Jamaica - Country information


		Jamaica	Population Government Economy Geography Communication Transportation

Population		Top of page

Inhabitants		Life expectancy
2,780,132 (July 2007 est.)		total population: 73.12 years male: 71.43 years female: 74.9 years (2007 est.)

Ethnic groups		Religions
black 91.2%, mixed 6.2%, other or unknown 2.6% (2001 census)		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		Literacy
English, English patois		definition: age 15 and over has ever attended school total population: 87.9% male: 84.1% female: 91.6% (2003 est.)

Government		Top of page

Government type		Capital
constitutional parliamentary democracy		Kingston

Independance		National day
6 August 1962 (from UK)		Independence Day, 6 August (1962)

Constitution		Legal system
6 August 1962		based on English common law; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

Economy		Top of page

GDP (purchasing power parity)		Growth rate
$9.23 billion (2006 est.)		2.7% (2006 est.)

GDP per inhabitant		Unemployment rate
$4,600 (2006 est.)		11.3% (2006 est.)

Population below poverty line		Inflation rate
14.8% (2003 est.)		5.8% (2006 est.)

Exports		Imports
$2.087 billion f.o.b. (2006 est.)		$4.682 billion f.o.b. (2006 est.)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold		Currency
$2.317 billion (2006 est.)		Jamaican dollar (JMD)

Military expenditures
0.6% (2006 est.)

Geography		Top of page

Location		Area
Caribbean, island in the Caribbean Sea, south of Cuba		10,991 sq km

Climate		Natural resources
tropical; hot, humid; temperate interior		bauxite, gypsum, limestone

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