Jamaica
- Capital Kingston (17°58´N 76°47´W)
- International airport(s) Sangster International Airport, Montego Bay; Norman Manley International Airport, Kingston; Ian Fleming International Airport, Ocho Rios
- Official language(s) English
- Currency Jamaican dollar (JMD)
- Time UTC -5
- Region Caribbean
GeographyClimateEconomyCulture
Jamaica lies in the Caribbean Sea, located 145 km south of Cuba between the Cayman Trench and the Jamaica Channel, the main sea lanes for the Panama Canal. Its land area is 10 830 km2, making it the third largest island in the Caribbean after Cuba and Hispaniola. Kingston is the world's seventh‐largest harbour.
Jamaica is mostly mountainous, with a narrow and irregular coastal plain, and is itself the tip of a submerged mountain. It can be divided in three geographical regions: the eastern mountains, the central valleys and plateaus, and the coastal plains. About two‐thirds of the island, especially the central and western sections, are covered with a thick layer of limestone formed from remnants of corals and seashells.
A remote region in the central valleys and plateaus, known as Cockpit Country, is famous for its unusual limestone landscape with sinkholes (cockpits), as much as 120 m deep in places.
Jamaica is mostly mountainous, with a narrow and irregular coastal plain, and is itself the tip of a submerged mountain. It can be divided in three geographical regions: the eastern mountains, the central valleys and plateaus, and the coastal plains. About two‐thirds of the island, especially the central and western sections, are covered with a thick layer of limestone formed from remnants of corals and seashells.
A remote region in the central valleys and plateaus, known as Cockpit Country, is famous for its unusual limestone landscape with sinkholes (cockpits), as much as 120 m deep in places.
Jamaica's climate is tropical, influenced by the ocean and northeast trade winds. It is hot and humid on the coasts and temperate inland. The monthly average temperatures range from 24 to 27 °C -—
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—-. Along the coast temperatures range between 22 to 31 °C, and from 15 to 22 °C at higher elevations. Temperatures may dip to as low as ‐10 °C in the peaks of the Blue Mountains.
Rainfall is seasonal, with May, September, October and November as the wettest months. Average annual rainfall is about 2 100 mm, but considerable variations occur from one year to another and from one region to another. The dry season lasts from December to April, occasionally turning into extended drought. -—
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Jamaica lies at the edge of the Atlantic hurricane belt. As a result, it is largely left untouched by hurricanes and tropical storms, which make a direct strike only every 11 years on average. The most destructive were hurricanes Charlie (1951) and Gilbert (1988). Earthquakes occur more often than hurricanes, as the island is located near the northern edge of the Caribbean Plate.
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—-. Along the coast temperatures range between 22 to 31 °C, and from 15 to 22 °C at higher elevations. Temperatures may dip to as low as ‐10 °C in the peaks of the Blue Mountains.
Rainfall is seasonal, with May, September, October and November as the wettest months. Average annual rainfall is about 2 100 mm, but considerable variations occur from one year to another and from one region to another. The dry season lasts from December to April, occasionally turning into extended drought. -—
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Jamaica lies at the edge of the Atlantic hurricane belt. As a result, it is largely left untouched by hurricanes and tropical storms, which make a direct strike only every 11 years on average. The most destructive were hurricanes Charlie (1951) and Gilbert (1988). Earthquakes occur more often than hurricanes, as the island is located near the northern edge of the Caribbean Plate.
Jamaica's economy is heavily dependent on services, which account for around 70 per cent of GDP since 2000. Remittances from abroad (16 per cent of GDP) and tourism constitute an important source of foreign exchange. -—
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—- Jamaica received over 4.2 million tourist arrivals in 2019 with an inbound tourism expenditure of almost 22 per cent over GDP -—
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—-. Agriculture, forestry and fishing account for 8 per cent of GDP and provide one sixth of employment. The main agricultural products include sugarcane, bananas, coconuts, oranges, coffee, cacao and ginger. Jamaica is one of the world's largest exporters and producers of rum, and it exports some beer as well. Jamaica is a large producer of bauxite and alumina. The main manufacturing products are processed foods, textiles, metal and petroleum products, and key destinations include the United States of America, the Netherlands, Canada and Iceland.
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—- Jamaica received over 4.2 million tourist arrivals in 2019 with an inbound tourism expenditure of almost 22 per cent over GDP -—
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—-. Agriculture, forestry and fishing account for 8 per cent of GDP and provide one sixth of employment. The main agricultural products include sugarcane, bananas, coconuts, oranges, coffee, cacao and ginger. Jamaica is one of the world's largest exporters and producers of rum, and it exports some beer as well. Jamaica is a large producer of bauxite and alumina. The main manufacturing products are processed foods, textiles, metal and petroleum products, and key destinations include the United States of America, the Netherlands, Canada and Iceland.
Jamaica's folk music includes Mento, which is a form of music and dance with roots in Africa. It has greatly influenced reggae music. Its most famous performer, Robert 'Bob' Marley, was born in Jamaica.
Sports play an important role in the country's culture. Cricket, athletics, football and netball are the most popular sports. Widely known Jamaican sprinters are Usain Bolt and Shelly‐Ann Fraser‐Pryce.
Although Jamaica is a tropical nation, it has a Bobsled team which competes in the Winter Olympics. The 1988 Winter Olympics Jamaican bobsled team inspired the popular Disney film 'Cool Runnings'.
Sports play an important role in the country's culture. Cricket, athletics, football and netball are the most popular sports. Widely known Jamaican sprinters are Usain Bolt and Shelly‐Ann Fraser‐Pryce.
Although Jamaica is a tropical nation, it has a Bobsled team which competes in the Winter Olympics. The 1988 Winter Olympics Jamaican bobsled team inspired the popular Disney film 'Cool Runnings'.
Land areakm2
Arable land%
Forest area%
Coastline
lengthkm
lengthkm
Exclusive economic zonekm2
Nearest
neighbourkm
neighbourkm
Economic trendsMaritime transportPopulationInternational tradeEnvironmentInformation and communications technology
Gross domestic product
US dollars at constant prices (2015) in millions
US dollars at constant prices (2015) in millions
GDP per capita
2019
US$
Productive Capacity Index
2018
Economic and environmental vulnerability index
2019
Consumer Price Index growth
2019
%
Unemployment
rate
Female %, Male %
rate
Total %
Female %, Male %
Main economic sectors, 2019
Percentage of GDP
Percentage of GDP
Tourist arrivals
Thousands of tourists, percentage of GDP
Thousands of tourists, percentage of GDP
External financial resources
Percentage of GDP
Percentage of GDP
Public debt as % of GDP
2018
%
Fleet size
Number of ships
Number of ships
Ship type | 2011 | 2019 |
---|---|---|
Total fleet | 1 407 | 1 407 |
Oil tankers | 264 | 266 |
Bulk carriers | 311 | 333 |
General cargo | 161 | 77 |
Container ships | 52 | 49 |
Other types of ships | 619 | 682 |
Port performance
Ranked by 2019 data within SIDS group
Ranked by 2019 data within SIDS group
Indicators | 2019 | SIDS Ranking |
---|---|---|
Number of port calls | 3 833 | 5 |
Median time in port (days) | 1 | 8 |
Average age of vessels | 14 | 25 |
Average size (GT) of vessels | 30 947 | 12 |
Container port throuput
2019
TEU
Bilateral connectivity index, 2019
Top 5 partners
Top 5 partners
Liner shipping connectivity index
Maximum China Q1 2006=100
Maximum China Q1 2006=100
Total population
Thousands of people, share of urban population
Thousands of people, share of urban population
Population development indicators
Indicators | Period | Value | |
---|---|---|---|
Poverty headcount (% of population) | 2004 | 1.7 | |
Human development index | 2018 | 0.7 | |
Human assets index | 2020 | 91 | |
Adult literacy rate (15+ years, both sexes %) | .. | .. | |
Gender inequality index | 2019 | 0.4 |
Life expectancy at birth
years
Population density
2019
persons per km2Dependency
ratio
Old-age:
ratio
2019
Child:Old-age:
Age structure by gender, 2019
Percentage of total population
Percentage of total population
Merchandise and services trade
US dollars in millions
US dollars in millions
Indicators | 2005 | 2010 | 2015 | 2019 | 2019 (% of GDP) |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Merchandise exports | 1 532 | 1 328 | 1 263 | 1 586 | 10 |
Merchandise imports | 4 739 | 5 225 | 4 993 | 6 339 | 40 |
Services exports | 2 330 | 2 634 | 3 059 | 4 336 | 27.4 |
Services imports | 1 722 | 1 824 | 2 161 | 2 688 | 17 |
Trade openness
Goods and services
Goods and services
% of GDP
Export concentration index
2019
Food import
dependency
Average 2015-2019
dependency
Average 2015-2019
Top 5 partners in merchandise trade, 2019
Exports in millions US dollars
Exports in millions US dollars
Merchandise exports by product group, 2019
Services exports by category, 2019
CO2 emissions per capita
Kg per capita
Kg per capita
CO2 emissions per GDP
Kg per 2010 US$ of GDP
Kg per 2010 US$ of GDP
Renewable energy share in total energy consumption, 2017
Percentage of total energy consumption
Percentage of total energy consumption
Material
footprint
per capita
footprint
per capita
2016
kg
Terrestrial
protected
area
protected
area
2018
%
Marine
protected
area
protected
area
2018
%
Disasters indicators
Data not available
Trade in ICT goods
Imports: %
Exports: %
Imports: %
Trade in ICT services
Imports: %
Exports: %
Imports: %
Fixed broadband vs Mobile broadband subscriptions
Number of subscriptions per 100 people
Number of subscriptions per 100 people
Sources
Source of data: -—
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—- except indicators listed below.
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—- except indicators listed below.
- Adult literacy rate: -—
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—- - Arable land: -—
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—- https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/AG.LND.ARBL.ZS - CO2 emissions per capita: -—
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—- https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/EN.ATM.CO2E.PC - CO2 emissions per GDP: -—
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—- https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/EN.ATM.CO2E.KD.GD - Distance to nearest neighbour: -—
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—- https://cran.r-project.org/web/packages/cshapes/index.html - Economic losses due to disasters: -—
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—- https://www.sdg.org/datasets/e3adb2406c2e452b81c3654e276fc5ca_0 - Exclusive economic zone: -—
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—- http://www.seaaroundus.org/ - Fixed broadband/mobile subscriptions: -—
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—-. World telecommunication/ICT indicators database. Available at https://www.itu.int/en/ITU-D/Statistics/Pages/publications/wtid.aspx (accessed 28 May 2020). - Forest area: -—
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—- https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/AG.LND.FRST.ZS - Gender inequality index: -—
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—-. Gender inequality index (GII), http://hdr.undp.org/en/content/gender-inequality-index-gii - Human assets index: -—
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—- http://data.uis.unesco.org/ - Human development index: -—
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—- http://hdr.undp.org/en/data# - Life expectancy at birth: -—
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—- https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/SP.DYN.LE00.IN - Marine protected area: -—
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—- https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/ER.MRN.PTMR.ZS - Material footprint: -—
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—- https://environmentlive.unep.org/indicator/index/12_2_1 - Number of people affected by disasters: -—
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—- https://www.sdg.org/datasets/1beb260e9ca14674b391b815e4874990_0 - ODA: -—
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—- https://stats.oecd.org - Percentage of population in low elevated coastal zones: -—
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—- https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/EN.POP.EL5M.ZS - Poverty headcount ratio: -—
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—- https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/SI.POV.DDAY - Renewable energy share in total energy consumption: -—
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—- https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/EN.ATM.CO2E.KD.GD - Share of internet users: -—
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—-. World telecommunication/ICT indicators database. Available at https://www.itu.int/en/ITU-D/Statistics/Pages/publications/wtid.aspx (accessed 28 May 2020). - Terrestrial protected area: -—
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—- https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/ER.LND.PTLD.ZS - Tourism: -—
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—- Compendium of Tourism Statistics dataset [Electronic], UNWTO, Madrid, data updated on 21/09/2020. - Unemployment rate, total/female/male: -—
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—- https://www.ilo.org/shinyapps/bulkexplorer2/?lang=en&segment=indicator&id=SDG_0852_SEX_AGE_RT_A - World risk index: -—
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—-: https://weltrisikobericht.de/download/1386/
References
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Donec tincidunt vel mauris a dignissim. Curabitur sodales nunc id vestibulum tempor. Nunc tortor orci, sodales nec eros eget.
Donec tincidunt vel mauris a dignissim. Curabitur sodales nunc id vestibulum tempor. Nunc tortor orci, sodales nec eros eget.
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit.
Donec tincidunt vel mauris a dignissim. Curabitur sodales nunc id vestibulum tempor. Nunc tortor orci, sodales nec eros eget.
Donec tincidunt vel mauris a dignissim. Curabitur sodales nunc id vestibulum tempor. Nunc tortor orci, sodales nec eros eget.
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit.
Donec tincidunt vel mauris a dignissim. Curabitur sodales nunc id vestibulum tempor. Nunc tortor orci, sodales nec eros eget.
Donec tincidunt vel mauris a dignissim. Curabitur sodales nunc id vestibulum tempor. Nunc tortor orci, sodales nec eros eget.