauxite, and tourism. In 1985 it suffered a
  setback with the closure of some facilities in the bauxite and alumina
  industry, a major source of hard currency earnings. Since 1986 an economic
  recovery has been under way. In 1987 conditions began to improve for the
  bauxite and alumina industry because of increases in world metal prices. The
  recovery has also been supported by growth in the manufacturing and tourism
  sectors. In September 1988, Hurricane Gilbert inflicted severe damage on
  crops and the electric power system, a sharp but temporary setback to the
  economy. By October 1989 the economic recovery from the hurricane was
  largely complete, and real growth was up about 3% for 1989. In 1991,
  however, growth dropped to 0.2% as a result of the US recession, lower world
  bauxite prices, and monetary instability. In 1992, growth was 1.5%,
  supported by a recovery in tourism and stabilization of the Jamaican dollar
  in the second half of 1992.
National product:
  GDP - exchange rate conversion - $3.7 billion (1992 est.)
National product real growth rate:
  1.5% (1992 est.)
National product per capita:
  $1,500 (1992 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
  52% (1992 est.)
Unemployment rate:
  15.4% (1992)
Budget:
  revenues $600 million; expenditures $736 million, including capital
  expenditures of $NA (FY91 est.)
Exports:
  $1.2 billion (f.o.b., 1991)
 commodities:
  alumina, bauxite, sugar, bananas, rum
 partners:
  US 39%, UK 14%, Canada 12%, Netherlands 8%, Norway 7%
Imports:
  $1.6 billion (f.o.b., 1991)
 commodities:
  fuel, other raw materials, construction materials, food, transport
  equipment, other machinery and equipment
 partners:
  US 51%, UK 6%, Venezuela 5%, Canada 5%, Japan 4.5%
External debt:
  $4.4 billion (1991 est.)
Industrial production:
  growth rate 2.0% (1990); accounts for almost 25% of GDP
Electricity:
  1,127,000 kW capacity; 2,736 million kWh produced, 1,090 kWh per capita
  (1992)
Industries:
  tourism, bauxite mining, textiles, food processing, light manufactures
Agriculture:
  accounts for about 9% of GDP, 22% of work force, and 17% of exports;
  commercial crops - sugarcane, bananas, coffee, citrus, potatoes, vegetables;
  livestock and livestock products include poultry, goats, milk; not
  self-sufficient in grain, meat, and dairy products
Illicit drugs:
  illicit cultivation of cannabis; transshipment point for cocaine from
  Central and South America to North America; government has an active
  cannabis eradication program



@end display

@node Economy (Jamaica 2. usage)
@section Economy (Jamaica 2. usage)

@display

Economic aid:
  US commitments, including Ex-Im (FY70-89), $1.2 billion; other countries,
  ODA and OOF bilateral commitments (1970-89), $1.6 billion
Currency:
  1 Jamaican dollar (J$) = 100 cents
Exchange rates:
  Jamaican dollars (J$) per US$1 - 22.173 (September 1992), 12.116 (1991),
  7.184 (1990), 5.7446 (1989), 5.4886 (1988), 5.4867 (1987)
Fiscal year:
  1 April - 31 March



@end display

@node Communications (Jamaica)
@section Communications (Jamaica)

@display

Railroads:
  294 km, all 1.435-meter standard gauge, single track
Highways:
  18,200 km total; 12,600 km paved, 3,200 km gravel, 2,400 km improved earth
Pipelines:
  petroleum products 10 km
Ports:
  Kingston, Montego Bay, Port Antonio
Merchant marine:
  4 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 9,619 GRT/16,302 DWT; includes 1
  roll-on/roll-off cargo, 1 oil tanker, 2 bulk
Airports:
 total:
  36
 usable:
  23
 with permanent-surface runways:
  10
 with runways over 3,659 m:
  0
 with runways 2,440-3,659 m:
  2
 with runways 1,220-2,439 m:
  1
Telecommunications:
  fully automatic domestic telephone network; 127,000 telephones; broadcast
  stations - 10 AM, 17 FM, 8 TV; 2 Atlantic Ocean INTELSAT earth stations; 3
  coaxial submarine cables



@end display

@node Defense Forces (Jamaica)
@section Defense Forces (Jamaica)

@display

Branches:
  Jamaica Defense Force (including Ground Forces, Coast Guard and Air Wing),
  Jamaica Constabulary Force
Manpower availability:
  males age 15-49 651,931; fit for military service 461,980 (1993 est.); no
  conscription; 26,445 reach minimum volunteer age (18) annually
Defense expenditures:
  exchange rate conversion - $19.3 million, 1% of GDP (FY91/92)



@end display