Legend:
 Definition
 Field Listing
 Rank Order
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Background:
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Jamaica gained full independence within the British Commonwealth in 1962. Deteriorating economic conditions during the 1970s led to recurrent violence and a drop off in tourism. Elections in 1980 saw the democratic socialists voted out of office. Political violence marred elections during the 1990s.
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Location:
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Caribbean, island in the Caribbean Sea, south of Cuba
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Geographic coordinates:
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18 15 N, 77 30 W
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Map references:
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Central America and the Caribbean
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Area:
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total: 10,991 sq km
land: 10,831 sq km
water: 160 sq km
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Area - comparative:
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slightly smaller than Connecticut
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Land boundaries:
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0 km
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Coastline:
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1,022 km
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Maritime claims:
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measured from claimed archipelagic straight baselines
territorial sea: 12 nm
contiguous zone: 24 nm
exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
continental shelf: 200 nm or to edge of the continental margin
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Climate:
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tropical; hot, humid; temperate interior
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Terrain:
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mostly mountains, with narrow, discontinuous coastal plain
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Elevation extremes:
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lowest point: Caribbean Sea 0 m
highest point: Blue Mountain Peak 2,256 m
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Natural resources:
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bauxite, gypsum, limestone
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Land use:
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arable land: 16.07%
permanent crops: 10.16%
other: 73.77% (2001)
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Irrigated land:
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250 sq km (1998 est.)
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Natural hazards:
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hurricanes (especially July to November)
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Environment - current issues:
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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
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Environment - international agreements:
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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
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Geography - note:
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strategic location between Cayman Trench and Jamaica Channel, the main sea lanes for the Panama Canal
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Population:
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2,731,832 (July 2005 est.)
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Age structure:
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0-14 years: 27.5% (male 385,099/female 367,398)
15-64 years: 65.6% (male 897,953/female 893,509)
65 years and over: 6.9% (male 83,632/female 104,241) (2005 est.)
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Median age:
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total: 27.25 years
male: 26.55 years
female: 27.97 years (2005 est.)
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Population growth rate:
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0.71% (2005 est.)
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Birth rate:
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16.56 births/1,000 population (2005 est.)
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Death rate:
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5.37 deaths/1,000 population (2005 est.)
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Net migration rate:
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-4.07 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2005 est.)
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Sex ratio:
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at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1.01 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.8 male(s)/female
total population: 1 male(s)/female (2005 est.)
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Infant mortality rate:
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total: 12.36 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 13.35 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 11.32 deaths/1,000 live births (2005 est.)
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Life expectancy at birth:
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total population: 73.33 years
male: 71.63 years
female: 75.12 years (2005 est.)
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Total fertility rate:
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1.95 children born/woman (2005 est.)
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HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
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1.2% (2003 est.)
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HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
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22,000 (2003 est.)
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HIV/AIDS - deaths:
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900 (2003 est.)
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Nationality:
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noun: Jamaican(s)
adjective: Jamaican
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Ethnic groups:
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black 90.9%, East Indian 1.3%, white 0.2%, Chinese 0.2%, mixed 7.3%, other 0.1%
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Religions:
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Protestant 61.3% (Church of God 21.2%, Baptist 8.8%, Anglican 5.5%, Seventh-Day Adventist 9%, Pentecostal 7.6%, Methodist 2.7%, United Church 2.7%, Brethren 1.1%, Jehovah's Witness 1.6%, Moravian 1.1%), Roman Catholic 4%, other including some spiritual cults 34.7%
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Languages:
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English, patois English
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Literacy:
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definition: age 15 and over has ever attended school
total population: 87.9%
male: 84.1%
female: 91.6% (2003 est.)
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Country name:
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conventional long form: none
conventional short form: Jamaica
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Government type:
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constitutional parliamentary democracy
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Capital:
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Kingston
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Administrative divisions:
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14 parishes; Clarendon, Hanover, Kingston, Manchester, Portland, Saint Andrew, Saint Ann, Saint Catherine, Saint Elizabeth, Saint James, Saint Mary, Saint Thomas, Trelawny, Westmoreland
note: for local government purposes, Kingston and Saint Andrew were amalgamated in 1923 into the present single corporate body known as the Kingston and Saint Andrew Corporation
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Independence:
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6 August 1962 (from UK)
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National holiday:
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Independence Day, 6 August (1962)
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Constitution:
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6 August 1962
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Legal system:
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based on English common law; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
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Suffrage:
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18 years of age; universal
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Executive branch:
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chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952), represented by Governor General Sir Howard Felix COOKE (since 1 August 1991)
head of government: Prime Minister Percival James PATTERSON (since 30 March 1992)
cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the governor general on the advice of the prime minister
elections: none; the monarch is hereditary; governor general appointed by the monarch on the recommendation of the prime minister; following legislative elections, the leader of the majority party or the leader of the majority coalition in the House of Representatives is appointed prime minister by the governor general; the deputy prime minister is recommended by the prime minister
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Legislative branch:
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bicameral Parliament consists of the Senate (a 21-member body appointed by the governor general on the recommendations of the prime minister and the leader of the opposition; ruling party is allocated 13 seats, and the opposition is allocated eight seats) and the House of Representatives (60 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms)
elections: last held 16 October 2002 (next to be held in October 2007)
election results: percent of vote by party - PNP 52%, JLP 47.3%; seats by party - PNP 34, JLP 26
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Judicial branch:
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Supreme Court (judges appointed by the governor general on the advice of the prime minister); Court of Appeal
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Political parties and leaders:
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Jamaica Labor Party or JLP [Bruce GOLDING]; National Democratic Movement or NDM [Hyacinth BENNETT]; People's National Party or PNP [Percival James PATTERSON]
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Political pressure groups and leaders:
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New Beginnings Movement or NBM; Rastafarians (black religious/racial cultists, pan-Africanists)
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International organization participation:
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ACP, C, Caricom, CDB, FAO, G-15, G-77, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt (signatory), ICFTU, ICRM, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM (observer), ISO, ITU, LAES, MIGA, NAM, OAS, OPANAL, OPCW, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO
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Diplomatic representation in the US:
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chief of mission: Ambassador Gordon SHIRLEY
chancery: 1520 New Hampshire Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20036
telephone: [1] (202) 452-0660
FAX: [1] (202) 452-0081
consulate(s) general: Miami and New York
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Diplomatic representation from the US:
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chief of mission: Ambassador Sue McCourt COBB
embassy: Jamaica Mutual Life Center, 2 Oxford Road, 3rd floor, Kingston 5
mailing address: use embassy street address
telephone: [1] (876) 929-4850 through 4859
FAX: [1] (876) 935-6001
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Flag description:
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diagonal yellow cross divides the flag into four triangles - green (top and bottom) and black (hoist side and outer side)
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Economy - overview:
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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. The global economic slowdown, particularly after the terrorist attacks in the US on 11 September 2001, stunted economic growth; the economy rebounded moderately in 2003-04, with brisk tourist seasons. But the economy faces serious long-term problems: high interest rates; increased foreign competition; a pressured, sometimes sliding, exchange rate; a sizable merchandise trade deficit; large-scale unemployment; and a growing internal debt, the result of government bailouts to ailing sectors of the economy. The ratio of debt to GDP is close to 150%. Inflation, previously a bright spot, is expected to remain in the double digits. Uncertain economic conditions have led to increased civil unrest, including gang violence fueled by the drug trade. In 2004, the government faced the difficult prospect of having to achieve fiscal discipline in order to maintain debt payments while simultaneously attacking a serious and growing crime problem which is hampering economic growth. Attempts at deficit control were derailed by Hurricane Ivan in September 2004, which required substantial government spending to repair the damage. Despite the hurricane, tourism looks set to enjoy solid growth for the foreseeable future.
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GDP (purchasing power parity):
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$11.13 billion (2004 est.)
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GDP - real growth rate:
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1.9% (2004 est.)
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GDP - per capita:
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purchasing power parity - $4,100 (2004 est.)
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GDP - composition by sector:
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agriculture: 6.1%
industry: 32.7%
services: 61.3% (2004 est.)
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Labor force:
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1.14 million (2004 est.)
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Labor force - by occupation:
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agriculture 20.1%, industry 16.6%, services 63.4% (2003)
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Unemployment rate:
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15% (2004 est.)
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Population below poverty line:
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19.7% (2002 est.)
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Household income or consumption by percentage share:
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lowest 10%: 2.7%
highest 10%: 30.3% (2000)
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Distribution of family income - Gini index:
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37.9 (2000)
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Inflation rate (consumer prices):
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12.4% (2004 est.)
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Investment (gross fixed):
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32% of GDP (2004 est.)
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Budget:
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revenues: $2.793 billion
expenditures: $3.157 billion, including capital expenditures of $236 million (2004 est.)
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Public debt:
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146.1% of GDP (2004 est.)
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Agriculture - products:
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sugarcane, bananas, coffee, citrus, yams, vegetables, poultry, goats, milk, crustaceans, and mollusks
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Industries:
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tourism, bauxite/alumina, textiles, agro processing, wearing apparel, light manufactures, rum, cement, metal, paper, chemical products, telecommunications
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Industrial production growth rate:
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-2% (2000 est.)
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Electricity - production:
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6.289 billion kWh (2002)
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Electricity - consumption:
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5.849 billion kWh (2002)
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Electricity - exports:
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0 kWh (2002)
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Electricity - imports:
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0 kWh (2002)
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Oil - production:
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0 bbl/day (2001 est.)
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Oil - consumption:
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66,000 bbl/day (2001 est.)
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Oil - exports:
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NA
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Oil - imports:
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NA
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Current account balance:
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$-830.7 million (2004 est.)
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Exports:
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$1.679 billion f.o.b. (2004 est.)
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Exports - commodities:
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alumina, bauxite, sugar, bananas, rum, coffee, yams, beverages, chemicals, wearing apparel, mineral fuels
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Exports - partners:
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US 17.4%, Canada 14.8%, France 13%, China 10.5%, UK 8.7%, Netherlands 7.5%, Norway 6%, Germany 5.9% (2004)
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Imports:
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$3.624 billion f.o.b. (2004 est.)
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Imports - commodities:
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food and other consumer goods, industrial supplies, fuel, parts and accessories of capital goods, machinery and transport equipment, construction materials
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Imports - partners:
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US 38.7%, Trinidad and Tobago 13.2%, France 5.6%, Japan 4.7% (2004)
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Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:
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$1.4 billion (2004 est.)
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Debt - external:
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$5.964 billion (2004 est.)
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Economic aid - recipient:
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$16 million (2003)
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Currency (code):
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Jamaican dollar (JMD)
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Exchange rates:
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Jamaican dollars per US dollar - 61.197 (2004), 57.741 (2003), 48.416 (2002), 45.996 (2001), 42.986 (2000)
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Fiscal year:
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1 April - 31 March
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Railways:
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total: 272 km
standard gauge: 272 km 1.435-m gauge
note: 207 of these km belonging to the Jamaica Railway Corporation had been in common carrier service until 1992 but are no longer operational; 57 km of the remaining track is privately owned and used by ALCAN to transport bauxite (2003)
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Highways:
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total: 18,700 km
paved: 13,109 km
unpaved: 5,591 km (1999 est.)
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Ports and harbors:
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Kingston, Port Esquivel, Port Kaiser, Port Rhoades, Rocky Point
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Merchant marine:
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total: 9 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 74,881 GRT/100,682 DWT
by type: bulk carrier 5, petroleum tanker 1, roll on/roll off 3
foreign-owned: 8 (Germany 2, Greece 5, UAE 1) (2005)
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Airports:
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35 (2004 est.)
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Airports - with paved runways:
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total: 11
2,438 to 3,047 m: 2
914 to 1,523 m: 4
under 914 m: 5 (2004 est.)
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Airports - with unpaved runways:
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total: 24
914 to 1,523 m: 2
under 914 m: 22 (2004 est.)
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This page was last updated on 20 October, 2005
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