Country	Jamaica
Capital	Kingston
Continent	North America(Central America)
Currency	Jamaican dollar(JMD)
Languages	English(Jamaican English) & Jamaican Patois

Locaion

Caribbean, island in the Caribbean Sea, south of Cuba

Geographic Co ordinates

18 15 N, 77 30 W

Land Boundries

0 km

Geography - note

strategic location between Cayman Trench and Jamaica Channel, the main sea lanes for the Panama Canal

Population

2,847,232 (July 2010 est.)
Country comparison to the world: 138

Nationality

Noun:Jamaican(s)
Adjective:Jamaican

Ethnic groups

black 91.2%, mixed 6.2%, other or unknown 2.6% (2001 census)

Religions

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

English, English patois

Country Name

Conventional long form: none
Conventional short form:Jamaica

Government Type

constitutional parliamentary democracy and a Commonwealth realm

Capital

Name:Kingston
Geographic coordinates:18 00 N, 76 48 W
Time difference:UTC-5 (same time as Washington, DC during Standard Time)

Administrative divisions

14 parishes; Clarendon, Hanover, Kingston, Manchester, Portland, Saint Andrew, Saint Ann, Saint Catherine, Saint Elizabeth, Saint James, Saint Mary, Saint Thomas, Trelawny, Westmoreland
note: for local government purposes, Kingston and Saint Andrew were amalgamated in 1923 into the present single corporate body known as the Kingston and Saint Andrew Corporation

Independence

6 August 1962 (from the UK)

National Holiday

Independence Day, 6 August (1962)

Constitution

6 August 1962

Legal system

based on English common law; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

Suffrage

18 years of age; universal

Executive branch

Chief of state:Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952); represented by Governor General Dr. Patrick L. ALLEN (since 26 February 2009)
Head of government:Prime Minister Bruce GOLDING (since 11 September 2007)
Cabinet:Cabinet is appointed by the governor general on the advice of the prime minister
(For more information visit the World Leaders website)
Elections:the monarchy is hereditary; governor general appointed by the monarch on the recommendation of the prime minister; following legislative elections, the leader of the majority party or the leader of the majority coalition in the House of Representatives is appointed prime minister by the governor general; the deputy prime minister recommended by the prime minister

Legislative branch

bicameral Parliament consists of the Senate (a 21-member body appointed by the governor general on the recommendations of the prime minister and the leader of the opposition; ruling party is allocated 13 seats, and the opposition is allocated 8 seats) and the House of Representatives (60 seats; members elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms)
Elections: last held on 3 September 2007 (next to be held no later than October 2012)
Election results: percent of vote by party - JLP 50.1%, PNP 49.8%; seats by party - JLP 33, PNP 27

Judicial branch

Supreme Court (judges appointed by the governor general on the advice of the prime minister); Court of Appeal; Privy Council in UK; member of the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ)

Political Parties and Leaders

Jamaica Labor Party or JLP [Bruce GOLDING]; People's National Party or PNP [Portia SIMPSON-MILLER]; National Democratic Movement or NDM [Michael WILLIAMS]

Political pressure groups and leaders

New Beginnings Movement or NBM; Rastafarians (black religious/racial cultists, pan-Africanists)

International organization participation

ACP, AOSIS, C, Caricom, CDB, FAO, G-15, G-77, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt (signatory), ICRM, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO, ITSO, ITU, LAES, MIGA, NAM, OAS, OPANAL, OPCW, PetroCaribe, RG, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO

Diplomatic representation in the US

Chief of mission:Ambassador Anthony JOHNSON
Chancery:1520 New Hampshire Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20036
Telephone:[1] (202) 452-0660
FAX:[1] (202) 452-0081
Consulate(s) general: Miami, New York

Diplomatic representation from the US

Chief of mission:Ambassador Brenda LaGrange JOHNSON
Embassy:142 Old Hope Road, Kingston 6
Mailing address:P.O. Box 541, Kingston 5
Telephone:[1] (876) 702-6000
FAX:[1] (876) 702-6001

Flag description

diagonal yellow cross divides the flag into four triangles - green (top and bottom) and black (hoist side and outer side); green represents hope, vegetation, and agriculture, black reflects hardships overcome and to be faced, and yellow recalls golden sunshine and the island's natural resources

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Government - Government - Jamaica Ministry of Foreign Affairs Ministry of Education
Newspapers -  Caribbean Net News: Jamaica Caribseek Jamaica News The Jamaica Star
                              Jamaica Gleaner Jamaica News Bulletin Sunday Herald
                              The Jamaica Observer
Tourism -         Ministry of Tourism

Google News

This RSS feed URL is deprecatedThis RSS feed URL is deprecated, please update. New URLs can be found in the footers at https://news.google.com/news Can democracy survive in newly independent Jamaica? – archive, 1962 - The Guardian The Guardian Can democracy survive in newly independent Jamaica? – archive, 1962 The Guardian Life will probably not return to normal in Jamaica for a few days yet. Princess Margaret and her husband have returned to England and most of the other special visitors for the independence celebrations – who were all royally entertained – have gone ... Search resumes for woman missing in Jamaica Bay - NY1 NY1 Search resumes for woman missing in Jamaica Bay NY1 Crews will resume their search for a woman lost in Jamaica Bay Monday morning. Police say the woman was walking along the shore near Mott Avenue and Beacon Place in Far Rockaway Sunday afternoon when she was pulled in by a high tide. Father: Woman Missing In Jamaica Bay Could Not SwimCBS New York Woman goes missing while swimming in Jamaica BayNew York Post Search continues for woman missing in Jamaica BayNational Post all 69 news articles » T&T lift three-day title after brushing aside Jamaica - Jamaica Observer Jamaica Observer T&T lift three-day title after brushing aside Jamaica Jamaica Observer KINGSTOWN, St Vincent (CMC) — Trinidad and Tobago lifted the three-day title of the Regional Under-19 Championship when they trounced Jamaica by 10 wickets on the final day of the third and last round here yesterday. Set a paltry 58 for victory after ... and more » Jamaica weather: widely scattered afternoon showers - Loop News Jamaica Loop News Jamaica Jamaica weather: widely scattered afternoon showers Loop News Jamaica Jamaica weather forecast at 5am Monday, August 13, 2018 by the Meteorological Service Division. Comment The Tropical Wave will move across the island during the course of today. Thereafter, a Trough is expected to linger across the island for the ... and more » Kahmile Reid | Climate change and communication - Jamaica Gleaner Kahmile Reid | Climate change and communication Jamaica Gleaner If Jamaica is going to get this right, we need to know what the interpretive communities in Jamaica know and what they understand or misunderstand about the subject being communicated. To get this right, these things ought to be addressed before any ... and more » Growth & Jobs | Jamaican peppers wanted in Canada - Jamaica Gleaner Jamaica Gleaner Growth & Jobs | Jamaican peppers wanted in Canada Jamaica Gleaner Michael Burgess, chief executive officer of Nerpy's Inc, a hot sauce manufacturing company based in Canada, told The Gleaner that though he yearns to collaborate with Jamaica on a very large scale, it has been difficult to get consistent supplies of ... Teens Brutally Beat 51-Year-Old Man In Jamaica: NYPD - Patch.com Patch.com Teens Brutally Beat 51-Year-Old Man In Jamaica: NYPD Patch.com JAMAICA, QUEENS -- Police are searching for a group of teens who brutally beat a 51-year-old man in Jamaica on Friday evening. The man was walking along Guy R. Brewer Boulevard just before 7 p.m. when the five suspects - estimated to be between 15 ... and more » Atomic Energy Agency has Advanced Jamaica's Nuclear Technology Capacity – PIOJ Head - Government of Jamaica, Jamaica Information Service Government of Jamaica, Jamaica Information Service Atomic Energy Agency has Advanced Jamaica's Nuclear Technology Capacity – PIOJ Head Government of Jamaica, Jamaica Information Service The Planning Institute of Jamaica's (PIOJ) Director General, Dr. Wayne Henry, says the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has been pivotal in advancing the country's nuclear technology capacity. He noted that the medical physics department at ... Ja to host three-day CARICOM seminar - Jamaica Gleaner Jamaica Gleaner Ja to host three-day CARICOM seminar Jamaica Gleaner A three-day sensitisation seminar on the CARICOM Results Based Management (RBM) System will be held in Jamaica starting today and ending on Thursday. The seminar opens at 9 a.m. at the Office of the Prime Minister, where a discussion will be held ... and more » Jamaica Welcomes 32 New Citizens - Government of Jamaica, Jamaica Information Service Government of Jamaica, Jamaica Information Service Jamaica Welcomes 32 New Citizens Government of Jamaica, Jamaica Information Service Thirty-two persons were today (August 9) conferred with Jamaican citizenship at a swearing-in ceremony organised by the Passport, Immigration and Citizenship Agency (PICA), at the Police Officers' Club in Kingston. The men and women, who have been ... and more »