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Compare Marshall Islands (2007) - Jamaica (2007)

Compare Marshall Islands (2007) z Jamaica (2007)

 Marshall Islands (2007)Jamaica (2007)
 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: 38.3% (male 12,061/female 11,622)


15-64 years: 58.9% (male 18,634/female 17,775)


65 years and over: 2.8% (male 832/female 891) (2007 est.)
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.)
Agriculture - products coconuts, tomatoes, melons, taro, breadfruit, fruits; pigs, chickens sugarcane, bananas, coffee, citrus, yams, ackees, vegetables; poultry, goats, milk; crustaceans, mollusks
Airports 15 (2007) 34 (2007)
Airports - with paved runways total: 4


1,524 to 2,437 m: 3


914 to 1,523 m: 1 (2007)
total: 11


2,438 to 3,047 m: 2


914 to 1,523 m: 4


under 914 m: 5 (2007)
Airports - with unpaved runways total: 11


914 to 1,523 m: 10


under 914 m: 1 (2007)
total: 23


914 to 1,523 m: 2


under 914 m: 21 (2007)
Area total: 11,854.3 sq km


land: 181.3 sq km


water: 11,673 sq km (note - lagoon waters)


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 seized 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 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. 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 32.37 births/1,000 population (2007 est.) 20.44 births/1,000 population (2007 est.)
Budget revenues: $42 million


expenditures: $40 million (1999)
revenues: $3.214 billion


expenditures: $3.772 billion (2006 est.)
Capital name: Majuro


geographic coordinates: 7 06 N, 171 23 E


time difference: UTC+12 (17 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)
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 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


local long form: Republic of the Marshall Islands


local short form: Marshall Islands


abbreviation: RMI


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


conventional short form: Jamaica
Death rate 4.66 deaths/1,000 population (2007 est.) 6.59 deaths/1,000 population (2007 est.)
Debt - external $86.5 million (FY99/00 est.) $6.926 billion (2006 est.)
Diplomatic representation from the US chief of mission: Ambassador Clyde BISHOP


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: 142 Old Hope Road, Kingston 6


mailing address: P.O. Box 541, Kingston 5


telephone: [1] (876) 702-6000


FAX: [1] (876) 702-6348
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 $56.56 million more than $1 billion from the US, 1986-2002 (2005) $35.74 million (2005)
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 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 more than 60% of GDP. The country continues to derive most of its foreign exchange from tourism, remittances, and bauxite/alumina. Jamaica's economy, already saddled with a record of sluggish growth, was hit hard by Hurricane Ivan in late 2004, but has made a gradual recovery. 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 high debt burden - the result of government bailouts to ailing sectors of the economy, most notably the financial sector in the mid-to-late 1990s. Following a strategy begun in 2004, Jamaica has reduced its public debt to 133.3% of GDP. Inflation also had declined to 5.8% at the end of 2006. High unemployment exacerbates the serious crime problem, including gang violence fueled by the drug trade. The government 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.
Electricity - consumption - 6.131 billion kWh (2005)
Electricity - exports - 0 kWh (2005)
Electricity - imports - 0 kWh (2005)
Electricity - production - 6.985 billion kWh (2005)
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, Wetlands, Whaling


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 91.2%, mixed 6.2%, other or unknown 2.6% (2001 census)
Exchange rates the US dollar is used Jamaican dollars per US dollar - 65.768 (2006), 62.51 (2005), 61.197 (2004), 57.741 (2003), 48.416 (2002)
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)


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


elections: president elected by Parliament from among its members for a four-year term; election last held 17 November 2003 (next to be held in 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 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
Exports $9.1 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 (2006) US 30.2%, Canada 15.6%, China 15.2%, UK 10.3%, Netherlands 7%, Norway 4.6% (2006)
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: 31.7%


industry: 14.9%


services: 53.4% (2004 est.)
agriculture: 5.4%


industry: 33.8%


services: 60.8% (2006 est.)
GDP - real growth rate 3.5% (2005 est.) 2.5% (2006 est.)
Geographic coordinates 9 00 N, 168 00 E 18 15 N, 77 30 W
Geography - note Bikini and Enewetak are former US nuclear test sites; Kwajalein, the famous World War II battleground, is used as a US missile test range; island city of Ebeye is the second largest settlement in the Marshall Islands, after the capital of Majuro, and one of the most densely populated locations in the Pacific strategic location between Cayman Trench and Jamaica Channel, the main sea lanes for the Panama Canal
Household income or consumption by percentage share lowest 10%: NA%


highest 10%: NA%
lowest 10%: 2.1%


highest 10%: 35.8% (2004)
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 $54.7 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 (2006) US 39.3%, Trinidad and Tobago 13.6%, Venezuela 9.5% (2006)
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 seashells, wood, and pearls tourism, bauxite/alumina, agro processing, light manufactures, rum, cement, metal, paper, chemical products, telecommunications
Infant mortality rate total: 27.3 deaths/1,000 live births


male: 30.62 deaths/1,000 live births


female: 23.82 deaths/1,000 live births (2007 est.)
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.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices) 3% (2005 est.) 8.6% (2006 est.)
International organization participation ACP, AsDB, FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt, IDA, IFC, ILO, IMF, IMO, IMSO, Interpol, IOC, ITU, OPCW, PIF, Sparteca, SPC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, WHO 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
Irrigated land 0 sq km 250 sq km (2002)
Judicial branch Supreme Court; High Court; Traditional Rights Court Supreme Court (judges appointed by the governor general on the advice of the prime minister); Court of Appeal
Labor force 14,680 (2000) 1.249 million (2006 est.)
Labor force - by occupation agriculture: 21.4%


industry: 20.9%


services: 57.7% (2000)
agriculture: 18.1%


industry: 17.3%


services: 64.6% (2004)
Land boundaries 0 km 0 km
Land use arable land: 11.11%


permanent crops: 44.44%


other: 44.45% (2005)
arable land: 15.83%


permanent crops: 10.01%


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


note: English (official), widely spoken as a second language
English, English patois
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 legislature or Nitijela (33 seats; members elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms)


elections: last held 17 November 2003 (next to be held by November 2007)


election results: percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - independents 33


note: the Council of Chiefs or Ironij is a 12-member body comprised of tribal chiefs 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 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
Life expectancy at birth total population: 70.61 years


male: 68.61 years


female: 72.71 years (2007 est.)
total population: 73.12 years


male: 71.43 years


female: 74.9 years (2007 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, two archipelagic island chains of 29 atolls, each made up of many small islets, and five single islands 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: 902 ships (1000 GRT or over) 33,260,440 GRT/55,644,008 DWT


by type: barge carrier 2, bulk carrier 215, cargo 61, carrier 1, chemical tanker 165, combination ore/oil 6, container 171, liquefied gas 28, passenger 6, petroleum tanker 228, refrigerated cargo 2, roll on/roll off 10, specialized tanker 2, vehicle carrier 5


foreign-owned: 857 (Australia 1, Belgium 1, Bermuda 5, Canada 4, Chile 4, China 3, Croatia 4, Cyprus 39, Denmark 9, Finland 2, Germany 214, Greece 226, Hong Kong 4, Italy 3, Japan 5, South Korea 3, Latvia 10, Malaysia 3, Monaco 7, Netherlands 5, Norway 62, Romania 1, Russia 4, Saudi Arabia 4, Singapore 12, Slovenia 3, Spain 3, Sweden 1, Switzerland 14, Turkey 41, UAE 14, UK 17, US 129) (2007)
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)
Military - note defense is the responsibility of the US -
Military branches no regular military forces; under the 1983 Compact of Free Association, the US has full authority and responsibility for security and defense of the Marshall Islands; Marshall Islands Police (2006) Jamaica Defense Force: Ground Forces, Coast Guard, Air Wing (2007)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP NA 0.6% (2006 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 -5.65 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2007 est.) -6.07 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2007 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 - Aelon Kein Ad Party [Michael KABUA] and United Democratic Party or UDP [Litokwa TOMEING] 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 NA New Beginnings Movement or NBM; Rastafarians (black religious/racial cultists, pan-Africanists)
Population 61,815 (July 2007 est.) 2,780,132 (July 2007 est.)
Population below poverty line NA% 14.8% (2003 est.)
Population growth rate 2.207% (2007 est.) 0.777% (2007 est.)
Radio broadcast stations AM 1, FM 3, shortwave 0 (additionally, the US Armed Forces Radio and Television Services (Central Pacific Network) operate one FM and one AM station on Kwajalein) (2005) AM 10, FM 13, shortwave 0 (1998)
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 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)
Sex ratio at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female


under 15 years: 1.038 male(s)/female


15-64 years: 1.048 male(s)/female


65 years and over: 0.934 male(s)/female


total population: 1.041 male(s)/female (2007 est.)
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.)
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 high frequency radiotelephone (used mostly for government purposes) and mini-satellite telephones


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: 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)
Telephones - main lines in use 4,500 (2004) 319,000 (2005)
Telephones - mobile cellular 600 (2004) 2.804 million (2005)
Television broadcast stations 2 (both are US military stations; Marshalls Broadcasting Service, a cable company, operates on Majuro) (2005) 7 (1997)
Terrain low coral limestone and sand islands mostly mountains, with narrow, discontinuous coastal plain
Total fertility rate 3.76 children born/woman (2007 est.) 2.36 children born/woman (2007 est.)
Unemployment rate 30.9% (2000 est.) 11.3% (2006 est.)
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