country comparison to the world: 38
note: used for commercial traffic; of limited overall value compared
to road and rail (2008)
Merchant marine:
total: 609
country comparison to the world: 20
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) (2009)
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: 11,197,487
females age 16-49: 10,574,250 (2009 est.)
Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually:
male: 287,845
female: 270,384 (2009 est.)
Military expenditures:
1.8% of GDP (2005 est.)
country comparison to the world: 93
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
page last updated on November 11, 2009
======================================================================
@Jamaica (Central America and Caribbean)
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. 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
country comparison to the world: 167
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)
Total renewable water resources:
9.4 cu km (2000)
Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural):
total: 0.41 cu km/yr (34%/17%/49%)
per capita: 155 cu m/yr (2000)
Natural hazards:
hurricanes (especially July to November)
Environment - current issues:
heavy rates of deforestation; coastal waters polluted by industrial
waste, sewage, and oil spills; damage to coral reefs; air pollution
in Kingston results from vehicle emissions
Environment - international agreements:
party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto
Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law
of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Marine Life Conservation, Ozone Layer
Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements
Geography - note:
strategic location between Cayman Trench and Jamaica Channel, the
main sea lanes for the Panama Canal
People ::Jamaica
Population:
2,825,928 (July 2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 138
Age structure:
0-14 years: 31.4% (male 451,310/female 436,466)
15-64 years: 61.1% (male 851,372/female 875,132)
65 years and over: 7.5% (male 94,833/female 116,815) (2009 est.)
Median age:
total: 23.7 years
male: 23.1 years
female: 24.2 years (2009 est.)
Population growth rate:
0.755% (2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 142
Birth rate:
19.68 births/1,000 population (2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 104
Death rate:
6.43 deaths/1,000 population (July 2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 149
Net migration rate:
-5.7 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 167
Urbanization:
urban population: 53% of total population (2008)
rate of urbanization: 0.9% annual rate of change (2005-10 est.)
Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.03 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.97 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.81 male(s)/female
total population: 0.98 male(s)/female (2009 est.)
Infant mortality rate:
total: 15.22 deaths/1,000 live births
country comparison to the world: 126
male: 15.81 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 14.61 deaths/1,000 live births (2009 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 73.53 years
country comparison to the world: 104
male: 71.83 years
female: 75.3 years (2009 est.)
Total fertility rate:
2.25 children born/woman (2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 111
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
1.6% (2007 est.)
country comparison to the world: 41
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
27,000 (2007 est.)
country comparison to the world: 72
HIV/AIDS - deaths:
1,500 (2007 est.)
country comparison to the world: 67
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
Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over has ever attended school
total population: 87.9%
male: 84.1%
female: 91.6% (2003 est.)
School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education):
total: 12 years
male: 11 years
female: 12 years (2003)
Education expenditures:
5.3% of GDP (2005)
country comparison to the world: 56
Government ::Jamaica
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 appointed by the governor general on the advice of
the prime minister
elections: the monarch 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 is 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 are elected by popular
vote to serve five-year terms)
elections: last held 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, 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, 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
Economy ::Jamaica
Economy - overview:
The Jamaican economy is heavily dependent on services, which now
account for more than 60% of GDP. The country continues to derive
most of its foreign exchange from tourism, remittances, and
bauxite/alumina. Remittances account for nearly 20% of GDP and are
equivalent to tourism revenues. Jamaica's economy, already saddled
with the lowest economic growth in Latin America, will face
increasing difficulties as the global economy slows. The economy
faces serious long-term problems: a sizable merchandise trade
deficit, large-scale unemployment and underemployment, and a
debt-to-GDP ratio of almost 130%. Jamaica's onerous debt burden -
the fourth highest per capita - is the result of government bailouts
to ailing sectors of the economy, most notably the financial sector
in the mid-to-late 1990s. It hinders government spending on
infrastructure and social programs as debt servicing accounts for
nearly half of government expenditures. Inflation rose sharply in
2008 as a result of high prices for imported food and oil and should
fall in 2009 with the decline in international oil prices. High
unemployment exacerbates the serious crime problem, including gang
violence that is fueled by the drug trade. The GOLDING
administration faces the difficult prospect of having to achieve
fiscal discipline in order to maintain debt payments while
simultaneously attacking a serious and growing crime problem that is
hampering economic growth.
GDP (purchasing power parity):
$24.04 billion (2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 113
$24.19 billion (2007 est.)
$23.85 billion (2006 est.)
note: data are in 2008 US dollars
GDP (official exchange rate):
$14.03 billion (2008 est.)
GDP - real growth rate:
-0.6% (2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 203
1.4% (2007 est.)
2.7% (2006 est.)
GDP - per capita (PPP):
$8,600 (2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 115
$8,700 (2007 est.)
$8,600 (2006 est.)
note: data are in 2008 US dollars
GDP - composition by sector:
agriculture: 5.2%
industry: 32.6%
services: 62.2% (2008 est.)
Labor force:
1.304 million (2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 134
Labor force - by occupation:
agriculture: 17%
industry: 19%
services: 64% (2006)
Unemployment rate:
11% (2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 129
9.9% (2007 est.)
Population below poverty line:
14.8% (2003 est.)
Household income or consumption by percentage share:
lowest 10%: 2.1%
highest 10%: 35.8% (2004)
Distribution of family income - Gini index:
45.5 (2004)
country comparison to the world: 42
37.9 (2000)
Investment (gross fixed):
26.5% of GDP (2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 41
Budget:
revenues: $3.794 billion
expenditures: $4.829 billion (2008 est.)
Public debt:
116.3% of GDP (2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 4
146.1% of GDP (2004 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
22% (2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 207
9.5% (2007 est.)
Commercial bank prime lending rate:
16.83% (31 December 2008)
country comparison to the world: 28
17.2% (31 December 2007)
Stock of money:
$1.253 billion (31 December 2008)
country comparison to the world: 83
$1.369 billion (31 December 2007)
Stock of quasi money:
$4.244 billion (31 December 2008)
country comparison to the world: 74
$4.54 billion (31 December 2007)
Stock of domestic credit:
$7.175 billion (31 December 2008)
country comparison to the world: 78
$6.609 billion (31 December 2007)
Market value of publicly traded shares:
$7.513 billion (31 December 2008)
country comparison to the world: 72
$12.33 billion (31 December 2007)
$12.28 billion (31 December 2006)
Agriculture - products:
sugarcane, bananas, coffee, citrus, yams, ackees, vegetables;
poultry, goats, milk; crustaceans, mollusks
Industries:
tourism, bauxite/alumina, agro processing, light manufactures, rum,
cement, metal, paper, chemical products, telecommunications
Industrial production growth rate:
-0.5% (2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 136
Electricity - production:
7.324 billion kWh (2007 est.)
country comparison to the world: 100
Electricity - consumption:
6.345 billion kWh (2007 est.)
country comparison to the world: 101
Electricity - exports:
0 kWh (2008 est.)
Electricity - imports:
0 kWh (2008 est.)
Oil - production:
0 bbl/day (2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 171
Oil - consumption:
78,000 bbl/day (2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 84
Oil - exports:
0 bbl/day (2007 est.)
country comparison to the world: 177
Oil - imports:
77,720 bbl/day (2007 est.)
country comparison to the world: 76
Oil - proved reserves:
0 bbl (1 January 2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 194
Natural gas - production:
0 cu m (2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 175
Natural gas - consumption:
0 cu m (2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 171
Natural gas - exports:
0 cu m (2008)
country comparison to the world: 165
Natural gas - imports:
0 cu m (2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 159
Natural gas - proved reserves:
0 cu m (1 January 2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 165
Current account balance:
-$2.745 billion (2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 144
-$1.744 billion (2007 est.)
Exports:
$2.602 billion (2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 126
$2.226 billion (2007 est.)
Exports - commodities:
alumina, bauxite, sugar, rum, coffee, yams, beverages, chemicals,
wearing apparel, mineral fuels
Exports - partners:
US 40.3%, Canada 10.6%, UK 9.2%, Netherlands 7.9%, France 5.4%,
Russia 5.2% (2008)
Imports:
$7.185 billion (2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 102
$5.789 billion (2007 est.)
Imports - commodities:
food and other consumer goods, industrial supplies, fuel, parts and
accessories of capital goods, machinery and transport equipment,
construction materials
Imports - partners:
US 39.4%, Trinidad and Tobago 17.5%, Venezuela 11.6% (2008)
Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:
$1.767 billion (31 December 2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 113
$1.879 billion (31 December 2007 est.)
Debt - external:
$10.65 billion (31 December 2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 85
$9.657 billion (31 December 2007 est.)
Exchange rates:
Jamaican dollars (JMD) per US dollar - 72.236 (2008 est.), 69.034
(2007), 65.768 (2006), 62.51 (2005), 61.197 (2004)
Communications ::Jamaica
Telephones - main lines in use:
316,600 (2008)
country comparison to the world: 112
Telephones - mobile cellular:
2.723 million (2008)
country comparison to the world: 112
Telephone system:
general assessment: fully automatic domestic telephone network
domestic: the 1999 agreement to open the market for
telecommunications services resulted in rapid growth in
mobile-cellular telephone usage while the number of fixed-lines in
use has declined; combined mobile-cellular teledensity now roughly
100 per 100 persons
international: country code - 1-876; the Fibralink submarine cable
network provides enhanced delivery of business and broadband traffic
and is linked to the Americas Region Caribbean Ring System (ARCOS-1)
submarine cable in the Dominican Republic; the link to ARCOS-1
provides seamless connectivity to US, parts of the Caribbean,
Central America, and South America; satellite earth stations - 2
Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean) (2008)
Radio broadcast stations:
AM 10, FM 13, shortwave 0 (1998)
Television broadcast stations:
7 (1997)
Internet country code:
.jm
Internet hosts:
3,961 (2009)
country comparison to the world: 137
Internet users:
1.54 million (2008)
country comparison to the world: 73
Transportation ::Jamaica
Airports:
27 (2009)
country comparison to the world: 123
Airports - with paved runways:
total: 12
2,438 to 3,047 m: 2
914 to 1,523 m: 3
under 914 m: 7 (2009)
Airports - with unpaved runways:
total: 15
under 914 m: 15 (2009)
Roadways:
total: 21,552 km
country comparison to the world: 108
paved: 15,937 km (includes 33 km of expressways)
unpaved: 5,615 km (2005)
Merchant marine:
total: 20
country comparison to the world: 99
by type: bulk carrier 6, cargo 6, carrier 1, container 4, roll
on/roll off 3
foreign-owned: 17 (Denmark 2, Germany 4, Greece 6, Hong Kong 1,
Latvia 1, Russia 3) (2008)
Ports and terminals:
Kingston, Port Esquivel, Port Kaiser, Port Rhoades, Rocky Point
Military ::Jamaica
Military branches:
Jamaica Defense Force: Ground Forces, Coast Guard, Air Wing (2009)
Military service age and obligation:
18 years of age for voluntary military service; younger recruits may
be conscripted with parental consent (2001)
Manpower available for military service:
males age 16-49: 688,480
females age 16-49: 709,548 (2008 est.)
Manpower fit for military service:
males age 16-49: 573,520
females age 16-49: 586,426 (2009 est.)
Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually:
male: 31,833
female: 31,257 (2009 est.)
Military expenditures:
0.6% of GDP (2006 est.)
country comparison to the world: 155
Transnational Issues ::Jamaica
Disputes - international:
none
Illicit drugs:
transshipment point for cocaine from South America to North America
and Europe; illicit cultivation and consumption of cannabis;
government has an active manual cannabis eradication program;
corruption is a major concern; substantial money-laundering
activity; Colombian narcotics traffickers favor Jamaica for illicit
financial transactions
page last updated on November 11, 2009
======================================================================
@Jan Mayen (Europe)
Introduction ::Jan Mayen
Background:
This desolate, arctic, mountainous island was named after a Dutch
whaling captain who indisputably discovered it in 1614 (earlier
claims are inconclusive). Visited only occasionally by seal hunters
and trappers over the following centuries, the island came under
Norwegian sovereignty in 1929. The long dormant Haakon VII
Toppen/Beerenberg volcano resumed activity in 1970; the most recent
eruption occurred in 1985. It is the northernmost active volcano on
earth.
Geography ::Jan Mayen
Location:
Northern Europe, island between the Greenland Sea and the Norwegian
Sea, northeast of Iceland
Geographic coordinates:
71 00 N, 8 00 W
Map references:
Europe
Area:
total: 377 sq km
country comparison to the world: 203
land: 377 sq km
water: 0 sq km
Area - comparative:
slightly more than twice the size of Washington, DC
Land boundaries:
0 km
Coastline:
124.1 km
Maritime claims:
territorial sea: 4 nm
contiguous zone: 10 nm
exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
continental shelf: 200 m depth or to the depth of exploitation
Climate:
arctic maritime with frequent storms and persistent fog
Terrain:
volcanic island, partly covered by glaciers
Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Norwegian Sea 0 m
highest point: Haakon VII Toppen/Beerenberg 2,277 m
Natural resources:
none
Land use:
arable land: 0%
permanent crops: 0%
other: 100% (2005)
Irrigated land:
0 sq km
Natural hazards:
dominated by the volcano Haakon VII Toppen/Beerenberg; volcanic
activity resumed in 1970; the most recent eruption occurred in 1985
Environment - current issues:
NA
Geography - note:
barren volcanic island with some moss and grass
People ::Jan Mayen
Population:
no indigenous inhabitants
note: personnel operate the Long Range Navigation (Loran-C) base and
the weather and coastal services radio station
Government ::Jan Mayen
Country name:
conventional long form: none
conventional short form: Jan Mayen
Dependency status:
territory of Norway; since August 1994, administered from Oslo
through the county governor (fylkesmann) of Nordland; however,
authority has been delegated to a station commander of the Norwegian
Defense Communication Service
Legal system:
the laws of Norway, where applicable, apply
Flag description:
the flag of Norway is used
Economy ::Jan Mayen
Economy - overview: