Jamaica ( ) is an
island
nation of the
Greater Antilles,
in length and as much as in width, amounting to
11,100 km
2.
It is situated in the Caribbean Sea
, about south of Cuba
, and west of
Hispaniola
, the island harboring the nation-states Haiti
and the
Dominican
Republic
. Its
indigenous Arawakan-speaking
Taíno inhabitants named the island
Xaymaca, meaning the "Land of Wood and Water", or the
"Land of Springs". Formerly a
Spanish
possession known as , it later became the British Crown colony of
Jamaica.
With 2.8 million people, it is the third most
populous anglophone country
in North America, after the United States
and Canada
. It
remains a
Commonwealth realm with
Queen Elizabeth II as
Head of State.
Kingston
is the
largest city in Jamaica and the country's capital.
History
The
Arawak and
Taino
indigenous people originating from
South
America settled on the island between 4000 and 1000 BC. When
Christopher Columbus arrived in
1494 there were over 200 villages ruled by caciques (chiefs of
villages). The south coast of Jamaica was the most populated,
especially around the area now known as Old Harbour. The Tainos
were still inhabiting Jamaica when the British took control of the
island. The Jamaican National Heritage Trust is attempting to
locate and document any evidence of the
Taino/
Arawaks.
Christopher Columbus claimed Jamaica for Spain after landing there
in 1494.
Columbus' probable landing point was Dry
Harbour, now called Discovery Bay
. St. Ann's Bay
was the "Saint Gloria" of Columbus who first
sighted Jamaica at this point. One mile west of St. Ann's
Bay is the site of the first Spanish settlement on the island,
Sevilla, which was
abandoned in 1554 because of numerous pirate raids.
The
capital was moved to Spanish
Town
, now located in the parish of St. Catherine, as
early as 1534. It was then called "Villa de la Vega".
Spanish Town has the oldest
Cathedral in
the British colonies. The Spanish were forcibly evicted by the
English at Ocho Rios in St. Ann. However, it was not until 1655
that, at Tower Isle, the English took over the last Spanish fort in
Jamaica. The Spaniard Don Cortez Arnoldo de Yassi kept Tower Hill
(the site of Tower Isle) from the English for five years, before
escaping to Cuba. The site of his departure was fittingly called
"Runaway Bay", which is also in St. Ann. The name of Montego Bay,
the capital of the parish of St. James, was derived from the
Spanish name (or Bay of Lard) for the large quantity of
boar used for the lard-making industry.
The English Admiral
William
Penn (father of
William Penn of
Pennsylvania) and General
Robert
Venables seized the island in 1655. In 1660 the population of
Jamaica was about 4,500 whites and some 1,500 blacks. As early as
the 1670s, blacks formed a majority of the population. During its
first 200 years of British rule, Jamaica became one of the world's
leading
sugar-exporting, slave-dependent
nations, producing more than 77,000 tons of sugar annually between
1820 and 1824. After the
abolition
of the slave trade (but not slavery itself) in 1807, the
British imported Indian and Chinese workers as
indentured servants to supplement the
labour pool. Descendants of indentured servants of Asian and
Chinese origin continue to reside in Jamaica today.
By the beginning of the 19th century, Jamaica's heavy reliance on
slavery resulted in blacks (Africans)
outnumbering whites (Europeans) by a ratio of almost 20 to 1. Even
though England had outlawed the importation of slaves, some were
still smuggled into the colonies. The British government drew-up
laws regimenting the abolition of slavery, but they also included
instructions for the improvement of the slaves' way of life. These
instructions included a ban of the use of whips in the field, a ban
on the flogging of women, notification that slaves were to be
allowed religious instruction, a requirement that slaves be given
an extra free day during the week when they could sell their
produce as well as a ban of Sunday markets.
Map of Jamaica
In Jamaica, however, these measures were resisted by the House of
Assembly. The Assembly claimed that the slaves were content and
objected to Parliament's interference in island affairs, although
many slave owners feared possible revolts. Following a series of
rebellions and changing attitudes in Great Britain, the nation
formally abolished slavery in 1834, with full
emancipation from chattel slavery declared in
1838. The population in 1834 was 371,070 of whom 15,000 were white,
5,000 free black, 40,000 ‘coloured’ or mixed race, and 311,070
slaves.
In the 1800s, the British established a number of
botanical gardens. These included the
Castleton Garden, set up in 1862 to
replace the Bath Garden (created in 1779) which was subject to
flooding. Bath Garden was the site for planting
breadfruit brought to Jamaica from the Pacific by
Captain
William Bligh. Other gardens
were the
Cinchona Plantation founded in 1868 and the Hope Garden
founded in 1874. In 1872, Kingston became the island's
capital.
In 1945,
Sir Horace Hector Hearne
became
Chief Justice and Keeper of the
Records in Jamaica.
He headed the Supreme Court, Kingston between 1945
and 1950/1951. He then moved to Kenya where he was appointed
Chief Justice.
Jamaica slowly gained increasing independence from the United
Kingdom and in 1958, it became a province in the
Federation of the West Indies,
a federation among the
British West
Indies. Jamaica attained full independence by leaving the
federation in 1962.
Strong economic growth, averaging approximately 6% per annum,
marked the first ten years of independence under conservative
governments which were led successively by Prime Ministers
Alexander Bustamante,
Donald Sangster and
Hugh Shearer. The growth was fueled by strong
investments in
bauxite/alumina,
tourism, manufacturing industry and, to a lesser
extent, the agricultural sector.
However, the optimism of the first decade was accompanied by a
growing sense of inequality, and a sense that the benefits of
growth were not being experienced by the urban poor. This, combined
with the effects of a slowdown in the global economy in 1970,
prompted the electorate to change government, electing the PNP
(
People's National Party) in
1972. However, despite efforts to create more socially equitable
policies in education and health, Jamaica continued to lag
economically, with its gross national product having fallen in 1980
to some 25% below the 1972 level.
Rising foreign and local debt, accompanied
by large fiscal deficits, resulted in the invitation of the
International
Monetary Fund
(IMF) financing from the United States and others,
and the imposition of IMF austerity measures (with a greater than
25% interest rate per year).
Economic deterioration continued into the mid-1980s, exacerbated by
a number of factors; The first and third largest alumina producers,
Alpart and
Alcoa, closed
and there was a significant reduction in production by the second
largest producer,
Alcan. In addition, tourism
decreased and Reynolds Jamaica Mines, Ltd. left the Jamaican
industry.
Government and politics
Jamaica is a
parliamentary
democracy and
constitutional
monarchy with the
monarch being
represented by a
Governor-General. The
head of state is
Queen Elizabeth II, who
officially uses the title "
Queen of
Jamaica" when she visits the country or performs duties
overseas on Jamaica's behalf. The Governor General is nominated by
the
Prime Minister and the
entire Cabinet and appointed by the monarch. All the members of the
Cabinet are appointed by the Governor-General on the advice of the
Prime Minister. The monarch and the Governor-General serve largely
ceremonial roles, apart from their potent
reserve power to dismiss the Prime Minister or
Parliament.
Jamaica's current
Constitution was
drafted in 1962 by a bipartisan joint committee of the
Jamaican legislature.
It came into force
with the Jamaica Independence Act, 1962 of the United Kingdom
Parliament
, which gave Jamaica political exile. This
was followed by a reformation of the island's national
anthem.
The
Parliament of Jamaica is
bicameral, consisting of the House of
Representatives (Lower House) and the Senate (Upper House). Members
of the House (known as Members of Parliament or
MPs) are
directly elected, and the member of the House of Representatives
who, in the Governor-General's best judgment, is best able to
command the confidence of a majority of the members of that House,
is appointed by the Governor-General to be the
Prime Minister. Senators are
appointed jointly by the Prime Minister and the parliamentary
Leader of the Opposition.
In February 2006,
Portia
Simpson-Miller was elected by delegates of the ruling People's
National Party (PNP) to replace
P.
J. Patterson as President of the Party. At the
end of March 2006 when Patterson demitted office, Simpson-Miller
became the first female Prime Minister of Jamaica. Former Prime
Minister Patterson had held office since the 1992 resignation of
Michael Manley. Patterson was
re-elected three times, the last being in 2002.
On 3 September 2007,
Bruce Golding of
the Jamaica Labour Party was voted in as Prime Minister-Designate
after achieving a 33 - 27 seat victory over Portia Simpson-Miller
and the PNP in the
2007
Jamaican general election. Portia Simpson-Miller conceded
defeat on 5 September 2007. On 11 September 2007, after being sworn
in by Governor-General Kenneth Hall, The Hon.
Bruce Golding assumed office as
Prime Minister of Jamaica.
Jamaica has traditionally had a
two-party system, with power often
alternating between the
People's
National Party and
Jamaica
Labour Party (JLP). However, over the past decade a new
political party called the
National Democratic Movement
(NDM) emerged in an attempt to challenge the two-party system,
though it has become largely irrelevant in this system, as it
garnered only 540 votes of the over 800,000 votes cast in the 3
September elections. Jamaica is a full and participating member of
the
Caribbean Community
(CARICOM).
Parishes
Jamaica is divided into 14
parishes, which are grouped into three
historic
counties that have no administrative
relevance.
Geography
Jamaica
is the third largest island and the fourth largest country in the
Caribbean
. The island is home to the Blue
Mountains
inland and is surrounded by a narrow coastal
plain. Most major towns and cities are located on the coast.
Chief
towns and cities include the capital Kingston, Portmore
, Spanish
Town, Mandeville
, Ocho
Ríos
, Port
Antonio
, Negril
, and
Montego
Bay
. The Kingston Harbour
is one of the largest natural harbours in the
world. There are several tourist attractions
scattered across the country, including Dunn's River
Falls
in St. Ann, YS Falls in St. Elizabeth, the Blue
Lagoon in Portland, and Port Royal
, which was the site of an earthquake that helped
form the island's Palisadoes
.
The climate in Jamaica is tropical, with hot and humid weather,
although higher inland regions are more temperate. Some regions on
the south coast, such as the Liguanea Plain and the Pedro Plains,
are relatively dry rain-shadow areas.
Jamaica lies in the
hurricane belt of the Atlantic
Ocean
; as a result, the island sometimes experiences
significant storm damage. Hurricanes
Charlie and
Gilbert hit Jamaica directly in 1951 and
1988, respectively, causing major damage and many deaths. In the
2000s, hurricanes
Ivan,
Dean, and
Gustav also brought severe weather to the
island.
Demographics
Ethnic origins
According to the 2001 census, Jamaica's population mainly consists
of people of
African
descent (referring to those who have origins
mainly from
Africa), is 2.5 million.
Multiracial
Jamaicans make up 175 187 of the population,
Indian and
Chinese population is 160,0000 and
Lebanese, Syrian,
English,
Scottish,
Irish, and
German Jamaicans make up around 3000-4000
of the population.
Immigration has been greatly rising from
China
, Haiti, Cuba, Colombia
, and other Latin
American countries; 20,000 Latin
Americans currently reside in Jamaica. 7,000 Americans also reside in Jamaica.
Language
The official language of Jamaica is English. However, Jamaicans
also speak an English-African creole known as
Jamaican Patois.
Emigration
Jamaicans have
emigrated to other
countries, especially to the United Kingdom, United States, and
Canada. In the case of the United States, about 20,000 Jamaicans
per year are granted permanent residence. The great number of
Jamaicans living abroad has become known as the "
Jamaican diaspora".
There has also been
emigration of Jamaicans to Cuba.
The scale
of emigration has been widespread and similar to other Caribbean
entities such as Puerto Rico, Guyana
, and
Trinidad and
Tobago
. It is estimated that up to 2.5 million
Jamaicans and Jamaican descendants live abroad. An estimated 60% of
the highly educated people of Jamaica now live abroad.
Concentrations of expatriate Jamaicans are large in a number of
cities in the United States, including New York City
, Buffalo
, the Miami
metro area,
Atlanta
, Chicago
, Orlando
, Tampa
, Washington,
D.C
, Philadelphia
, Hartford
, Providence
and Los Angeles
. In Canada, the Jamaican population is
centred in Toronto
, and there are smaller communities in cities such
as Hamilton
, Montreal
, Vancouver
and Ottawa
. In
the United Kingdom, Jamaican communities exist in most large cities
where they make up the larger part of the
British-Caribbean
community.
Religion
Christians make up the majority of the
population, approximately 59% percent. The Christian faith spread
rapidly as British Christian abolitionists joined educated former
slaves in the struggle against slavery. The five largest
denominations in Jamaica are:
Church of
God,
Seventh-day
Adventist,
Baptist,
Pentecostal and
Anglican.
Other popular religions in Jamaica include
Islam,
Bahá'í Faith with perhaps
8,000 Bahá'ís and 21
Local
Spiritual Assemblies,
Buddhism,and
Hinduism. There is a small population of
Jews, about 200, who describe themselves as Liberal-Conservative.
The first Jews in Jamaica trace their roots back to early 15th
century. Spain and Portugal. Islam in Jamaica estimate a total
Muslim population of 5,000.
Culture
Though a small nation, Jamaica is rich in culture and has a strong
global presence. The musical genres
reggae,
ska,
mento,
rocksteady,
dub, and,
more recently,
dancehall and
ragga all originated in the island's vibrant, popular
urban recording industry. Jamaica also played an important role in
the development of
punk rock, through
reggae and ska. Reggae has also influenced American
rap music, as they both share their roots as
rhythmic, African styles of music. Some rappers, such as
The Notorious B.I.G. and
Heavy D, are of Jamaican descent. Internationally
known reggae musician
Bob Marley was born
in Jamaica and is very respected there. Many other internationally
known artists were born in Jamaica including
Lee
"Scratch" Perry,
Peter Tosh,
Bunny Wailer,
Big
Youth,
Jimmy Cliff,
Dennis Brown,
Desmond
Dekker,
Beres Hammond,
Beenie Man,
Shaggy,
Grace
Jones,
Shabba Ranks,
Super Cat,
Buju Banton,
Sean Paul,
I Wayne,
Bounty Killer and many others. Famous
band artist groups that came from Jamaica include
Black Uhuru,
Third
World Band,
Inner Circle,
Chalice Reggae Band,
Culture,
Fab Five and
Morgan Heritage. The genre
jungle emerged from London's Jamaican
diaspora. The birth of
hip-hop in New
York also owed much to the city's Jamaican community.
The
Rastafari movement was
founded in Jamaica. This
Back to Africa
movement believes that
Haile
Selassie of Ethiopia was
God incarnate, the returned black
messiah, come to take the lost
Twelve Tribes of Israel back to live with him in
Holy Mount
Zion in a world of perfect peace,
love and harmony. Bob Marley, a convert to the faith, spread the
message of Rastafari to the world. There are now estimated to be
more than a million Rastafarians throughout the world.
Ian Fleming, who lived in Jamaica,
repeatedly used the island as a setting in the
James Bond novels, including
Live and Let Die,
Doctor No,
For Your Eyes
Only,
The Man with the Golden
Gun and
Octopussy.
In addition, James Bond uses a Jamaica-based cover in
Casino Royale. So far, the only
James Bond film adaption to have been set in Jamaica is
Doctor No. Filming for the
fictional island of
San Monique in
Live and Let Die,
however, took place in Jamaica.
The American film
Cocktail,
starring
Tom Cruise, is one of the most
popular films to depict Jamaica. A look at delinquent youth in
Jamaica is presented in the 1970s musical crime film
The Harder They Come, starring
Jimmy Cliff as a frustrated (and
psychopathic) reggae musician who
descends into a murderous crime spree. Another popular
Jamaican-based film is the 1993 comedy
Cool Runnings which is loosely based on
the true story of Jamaica's first bobsled team trying to make it in
the Winter Olympics.
Errol Flynn lived with his third wife Patrice
Wymore in Port
Antonio in the 1950s. He was responsible for
developing tourism to this area, popularising raft trips down
rivers on bamboo rafts.
The island is famous for its
Jamaican jerk spice which forms a
popular part of Jamaican cuisine. Jamaica is also home to the
world-renowned
Red Stripe Beer and
Jamaican Blue Mountain
Coffee.
National symbols
(
From the Jamaica Information Service
- National Bird — Doctor Bird
(Red-billed Streamertail Hummingbird,
Trochilus polytmus)
- National Flower - Lignum Vitae
(Guiacum Officinale)
- National Tree — Blue Mahoe
(Hibiscus talipariti elatum)
- National Fruit — Ackee
- National Motto — "Out of Many, One People."
Sport
Sport is an integral part of national life in Jamaica and the
island's athletes tend to perform to a standard well above what
might ordinarily be expected of such a small country. While the
most popular local sport is
cricket, on the
international stage Jamaicans have tended to do particularly well
at Track and Field.
The country was one the venues of
2007 Cricket World Cup and
West Indies cricket team is one of
the only 10
ICC full
member teams who participate in international
Test Cricket. The
Jamaica national cricket team
competes regionally, and also provides players for the
West Indies.
Sabina Park
is the only test venue here and Greenfield
Stadium 
is also used for cricket.
Since independence Jamaica has consistently produced world class
athletes in track and field. In Jamaica involvement in athletics
begins at a very young age and most high schools maintain rigorous
athletics programs with their top athletes competing in national
competitions (most notably the VMBS Girls and Boys Athletics
Championships) and international meets (most notably the Penn
Relays). In Jamaica it is not uncommon for young athletes to attain
press coverage and national fame long before they arrive on the
international athletics stage.
Over the past 6 decades Jamaica has produced dozens of world class
sprinters including most recently
Usain
Bolt, world record holder in the 100m for men at 9.58s, and
200m for men at 19.19s. Other noteworthy Jamaican sprinters include
Arthur Wint--the first Jamaican Olympic
Gold Medalist,
Donald
Quarrie--Olympic Champion and former 200m world record holder,
Merlene Ottey,
Delloreen Ennis-London,
Shelly-Ann Fraser--the current World and
Olympic 100m Champion,
Kerron
Stewart,
Aleen Bailey,
Juliet Cuthbert,
Veronica Campbell-Brown,
Sherone Simpson,
Brigitte Foster-Hylton,
Yohan Blake,
Herb
McKenley,
George Rhoden--Olympic
Gold Medalist,
Deon Hemmings--Olympic
Gold Medalist as well as former 100m world record holder and
Olympic Gold medallist
Asafa
Powell.
Jamaica has also produced several world class amateur and
professional boxers including
Trevor
Berbick and
Mike McCallum. Second
generation Jamaican athletes have continued to make a significant
impact on the sport internationally, especially in the United
Kingdom where the list of top British boxers born in Jamaica or of
Jamaican parents includes
Chris Eubank,
Audley Harrison,
David Haye,
Lennox
Lewis and
Frank Bruno.
Association football and
horse-racing are other popular sports
in Jamaica. The
national
football team qualified for the 1998
FIFA World Cup.
The
Jamaica national
bobsled team was once a serious contender in the
Winter Olympics, beating many
well-established teams. There is a notable amount of
golf in Jamaica, but it appears to be focused on the
international tourism market.
Chess, and Basketball are widely played in Jamaica which are
supported by the Jamaica Chess Federation (JCF), and the Jamaica
Basketball Federation (JBF).
Netball is also
very popular on the island, with the National Netball Team called
The Sunshine Girls consistently ranking in the top five in
the world.
Education
The emancipation of the slaves heralded in the establishment of the
Jamaican education system for the masses. Prior to emancipation
there were few schools for educating locals. Many sent their
children off to England to access quality education.
After emancipation the West Indian Commission granted a sum of
money to establish Elementary Schools, now known as
All Age
Schools. Most of these schools were established by the
churches. This was the genesis of the modern Jamaican school
system:
Presently the following categories of schools exist:
- Early childhood – Basic, Infant and privately
operated pre- school. Age cohort – 1 – 5 years.
- Primary – Publicly and privately owned
(Privately owned being called Preparatory Schools). Ages 5 – 12
years.
- Secondary – Publicly and privately owned. Ages
12 – 18 years. The high schools in Jamaica may be either single-sex
or co-educational institutions, and many schools follow the
traditional English grammar school model
used throughout the British West Indies.
- Tertiary - Community Colleges, Teachers’
Colleges with The Mico Teachers' College(now The MICO University
College) being the oldest founded in 1836,The Shortwood Teachers'
College (which was once an all female teacher training
institution), Vocational Training Centres, Colleges and
Universities - Publicly and privately owned. There are five local
universities namely: The University of the West Indies
(Mona Campus); the University of Technology,
Jamaica formerly The College of Art Science and Technology
(CAST); the Northern
Caribbean University formerly West Indies College; the University College of The
Caribbean and the International University of the Caribbean.
Additionally, there are many community and teacher training
colleges.
Education is free from the early childhood to secondary levels.
There are also opportunities for those who cannot afford further
education in the vocational arena through the Human Employment and
Resource Training-National Training Agency (HEART Trust-NTA)
programme and through an extensive scholarship network for the
various universities.
They are taught
Spanish in school
from primary school, about 40-45% of Jamaican knows some form of
Spanish.
Economy
Jamaica is a
mixed economy with both
state enterprises and private sector businesses. Major sectors of
the Jamaican economy include
agriculture,
mining,
manufacturing,
tourism, and
financial and
insurance services. Tourism and mining are
the leading earners of
foreign
exchange. An estimated 1.3 million foreign tourists visit
Jamaica every year.
Supported by multilateral financial institutions, Jamaica has,
since the early 1980s, sought to implement structural reforms aimed
at fostering private sector activity and increasing the role of
market forces in resource allocation. Since 1991, the government
has followed a programme of economic liberalization and
stabilization by removing exchange controls, floating the exchange
rate, cutting
tariffs, stabilising the
Jamaican currency, reducing
inflation and
removing restrictions on
foreign
investment. Emphasis has been placed on maintaining strict
fiscal discipline, greater openness to trade and financial flows,
market liberalisation and reduction in the size of government.
During this period, a large share of the economy was returned to
private sector ownership through
divestment and privatisation programmes.
The macroeconomic stabilisation programme introduced in 1991, which
focused on tight fiscal and monetary policies, has contributed to a
controlled reduction in the rate of inflation. The annual
inflation rate has decreased from a high of 80.2%
in 1991 to 7.9% in 1998. inflation for FY1998/99 was 6.2% compared
to 7.2% in the corresponding period in CUU1997/98. The
Government of Jamaica remains
committed to lowering inflation, with a long-term objective of
bringing it in line with that of its major trading partners.
After a period of steady growth from 1985 to 1995, real
GDP decreased by 1.8% and 2.4% in
1996 and 1997, respectively. The decrease in GDP in 1996 and 1997
was largely due to significant problems in the financial sector
and, in 1997, a severe island-wide drought (the worst in 70 years)
that drastically reduced agricultural production. In 1997, nominal
GDP was approximately J$220,556.2 million
(US$6,198.9 million based on the average annual exchange rate
of the period).
The economy in 1997 was marked by low levels of
import growth, high levels of private capital inflows
and relative stability in the
foreign exchange market.
Recent economic performance shows the Jamaican economy is
recovering.
Agricultural production, an
important engine of growth increased 15.3% in third quarter of 1998
compared to the corresponding period in 1997, signaling the first
positive growth rate in the sector since January 1997.
Bauxite and
alumina
production increased 5.5% from January to December, 1998 compared
to the corresponding period in 1997. January's bauxite production
recorded a 7.1% increase relative to January 1998 and continued
expansion of
alumina production through 2009
is planned by
Alcoa.
Tourism, which is the largest foreign exchange
earner, showed improvement as well. In the third quarter of 1998,
growth in tourist arrivals accelerated with an overall increase of
8.5% in tourism earnings in 1998 when compared to the corresponding
period in 1997. Jamaica's agricultural exports are
sugar,
bananas,
coffee,
rum,and
yams.
Jamaica's the number two exporter of
Bauxite
in the world, falling short only to the much larger
Australia.
Jamaica has a wide variety of industrial and commercial activities.
The
aviation industry is able to perform
most routine aircraft maintenance, except for heavy structural
repairs. There is a considerable amount of technical support for
transport and agricultural aviation. Jamaica has a considerable
amount of
industrial
engineering,
light
manufacturing, including
metal
fabrication, metal roofing, and furniture
manufacturing. Food and
beverage processing,
glassware manufacturing,
computer software and
data processing,
printing and
publishing,
insurance underwriting,
music and recording, and advanced
education activities can be found in the larger
urban areas. The Jamaican
construction industry is entirely
self-sufficient, with professional technical standards and
guidance.
Since the first quarter of 2006, the economy of Jamaica has
undergone a period of staunch growth. With inflation for the 2006
calendar year down to 6.0% and unemployment down to 8.9%, the
nominal GDP grew by an unprecedented 2.9%. An investment programme
in island transportation and utility infrastructure and gains in
the tourism, mining, and service sectors all contributed this
figure. All projections for 2007 show an even higher potential for
economic growth with all estimates over 3.0% and hampered only by
urban crime and public policies.
In 2006, Jamaica became part of the
CARICOM Single Market and Economy
as one of the
pioneering members.
International trade
Exports: (1999) 1,238 billion $ (Natural
resources: 55.7%,Pickles 20%, Food 19.1%, Bananas 4%, Chemicals
3.6%, Machinery 2.2%).
The main export countries: United States 33.4%, Canada 14.1%, United Kingdom 13.4%, Netherlands
10.2%, Norway
5.8%,
France 5%, Germany 4%, and Japan 2.3%.
Imports: (1999) 2,89 billion $ (Energy 50.5%,
Machinery and Equipment 7.6%, Consumer goods 33.2%).
The main import
countries: United
States 48.1%, Trinidad and Tobago 7.8%, Japan 6.9%, France 5%, United Kingdom 3.7%,
and Canada 3%.
Exports and
Imports for January
2007 -
Exports: (January 2007) Total Goods Exports
166,495 (US$000) (General Merchandise Exports 93.4%, Freezone
Exports 2.6%, Goods Procured in Ports 4.0%).
Imports: (January 2007) : Total Goods Import
511,015 (US$000); General Merchandise Imports 97.8%, Freezone
Imports 0.3%, Goods Procured in Ports 1.8%).
Infrastructure
Transport
The
transport infrastructure in
Jamaica consists of
roadways,
railways and
air transport,
with roadways forming the backbone of the island's internal
transport system.
Roadways
The Jamaican road network consists of almost 13 049 miles (21,000
kilometres) of roads, of which over 9 321 miles (15,000 kilometres)
is paved. The
Jamaican
Government has, since the late 1990s and in cooperation with
private investors, embarked on a campaign of infrastructural
improvement projects, one of which includes the creation of a
system of
freeways, the first such
access-controlled roadways of their kind on the island, connecting
the main population centres of the island. This project has so far
seen the completion of 21 miles (33 kilometres) of freeway.
Railways
Railways in Jamaica, as in many other countries, no longer enjoy
the prominent position they once did, having been largely replaced
by roadways as the primary means of transport. Of the 169 miles
(272 kilometres) and of railway found in Jamaica, only 35 miles (57
kilometres) remain in operation, currently used to transport
bauxite.
Air transport
There are
two international airports in Jamaica with modern terminals, long runways, and the navigational equipment required to
accommodate the large jet aircraft used
in modern and air travel: Norman
Manley International Airport
in Kingston and Sangster International
Airport
in the resort city of
Montego
Bay. Both airports are home to the country's
national airline,
Air Jamaica.
In
addition there are local commuter airports at Tinson
Pen 
, Port
Antonio, Ocho
Ríos, and Negril which cater
to internal flights only. Many other small, rural centres
are served by private fields on sugar estates or bauxite
mines.
Ports, shipping and lighthouses
Owing to
its location in the Caribbean
Sea in the shipping lane to the
Panama
Canal
and relative proximity to large markets in North America and emerging markets in Latin America, Jamaica receives high container traffic. The
container terminal at the Port of
Kingston has undergone large expansion in capacity in recent years
to handle growth both already realised as well as that which is
projected in coming years.
Montego Freeport in Montego Bay also handles a variety of cargo like (though more
limited than) the Port of Kingston, mainly agricultural
products.
There are
several other ports positioned around the island, including Port
Esquivel in St.
Catherine (WINDALCO), Rocky Point in Clarendon
, Port Kaiser in St.
Elizabeth
, Port Rhoades in Discovery Bay, Reynolds Pier in
Ocho
Rios
, and Boundbrook Port in Port Antonio.
To aid the navigation of shipping, Jamaica operates nine
lighthouses.
Energy
Jamaica depends on petroleum imports to satisfy its national energy
needs. Many test sites have been explored for oil, but no
commercially viable quantities have been found.
The most convenient
sources of imported oil and motor fuels (diesel, gasoline, and jet
fuel) are from Mexico
and
Venezuela
.
Jamaica's electrical power is produced by diesel (
bunker oil) generators located in Old Harbour.
Other smaller power stations (most owned by the Jamaica Public
Service Company - the island's electricity provider) support the
island's electrical grid including the Hunts Bay Power Station, the
Bogue Power Station, the Rockfort Power Station and small
hydroelectric plants on the White River, Rio Bueno, Morant River,
Black River (Maggotty) and Roaring River. A wind farm, owned by the
Petroleum Corporation of Jamaica, was established at Wigton,
Manchester.
Jamaica imports approximately 80,000 barrels of oil energy products
per day, including asphalt and lubrication products. Just 20% of
imported fuels are used for road transportation, the rest being
used by the bauxite industry, electricity generation, and
aviation.
Jamaica produces enormous quantities of hydrous ethanol (5% water
content), most of which appears to be consumed as beverages, and
none of it used as motor fuel. Facilities exist to refine hydrous
ethanol feedstock into anhydrous ethanol (0% water content), but
the process appears to be uneconomic at this time and the facility
remains idle.
Communication
Jamaica has a fully
digital telephone
communication system with a mobile penetration of over
95%.
The country’s three mobile operators -
Cable and Wireless
(marketed as
LIME - Landline, Internet, Mobile and
Entertainment),
Digicel, and Oceanic Digital
(operating as
MiPhone and now known as
Claro since late 2008)
- have spent millions in network upgrade and expansion.Both Digicel
and Oceanic Digital were granted licences in 2001 to operate mobile
services in the newly liberalised telecom market that had once been
the sole domain of the incumbent Cable and Wireless monopoly.
Digicel opted for the more widely used
GSM
wireless system, while Oceanic opted for the
CDMA standard. Cable and Wireless, which had begun with
TDMA standard,
subsequently upgraded to GSM, and currently utilises both standards
on its network.
With wireless usage increasing,
land lines
supplied by Cable and Wireless have declined from just over half a
million to roughly about three hundred thousand as of 2006. In a
bid to grab more market share, Cable and Wireless recently launched
a new land line service called HomeFone Prepaid that would allow
customers to pay for minutes they use rather than pay a set monthly
fee for service, much like
prepaid
wireless service.
A new entrant to the Jamaican communications market,
Flow Jamaica, recently laid a new
submarine cable
connecting Jamaica to the United States. This new cable increases
the total number of submarine cables connecting Jamaica to the rest
of the world to four.
Two more licences were auctioned by the Jamaican government to
provide mobile services on the island, including one that was
previously owned by
AT&T
Wireless but never utilised, and one new licence. Industry
analysts argue that with a near market saturation, there is very
little room for new operators.
Military
The
Jamaica Defence Force
(JDF) is the small but professional military force of Jamaica. The
JDF is based on the British military model with organisation,
training, weapons and traditions closely aligned with
Commonwealth realms. Once chosen, officer
candidates are sent to one of several British or Canadian basic
officer courses depending on which arm of service they are selected
for. Enlisted soldiers are given basic training at JDF Training
Depot, Newcastle or Up Park Camp, both in St. Andrew. As with the
British model, NCOs are given several levels of professional
training as they rise up the ranks. Additional military schools are
available for speciality training in Canada, the United States and
the United Kingdom.
The JDF is directly descended from the British
West India Regiment formed during the
colonial era. The West India Regiment was used extensively by the
British Empire in policing the empire from 1795 to 1926. Other
units in the JDF heritage include the early colonial Jamaica
Militia, the Kingston Infantry Volunteers of WWI and reorganised
into the Jamaican Infantry Volunteers in World War II. The West
Indies Regiment was reformed in 1958 as part of the
West Indies Federation. The
dissolution of the Federation resulted in the establishment of the
JDF.
The Jamaica Defence Force (JDF) comprises an infantry Regiment and
Reserve Corps, an Air Wing, a Coast Guard fleet and a supporting
Engineering Unit. The infantry regiment contains the 1st, 2nd and
3rd (National Reserve) battalions. The JDF Air Wing is divided into
three flight units, a training unit, a support unit and the JDF Air
Wing (National Reserve). The Coast Guard is divided between
seagoing crews and support crews. It conducts maritime safety and
maritime law enforcement as well as defence-related operations. The
support battalion contains a Military Police platoon as well as
vehicle, armourers and supply units. The 1st Engineer Regiment
provides military engineering support to the JDF. The Headquarters
JDF contains the JDF Commander, Command Staff as well as
Intelligence, Judge Advocate office, Administrative and Procurement
sections.
In recent years the JDF has been called on to assist the nation's
police, the
Jamaica
Constabulary Force (JCF) in fighting drug smuggling and a
rising crime rate which includes one of the highest murder rates in
the world. JDF units actively conduct armed patrols with the JCF in
high-crime areas and known gang neighbourhoods. There has been
vocal controversy as well as support of this JDF role. In early
2005, an Opposition leader,
Edward
Seaga, called for the merger of the JDF and JCF. This has not
garnered support in either organisation nor among the majority of
citizens.
Crime
- See also: Prisons in
Jamaica
Some areas of Jamaica, particularly cities such as Kingston,
experience high levels of crime and violence. Jamaica has had one
of the highest murder rates in the world for many years, according
to
UN estimates. Former Prime
Minister P.J. Patterson described the situation as "a national
challenge of unprecedented proportions". In 2005, Jamaica had 1,674
murders for a murder rate of 58 per 100,000 people; that year,
Jamaica had the
highest murder
rate in the world.In November 2008, Jamaica's parliament voted
to retain the death penalty, which is performed by hanging.
The U.S. Department of State reports that brutality against
homosexuals, mainly by private citizens, was widespread in 2008.
Homosexuality is
illegal in
Jamaica, incurring a prison sentence. Many Jamaicans are
hostile toward
LGBT and intersex people, and
several mob attacks against gay people have been reported. Attacks
on gay people are even encouraged in some popular Jamaican
dancehall/
reggae songs that
have been called
murder
music.However in that year of 2008 there was the murder of one
homosexual, who was killed by his lover. Jamaican Star No Gay
Murders>
The country has been called "the most homophobic place on earth."
See also
References
Further reading
- Chapman, V.J. 1961. The Marine Algae of Jamaica.
Part 1. Myxophyceae and Chlorophyceae. Institute
of Jamaica.
- Chapman, V.J. 1963. The Marine Algae of Jamaica.
Part 2. Phaeophyceas and Rhodophyceae. Institute
of Jamaica.
External links
- Government
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