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Compare Marshall Islands (2005) - Jamaica (2006)

Compare Marshall Islands (2005) z Jamaica (2006)

 Marshall Islands (2005)Jamaica (2006)
 Marshall IslandsJamaica
Administrative divisions 33 municipalities; Ailinginae, Ailinglaplap, Ailuk, Arno, Aur, Bikar, Bikini, Bokak, Ebon, Enewetak, Erikub, Jabat, Jaluit, Jemo, Kili, Kwajalein, Lae, Lib, Likiep, Majuro, Maloelap, Mejit, Mili, Namorik, Namu, Rongelap, Rongrik, Toke, Ujae, Ujelang, Utirik, Wotho, Wotje 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
Age structure 0-14 years: 38.2% (male 11,488/female 11,071)


15-64 years: 59.1% (male 17,887/female 17,023)


65 years and over: 2.7% (male 771/female 831) (2005 est.)
0-14 years: 33.1% (male 464,297/female 449,181)


15-64 years: 59.6% (male 808,718/female 835,394)


65 years and over: 7.3% (male 90,100/female 110,434) (2006 est.)
Agriculture - products coconuts, tomatoes, melons, taro, breadfruit, fruits; pigs, chickens sugarcane, bananas, coffee, citrus, yams, ackees, vegetables; poultry, goats, milk; crustaceans, mollusks
Airports 15 (2004 est.) 35 (2006)
Airports - with paved runways total: 4


1,524 to 2,437 m: 3


914 to 1,523 m: 1 (2004 est.)
total: 11


2,438 to 3,047 m: 2


914 to 1,523 m: 4


under 914 m: 5 (2006)
Airports - with unpaved runways total: 11


914 to 1,523 m: 10


under 914 m: 1 (2004 est.)
total: 24


914 to 1,523 m: 2


under 914 m: 22 (2006)
Area total: 181.3 sq km


land: 181.3 sq km


water: 0 sq km


note: includes the atolls of Bikini, Enewetak, Kwajalein, Majuro, Rongelap, and Utirik
total: 10,991 sq km


land: 10,831 sq km


water: 160 sq km
Area - comparative about the size of Washington, DC slightly smaller than Connecticut
Background After almost four decades under US administration as the easternmost part of the UN Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands, the Marshall Islands attained independence in 1986 under a Compact of Free Association. Compensation claims continue as a result of US nuclear testing on some of the atolls between 1947 and 1962. The Marshall Islands hosts the US Army Kwajalein Atoll (USAKA) Reagan Missile Test Site, a key installation in the US missile defense network. 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, replaced by African slaves. England siezed the island in 1655 and a plantation economy - based on sugar, cocoa, and coffee - was established. The abolition of slavery in 1834 freed a quarter million slaves, many of which 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 created by the major political parties evolved into powerful organized crime networks involved in international drug smuggling and money laundering. The cycle of violence, drugs, and poverty has served to impoverish large sectors of the populace. Nonetheless, many rural and resort areas remain relatively safe and contribute substantially to the economy.
Birth rate 33.52 births/1,000 population (2005 est.) 20.82 births/1,000 population (2006 est.)
Budget revenues: $42 million


expenditures: $40 million, including capital expenditures of NA (1999)
revenues: $2.8 billion


expenditures: $3.21 billion; including capital expenditures of $180.4 million (2005 est.)
Capital Majuro name: Kingston


geographic coordinates: 18 00 N, 76 48 W


time difference: UTC-5 (same time as Washington, DC during Standard Time)
Climate tropical; hot and humid; wet season from May to November; islands border typhoon belt tropical; hot, humid; temperate interior
Coastline 370.4 km 1,022 km
Constitution 1 May 1979 6 August 1962
Country name conventional long form: Republic of the Marshall Islands


conventional short form: Marshall Islands


former: Marshall Islands District (Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands)
conventional long form: none


conventional short form: Jamaica
Death rate 4.88 deaths/1,000 population (2005 est.) 6.52 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.)
Debt - external $86.5 million (FY99/00 est.) $7.162 billion (2005 est.)
Diplomatic representation from the US chief of mission: Ambassador Greta N. MORRIS


embassy: Oceanside, Mejen Weto, Long Island, Majuro


mailing address: P. O. Box 1379, Majuro, Republic of the Marshall Islands 96960-1379


telephone: [692] 247-4011


FAX: [692] 247-4012
chief of mission: Ambassador Brenda LaGrange JOHNSON


embassy: Mutual Life Building, 2 Oxford Road, 3rd floor, Kingston 5


mailing address: use embassy street address


telephone: [1] (876) 929-4850 through 4859


FAX: [1] (876) 935-6001
Diplomatic representation in the US chief of mission: Ambassador Banny DE BRUM


chancery: 2433 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008


telephone: [1] (202) 234-5414


FAX: [1] (202) 232-3236


consulate(s) general: Honolulu
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
Disputes - international claims US territory of Wake Island none
Economic aid - recipient more than $1 billion from the US, 1986-2002 $18.5 million; note - US aid only (2004)
Economy - overview US Government assistance is the mainstay of this tiny island economy. Agricultural production, primarily subsistence, is concentrated on small farms; the most important commercial crops are coconuts and breadfruit. Small-scale industry is limited to handicrafts, tuna processing, and copra. The tourist industry, now a small source of foreign exchange employing less than 10% of the labor force, remains the best hope for future added income. The islands have few natural resources, and imports far exceed exports. Under the terms of the Amended Compact of Free Association, the US will provide millions of dollars per year to the Marshall Islands (RMI) through 2023, at which time a Trust Fund made up of US and RMI contributions will begin perpetual annual payouts. Government downsizing, drought, a drop in construction, the decline in tourism and foreign investment due to the Asian financial difficulties, and less income from the renewal of fishing vessel licenses have held GDP growth to an average of 1% over the past decade. The Jamaican economy is heavily dependent on services, which now account for 60% of GDP. The country continues to derive most of its foreign exchange from remittances, tourism, and bauxite/alumina. The global economic slowdown, particularly after the terrorist attacks in the US on 11 September 2001, stunted economic growth; the economy rebounded moderately in 2003-04, with brisk tourist seasons. But the economy faces serious long-term problems: high interest rates, increased foreign competition, exchange rate instability, a sizable merchandise trade deficit, large-scale unemployment and underemployment, and a growing stock of internal debt - the result of government bailouts to ailing sectors of the economy, most notably the financial sector in the mid-1990s. The ratio of debt to GDP is 135%. Inflation, previously a bright spot, is expected to remain in the double digits. Uncertain economic conditions have led to increased civil unrest, including gang violence fueled by the drug trade. In 2004, the government faced 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. Attempts at deficit control were derailed by Hurricane Ivan in September 2004, which required substantial government spending to repair the damage. Despite the hurricane, tourism looks set to enjoy solid growth for the foreseeable future.
Electricity - consumption - 2.974 billion kWh (2004)
Electricity - exports - 0 kWh (2004)
Electricity - imports - 0 kWh (2004)
Electricity - production - 3.717 billion kWh (2004)
Elevation extremes lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m


highest point: unnamed location on Likiep 10 m
lowest point: Caribbean Sea 0 m


highest point: Blue Mountain Peak 2,256 m
Environment - current issues inadequate supplies of potable water; pollution of Majuro lagoon from household waste and discharges from fishing vessels 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, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution


signed, but not ratified: none of the selected 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
Ethnic groups Micronesian black 90.9%, East Indian 1.3%, white 0.2%, Chinese 0.2%, mixed 7.3%, other 0.1%
Exchange rates the US dollar is the legal tender Jamaican dollars per US dollar - 62.51 (2005), 61.197 (2004), 57.741 (2003), 48.416 (2002), 45.996 (2001)
Executive branch chief of state: President Kessai Hesa NOTE (since 5 January 2004); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government


head of government: President Kessai Hesa NOTE (since 5 January 2004); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government


cabinet: Cabinet selected by the president from among the members of Parliament


elections: president elected by Parliament from among its own members for a four-year term; election last held 17 November 2003 (next to be held November 2007)


election results: Kessai Hesa NOTE elected president; percent of Parliament vote - 100%
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 Portia SIMPSON-MILLER (since 30 March 2006)


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
Exports $9 million f.o.b. (2000) NA bbl/day
Exports - commodities copra cake, coconut oil, handicrafts, fish alumina, bauxite, sugar, bananas, rum, coffee, yams, beverages, chemicals, wearing apparel, mineral fuels
Exports - partners US, Japan, Australia, China (2000) US 25.8%, Canada 19.3%, UK 10.7%, Netherlands 8.6%, China 7%, Norway 6.4%, Germany 5.6% (2005)
Fiscal year 1 October - 30 September 1 April - 31 March
Flag description blue with two stripes radiating from the lower hoist-side corner - orange (top) and white; there is a white star with four large rays and 20 small rays on the hoist side above the two stripes diagonal yellow cross divides the flag into four triangles - green (top and bottom) and black (hoist side and outer side)
GDP - composition by sector agriculture: 14%


industry: 16%


services: 70% (2000 est.)
agriculture: 4.9%


industry: 33.7%


services: 61.5% (2005 est.)
GDP - per capita purchasing power parity - $1,600 (2001 est.) -
GDP - real growth rate 1% (2001 est.) 1.8% (2005 est.)
Geographic coordinates 9 00 N, 168 00 E 18 15 N, 77 30 W
Geography - note two archipelagic island chains of 30 atolls and 1,152 islands; Bikini and Enewetak are former US nuclear test sites; Kwajalein, the famous World War II battleground, is now used as a US missile test range strategic location between Cayman Trench and Jamaica Channel, the main sea lanes for the Panama Canal
Highways total: 64.5 km


paved: 64.5 km


unpaved: NA km


note: paved roads on major islands (Majuro, Kwajalein), otherwise stone-, coral-, or laterite-surfaced roads and tracks (2002)
-
Household income or consumption by percentage share lowest 10%: NA


highest 10%: NA
lowest 10%: 2.7%


highest 10%: 30.3% (2000)
Illicit drugs - 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; substantial money-laundering activity; Colombian narcotics traffickers favor Jamaica for illicit financial transactions
Imports $54 million f.o.b. (2000) NA bbl/day
Imports - commodities foodstuffs, machinery and equipment, fuels, beverages and tobacco food and other consumer goods, industrial supplies, fuel, parts and accessories of capital goods, machinery and transport equipment, construction materials
Imports - partners US, Japan, Australia, NZ, Singapore, Fiji, China, Philippines (2000) US 41.4%, Trinidad and Tobago 14%, Venezuela 5.5%, Japan 4.6% (2005)
Independence 21 October 1986 (from the US-administered UN trusteeship) 6 August 1962 (from UK)
Industrial production growth rate NA -2% (2000 est.)
Industries copra, tuna processing, tourism, craft items from shell, wood, and pearls tourism, bauxite/alumina, agro processing, light manufactures, rum, cement, metal, paper, chemical products, telecommunications
Infant mortality rate total: 29.45 deaths/1,000 live births


male: 33.05 deaths/1,000 live births


female: 25.67 deaths/1,000 live births (2005 est.)
total: 15.98 deaths/1,000 live births


male: 16.66 deaths/1,000 live births


female: 15.27 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices) 2% (2001 est.) 15.3% (2005 est.)
International organization participation ACP, AsDB, FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt, IDA, IFC, IMF, IMO, Interpol, ITU, OPCW, PIF, Sparteca, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, WHO ACP, C, Caricom, CDB, FAO, G-15, G-77, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt (signatory), ICFTU, ICRM, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO, ITU, LAES, MIGA, NAM, OAS, OPANAL, OPCW, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO
Irrigated land 0 sq km 250 sq km (2002)
Judicial branch Supreme Court; High Court Supreme Court (judges appointed by the governor general on the advice of the prime minister); Court of Appeal
Labor force 28,700 (1996 est.) 1.2 million (2005 est.)
Labor force - by occupation agriculture 21.4%, industry 20.9%, services 57.7% agriculture: 19.3%


industry: 16.6%


services: 64.1% (2004)
Land boundaries 0 km 0 km
Land use arable land: 16.67%


permanent crops: 38.89%


other: 44.44% (2001)
arable land: 15.83%


permanent crops: 10.01%


other: 74.16% (2005)
Languages Marshallese 98.2%, other languages 1.8% (1999 census)


note: English widely spoken as a second language; both Marshallese and English are official languages
English, patois English
Legal system based on adapted Trust Territory laws, acts of the legislature, municipal, common, and customary laws based on English common law; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
Legislative branch unicameral Parliament or Nitijela (33 seats; members elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms)


elections: last held 17 November 2003 (next to be held not later than November 2007)


election results: percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - NA


note: the Council of Chiefs is a 12-member body that advises on matters affecting customary law and practice
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 eight seats) and the House of Representatives (60 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms)


elections: last held 16 October 2002 (next to be held no later than October 2007)


election results: percent of vote by party - PNP 52%, JLP 47.3%; seats by party - PNP 34, JLP 26
Life expectancy at birth total population: 70.01 years


male: 68.05 years


female: 72.06 years (2005 est.)
total population: 73.24 years


male: 71.54 years


female: 75.03 years (2006 est.)
Literacy definition: age 15 and over can read and write


total population: 93.7%


male: 93.6%


female: 93.7% (1999)
definition: age 15 and over has ever attended school


total population: 87.9%


male: 84.1%


female: 91.6% (2003 est.)
Location Oceania, group of atolls and reefs in the North Pacific Ocean, about one-half of the way from Hawaii to Australia Caribbean, island in the Caribbean Sea, south of Cuba
Map references Oceania Central America and the Caribbean
Maritime claims territorial sea: 12 nm


contiguous zone: 24 nm


exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
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
Merchant marine total: 540 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 16,954,092 GRT/28,176,762 DWT


by type: barge carrier 2, bulk carrier 83, cargo 47, chemical tanker 77, combination ore/oil 12, container 88, liquefied gas 16, passenger 8, petroleum tanker 192, refrigerated cargo 4, roll on/roll off 6, vehicle carrier 5


foreign-owned: 462 (Australia 1, Bahamas 1, Bermuda 1, Canada 4, Chile 2, Croatia 2, Cyprus 7, Denmark 2, Georgia 1, Germany 124, Greece 106, Hong Kong 7, India 1, Italy 1, Japan 5, Latvia 6, Monaco 9, Netherlands 4, New Zealand 1, Norway 21, Philippines 1, Russia 1, Saudi Arabia 1, Singapore 2, Slovenia 2, Spain 1, Switzerland 5, Taiwan 1, Turkey 11, Ukraine 1, UAE 3, United Kingdom 15, United States 112) (2005)
total: 10 ships (1000 GRT or over) 124,323 GRT/184,247 DWT


by type: bulk carrier 5, cargo 2, petroleum tanker 1, roll on/roll off 2


foreign-owned: 10 (Germany 3, Greece 6, Italy 1) (2006)
Military - note defense is the responsibility of the US -
Military branches no regular military forces; Marshall Islands Police Jamaica Defense Force: Ground Forces, Coast Guard, Air Wing
Military expenditures - dollar figure NA $31.17 million (2003 est.)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP NA 0.4% (2003 est.)
National holiday Constitution Day, 1 May (1979) Independence Day, 6 August (1962)
Nationality noun: Marshallese (singular and plural)


adjective: Marshallese
noun: Jamaican(s)


adjective: Jamaican
Natural hazards infrequent typhoons hurricanes (especially July to November)
Natural resources coconut products, marine products, deep seabed minerals bauxite, gypsum, limestone
Net migration rate -5.91 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2005 est.) -6.27 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.)
Political parties and leaders traditionally there have been no formally organized political parties; what has existed more closely resembles factions or interest groups because they do not have party headquarters, formal platforms, or party structures; the following two "groupings" have competed in legislative balloting in recent years - Kabua Party [Imata KABUA] and United Democratic Party or UDP [Litokwa TOMEING] Jamaica Labor Party or JLP [Bruce GOLDING]; National Democratic Movement or NDM [Hyacinth BENNETT]; People's National Party or PNP [Percival James PATTERSON]
Political pressure groups and leaders NA New Beginnings Movement or NBM; Rastafarians (black religious/racial cultists, pan-Africanists)
Population 59,071 (July 2005 est.) 2,758,124 (July 2006 est.)
Population below poverty line NA 19.1% (2003 est.)
Population growth rate 2.27% (2005 est.) 0.8% (2006 est.)
Ports and harbors Majuro -
Radio broadcast stations AM 2, FM 1, shortwave 0


note: additionally, the US Armed Forces Radio and Television Services (Central Pacific Network) operate one FM and one AM station on Kwajalein (2002)
AM 10, FM 13, shortwave 0 (1998)
Railways - total: 272 km


standard gauge: 272 km 1.435-m gauge


note: 207 of these km belonging to the Jamaica Railway Corporation had been in common carrier service until 1992 but are no longer operational; 57 km of the remaining track is privately owned and used by ALCAN to transport bauxite (2003)
Religions Protestant 54.8%, Assembly of God 25.8%, Roman Catholic 8.4%, Bukot nan Jesus 2.8%, Mormon 2.1%, other Christian 3.6%, other 1%, none 1.5% (1999 census) Protestant 61.3% (Church of God 21.2%, Seventh-Day Adventist 9%, Baptist 8.8%, Pentecostal 7.6%, Anglican 5.5%, Methodist 2.7%, United Church 2.7%, Jehovah's Witness 1.6%, Brethren 1.1%, Moravian 1.1%), Roman Catholic 4%, other including some spiritual cults 34.7%
Sex ratio at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female


under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female


15-64 years: 1.05 male(s)/female


65 years and over: 0.93 male(s)/female


total population: 1.04 male(s)/female (2005 est.)
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: 0.82 male(s)/female


total population: 0.98 male(s)/female (2006 est.)
Suffrage 18 years of age; universal 18 years of age; universal
Telephone system general assessment: digital switching equipment; modern services include telex, cellular, internet, international calling, caller ID, and leased data circuits


domestic: Majuro Atoll and Ebeye and Kwajalein islands have regular, seven-digit, direct-dial telephones; other islands interconnected by shortwave radiotelephone (used mostly for government purposes)


international: country code - 692; satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (Pacific Ocean); US Government satellite communications system on Kwajalein (2001)
general assessment: fully automatic domestic telephone network


domestic: NA


international: country code - 1-876; satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean); 3 coaxial submarine cables
Telephones - main lines in use 4,500 (2003) 342,000 (2005)
Telephones - mobile cellular 600 (2002) 2.7 million (2005)
Television broadcast stations 2 (both are US military stations) (2002) 7 (1997)
Terrain low coral limestone and sand islands mostly mountains, with narrow, discontinuous coastal plain
Total fertility rate 3.93 children born/woman (2005 est.) 2.41 children born/woman (2006 est.)
Unemployment rate 30.9% (1999 est.) 11.5% (2005 est.)
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