GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 7% industry: 28% services: 65%
(2000 est.)
Population below poverty line: 34.2% (1992 est.)
Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%: 2.9%
highest 10%: 28.9% (1996)
Distribution of family income - Gini index: 36.4 (1996)
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 6.9% (2001 est.)
Labor force: 1.13 million (1998)
Labor force - by occupation: services 60%, agriculture 21%, industry 19%
(1998)
Unemployment rate: 16% (2000 est.)
Budget: revenues: $2.23 billion expenditures: $2.56 billion, including
capital expenditures of $232.5 million (FY99/00 est.)
Industries: tourism, bauxite, textiles, food processing, light
manufactures, rum, cement, metal, paper, chemical products
Industrial production growth rate: -2% (2000 est.)
Electricity - production: 6.74 billion kWh (2000)
Electricity - production by source: fossil fuel: 89.44% hydro: 3.22%
other: 7.34% (2000) nuclear: 0%
Electricity - consumption: 6.27 billion kWh (2000)
Electricity - exports: 0 kWh (2000)
Electricity - imports: 0 kWh (2000)
Agriculture - products: sugarcane, bananas, coffee, citrus, potatoes,
vegetables; poultry, goats, milk
Exports: $1.6 billion (f.o.b., 2001 est.)
Exports - commodities: alumina, bauxite; sugar, bananas, rum
Exports - partners: US 35.7%, EU (excluding UK) 15.9%, UK 13%, Canada
10.5% (1999)
Imports: $3.1 billion (f.o.b., 2001 est.)
Imports - commodities: machinery and transport equipment, construction
materials, fuel, food, chemicals, fertilizers
Imports - partners: US 47.8%, Caricom countries 12.4%, Latin America
7.2%, EU (excluding UK) 4.7% (1999)
Debt - external: $5.2 billion (2001 est.)
Economic aid - recipient: $102.7 million (1995)
Currency: Jamaican dollar (JMD)
Currency code: JMD
Exchange rates: Jamaican dollars per US dollar - 47.277 (December 2001),
45.996 (2001), 42.701 (2000), 39.044 (1999), 36.550 (1998), 35.404 (1997)
Fiscal year: 1 April - 31 March
Communications Jamaica
Telephones - main lines in use: 353,000 (1996)
Telephones - mobile cellular: 54,640 (1996)
Telephone system: fully automatic domestic telephone network domestic:
3 coaxial submarine cables
Radio broadcast stations: AM 10, FM 13, shortwave 0 (1998)
Radios: 1.215 million (1997)
Television broadcast stations: 7 (1997)
Televisions: 460,000 (1997)
Internet country code: .jm
Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 21 (2000)
Internet users: 60,000 (2000)
Transportation Jamaica
Railways: total: 272 km standard gauge: 272 km 1.435-m gauge; note -
207 km, belonging to the Jamaica Railway Corporation, were in common
carrier service but are no longer operational; the remaining track is
privately owned and used to transport bauxite (2000)
Highways: total: 19,000 km paved: 13,433 km unpaved: 5,567 km (1997)
Waterways: none
Pipelines: petroleum products 10 km
Ports and harbors: Alligator Pond, Discovery Bay, Kingston, Montego Bay,
Ocho Rios, Port Antonio, Rocky Point, Port Esquivel (Longswharf)
Merchant marine: total: 1 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 21,954
GRT/25,250 DWT ships by type: petroleum tanker 1, includes some
foreign-owned ships registered here as a flag of convenience: Latvia 2,
United States 2 (2002 est.)
Airports: 35 (2001)
Airports - with paved runways: 1 914 to 1,523 m: Airports - with
unpaved runways: total: 24 914 to 1,523 m: 2 under 914 m: 22 (2001)
Military Jamaica
Military branches: Jamaica Defense Force (including Ground Forces,
Coast Guard, and Air Wing), Jamaica Constabulary Force
Military manpower - military age: 18 years of age (2002 est.)
Military manpower - availability: males age 15-49: 747,043 (2002 est.)
Military manpower - fit for military service: males age 15-49: 523,550
(2002 est.)
Military manpower - reaching military age annually: males: 27,729
(2002 est.)
Military expenditures - dollar figure: $30 million (FY95/96 est.)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP: NA%
Transnational Issues Jamaica
Disputes - international: none
Illicit drugs: major transshipment point for cocaine from South
America to North America and Europe; illicit cultivation of cannabis;
government has an active manual cannabis eradication program; corruption
is a major concern
This page was last updated on 1 January 2002
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Jan Mayen
Introduction Jan Mayen
Background: This desolate, 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; 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: Arctic Region
Area: total: 373 sq km water: 0 sq km land: 373 sq km
Area - comparative: slightly more than twice the size of Washington, DC
Land boundaries: 0 km
Coastline: 124.1 km
Maritime claims: contiguous zone: 10 NM continental shelf: 200-m depth
or to the depth of exploitation territorial sea: 4 NM exclusive economic
zone: 200 NM
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% (1998 est.)
Irrigated land: 0 sq km (1998 est.)
Natural hazards: dominated by the volcano Haakon VII Toppen/Beerenberg;
volcanic activity resumed in 1970
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 (July 2002 est.)
Population growth rate: NA
Government Jan Mayen
Country name: conventional long form: none conventional short form:
Jan Mayen
Dependency status: territory of Norway; administered from Oslo through
a governor (sysselmann) resident in Longyearbyen (Svalbard); 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: Jan Mayen is a volcanic island with no exploitable
natural resources. Economic activity is limited to providing services
for employees of Norway's radio and meteorological stations located on
the island.
Communications Jan Mayen
Radio broadcast stations: AM NA, FM NA, shortwave NA note: there is
one radio and meteorological station (1998)
Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 13 (Jan Mayen and Svalbard) (2000)
Transportation Jan Mayen
Waterways: none
Ports and harbors: none; offshore anchorage only
Airports: 1 (2001)
Airports - with unpaved runways: total: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 (2001)
Military Jan Mayen
Military - note: defense is the responsibility of Norway
Transnational Issues Jan Mayen
Disputes - international: none
This page was last updated on 1 January 2002
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Jordan
Introduction
Jordan
Background: For most of its history since independence from British
administration in 1946, Jordan was ruled by King HUSSEIN (1953-1999). A
pragmatic ruler, he successfully navigated competing pressures from
the major powers (US, USSR, and UK), various Arab states, Israel,
and a large internal Palestinian population, through several wars and
coup attempts. In 1989 he resumed parliamentary elections and gradually
permitted political liberalization; in 1994 a formal peace treaty was
signed with Israel. King ABDALLAH II - the eldest son of King HUSSEIN
and Princess MUNA - assumed the throne following his father's death in
February 1999. Since then, he has consolidated his power and established
his domestic priorities.
Geography Jordan
Location: Middle East, northwest of Saudi Arabia
Geographic coordinates: 31 00 N, 36 00 E
Map references: Middle East
Area: total: 92,300 sq km water: 329 sq km land: 91,971 sq km
Area - comparative: slightly smaller than Indiana
Land boundaries: total: 1,635 km border countries: Iraq 181 km, Israel
238 km, Saudi Arabia 744 km, Syria 375 km, West Bank 97 km
Coastline: 26 km
Maritime claims: territorial sea: 3 NM
Climate: mostly arid desert; rainy season in west (November to April)
Terrain: mostly desert plateau in east, highland area in west; Great
Rift Valley separates East and West Banks of the Jordan River
Elevation extremes: lowest point: Dead Sea -408 m highest point: Jabal
Ram 1,734 m
Natural resources: phosphates, potash, shale oil
Land use: arable land: 3% permanent crops: 1% other: 96% (1998 est.)
Irrigated land: 750 sq km (1998 est.)
Natural hazards: droughts; periodic earthquakes
Environment - current issues: limited natural fresh water resources;
deforestation; overgrazing; soil erosion; desertification
Environment - international agreements: party to: Biodiversity, Climate
Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered
Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Nuclear Test
Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Wetlands signed, but not ratified: none of
the selected agreements
Geography - note: strategic location at the head of the Gulf of Aqaba
and as the Arab country that shares the longest border with Israel and
the occupied West Bank
People Jordan
Population: 5,307,470 (July 2002 est.)
Age structure: 0-14 years: 36.6% (male 991,370; female 949,247) 15-64
years: 60% (male 1,698,568; female 1,485,261) 65 years and over: 3.4%
(male 90,186; female 92,838) (2002 est.)
Population growth rate: 2.89% (2002 est.)
Birth rate: 24.58 births/1,000 population (2002 est.)
Death rate: 2.62 deaths/1,000 population (2002 est.)
Net migration rate: 6.97 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2002 est.)
Sex ratio: at birth: 1.06 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.04
male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.14 male(s)/female 65 years and over:
0.97 male(s)/female total population: 1.1 male(s)/female (2002 est.)
Infant mortality rate: 19.61 deaths/1,000 live births (2002 est.)
Life expectancy at birth: 80.3 years (2002 est.) male: Total fertility
rate: 3.15 children born/woman (2002 est.)
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: 0.02% (1999 est.)
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: NA
HIV/AIDS - deaths: NA
Nationality: noun: Jordanian(s) adjective: Jordanian
Ethnic groups: Arab 98%, Circassian 1%, Armenian 1%
Religions: Sunni Muslim 92%, Christian 6% (majority Greek Orthodox,
but some Greek and Roman Catholics, Syrian Orthodox, Coptic Orthodox,
Armenian Orthodox, and Protestant denominations), other 2% (several
small Shi'a Muslim and Druze populations) (2001 est.)
Languages: Arabic (official), English widely understood among upper
and middle classes
Literacy: definition: age 15 and over can read and write total
population: 86.6% male: 93.4% female: 79.4% (1995 est.)
Government Jordan
Country name: conventional long form: Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan
conventional short form: Jordan local short form: Al Urdun local long
form: Al Mamlakah al Urduniyah al Hashimiyah former: Transjordan
Government type: constitutional monarchy
Capital: Amman
Administrative divisions: 12 governorates (muhafazat, singular -
muhafazah); Ajlun, Al 'Aqabah, Al Balqa', Al Karak, Al Mafraq, 'Amman,
At Tafilah, Az Zarqa', Irbid, Jarash, Ma'an, Madaba
Independence: 25 May 1946 (from League of Nations mandate under British
administration)
National holiday: Independence Day, 25 May (1946)
Constitution: 8 January 1952
Legal system: based on Islamic law and French codes; judicial review of
legislative acts in a specially provided High Tribunal; has not accepted
compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
Suffrage: 20 years of age; universal
Executive branch: chief of state: King ABDALLAH II (since 7 February
1999); Crown Prince HAMZAH (half brother of the monarch, born 29 March
1980) head of
Prime Minister Ali Abul RAGHEB (since 19 June 2000) cabinet: elections:
none; the monarch is hereditary; prime minister appointed by
the monarch
Legislative branch: bicameral National Assembly or Majlis al-'Umma
consists of the Senate, also called the House of Notables (Majlis
al-Aayan), a 40-member body appointed by the monarch from designated
categories of public figures; members serve four-year terms and the
House of Representatives, also called the House of Deputies (Majlis
al-Nuwaab), an 80-member body elected by popular vote on the basis of
proportional representation to serve four-year terms elections: House
of Representatives - last held 4 November 1997 (November 2001 election
postponed, next to be held NA) note: the House of Representatives has
been convened and dissolved by the monarch several times since 1974; in
November 1989, the first parliamentary elections in 22 years were held
election results: House of Representatives - percent of vote by party -
NA%; seats by party - National Constitutional Party 2, Arab Land Party 1,
independents 75, other 2
Judicial branch: Court of Cassation; Supreme Court (court of final
appeal)
Political parties and leaders: Al-Umma (Nation) Party [Ahmad al-HANANDEH,
secretary general]; Arab Land Party [Dr. Muhammad al-'ORAN, secretary
general]; Jordanian Democratic Popular Unity Party [Sa'id DHIYAB,
secretary general]; National Constitutional Party [Abdul Hadi MAJALI,
secretary general]; Islamic Action Front [Abd al latif al-ARABIYAT,
secretary general]; National Action (Haqq) Party [Muhammad al-ZUBI,
secretary general]; (Arab) Socialist Ba'th Party [Taysif al-HIMSI,
secretary general]; Jordanian People's Democratic (Hashd) Party [Salim
al-NAHHAS, secretary general]; Pan-Arab (Democratic) Movement [Mahmud
al-NUWAYHI, secretary general]; Constitutional Front [Mahdi al-TALL,
secretary general]; Jordanian Progressive Party [Fawwaz al-ZUBI, secretary
general]; Communist Party [Munir HAMARINAH, secretary general]
Political pressure groups and leaders: Jordanian Press Association
[Sayf al-SHARIF, president]; Muslim Brotherhood [Abd-al-Majid DHUNAYBAT,
secretary general]; Anti-Normalization Committee [Ali Abu SUKKAR,
president vice chairman]; Jordanian Bar Association [Saleh ARMOUTI,
president]
International organization participation: ABEDA, ACC, AFESD, AL, AMF,
CAEU, CCC, ESCWA, FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA,
IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO, ITU,
MONUC, NAM, OIC, OPCW, OSCE (partner), PCA, UN, UNAMSIL, UNCTAD, UNESCO,
UNIDO, UNMEE, UNMIBH, UNMIK, UNMOP, UNMOT, UNOMIG, UNRWA, UNTAET, UPU,
WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO
Diplomatic representation in the US: chief of mission: Ambassador
Marwan Jamil MUASHER chancery: 3504 International Drive NW, Washington,
DC 20008 FAX: [1] (202) 966-3110 telephone: [1] (202) 966-2664
Diplomatic representation from the US: Ambassador Edward William
GNEHM, Jr. embassy: AE 09892-0200 telephone: [962] (6) 5920101 FAX:
[962] (6) 5920121
Flag description: three equal horizontal bands of black (top, the
Abbassid Caliphate of Islam), white (the Ummayyad Caliphate of Islam),
and green (the Fatimid Caliphate of Islam) with a red isosceles triangle
(representing the Great Arab Revolt of 1916) based on the hoist side
bearing a small white seven-pointed star symbolizing the seven verses of
the opening Sura (Al-Fatiha) of the Holy Koran; the seven points on the
star represent faith in One God, humanity, national spirit, humility,
social justice, virtue, and aspirations
Economy Jordan
Economy - overview: Jordan is a small Arab country with inadequate
supplies of water and other natural resources such as oil. Debt,
poverty, and unemployment are fundamental problems, but King ABDALLAH
since assuming the throne in 1999 has undertaken some broad economic
reforms in a long-term effort to improve living standards. Amman in the
past three years has signed on to an IMF agreement, practiced careful
monetary policy, and made significant headway with privatization. The
government also has liberalized the trade regime sufficiently to secure
Jordan's membership in the WTrO, an association agreement with the EU,
and a free trade accord with US. These measures have helped improve
productivity and have put Jordan on the foreign investment map. Ongoing
challenges include fiscal adjustment to reduce the budget deficit and
broader investment incentives to promote job-creating ventures.
GDP: purchasing power parity - $21.6 billion (2001 est.)
GDP - real growth rate: 2.8% (2001 est.)
GDP - per capita: purchasing power parity - $4,200 (2001 est.)
GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 3.7% industry: 26% services:
70.3% (2001 est.)
Population below poverty line: 30% (2001 est.)
Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%: 3.3%
highest 10%: 29.8% (1997)
Distribution of family income - Gini index: 36.4 (1997)
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 1.5% (2001 est.)
Labor force: 1.26 million note: in addition, at least 300,000 workers
are employed abroad (2001)
Labor force - by occupation: services 82.5%, industry 12.5%, agriculture
5% (2001 est.)
Unemployment rate: 16% official rate; actual rate is 25%-30% (2001 est.)
Budget: revenues: $2.9 billion expenditures: $3.1 billion, including
capital expenditures of $NA (2001 est.)
Industries: phosphate mining, petroleum refining, cement, potash,
light manufacturing, tourism
Industrial production growth rate: 3.9% (2001 est.)
Electricity - production: 6.932 billion kWh (2000)
Electricity - production by source: fossil fuel: 99.44% hydro: 0.56%
other: 0% (2000) nuclear: 0%
Electricity - consumption: 7.092 billion kWh (2000)
Electricity - exports: 5 million kWh (2000)
Electricity - imports: 650 million kWh (2000)
Agriculture - products: wheat, barley, citrus, tomatoes, melons, olives;
sheep, goats, poultry
Exports: $2.2 billion (f.o.b., 2001 est.)
Exports - commodities: phosphates, fertilizers, potash, agricultural
products, manufactures, pharmaceuticals
Exports - partners: India, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, EU, US, Indonesia, UAE,
Lebanon, Kuwait, Syria, Ethiopia
Imports: $4.6 billion (f.o.b., 2001 est.)
Imports - commodities: crude oil, machinery, transport equipment, food,
live animals, manufactured goods
Imports - partners: Iraq, Germany, US, Saudi Arabia, Japan, UK, Italy,
Turkey, Malaysia, Syria, China
Debt - external: $7.9 billion (2001 est.)
Economic aid - recipient: ODA, $850 million (1996 est.)
Currency: Jordanian dinar (JOD)
Currency code: JOD
Exchange rates: Jordanian dinars per US dollar - 0.7090 (1996-present
) note: since May 1989, the Jordanian dinar has been pegged to a group
of currencies
Fiscal year: calendar year
Communications Jordan
Telephones - main lines in use: 403,000 (1997)
Telephones - mobile cellular: 11,500 (1995)
Telephone system: general assessment: service has improved recently with
the increased use of digital switching equipment, but better access to
the telephone system is needed in the rural areas and easier access to
pay telephones is needed by the urban public domestic: microwave radio
relay transmission and coaxial and fiber-optic cable are employed on trunk
lines; considerable use of mobile cellular systems; Internet service is
available international: satellite earth stations - 3 Intelsat, 1 Arabsat,
and 29 land and maritime Inmarsat terminals; fiber-optic cable to Saudi
Arabia and microwave radio relay link with Egypt and Syria; connection to
international submarine cable FLAG (Fiber-Optic Link Around the Globe);
participant in MEDARABTEL; international links total about 4,000
Radio broadcast stations: AM 6, FM 5, shortwave 1 (1999)
Radios: 1.66 million (1997)
Television broadcast stations: 20 (plus 96 repeaters) (1995)
Televisions: 500,000 (1997)
Internet country code: .jo
Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 5 (2000)
Internet users: 210,000 (2001)
Transportation Jordan
Railways: total: 677 km narrow gauge: 677 km 1.050-m gauge (2001)
Highways: total: 8,000 km paved: 8,000 km unpaved: 0 km (2000 est.)
Waterways: none
Pipelines: crude oil 209 km; note - may not be in use
Ports and harbors: Al 'Aqabah
Merchant marine: total: 7 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 41,206
GRT/53,401 DWT ships by type: bulk 1, cargo 3, container 1, roll on/roll
off 2 note: includes some foreign-owned ships registered here as a flag
of convenience: Airports: 18 (2001)
Airports - with paved runways: total: 15 over 3,047 m: 7 2,438 to 3,047
m: 6 under 914 m: 1 (2001) 914 to 1,523 m: 1
Airports - with unpaved runways: total: 3 under 914 m: 3 (2001)
Heliports: 1 (2001)
Military Jordan
Military branches: Jordanian Armed Forces (JAF) Royal Jordanian
Land Force, Royal Naval Force, Royal Jordanian Air Force, and Special
Operations Command or Socom); note - Public Security Directorate normally
falls under Ministry of Interior but comes under JAF in wartime or
crisis situations
Military manpower - military age: 18 years of age (2002 est.)
Military manpower - availability: males age 15-49: 1,517,751 (2002 est.)
Military manpower - fit for military service: males age 15-49: 1,073,991
(2002 est.)
Military manpower - reaching military age annually: males: 57,131
(2002 est.)
Military expenditures - dollar figure: $757.5 million (FY01)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP: 8.6% (FY01)
Transnational Issues Jordan
Disputes - international: none
This page was last updated on 1 January 2002
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Johnston Atoll
Introduction
Johnston Atoll
Background: Both the US and the Kingdom of Hawaii annexed Johnston
Atoll in 1858, but it was the US that mined the guano deposits until the
late 1880s. The US Navy took over the atoll in 1934, and subsequently
the US Air Force assumed control in 1948. The site was used for high
altitude nuclear tests in the 1950s and 1960s, and until late in 2000
the atoll was maintained as a storage and disposal site for chemical
weapons. Munitions destruction is now complete. Cleanup and closure of
the facility is progressing, with completion anticipated in 2004.
Geography Johnston Atoll
Location: Oceania, atoll in the North Pacific Ocean 717 NM (1328 km)
southwest of Honolulu, Hawaii, about one-third of the way from Hawaii
to the Marshall Islands
Geographic coordinates: 16 45 N, 169 31 W
Map references: Oceania
Area: total: 2.8 sq km water: 0 sq km land: 2.8 sq km
Area - comparative: about 4.7 times the size of The Mall in Washington,
DC
Land boundaries: 0 km
Coastline: 34 km
Maritime claims: exclusive economic zone: 200 NM territorial sea: 12 NM
Climate: tropical, but generally dry; consistent northeast trade winds
with little seasonal temperature variation
Terrain: mostly flat
Elevation extremes: lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m highest point:
Summit Peak 5 m
Natural resources: guano deposits worked until depletion about 1890,
terrestrial and aquatic wildlife
Land use: arable land: 0% permanent crops: 0% other: 100% (1998 est.)
Irrigated land: 0 sq km (1998 est.)
Natural hazards: NA
Environment - current issues: no natural fresh water resources