Location: Caribbean, island in the Caribbean Sea, south of CubaPopulation: 2,731,832 (July 2005 est.)
Total Area: 10,991 sq km - slightly smaller than Connecticut
Climate: tropical; hot, humid; temperate interior
Natural resources: bauxite, gypsum, limestone
Environment - current issues: 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: 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.
National holiday: Independence Day, 6 August
Economy - brief overview: The Jamaican economy is heavily dependent on services, which now account for 60% of GDP. The country continues to derive most of its foreign exchange from tourism, remittances, and bauxite/alumina.
Budget: revenues: $2.793 billion; expenditures: $3.157 billion, including capital expenditures of $236 million
Labor force: 1.14 million
Labor force - by occupation: agriculture 20.1%, industry 16.6%, services 63.4%Agriculture - products: sugarcane, bananas, coffee, citrus, yams, vegetables, poultry, goats, milk, crustaceans, and mollusks
Industries: tourism, bauxite/alumina, textiles, agro processing, wearing apparel, light manufactures, rum, cement, metal, paper, chemical products, telecommunications
Oil - production: 0 bbl/day
Oil - imports: NA
Oil - exports: NA
Exports: $1.679 billion f.o.b. (2004 est.)
Exports - commodities: alumina, bauxite, sugar, bananas, rum, coffee, yams, beverages, chemicals, wearing apparel, mineral fuels
Exports - partners: US 17.4%, Canada 14.8%, France 13%, China 10.5%, UK 8.7%, Netherlands 7.5%, Norway 6%, Germany 5.9% (2004)
Imports: $3.624 billion f.o.b. (2004 est.)
Imports - commodities: food and other consumer goods, industrial supplies, fuel, parts and accessories of capital goods, machinery and transport equipment, construction materials
Imports - partners: US 38.7%, Trinidad and Tobago 13.2%, France 5.6%, Japan 4.7% (2004)
Government departments:
Government of Jamaica, Jamaica Information Service
Media:
Jamaica Observer
Radio Jamaica
Travel Information:
Jamaica Travel Information Lonely Planet Destination Guide
Other useful links:
National Library of Jamaica
Statistical Institute of Jamaica
Jamaica: The Life of Bob Marley
Human Rights Watch: Publications: Americas : Jamaica
News headlines
T&T struggle vs Jamaica Trinidad & Tobago Express 02:06 7-Jan-06
Ya 'Mon: Jamaica is Murder Capital of the World WOKR-TV 13, New York 19:27 6-Jan-06
Jamaica's 267th Accompong Maroon Festival Hispanic Business 17:38 5-Jan-06
Jamaica in the 1970’s, Jamaica after Independence Part I Cayman Net News 22:22 4-Jan-06
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