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Compare Jamaica (2008) - Samoa (2008)

Compare Jamaica (2008) z Samoa (2008)

 Jamaica (2008)Samoa (2008)
 JamaicaSamoa
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
11 districts; A'ana, Aiga-i-le-Tai, Atua, Fa'asaleleaga, Gaga'emauga, Gagaifomauga, Palauli, Satupa'itea, Tuamasaga, Va'a-o-Fonoti, Vaisigano
Age structure 0-14 years: 32.5% (male 459,968/female 444,963)


15-64 years: 60.1% (male 822,486/female 848,310)


65 years and over: 7.4% (male 91,856/female 112,549) (2007 est.)
0-14 years: 38.1% (male 41,551/female 40,085)


15-64 years: 56.3% (male 63,320/female 57,277)


65 years and over: 5.6% (male 5,416/female 6,616) (2007 est.)
Agriculture - products sugarcane, bananas, coffee, citrus, yams, ackees, vegetables; poultry, goats, milk; crustaceans, mollusks coconuts, bananas, taro, yams, coffee, cocoa
Airports 34 (2007) 4 (2007)
Airports - with paved runways total: 11


2,438 to 3,047 m: 2


914 to 1,523 m: 4


under 914 m: 5 (2007)
total: 3


2,438 to 3,047 m: 1


under 914 m: 2 (2007)
Airports - with unpaved runways total: 23


914 to 1,523 m: 2


under 914 m: 21 (2007)
total: 1


under 914 m: 1 (2007)
Area total: 10,991 sq km


land: 10,831 sq km


water: 160 sq km
total: 2,944 sq km


land: 2,934 sq km


water: 10 sq km
Area - comparative slightly smaller than Connecticut slightly smaller than Rhode Island
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. New Zealand occupied the German protectorate of Western Samoa at the outbreak of World War I in 1914. It continued to administer the islands as a mandate and then as a trust territory until 1962, when the islands became the first Polynesian nation to reestablish independence in the 20th century. The country dropped the "Western" from its name in 1997.
Birth rate 20.44 births/1,000 population (2007 est.) 28.28 births/1,000 population (2007 est.)
Budget revenues: $3.441 billion


expenditures: $3.905 billion (2007 est.)
revenues: $171.3 million


expenditures: $78.1 million (FY04/05 est.)
Capital name: Kingston


geographic coordinates: 18 00 N, 76 48 W


time difference: UTC-5 (same time as Washington, DC during Standard Time)
name: Apia


geographic coordinates: 13 50 S, 171 44 W


time difference: UTC-11 (6 hours behind Washington, DC during Standard Time)
Climate tropical; hot, humid; temperate interior tropical; rainy season (November to April), dry season (May to October)
Coastline 1,022 km 403 km
Constitution 6 August 1962 1 January 1962
Country name conventional long form: none


conventional short form: Jamaica
conventional long form: Independent State of Samoa


conventional short form: Samoa


local long form: Malo Sa'oloto Tuto'atasi o Samoa


local short form: Samoa


former: Western Samoa
Death rate 6.59 deaths/1,000 population (2007 est.) 5.88 deaths/1,000 population (2007 est.)
Debt - external $7.138 billion (31 December 2007 est.) $177 million (2004)
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) 702-6348
chief of mission: none; US Ambassador to New Zealand is accredited to Samoa


embassy: Accident Compensation Board (ACB) Building, 5th Floor, Beach Road, Apia


mailing address: P. O. Box 3430, Apia, 0815


telephone: [685] 21436/21452/21631/22696


FAX: [685] 22030
Diplomatic representation in the US chief of mission: Ambassador Gordon SHIRLEY


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
chief of mission: Ambassador Aliioaiga Feturi ELISAIA


chancery: 800 Second Avenue, Suite 400D, New York, NY 10017


telephone: [1] (212) 599-6196, 6197


FAX: [1] (212) 599-0797
Disputes - international none none
Economic aid - recipient $35.74 million (2005) $43.95 million (2005)
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 a record of sluggish growth, will suffer an economic setback from damages caused by Hurricane Dean in August 2007. The economy faces serious long-term problems: high but declining interest rates, increased foreign competition, exchange rate instability, a sizable merchandise trade deficit, large-scale unemployment and underemployment, and a debt-to-GDP ratio of 135%. 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. Inflation also has declined, standing at about 7% at the end of 2007. 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. The economy of Samoa has traditionally been dependent on development aid, family remittances from overseas, agriculture, and fishing. The country is vulnerable to devastating storms. Agriculture employs two-thirds of the labor force and furnishes 90% of exports, featuring coconut cream, coconut oil, and copra. The fish catch declined during the El Nino of 2002-03 but returned to normal by mid-2005. The manufacturing sector mainly processes agricultural products. One factory in the Foreign Trade Zone employs 3,000 people to make automobile electrical harnesses for an assembly plant in Australia. Tourism is an expanding sector, accounting for 25% of GDP; about 100,000 tourists visited the islands in 2005. The Samoan Government has called for deregulation of the financial sector, encouragement of investment, and continued fiscal discipline, while at the same time protecting the environment. Observers point to the flexibility of the labor market as a basic strength for future economic advances. Foreign reserves are in a relatively healthy state, the external debt is stable, and inflation is low.
Electricity - consumption 6.131 billion kWh (2005) 97.65 million kWh (2005)
Electricity - exports 0 kWh (2005) 0 kWh (2005)
Electricity - imports 0 kWh (2005) 0 kWh (2005)
Electricity - production 6.985 billion kWh (2005) 105 million kWh (2005)
Elevation extremes lowest point: Caribbean Sea 0 m


highest point: Blue Mountain Peak 2,256 m
lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m


highest point: Mauga Silisili (Savaii) 1,857 m
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 soil erosion, deforestation, invasive species, overfishing
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
party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands


signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements
Ethnic groups black 91.2%, mixed 6.2%, other or unknown 2.6% (2001 census) Samoan 92.6%, Euronesians 7% (persons of European and Polynesian blood), Europeans 0.4%
Exchange rates Jamaican dollars per US dollar - 69.034 (2007), 65.768 (2006), 62.51 (2005), 61.197 (2004), 57.741 (2003) tala per US dollar - NA (2007), 2.7594 (2006), 2.7103 (2005), 2.7807 (2004), 2.9732 (2003)
Executive branch chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952); represented by Governor General Kenneth O. HALL (since 15 February 2006)


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: none; 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
chief of state: TUIATUA Tupua Tamasese Efi (since 20 June 2007)


head of government: Prime Minister Sailele Malielegaoi TUILA'EPA (since 1996); Deputy Prime Minister MISA Telefoni (since 2001)


cabinet: Cabinet consists of 12 members appointed by the chief of state on the prime minister's advice


elections: chief of state is elected by the Legislative Assembly to serve a five-year term (no term limits); election last held 15 June 2007 (next to be held in 2012); following legislative elections, the leader of the majority party is usually appointed prime minister by the chief of state with the approval of the Legislative Assembly


election results: TUIATUA Tupua Tamasese Efi unanimously elected by the Legislative Assembly
Exports 1,531 bbl/day (2004) 0 bbl/day (2004)
Exports - commodities alumina, bauxite, sugar, bananas, rum, coffee, yams, beverages, chemicals, wearing apparel, mineral fuels fish, coconut oil and cream, copra, taro, automotive parts, garments, beer
Exports - partners US 30.2%, Canada 15.6%, China 15.2%, UK 10.3%, Netherlands 7%, Norway 4.6% (2006) Australia 44.1%, American Samoa 29.9%, Taiwan 11.3% (2006)
Fiscal year 1 April - 31 March June 1 - May 31
Flag description diagonal yellow cross divides the flag into four triangles - green (top and bottom) and black (hoist side and outer side) red with a blue rectangle in the upper hoist-side quadrant bearing five white five-pointed stars representing the Southern Cross constellation
GDP - composition by sector agriculture: 5%


industry: 34%


services: 61% (2007 est.)
agriculture: 11.4%


industry: 58.4%


services: 30.2% (2004 est.)
GDP - real growth rate 1.5% (2007 est.) 5.5% (2005 est.)
Geographic coordinates 18 15 N, 77 30 W 13 35 S, 172 20 W
Geography - note strategic location between Cayman Trench and Jamaica Channel, the main sea lanes for the Panama Canal occupies an almost central position within Polynesia
Household income or consumption by percentage share lowest 10%: 2.1%


highest 10%: 35.8% (2004)
lowest 10%: NA%


highest 10%: NA%
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 -
Imports 71,420 bbl/day (2004) 1,060 bbl/day (2004)
Imports - commodities food and other consumer goods, industrial supplies, fuel, parts and accessories of capital goods, machinery and transport equipment, construction materials machinery and equipment, industrial supplies, foodstuffs
Imports - partners US 39.3%, Trinidad and Tobago 13.6%, Venezuela 9.5% (2006) NZ 21.5%, Fiji 14.8%, Singapore 13.2%, Australia 8.6%, Japan 8.6%, US 6.2%, Indonesia 5%, China 4.4% (2006)
Independence 6 August 1962 (from UK) 1 January 1962 (from New Zealand-administered UN trusteeship)
Industrial production growth rate 2% (2007 est.) 2.8% (2000)
Industries tourism, bauxite/alumina, agro processing, light manufactures, rum, cement, metal, paper, chemical products, telecommunications food processing, building materials, auto parts
Infant mortality rate total: 15.73 deaths/1,000 live births


male: 16.4 deaths/1,000 live births


female: 15.01 deaths/1,000 live births (2007 est.)
total: 25.89 deaths/1,000 live births


male: 30.54 deaths/1,000 live births


female: 21 deaths/1,000 live births (2007 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices) 7.1% (2007 est.) 3.3% (2005)
International organization participation ACP, C, Caricom, CDB, FAO, G-15, G-77, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt (signatory), ICRM, IDA, 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 ACP, ADB, C, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, IOC, IPU, ITU, ITUC, MIGA, OPCW, PIF, Sparteca, SPC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UPU, WCO, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO (observer)
Irrigated land 250 sq km (2002) NA
Judicial branch Supreme Court (judges appointed by the governor general on the advice of the prime minister); Court of Appeal Court of Appeal; Supreme Court; District Court; Land and Titles Court
Labor force 1.255 million (2007 est.) 90,000 (2000 est.)
Labor force - by occupation agriculture: 17%


industry: 19%


services: 64% (2006)
agriculture: NA%


industry: NA%


services: NA%
Land boundaries 0 km 0 km
Land use arable land: 15.83%


permanent crops: 10.01%


other: 74.16% (2005)
arable land: 21.13%


permanent crops: 24.3%


other: 54.57% (2005)
Languages English, English patois Samoan (Polynesian), English
Legal system based on English common law; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction based on English common law and local customs; judicial review of legislative acts with respect to fundamental rights of the citizen; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
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
unicameral Legislative Assembly or Fono (49 seats, 47 elected by voters affiliated with traditional village-based electoral districts, 2 elected by independent, mostly non-Samoan or part-Samoan, voters who cannot, (or choose not to) establish a village affiliation; only chiefs (matai) may stand for election to the Fono from the 47 village-based electorates; members serve five-year terms)


elections: election last held 31 March 2006 (next election to be held not later than March 2011)


election results: percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - HRPP 35, SDUP 10, independents 4
Life expectancy at birth total population: 73.12 years


male: 71.43 years


female: 74.9 years (2007 est.)
total population: 71.3 years


male: 68.49 years


female: 74.26 years (2007 est.)
Literacy definition: age 15 and over has ever attended school


total population: 87.9%


male: 84.1%


female: 91.6% (2003 est.)
definition: age 15 and over can read and write


total population: 99.7%


male: 99.6%


female: 99.7% (2003 est.)
Location Caribbean, island in the Caribbean Sea, south of Cuba Oceania, group of islands in the South Pacific Ocean, about one-half of the way from Hawaii to New Zealand
Map references Central America and the Caribbean Oceania
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
territorial sea: 12 nm


contiguous zone: 24 nm


exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
Merchant marine total: 13 ships (1000 GRT or over) 161,700 GRT/241,663 DWT


by type: bulk carrier 6, cargo 2, carrier 1, petroleum tanker 1, roll on/roll off 3


foreign-owned: 12 (Denmark 1, Germany 1, Greece 8, Latvia 2)


registered in other countries: 1 (Panama 1) (2007)
total: 1 ship (1000 GRT or over) 7,091 GRT/8,127 DWT


by type: cargo 1


foreign-owned: 1 (Cyprus 1) (2007)
Military - note - Samoa has no formal defense structure or regular armed forces; informal defense ties exist with NZ, which is required to consider any Samoan request for assistance under the 1962 Treaty of Friendship
Military branches Jamaica Defense Force: Ground Forces, Coast Guard, Air Wing (2007) no regular military forces; Samoa Police Force (2005)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP 0.6% (2006 est.) NA
National holiday Independence Day, 6 August (1962) Independence Day Celebration, 1 June (1962); note - 1 January 1962 is the date of independence from the New Zealand-administered UN trusteeship; it is observed in June
Nationality noun: Jamaican(s)


adjective: Jamaican
noun: Samoan(s)


adjective: Samoan
Natural hazards hurricanes (especially July to November) occasional typhoons; active volcanism
Natural resources bauxite, gypsum, limestone hardwood forests, fish, hydropower
Net migration rate -6.07 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2007 est.) -9.49 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2007 est.)
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] Human Rights Protection Party or HRPP [Sailele Malielegaoi TUILA'EPA]; Samoa Christian Party or TCP [Tuala Tiresa MALIETOA]; Samoa Democratic United Party or SDUP [LE MAMEA Ropati]; Samoa Party or SP [Su'a Rimoni Ah CHONG]; Samoa Progressive Political Party or SPPP [Toeolesulusulu SIUEVA]
Political pressure groups and leaders New Beginnings Movement or NBM; Rastafarians (black religious/racial cultists, pan-Africanists) NA
Population 2,780,132 (July 2007 est.) 214,265


note: prior estimates used official net migration data by sex, but a highly unusual pattern for 1993 lead to a significant imbalance in the sex ratios (more men and fewer women) and a seeming reduction in the female population; the revised total was calculated using a 1993 number that was an average of the 1992 and 1994 migration figures (July 2007 est.)
Population below poverty line 14.8% (2003 est.) NA%
Population growth rate 0.777% (2007 est.) 1.291% (2007 est.)
Radio broadcast stations AM 10, FM 13, shortwave 0 (1998) AM 2, FM 5, shortwave 0 (2004)
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) Congregationalist 34.8%, Roman Catholic 19.6%, Methodist 15%, Latter-Day Saints 12.7%, Assembly of God 6.6%, Seventh-Day Adventist 3.5%, Worship Centre 1.3%, other Christian 4.5%, other 1.9%, unspecified 0.1% (2001 census)
Sex ratio at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female


under 15 years: 1.034 male(s)/female


15-64 years: 0.97 male(s)/female


65 years and over: 0.816 male(s)/female


total population: 0.978 male(s)/female (2007 est.)
at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female


under 15 years: 1.037 male(s)/female


15-64 years: 1.106 male(s)/female


65 years and over: 0.819 male(s)/female


total population: 1.061 male(s)/female (2007 est.)
Suffrage 18 years of age; universal 21 years of age; universal
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; mobile-cellular teledensity now exceeds 100 per 100 persons; the number of fixed-lines in use has been declining


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)
general assessment: adequate


domestic: NA


international: country code - 685; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Pacific Ocean)
Telephones - main lines in use 319,000 (2005) 19,500 (2005)
Telephones - mobile cellular 2.804 million (2005) 24,000 (2005)
Television broadcast stations 7 (1997) 2 (2002)
Terrain mostly mountains, with narrow, discontinuous coastal plain two main islands (Savaii, Upolu) and several smaller islands and uninhabited islets; narrow coastal plain with volcanic, rocky, rugged mountains in interior
Total fertility rate 2.36 children born/woman (2007 est.) 4.21 children born/woman (2007 est.)
Unemployment rate 10.2% (2007 est.) NA%
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