subject to the Israeli-Palestinian Interim Agreement - permanent
status to be determined through further negotiation; Israel
continues construction of a "seam line" separation barrier along
parts of the Green Line and within the West Bank; Israel withdrew
its settlers and military from the Gaza Strip and from four
settlements in the West Bank in August 2005; Golan Heights is
Israeli-occupied (Lebanon claims the Shab'a Farms area of Golan
Heights); since 1948, about 350 peacekeepers from the UN Truce
Supervision Organization (UNTSO) headquartered in Jerusalem monitor
ceasefires, supervise armistice agreements, prevent isolated
incidents from escalating, and assist other UN personnel in the
region
Refugees and internally displaced persons:
IDPs: 150,000-420,000 (Arab villagers displaced from homes in
northern Israel) (2007)
Illicit drugs:
increasingly concerned about ecstasy, cocaine, and heroin abuse;
drugs arrive in country from Lebanon and, increasingly, from Jordan;
money-laundering center
This page was last updated on 18 December, 2008
======================================================================
@Italy
Introduction
Italy
Background:
Italy became a nation-state in 1861 when the regional states of the
peninsula, along with Sardinia and Sicily, were united under King
Victor EMMANUEL II. An era of parliamentary government came to a
close in the early 1920s when Benito MUSSOLINI established a Fascist
dictatorship. His alliance with Nazi Germany led to Italy's defeat
in World War II. A democratic republic replaced the monarchy in 1946
and economic revival followed. Italy was a charter member of NATO
and the European Economic Community (EEC). It has been at the
forefront of European economic and political unification, joining
the Economic and Monetary Union in 1999. Persistent problems include
illegal immigration, organized crime, corruption, high unemployment,
sluggish economic growth, and the low incomes and technical
standards of southern Italy compared with the prosperous north.
Geography
Italy
Location:
Southern Europe, a peninsula extending into the central
Mediterranean Sea, northeast of Tunisia
Geographic coordinates:
42 50 N, 12 50 E
Map references:
Europe
Area:
total: 301,230 sq km
land: 294,020 sq km
water: 7,210 sq km
note: includes Sardinia and Sicily
Area - comparative:
slightly larger than Arizona
Land boundaries:
total: 1,899.2 km
border countries: Austria 430 km, France 488 km, Holy See (Vatican
City) 3.2 km, San Marino 39 km, Slovenia 199 km, Switzerland 740 km
Coastline:
7,600 km
Maritime claims:
territorial sea: 12 nm
continental shelf: 200 m depth or to the depth of exploitation
Climate:
predominantly Mediterranean; Alpine in far north; hot, dry in south
Terrain:
mostly rugged and mountainous; some plains, coastal lowlands
Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Mediterranean Sea 0 m
highest point: Mont Blanc (Monte Bianco) de Courmayeur 4,748 m (a
secondary peak of Mont Blanc)
Natural resources:
coal, mercury, zinc, potash, marble, barite, asbestos, pumice,
fluorspar, feldspar, pyrite (sulfur), natural gas and crude oil
reserves, fish, arable land
Land use:
arable land: 26.41%
permanent crops: 9.09%
other: 64.5% (2005)
Irrigated land:
27,500 sq km (2003)
Total renewable water resources:
175 cu km (2005)
Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural):
total: 41.98 cu km/yr (18%/37%/45%)
per capita: 723 cu m/yr (1998)
Natural hazards:
regional risks include landslides, mudflows, avalanches,
earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, flooding; land subsidence in Venice
Environment - current issues:
air pollution from industrial emissions such as sulfur dioxide;
coastal and inland rivers polluted from industrial and agricultural
effluents; acid rain damaging lakes; inadequate industrial waste
treatment and disposal facilities
Environment - international agreements:
party to: Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, Air
Pollution-Persistent Organic Pollutants, Air Pollution-Sulfur 85,
Air Pollution-Sulfur 94, Air Pollution-Volatile Organic Compounds,
Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Antarctic-Marine Living Resources,
Antarctic Seals, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change,
Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species,
Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine
Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83,
Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands, Whaling
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements
Geography - note:
strategic location dominating central Mediterranean as well as
southern sea and air approaches to Western Europe
People
Italy
Population:
58,145,320 (July 2008 est.)
Age structure:
0-14 years: 13.6% (male 4,086,951/female 3,842,765)
15-64 years: 66.3% (male 19,534,247/female 19,024,776)
65 years and over: 20% (male 4,864,189/female 6,792,393) (2008 est.)
Median age:
total: 42.9 years
male: 41.4 years
female: 44.4 years (2008 est.)
Population growth rate:
-0.019% (2008 est.)
Birth rate:
8.36 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)
Death rate:
10.61 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)
Net migration rate:
2.06 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2008 est.)
Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.07 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.06 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1.03 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.72 male(s)/female
total population: 0.96 male(s)/female (2008 est.)
Infant mortality rate:
total: 5.61 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 6.19 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 5 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 80.07 years
male: 77.13 years
female: 83.2 years (2008 est.)
Total fertility rate:
1.3 children born/woman (2008 est.)
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
0.5% (2001 est.)
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
140,000 (2001 est.)
HIV/AIDS - deaths:
fewer than 1,000 (2003 est.)
Nationality:
noun: Italian(s)
adjective: Italian
Ethnic groups:
Italian (includes small clusters of German-, French-, and
Slovene-Italians in the north and Albanian-Italians and
Greek-Italians in the south)
Religions:
Roman Catholic 90% (approximately; about one-third practicing),
other 10% (includes mature Protestant and Jewish communities and a
growing Muslim immigrant community)
Languages:
Italian (official), German (parts of Trentino-Alto Adige region are
predominantly German speaking), French (small French-speaking
minority in Valle d'Aosta region), Slovene (Slovene-speaking
minority in the Trieste-Gorizia area)
Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 98.4%
male: 98.8%
female: 98% (2001 census)
School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education):
total: 16 years
male: 16 years
female: 17 years (2006)
Education expenditures:
4.5% of GDP (2005)
Government
Italy
Country name:
conventional long form: Italian Republic
conventional short form: Italy
local long form: Repubblica Italiana
local short form: Italia
former: Kingdom of Italy
Government type:
republic
Capital:
name: Rome
geographic coordinates: 41 54 N, 12 29 E
time difference: UTC+1 (6 hours ahead of Washington, DC during
Standard Time)
daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last
Sunday in October
Administrative divisions:
15 regions (regioni, singular - regione) and 5 autonomous regions*
(regioni autonome, singular - regione autonoma); Abruzzo,
Basilicata, Calabria, Campania, Emilia-Romagna, Friuli-Venezia
Giulia*, Lazio (Latium), Liguria, Lombardia, Marche, Molise,
Piemonte (Piedmont), Puglia (Apulia), Sardegna* (Sardinia),
Sicilia*, Toscana (Tuscany), Trentino-Alto Adige* (Trentino-South
Tyrol), Umbria, Valle d'Aosta* (Aosta Valley), Veneto (Venetia)
Independence:
17 March 1861 (Kingdom of Italy proclaimed; Italy was not finally
unified until 1870)
National holiday:
Republic Day, 2 June (1946)
Constitution:
passed 11 December 1947, effective 1 January 1948; amended many times
Legal system:
based on civil law system; appeals treated as new trials; judicial
review under certain conditions in Constitutional Court; has not
accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
Suffrage:
18 years of age; universal (except in senatorial elections, where
minimum age is 25)
Executive branch:
chief of state: President Giorgio NAPOLITANO (since 15 May 2006)
head of government: Prime Minister Silvio BERLUSCONI (referred to in
Italy as the president of the Council of Ministers) (since 8 May
2008) note - in Italy the prime minister is referred to as the
president of the Council of Ministers
cabinet: Council of Ministers nominated by the prime minister and
approved by the president
elections: president elected by an electoral college consisting of
both houses of parliament and 58 regional representatives for a
seven-year term (no term limits); election last held 10 May 2006
(next to be held in May 2013); prime minister appointed by the
president and confirmed by parliament
election results: Giorgio NAPOLITANO elected president on the fourth
round of voting; electoral college vote - 543
Legislative branch:
bicameral Parliament or Parlamento consists of the Senate or Senato
della Repubblica (315 seats; members elected by proportional vote
with the winning coalition in each region receiving 55% of seats
from that region; to serve five-year terms) and the Chamber of
Deputies or Camera dei Deputati (630 seats; members elected by
popular vote with the winning national coalition receiving 54% of
chamber seats; to serve five-year terms)
elections: Senate - last held 13-14 April 2008 (next to be held
April 2010); Chamber of Deputies - last held 13-14 April 2008 (next
to be held in April 2010)
election results: Senate - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by
party - S. BERLUSCONI coalition 174 (PdL 147, LN 25, MpA 2), W.
VELTRONI coalition 132 (PD 118, IdV 3), UdC 3, other 6; Chamber of
Deputies - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - S.
BERLUSCONI coalition 344 (PdL 276, LN 60, MpA 8), W. VELTRONI
coalition 246 (PD 217, IdV 29), UdC 36, other 4
Judicial branch:
Constitutional Court or Corte Costituzionale (composed of 15 judges:
one-third appointed by the president, one-third elected by
parliament, one-third elected by the ordinary and administrative
Supreme Courts)
Political parties and leaders:
Silvio BERLUSCONI coalition: People of Freedom or PdL [Silvio
BERLUSCONI]; Lega Nord or LN [Umberto BOSSI]; Movement for Autonomy
or MpA [Raffaele LOMBARDO]
Walter VELTRONI coalition: Democratic Party or PD [Walter VELTRONI];
Italy of Values or IdV [Antonio DI PIETRO]
other non-allied parties: Union of the Centre or UdC [Savino
PEZZOTTA]
Political pressure groups and leaders:
manufacturers and merchants associations - Confcommercio;
Confindustria; organized farm groups - Confcoltivatori;
Confagricoltura; Roman Catholic Church; three major trade union
confederations - Confederazione Generale Italiana del Lavoro or CGIL
[Guglielmo EPIFANI] which is left wing; Confederazione Italiana dei
Sindacati Lavoratori or CISL [Raffaele BONANNO], which is Roman
Catholic centrist; Unione Italiana del Lavoro or UIL [Luigi
ANGELETTI] which is lay centrist)
International organization participation:
ADB (nonregional members), AfDB (nonregional members), Arctic
Council (observer), Australia Group, BIS, BSEC (observer), CBSS
(observer), CDB, CE, CEI, CERN, EAPC, EBRD, EIB, EMU, ESA, EU, FAO,
G-7, G-8, G-10, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IEA,
IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, IMSO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU,
ISO, ITSO, ITU, ITUC, LAIA (observer), MIGA, MINURSO, NAM (guest),
NATO, NEA, NSG, OAS (observer), OECD, OPCW, OSCE, Paris Club, PCA,
Schengen Convention, SECI (observer), UN, UN Security Council
(temporary), UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNIFIL, Union Latina,
UNMOGIP, UNRWA, UNTSO, UNWTO, UPU, WCL, WCO, WEU, WFTU, WHO, WIPO,
WMO, WTO, ZC
Diplomatic representation in the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Giovanni CASTELLANETA
chancery: 3000 Whitehaven Street NW, Washington, DC 20008
telephone: [1] (202) 612-4400
FAX: [1] (202) 518-2151
consulate(s) general: Boston, Chicago, Houston, Miami, New York, Los
Angeles, Philadelphia, San Francisco
consulate(s): Detroit
Diplomatic representation from the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Ronald P. SPOGLI
embassy: Via Vittorio Veneto 121, 00187-Rome
mailing address: PSC 59, Box 100, APO AE 09624
telephone: [39] (06) 46741
FAX: [39] (06) 488-2672, 4674-2356
consulate(s) general: Florence, Milan, Naples
Flag description:
three equal vertical bands of green (hoist side), white, and red;
similar to the flag of Ireland, which is longer and is green (hoist
side), white, and orange; also similar to the flag of the Cote
d'Ivoire, which has the colors reversed - orange (hoist side),
white, and green; inspired by the French flag brought to Italy by
Napoleon in 1797
Economy
Italy
Economy - overview:
Italy has a diversified industrial economy with roughly the same
total and per capita output as France and the UK. This capitalistic
economy remains divided into a developed industrial north, dominated
by private companies, and a less-developed, welfare-dependent,
agricultural south, with 20% unemployment. Most raw materials needed
by industry and more than 75% of energy requirements are imported.
Over the past decade, Italy has pursued a tight fiscal policy in
order to meet the requirements of the Economic and Monetary Unions
and has benefited from lower interest and inflation rates. The
current government has enacted numerous short-term reforms aimed at
improving competitiveness and long-term growth. Italy has moved
slowly, however, on implementing needed structural reforms, such as
lightening the high tax burden and overhauling Italy's rigid labor
market and over-generous pension system, because of the current
economic slowdown and opposition from labor unions. But the
leadership faces a severe economic constraint: Italy's official debt
remains above 100% of GDP, and the government has found it difficult
to bring the budget deficit down to a level that would allow a rapid
decrease in that debt. The economy continues to grow by less than
the euro-zone average and growth is expected to decelerate from 1.9%
in 2006 and 2007 to under 1.5% in 2008 as the euro-zone and world
economies slow.
GDP (purchasing power parity):
$1.8 trillion (2007 est.)
GDP (official exchange rate):
$2.105 trillion (2007 est.)
GDP - real growth rate:
1.4% (2007 est.)
GDP - per capita (PPP):
$30,900 (2007 est.)
GDP - composition by sector:
agriculture: 2%
industry: 27%
services: 70.9% (2007 est.)
Labor force:
24.74 million (2007 est.)
Labor force - by occupation:
agriculture: 5%
industry: 32%
services: 63% (2001)
Unemployment rate:
6.2% (2007 est.)
Population below poverty line:
NA%
Household income or consumption by percentage share:
lowest 10%: 2.3%
highest 10%: 26.8% (2000)
Distribution of family income - Gini index:
33 (2005)
Investment (gross fixed):
21% of GDP (2007 est.)
Budget:
revenues: $991.2 billion
expenditures: $1.031 trillion (2007 est.)
Fiscal year:
calendar year
Public debt:
104% of GDP (2007 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
1.8% (2007 est.)
Central bank discount rate:
NA
Commercial bank prime lending rate:
10.93% (31 December 2007)
Stock of money:
NA
note: see entry for the European Union for money supply in the Euro
Area; the European Central Bank (ECB) controls monetary policy for
the 15 members of the Economic and Monetary Union (EMU); individual
members of the EMU do not control the quantity of money and quasi
money circulating within their own borders
Stock of quasi money:
NA (31 December 2007)
Stock of domestic credit:
$3.084 trillion (31 December 2007)
Agriculture - products:
fruits, vegetables, grapes, potatoes, sugar beets, soybeans, grain,
olives; beef, dairy products; fish
Industries:
tourism, machinery, iron and steel, chemicals, food processing,
textiles, motor vehicles, clothing, footwear, ceramics
Industrial production growth rate:
0.6% (2007 est.)
Electricity - production:
292.1 billion kWh (2007 est.)
Electricity - consumption:
316.3 billion kWh (2006 est.)
Electricity - exports:
2.64 billion kWh (2007 est.)
Electricity - imports:
48.57 billion kWh (2007 est.)
Electricity - production by source:
fossil fuel: 78.6%
hydro: 18.4%
nuclear: 0%
other: 3% (2001)
Oil - production:
166,600 bbl/day (2007 est.)
Oil - consumption:
1.702 million bbl/day (2007 est.)
Oil - exports:
616,700 bbl/day (2005)
Oil - imports:
2.223 million bbl/day (2005)
Oil - proved reserves:
406.5 million bbl (1 January 2008 est.)
Natural gas - production:
9.706 billion cu m (2007 est.)
Natural gas - consumption:
84.89 billion cu m (2007 est.)
Natural gas - exports:
68 million cu m (2007 est.)
Natural gas - imports:
73.95 billion cu m (2007 est.)
Natural gas - proved reserves:
94.15 billion cu m (1 January 2008 est.)
Current account balance:
-$51.03 billion (2007 est.)
Exports:
$502.4 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)
Exports - commodities:
engineering products, textiles and clothing, production machinery,
motor vehicles, transport equipment, chemicals; food, beverages and
tobacco; minerals, and nonferrous metals
Exports - partners:
Germany 12.9%, France 11.4%, Spain 7.4%, US 6.8%, UK 5.8% (2007)
Imports:
$498.1 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)
Imports - commodities:
engineering products, chemicals, transport equipment, energy
products, minerals and nonferrous metals, textiles and clothing;
food, beverages, and tobacco
Imports - partners:
Germany 16.9%, France 9%, China 5.9%, Netherlands 5.5%, Belgium
4.3%, Spain 4.2% (2007)
Economic aid - donor:
ODA, $3.641 billion (2006)
Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:
$94.33 billion (31 December 2007 est.)
Debt - external:
$996.3 billion (31 December 2007)
Stock of direct foreign investment - at home:
$364.8 billion (2007 est.)
Stock of direct foreign investment - abroad:
$520.1 billion (2007 est.)
Market value of publicly traded shares:
$798.2 billion (2005)
Currency (code):
euro (EUR)
Currency code:
EUR
Exchange rates:
euros (EUR) per US dollar - 0.7345 (2007), 0.7964 (2006), 0.8041
(2005), 0.8054 (2004), 0.886 (2003)
Communications
Italy
Telephones - main lines in use:
26.89 million (2006)
Telephones - mobile cellular:
78.571 million (2006)
Telephone system:
general assessment: modern, well developed, fast; fully automated
telephone, telex, and data services
domestic: high-capacity cable and microwave radio relay trunks
international: country code - 39; a series of submarine cables
provide links to Asia, Middle East, Europe, North Africa, and US;
satellite earth stations - 3 Intelsat (with a total of 5 antennas -
3 for Atlantic Ocean and 2 for Indian Ocean), 1 Inmarsat (Atlantic
Ocean region), and NA Eutelsat
Radio broadcast stations:
AM about 100, FM about 4,600, shortwave 9 (1998)
Radios:
50.5 million (1997)
Television broadcast stations:
358 (plus 4,728 repeaters) (1995)
Televisions:
30.3 million (1997)
Internet country code:
.it
Internet hosts:
17.702 million (2008)
Internet Service Providers (ISPs):
93 (Italy and Holy See) (2000)
Internet users:
32 million (2007)
Transportation
Italy
Airports:
132 (2007)
Airports - with paved runways:
total: 101
over 3,047 m: 7
2,438 to 3,047 m: 32
1,524 to 2,437 m: 15
914 to 1,523 m: 34
under 914 m: 13 (2007)
Airports - with unpaved runways:
total: 31
1,524 to 2,437 m: 1
914 to 1,523 m: 11
under 914 m: 19 (2007)
Heliports:
5 (2007)
Pipelines:
gas 18,863 km; oil 1,258 km (2007)
Railways:
total: 19,460 km
standard gauge: 18,038 km 1.435-m gauge (11,354 km electrified)
narrow gauge: 123 km 1.000-m gauge (123 km electrified); 1,299 km
0.950-m gauge (161 km electrified) (2006)
Roadways:
total: 487,700 km
paved: 487,700 km (includes 6,700 km of expressways) (2005)
Waterways:
2,400 km
note: used for commercial traffic; of limited overall value compared
to road and rail (2006)
Merchant marine:
total: 609
by type: bulk carrier 60, cargo 47, carrier 2, chemical tanker 159,
combination ore/oil 1, container 25, liquefied gas 27, passenger 22,
passenger/cargo 154, petroleum tanker 35, refrigerated cargo 4, roll
on/roll off 33, specialized tanker 13, vehicle carrier 27
foreign-owned: 64 (Denmark 3, France 2, Greece 6, Japan 1, Lebanon
1, Nigeria 1, Norway 2, Portugal 1, Sweden 1, Switzerland 8, Taiwan
13, Turkey 1, UK 7, US 17)
registered in other countries: 208 (Antigua and Barbuda 1, Bahamas
4, Belize 3, Cayman Islands 4, Cyprus 7, France 2, Liberia 41, Malta
50, Marshall Islands 3, Netherlands 1, Norway 4, Panama 28, Portugal
12, Russia 4, Saint Kitts and Nevis 1, Saint Vincent and the
Grenadines 17, Singapore 5, Slovakia 2, Spain 2, Sweden 9, Turkey 3,
UK 5) (2008)
Ports and terminals:
Augusta, Genoa, Livorno, Ravenna, Sarroch, Taranto, Trieste, Venice
Military
Italy
Military branches:
Italian Army (Esercito Italiano, EI), Italian Navy (Marina Militare
Italiana, MMI), Italian Air Force (Aeronautica Militare Italiana,
AMI), Carabinieri Corps (Arma dei Carabinieri, CC) (2008)
Military service age and obligation:
18-27 year of age for voluntary military service; conscription
abolished January 2005; women may serve in any military branch;
10-month service obligation, with a reserve obligation to age 45
(Army and Air Force) or 39 (Navy) (2006)
Manpower available for military service:
males age 16-49: 13,884,079
females age 16-49: 13,158,378 (2008 est.)
Manpower fit for military service:
males age 16-49: 11,285,488
females age 16-49: 10,680,672 (2008 est.)
Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually:
male: 290,740
female: 273,569 (2008 est.)
Military expenditures:
1.8% of GDP (2005 est.)
Transnational Issues
Italy
Disputes - international:
Italy's long coastline and developed economy entices tens of
thousands of illegal immigrants from southeastern Europe and
northern Africa
Illicit drugs:
important gateway for and consumer of Latin American cocaine and
Southwest Asian heroin entering the European market; money
laundering by organized crime and from smuggling
This page was last updated on 18 December, 2008
======================================================================
@Jamaica
Introduction
Jamaica
Background:
The island - discovered by Christopher COLUMBUS in 1494 - was
settled by the Spanish early in the 16th century. The native Taino
Indians, who had inhabited Jamaica for centuries, were gradually
exterminated and replaced by African slaves. England seized the
island in 1655 and established a plantation economy based on sugar,
cocoa, and coffee. The abolition of slavery in 1834 freed a quarter
million slaves, many of whom became small farmers. Jamaica gradually
obtained increasing independence from Britain, and in 1958 it joined
other British Caribbean colonies in forming the Federation of the
West Indies. Jamaica gained full independence when it withdrew from
the Federation in 1962. Deteriorating economic conditions during the
1970s led to recurrent violence as rival gangs affiliated with the
major political parties evolved into powerful organized crime
networks involved in international drug smuggling and money
laundering. Violent crime, drug trafficking, and poverty pose
significant challenges to the government today. Nonetheless, many
rural and resort areas remain relatively safe and contribute
substantially to the economy.
Geography
Jamaica
Location:
Caribbean, island in the Caribbean Sea, south of Cuba
Geographic coordinates:
18 15 N, 77 30 W
Map references:
Central America and the Caribbean
Area:
total: 10,991 sq km
land: 10,831 sq km
water: 160 sq km
Area - comparative:
slightly smaller than Connecticut
Land boundaries:
0 km
Coastline:
1,022 km
Maritime claims:
measured from claimed archipelagic straight baselines
territorial sea: 12 nm
contiguous zone: 24 nm
exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
continental shelf: 200 nm or to edge of the continental margin
Climate:
tropical; hot, humid; temperate interior
Terrain:
mostly mountains, with narrow, discontinuous coastal plain
Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Caribbean Sea 0 m
highest point: Blue Mountain Peak 2,256 m
Natural resources:
bauxite, gypsum, limestone
Land use:
arable land: 15.83%
permanent crops: 10.01%
other: 74.16% (2005)
Irrigated land:
250 sq km (2002)