Jamaica

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Jamaica's Information


Capital	Kingston
Languages	English, English patois
Ethnic Groups	Black 92.1%, mixed 6.1%, East Indian 0.8%, other 0.4%, unspecified 0.7% (2011 est.)
Religion	Protestant 64.8% (includes Seventh Day Adventist 12.0%, Pentecostal 11.0%, Other Church of God 9.2%, New Testament Church of God 7.2%, Baptist 6.7%, Church of God in Jamaica 4.8%, Church of God of Prophecy 4.5%, Anglican 2.8%, United Church 2.1%, Methodist 1.6%, Revived 1.4%, Brethren 0.9%, and Moravian 0.7%), Roman Catholic 2.2%, Jehovah's Witness 1.9%, Rastafarian 1.1%, other 6.5%, none 21.3%, unspecified 2.3% (2011 est.)
Government	Parliamentary democracy (Parliament) under a constitutional monarchy; a Commonwealth realm
Independance	6 August 1962 (from the UK)
Area	10,991.00 km²
Water Area	160.00 km²
Land Area	10,831.00 km²
Population	2,970,340.00 Population density is high throughout, but increases in and around Kingston, Montego Bay, and Port Esquivel
Location	Caribbean, island in the Caribbean Sea, south of Cuba
GDP(PPP)	$25,390,000,000.00 (USD)
GDP (Per Capita)	$9,000.00 (USD)
Export Partners	Its major export partners are the United States, Canada, and Russia.
Export Commodities	Its main exports are alumina, bauxite, sugar, rum, coffee, and yams.
Import Partners	Its major import partners are the United States, China, and Trinidad and Tobago.
Import Commodities	Its major imports include food and other consumer goods, industrial supplies, fuel, parts, and machinery.
Climate	Tropical; hot, humid; temperate interior
Terrain	Mostly mountains, with narrow, discontinuous coastal plain

Where is Jamaica?

Located in the Caribbean, Jamaica is an island nation. It has a 1,022.00 km coastline.

The capital city of Jamaica is Kingston. It became the capital city of the country in 1872. The city lies on the south-east coast of the island and is bordered by the Blue Mountains, Red Hills, Long Mountain, the Liguanea Plain, and Hope River. Kingston's population is 937,700, making it the largest city in the country. Tourist attractions in the capital include National Gallery of Jamaica, Shaare Shalom Synagogue, and University of the West Indies Museum. The capital city of Jamaica experiences a tropical climate due to its geographical location at the coast. Jamaica’s location in the hurricane belt of the Atlantic Ocean makes Kingston susceptible to hurricanes and storms. Moderate rainfall is experienced from May to November and dry periods are experienced from December to April. High temperatures range from 31°C in between June and November while lowest temperature is at 22°C in January and February. In comparison to other places, Kingston receives the least amount of rainfall and the most sunshine throughout the year.

Geography

Jamaica has a mean elevation of 18 m above sea level.

It has a tropical climate with a hot, humid temperate. Its terrain mostly consists of mountains with narrow, discontinuous coastal plains.

Population

Jamaica has a population of 2,970,340 making it the 139th largest in the world. The population density is high throughout the entire country.

English is the official language; English patois is also spoken. The major ethnic group reported is black. The majority of the population has Christian religious beliefs, with a significant populaton claiming to be non-religious.

The official language of Jamaica is Jamaican Standard English. The most commonly used language in Jamaica is the Jamaican Patois. Jamaican patois is a Jamaican Creole language which was created during the 1600s, and it is a perfect mix of West African languages and English. Statistics show that about 88% of the population can converse in both Jamaican English and patois. 36.5% of the population in the country can only converse in Patois and 17.1% converse in Jamaican English only.

Government

Jamaica is an independent country. It gained independence from the United Kingdom in 1962. Its constitution was last ratified in 1962.

The government of Jamaica is a two-chamber parliamentary democracy with a constitutional monarchy. The Queen of Jamaica is the Head of State and the prime minister is the head of government. The queen, who has reigned since August 1962, has a governor general who represents her locally. She appoints him based on advice given by the prime minister. In turn, the governor general choses a prime minister from among the elected members of the current ruling party. The current prime minister is Andrew Holness. Parliament is currently located on Duke Street in Kingston city. There is currently no term limit or a fixed election date. However, the current prime minister campaigned on the promise of fixing this.

Economy

Factoring in Purchasing Power Parity, Jamaica's GDP is $25,390,000,000.00 (USD) with $9,000.00 (USD) per capita. This makes it the 139th largest economy and its citizens the 139th richest in the world. The currency of Jamaica is the Dollar (JMD).

Its major export partners are the United States, Canada, and Russia. Its main exports are alumina, bauxite, sugar, rum, coffee, and yams. Its major import partners are the United States, China, and Trinidad and Tobago. Its major imports include food and other consumer goods, industrial supplies, fuel, parts, and machinery.

Flag

The Flag of Jamaica represents the people of Jamaica and its wealth. The initial design was horizontal with three colors: green, gold, and black. The flag has several codes of use, for instance, no other flag flown at the same time should be bigger than the Cross. The Jamaican Flag should never be allowed to come in to contact with the ground. Moreover, it should not be used for ornamental drives on anything that is short-term. Another code of use implies that no other flag, except at foreign embassies, should be placed to the right or on top of the Jamaican flag.