Location

Caribbean, island in the Caribbean Sea, south of Cuba

Area

10,991sq km

Climate

The weather is tropical. Its hot and humid.

Terrain

Jamaica has mostly mountains, with narrow, discontinuous coastal plain.

Land Use

16.07%  is cultivated.

Natural hazards

hurricanes  occur especially July to November

Demography

Population: 2,731,832 (July 2005 est.)
Population growth rate: 0.71% (2005 est.)
Migration rate: -4.07 migrant(s) per 1,000 population (2005 est.)
Ethnic groups: black 90.9%, East Indian 1.3%, white 0.2%, Chinese 0.2%, mixed 7.3%, other 0.1%
Languages: English, patois English

Government

constitutional parliamentary democracy

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

Legal system:

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

Currency

Jamaican dollar (JMD)

Exchange rates

Jamaican dollars per US dollar - 61.197 (2004)

Fiscal year

1 April - 31 March

Communication System

Telephones, cellular phones, Internet

Transport System

Railways, waterways, Airports and Highways

Major Cities

Kingston, Montego Bay, Port Antonio