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JAMAICA[1]
General Information
Jamaica gained its independence from the
United Kingdom in 1962 but remained part of the British Commonwealth. The Queen
of England remains head of state, represented by the General Governor. The
government is led by the Prime Minister. Jamaica is a constitutional
parliamentary democracy. The island’s nearly 11,000 sq. km. support a population
of 2,641,600, averaging 236.4 inhabitants per sq. km[2].
Population growth is relatively stable at 0.6%, and the average life expectancy
is 76 years[3]. In
2003 the country’s GDP was US$8.1 billion with an average annual growth
of 2.3%[4]. The
unemployment rate in October, 2003 was 12.8%, with a notably higher rate (17.1%)
for women[5]. Literacy
rates for adults over the age of fifteen were 83.8% for men and 91.4% for women
in 2002[6]. The capital
city of Kingston has become a major urban center. Jamaica is administratively
divided into fourteen municipalities: Clarendon, Hanover, Kingston, Manchester,
Portland, Saint Andrew, Saint Ann, Saint Catherine, Saint Elizabeth, Saint
James, Saint Mary, Saint Thomas, Trelawney, and Westmoreland. Ethnically, 90.9%
of the population is of African origin, 1.3% is of East Indian origin,
0.2% is of European origin, and 7.3% is mestizo[7].
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