Political Division and Principal Cities
Transportation and Communications
Jamaica, island country, third
largest island of the Greater Antilles of the West Indies, situated south of Cuba. Jamaica
has a maximum length, from east to west, of 235 km (146 mi); the maximum width is
approximately 80 km (about 50 mi). The total area of the country is 10,991 sq km (4,244 sq
mi). Kingston is the capital and largest city of Jamaica, and also a large commercial
seaport.
The terrain is mountainous, except for several tracts of lowlands in the southern coastal area. The principal range, situated in the eastern section of the island, is the Blue Mountains, of which Blue Mountain Peak (2,256 m/ 7,402 ft) is the highest point on the island. A series of lesser mountains, with many transverse spurs, extends generally west to the extremity of the island, surmounting an extensive plateau. The coastline, 1,020 km (635 mi) long, is irregular, particularly in the south, and the island has a number of excellent natural harbors, including those at Kingston, Saint Ann’s Bay, Montego Bay, and Port Maria. Thermal springs occur in various areas. No other volcanic phenomena are apparent, but the island is subject to severe earthquakes. Many small unnavigable rivers traverse the island.
Back to top Climate
Tropical climatic conditions
prevail in the coastal lowlands of Jamaica. The mean annual temperature in this region is
27° C (80° F), but northeastern trade winds frequently moderate the extremes of heat and
humidity. Mean annual temperatures in the plateau and mountain areas average 22° C (72°
F) at elevations of 900 m (about 3,000 ft), and are considerably less at higher levels.
Annual precipitation is characterized by wide regional variations. More than 5,100 mm
(more than 200 in) of rain are deposited annually in the mountains of the northeast; in
the vicinity of Kingston the annual average is 810 mm (32 in). The months of maximum
precipitation are May, June, October, and November. The island is subject to hurricanes in
late summer and early autumn.
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Mineral deposits in Jamaica
include gypsum, lead, and salt. The bauxite deposits, in the central section of the
island, are among the richest in the world. Rich soils are found on the coastal plains.
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Back to top POPULATION
The population of Jamaica is
primarily of African or mixed African-European origin, descended from slaves brought to
the island between the 17th and 19th centuries. Among the established minorities are East
Indians, Europeans, and Chinese. About half the population lives in rural areas.
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The population of Jamaica
(1998 estimate) was 2,634,678, giving the country an overall population density of 240
persons per sq km (621 per sq mi). The annual rate of population increase, formerly high,
declined to 0.70 percent by 1998. Emigration, primarily to the United States, Britain, and
Latin America, has been substantial.
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Jamaica is divided into 14 parishes. Of these, 12 parishes are administered by popularly elected councils, and the remaining parishes are administered by elected commissions.
The population of greater
Kingston in 1991 was 587,798. Other important communities are Montego Bay (83,446) and
Spanish Town (92,383).
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English is the official
language, although many Jamaicans speak a local dialect of English that incorporates
African, Spanish, and French elements. Among the Christian majority, the Church of God,
Baptists, Anglicans, Seventh-day Adventists, Pentecostalists, and Roman Catholics
predominate. Several well-established Jewish, Muslim, and Hindu communities exist. A
number of popular sects, such as Pocomania and Rastafarianism, are a significant and
famous feature of the national religious life.
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Back to top Culture
The position of Jamaica as a
dependency of Britain for more than 300 years is reflected in both language and customs,
which are combined with African influences. Reggae, a distinctively syncopated style of
Jamaican music, much of it highly political, was popularized in the 20th century by Bob
Marley and others. It was a pervasive influence on rock music in the 1980s, especially in
Britain.
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The economy of Jamaica is
primarily agricultural, but gains in mining, manufacturing, and tourism have diversified
the economy. Annual budget figures for 1990-1991 showed about $600 million in revenues and
$736 million in expenditures. In 1997 Jamaica’s gross domestic product (GDP) was
$4.13 billion, or about $1,620 per capita. In 1997, 5.9 billion kwh of electricity was
produced.
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Some 25 percent of the total
Jamaican labor force is engaged in agricultural production. The chief crop is sugarcane;
the harvest in 1998 was 2.4 million metric tons. Other leading agricultural products are
bananas, citrus fruits, tobacco, cacao, coffee, coconuts, corn, hay, peppers, ginger,
mangoes, potatoes, and arrowroot. Jamaica grows nearly the entire world supply of
allspice. In 1998 the livestock population included 420,000 cattle, 440,000 goats, and
180,000 pigs.
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Back to top Banking and Foreign Trade The unit of currency is the dollar, consisting of 100 cents (35.40 dollars equal U.S.$1; 1997 average). The Bank of Jamaica, established in 1960, is the central bank and bank of issue. Several commercial banks are also in operation. Among the chief exports are alumina, bauxite, sugar, rum, clothing, and coffee, and all exports were valued at $1.4 billion in 1996. Leading purchasers are the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, Norway, and France. Food and animal products, chemicals, textiles, machinery, and petroleum are major imports; the value of all imports amounted to $2.9 billion. Chief sources are the United States, the United Kingdom, Japan, Venezuela, Mexico, and France. Tourism is vital to the economy and provides a large portion of foreign-exchange earnings. In 1997, 1.2 million people visited the island, contributing $181 million to the economy.
Back to top Transportation and Communications Jamaica has 340 km (210 mi) of railroads. In 1996 Jamaica had 19,000 km (11,806 mi) of roads; of these, about one-fourth were paved. Numerous international airlines and Air Jamaica serve the island, and internal flights are provided by Trans-Jamaican Airlines. Jamaica has two broadcasting companies, one public and one privately owned. In 1996 the country had 482 radio receivers and 450 television sets for every 1,000 residents. In 1996 there were 140 telephone mainlines per 1,000 people.
Back to top Labour
In 1997 the employed labor
force exceeded 1.3 million. The main trade unions included the National Workers’
Union of Jamaica (NWU) and the Bustamante Industrial Trade Union (BITU). The NWU had
102,000 members; the BITU more than 100,000. Each union was closely identified with one of
the two main political parties: the NWU with the People’s National Party and the BITU
with the Jamaica Labour Party.
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The Jamaican constitution,
promulgated in 1962, established a parliamentary system of government patterned after that
of Britain. The prime minister is the head of the government. The British monarch is the
head of state and is represented by a governor-general, who is appointed on the advice of
the prime minister.
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Executive power in Jamaica is
vested in a cabinet. The cabinet consists of some 20 ministers and is headed by the prime
minister. The prime minister is the leader of the majority party and is appointed from the
House of Representatives by the governor-general. The prime minister appoints the
ministers of the cabinet.
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Jamaica has a two-party
political system. The People’s National Party (PNP) is socialist in orientation, and
the Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) supports free enterprise in a mixed economy. Minor parties
include the Workers’ Party of Jamaica, a Marxist group, and the Jamaica American
Party, which favors U.S. statehood for Jamaica.
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Legislative authority is vested in the bicameral Parliament.
The 60 members of the House of Representatives are popularly elected to terms of up to
five years. The 21 members of the Senate are appointed by the governor-general, 13 in
accordance with suggestions by the prime minister, and the remaining 8 on the advice of
the leader of the minority party.
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The legal and judicial system
is based on English common law and practice. The judicature comprises the supreme court, a
court of appeals, resident magistrates’ courts, petty sessional courts, and other
courts.
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Large numbers of the freed blacks abandoned the
plantations following emancipation and took possession of unoccupied lands in the
interior, gravely disrupting the economy. Labor shortages, bankrupt plantations, and
declining trade resulted in a protracted economic crisis. Oppressive taxation,
discriminatory acts by the courts, and land-exclusion measures ultimately caused
widespread unrest among the blacks. In October 1865 an insurrection occurred at Port
Morant. Imposing martial law, the government speedily quelled the uprising and inflicted
brutal reprisals. Jamaica was made a crown colony, thus losing the large degree of
self-government it had enjoyed since the late 17th century. Representative government was
partly restored in 1884.
Jamaica was one of the British colonies that, on January 3, 1958, was united in the Federation of the West Indies. Disagreement over the role Jamaica would play led to the breakup of the federation, and on August 6, 1962, the island gained independence. The JLP won the elections of April 1962, and its leader, Sir Alexander Bustamante, became prime minister. In 1967 he retired and was succeeded by Hugh Lawson Shearer. In 1968 Jamaica was a founding member of the Caribbean Free Trade Area (CARIFTA).
Elections in 1972 brought the PNP to power under Michael N. Manley, a labor leader who promised economic growth. His leftist policies and open friendship with Cuba’s Communist leader Fidel Castro, however, polarized the population. When he proved unable to revitalize the economy, Manley was voted out in 1980 following a turbulent election campaign that left about 800 Jamaicans dead, mainly as a result of clashes between political gangs. Election-related violence remained a part of Jamaica’s political scene into the 1990s.
Edward Seaga of the JLP, a former finance minister, then formed a government. Repudiating socialism, he severed relations with Cuba, established close ties with the United States, and tried hard to attract foreign capital. However, weak prices for Jamaica’s mineral exports impeded economic recovery. In September 1988 Hurricane Gilbert caused an estimated $8 billion in property damage and left some 500,000 Jamaicans homeless.
The PNP won a large parliamentary
majority in 1989, returning Manley to power. He introduced moderate free-market policies
before resigning in March 1992 because of poor health. P(ercival) J. Patterson, his
successor as prime minister and PNP leader, easily won reelection a year later. In 1997
the PNP won an unprecedented third consecutive electoral victory, capturing 56 percent of
the vote and taking most of the 60 seats in Jamaica’s Parliament. Although sporadic
violence did occur during the campaign, international observers reported that the 1997
election was one of the least violent elections in Jamaica’s recent history. Back to top