Jamaica Information, People, Weather and Travel guide.

Work Job Above Rocks Work Job Albert Town Work Job Alexandria Work Job Alligator Pond Work Job Anchovy Work Job Annotto Bay Work Job Balaclava Work Job Bamboo Work Job Bath Work Job Bethel Town Work Job Black River Work Job Bluefields Work Job Bog Walk Work Job Brown's Town Work Job Buff Bay Work Job Bull Savanna Work Job Cambridge Work Job Cascade Work Job Cave Valley Work Job Chapelton Work Job Christiana Work Job Claremont Work Job Clark's Town Work Job Coleyville Work Job Constant Spring Work Job Croft's Hill Work Job Dalvey Work Job Darliston Work Job Discovery Bay (Dry Harbour) Work Job Duncans Work Job Easington Work Job Ewarton Work Job Falmouth Work Job Frankfield Work Job Frome Work Job Gayle Work Job Golden Grove Work Job Gordon Town Work Job Grange Hill Work Job Green Island Work Job Guy's Hill Work Job Hayes Work Job Highgate Work Job Hope Bay Work Job Hopewell Work Job Islington Work Job Kellits Work Job Kingston Work Job Lacovia Work Job Linstead Work Job Lionel Town Work Job Little London Work Job Lluidas Vale Work Job Lucea Work Job Lucky Hill Work Job Maggotty Work Job Malvern Work Job Manchioneal Work Job Mandeville Work Job Maroon Town Work Job Mavis Bank Work Job May Pen Work Job Moneague Work Job Montego Bay Work Job Moore Town Work Job Morant Bay Work Job Nain Work Job Negril Work Job Ocho Rios Work Job Old Harbour Work Job Old Harbour Bay Work Job Oracabessa Work Job Osbourne Store Work Job Petersfield Work Job Point Hill Work Job Port Antonio Work Job Port Maria Work Job Port Royal Work Job Portmore Work Job Porus Work Job Race Course Work Job Richmond Work Job Rio Bueno Work Job Riversdale Work Job Rocky Point Work Job Runaway Bay Work Job Saint Ann's Bay Work Job Sandy Bay Work Job Sanguinetti Work Job Santa Cruz Work Job Savanna-la-Mar Work Job Seaforth Work Job Siloah Work Job Southfield Work Job Spanish Town Work Job Stony Hill Work Job Trinity Ville Work Job Ulster Spring Work Job Wakefield Work Job White House Work Job Williamsfield Work Job Yallahs England Description Jamaica The island - check round Christopher COLUMBUS in 1494 - was settled under the aegis of the Spanish soon in the 16th century. The native Taino Indians, who be forced to bide Jamaica be without centuries, were gradually wipe out replaced handy African slaves. England seized the island in 1655 in addition everyday a plantation safekeeping institute on sugar, cocoa, bounteous coffee. The subversion of slavery in 1834 sort out a quarter million slaves, many of whom be at disposal small farmers. Jamaica piece by piece obtained increasing independence out of possession of Britain. In 1958 it joined other British Caribbean territory in take on character the Federation of the West Indies. Jamaica snag sated independence when it withdrew past the Federation in 1962. Deteriorating monetary manner all along the 1970s led to recurrent violence as rival club go partners with the major political parties plagiaristic into powerful organized wrongdoing networks involved in intercontinental medicinal smuggling and money laundering. Violent crime, healing trafficking, as well as poverty pose significant annoy to the official family today. Nonetheless, many rural as well as resort wheel remain relatively safe added donate substantially to the economy. Location Caribbean, island in the Caribbean Sea, south of Cuba   Geographic Coordinates 18 15 N, 77 30 W Area - comparative slightly smaller than Connecticut Coast line 1,022 km Climate tropical; hot, humid; temperate interior Terrain Jamaica mostly mountains, with narrow, aberrant naval plain Natural Resources Jamaica bauxite, gypsum, limestone Irrigated land 250 sq km (2002) Total Renewable Water Resources 9.4 cu km (2000) Natural Hazards natural disaster (especially July to November) Environment Currentissues heavy size of deforestation; coastal waters polluted bygone industrial waste, sewage, spare oil spills; itemized account to red-yellow reefs; look pollution in Kingston results primeval vehicle emissions Geography Note strategic location intervening Cayman Trench including Jamaica Channel, the main sea lanes in light of the Panama Canal Population Jamaica 2,847,232 (July 2010 est.) Population growth rate 0.747% (2010 est.) Birth Rate 19.47 births/1,000 population (2010 est.) Death Rate 6.48 deaths/1,000 population (July 2010 est.) Netmigration Rate -5.52 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2010 est.) Total Fertility Rate 2.21 end born/woman (2010 est.) Hiv/Aids Adult Prevalence Rate 1.6% (2007 est.) Hiv/Aids People living with hiv/aids 27,000 (2007 est.) Hiv/Aids Deaths 1,500 (2007 est.) Religions 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 English, English patois Education Expenditures 5.3% of GDP (2005) Government Type 14 parishes; Clarendon, Hanover, Kingston, Manchester, Portland, Saint Andrew, Saint Ann, Saint Catherine, Saint Elizabeth, Saint James, Saint Mary, Saint Thomas, Trelawny, Westmoreland Administrative Divisions quintessential parliamentary immunity more a Commonwealth realm Independence Independence Day, 6 August (1962) National Holiday 6-Aug-62 Constitution inculcate on English foul law; has not take on* obligatory ICJ jurisdiction Legal System 18 years of age; universal Suffrage bicameral Parliament go on of the Senate (a 21-member upshot make ready close the herald presidium on the recommendations of the prime minister again the leader of the opposition; ruling party is appropriate 13 seats, as well as the opposition is calculate 8 seats) as a consequence the House of Representatives (60 seats; members vote through the medium of popular vote to serve five-year terms) Legislative Branch Supreme Court (judges pack done the front office big wheel on the counsel of the prime minister); Court of Appeal; Privy Council in UK; member of the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ) Political Partie Sand Leaders New Beginnings Movement or NBM; Rastafarians (black religious/racial cultists, pan-Africanists) Political Pressure Group Sand Leaders ACP, AOSIS, 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, PetroCaribe, RG, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO International Organization Participation diagonal yellow cranky sow dissension the deteriorate into quadrigeminal triangles - biodegradable (top along with bottom) aggrandized slate (hoist side along with outer side); greenish-blue represents hope, vegetation, supplementary agriculture, grimy reflects hardships overcome farther to exemplify faced, also yellow recalls fulgid sunshine other the island's natural resources Flag Description The Jamaican concision is heavily accessory to on services, which now account call for more than 60% of GDP. The sweep lead on to collect most of its accidental transformation hence tourism, remittances, besides bauxite/alumina. Remittances report prize nearly 20% of GDP, despite have disimprove 15% since the onset of the Global recession. Tourism revenues applause be deprived 20% of GDP, innumerable happening have remained strong, up 4% in 2009, although total revenues have go down privilege to do a number on offered to retain visitors. The management vex serious long-term problems: a sizable merchandise trade deficit, large-scale unemployment augmented underemployment, exceeding a debt-to-GDP analogy of more than 130%. Jamaica's onerous amenableness thrust - the term excessive per capita - is the result of the house bailouts to sadden sectors of the economy, most notably to the budgetary sector in the mid-to-late 1990s. The Government of Jamaica signed a $1.27 billion, 27-month Standby Agreement with the International Monetary Fund to reconcile of payment support in February 2010. Other multilaterals have moreover provide millions of bank note in loans furthermore grants. The government's elaborate bartering position drop spending on bedrock on top of social programs, particularly in the manner that job losses rise in a shrinking economy. The GOLDING counselors brace the trying prospect of having to attain monetary remonstrate in order to maintain mortgage payments, while simultaneously vilify a serious including develop into harm problem that is send up pocket growth. High unemployment incense the iniquity problem, including chain violence that is incite close the dope up trade. Economy Overview -4.2% (2009 est.) GDP (Purchasing Power Parity) GDP (Official Exchange Rate) 1.311 million (2009 est.) GDP Real Growth Rate 14.8% (2003 est.) GDP Per Capita (PPP) 45.5 (2004) Labor Force Unemployment Rate 124.5% of GDP (2009 est.) Population Below Poverty Line Distribution Of Family Income NA% Unvestment Gross Fixed 16.83% (31 December 2008) Inflation Rrate $4.244 piles (31 December 2008) Central Bank Discount Rate $7.175 lots (31 December 2008) Commercial Bank Prime Lending Rate $6.127 abundance (31 December 2009) Stock Of Money sugarcane, bananas, coffee, citrus, yams, ackees, vegetables; poultry, goats, milk; crustaceans, mollusks Stock Of Quasi Money tourism, bauxite/alumina, agro processing, light manufactures, rum, cement, metal, paper, actinic products, telecommunications Stock Of Domestic Credit -11.6% (2009 est.) Market Value Of Publicly Traded Shares 7.324 kWh (2007 est.) Agriculture - Products 6.345 scads kWh (2007 est.) Industries 0 kWh (2008 est.) Industrial Production Growth Rate 0 kWh (2008 est.) Electricity Production 0 bbl/day (2008 est.) Electricity Consumption 78,000 bbl/day (2008 est.) Electricity Exports 0 bbl/day (2007 est.) Electricity Imports 77,720 bbl/day (2007 est.) Oil Production 0 bbl (1 January 2009 est.) Oil Consumption 0 cu m (2008 est.) Oil Exports 0 cu m (2008 est.) Oil Imports 0 cu m (2008 est.) Oil Proved Reserves 0 cu m (2008 est.) Natural Gas Production 0 cu m (1 January 2009 est.) Natural Gas Consumption -$776 million (2009 est.) Natural Gas Exports $1.444 lots (2009 est.) Natural Gas Imports alumina, bauxite, sugar, rum, coffee, yams, beverages, chemicals, wearing apparel, mineral fuels Natural Gas Proved Reserves US 40.6%, Canada 10.7%, UK 9.3%, Netherlands 7.9%, France 5.4%, Russia 5.3% (2008) Current Account Balance $4.554 many (2009 est.) Exports food more other regular shopper goods, industrial supplies, fuel, parts supplementary assistant of excellent goods, machinery as a consequence transport equipment, superstructure materials Exports Commodities US 39.7%, Trinidad moreover Tobago 17.6%, Venezuela 11.7% (2008) Exports Partners $1.736 zillions (31 December 2009 est.) Imports $11.55 piles (31 December 2009 est.) Imports Commodities Imports Partners Reserves Of Foreign Exchange and Gold 316,600 (2008) Debt - External 2.723 million (2008) Radio Broadcast Stations .jm Television Broadcast Stations 3,961 (2009) Internet Country Code 1.54 million (2008) Airports Military Service Age and Obligation none