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Compare Sierra Leone (2004) - Jamaica (2004)

Compare Sierra Leone (2004) z Jamaica (2004)

 Sierra Leone (2004)Jamaica (2004)
 Sierra LeoneJamaica
Administrative divisions 3 provinces and 1 area*; Eastern, Northern, Southern, Western* 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: 44.8% (male 1,291,621; female 1,343,827)


15-64 years: 52% (male 1,458,610; female 1,599,109)


65 years and over: 3.2% (male 91,232; female 99,490) (2004 est.)
0-14 years: 28.2% (male 390,966; female 372,961)


15-64 years: 65% (male 883,053; female 880,296)


65 years and over: 6.9% (male 82,788; female 103,066) (2004 est.)
Agriculture - products rice, coffee, cocoa, palm kernels, palm oil, peanuts; poultry, cattle, sheep, pigs; fish sugarcane, bananas, coffee, citrus, yams, vegetables, poultry, goats, milk, crustaceans, and mollusks
Airports 10 (2003 est.) 35 (2003 est.)
Airports - with paved runways total: 1


over 3,047 m: 1 (2004 est.)
total: 11


2,438 to 3,047 m: 2


914 to 1,523 m: 4


under 914 m: 5 (2004 est.)
Airports - with unpaved runways total: 9


914 to 1,523 m: 7


under 914 m: 2 (2004 est.)
total: 24


914 to 1,523 m: 2


under 914 m: 22 (2004 est.)
Area total: 71,740 sq km


land: 71,620 sq km


water: 120 sq km
total: 10,991 sq km


land: 10,831 sq km


water: 160 sq km
Area - comparative slightly smaller than South Carolina slightly smaller than Connecticut
Background The 1991 to 2002 civil war between the government and the Revolutionary United Front (RUF) resulted in tens of thousands of deaths and the displacement of more than 2 million people (well over one-third of the population), many of whom are now refugees in neighboring countries. With the support of the UN peacekeeping force and contributions from the World Bank and international community, demobilization and disarmament of the RUF and Civil Defense Forces (CDF) combatants has been completed. National elections were held in May 2002 and the government continues to slowly reestablish its authority. However, the gradual withdrawal of most UN Mission in Sierra Leone (UNAMSIL) peacekeepers in 2004 and early 2005, deteriorating political and economic conditions in Guinea, and the tenuous security situation in neighboring Liberia may present challenges to the continuation of Sierra Leone's stability. Jamaica gained full independence within the British Commonwealth in 1962. Deteriorating economic conditions during the 1970s led to recurrent violence and a drop off in tourism. Elections in 1980 saw the democratic socialists voted out of office. Political violence marred elections during the 1990s.
Birth rate 43.34 births/1,000 population (2004 est.) 16.94 births/1,000 population (2004 est.)
Budget revenues: $96 million


expenditures: $351 million, including capital expenditures of NA (2000 est.)
revenues: $2.596 billion


expenditures: $3.111 billion, including capital expenditures of $236 million (2003 est.)
Capital Freetown Kingston
Climate tropical; hot, humid; summer rainy season (May to December); winter dry season (December to April) tropical; hot, humid; temperate interior
Coastline 402 km 1,022 km
Constitution 1 October 1991; subsequently amended several times 6 August 1962
Country name conventional long form: Republic of Sierra Leone


conventional short form: Sierra Leone
conventional long form: none


conventional short form: Jamaica
Currency leone (SLL) Jamaican dollar (JMD)
Death rate 20.62 deaths/1,000 population (2004 est.) 5.4 deaths/1,000 population (2004 est.)
Debt - external $1.5 billion (2002 est.) $4.962 billion (2003 est.)
Diplomatic representation from the US chief of mission: Ambassador Peter Russell CHAVEAS


embassy: Corner of Walpole and Siaka Stevens Streets, Freetown


mailing address: use embassy street address


telephone: [232] (22) 226481 through 226485


FAX: [232] (22) 225471
chief of mission: Ambassador Sue McCourt COBB


embassy: Jamaica Mutual Life Center, 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 Ibrahim M. KAMARA


chancery: 1701 19th Street NW, Washington, DC 20009


telephone: [1] (202) 939-9261 through 9263


FAX: [1] (202) 483-1793
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 and New York
Disputes - international domestic fighting among disparate rebel groups, warlords, and youth gangs in Guinea, Liberia, and Sierra Leone have created insurgencies, street violence, looting, arms trafficking, ethnic conflicts, and refugees in border areas; in 2003, Guinea and Sierra Leone established a boundary commission to resolve a dispute over the town of Yenga none
Economic aid - recipient $103 million (2001 est.) $16 million (2003)
Economy - overview Sierra Leone is an extremely poor African nation with tremendous inequality in income distribution. It does have substantial mineral, agricultural, and fishery resources. However, the economic and social infrastructure is not well developed, and serious social disorders continue to hamper economic development, following a 11-year civil war. About two-thirds of the working-age population engages in subsistence agriculture. Manufacturing consists mainly of the processing of raw materials and of light manufacturing for the domestic market. Plans continue to reopen bauxite and rutile mines shut down during the conflict. The major source of hard currency consists of the mining of diamonds. The fate of the economy depends upon the maintenance of domestic peace and the continued receipt of substantial aid from abroad, which is essential to offset the severe trade imbalance and to supplement government revenues. The Jamaican economy is heavily dependent on services, which now account for 70% of GDP. The country continues to derive most of its foreign exchange from tourism, remittances, 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, with one of the best tourist seasons on record. But the economy faces serious long-term problems: high interest rates; increased foreign competition; a pressured, sometimes sliding, exchange rate; a sizable merchandise trade deficit; large-scale unemployment; and a growing internal debt, the result of government bailouts to ailing sectors of the economy. The ratio of debt to GDP is close to 150%. Inflation, previously a bright spot, is expected to remain in the double digits. Depressed economic conditions have led to increased civil unrest, including gang violence fueled by the drug trade. In 2004, 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 232.6 million kWh (2001) 5.833 billion kWh (2001)
Electricity - exports 0 kWh (2001) 0 kWh (2001)
Electricity - imports 0 kWh (2001) 0 kWh (2001)
Electricity - production 250.1 million kWh (2001) 6.272 billion kWh (2001)
Elevation extremes lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m


highest point: Loma Mansa (Bintimani) 1,948 m
lowest point: Caribbean Sea 0 m


highest point: Blue Mountain Peak 2,256 m
Environment - current issues rapid population growth pressuring the environment; overharvesting of timber, expansion of cattle grazing, and slash-and-burn agriculture have resulted in deforestation and soil exhaustion; civil war depleting natural resources; overfishing 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, Desertification, Endangered Species, Law of the Sea, Marine Life Conservation, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands


signed, but not ratified: Environmental Modification
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 20 native African tribes 90% (Temne 30%, Mende 30%, other 30%), Creole (Krio) 10% (descendants of freed Jamaican slaves who were settled in the Freetown area in the late-18th century), refugees from Liberia's recent civil war, small numbers of Europeans, Lebanese, Pakistanis, and Indians black 90.9%, East Indian 1.3%, white 0.2%, Chinese 0.2%, mixed 7.3%, other 0.1%
Exchange rates leones per US dollar - 2,347.94 (2003), 2,099.03 (2002), 1,986.15 (2001), 2,092.12 (2000), 1,804.19 (1999) Jamaican dollars per US dollar - 57.7409 (2003), 48.4159 (2002), 45.9962 (2001), 42.7011 (2000), 39.0435 (1999)
Executive branch chief of state: President Ahmad Tejan KABBAH (since 29 March 1996, reinstated 10 March 1998); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government


head of government: President Ahmad Tejan KABBAH (since 29 March 1996, reinstated 10 March 1998); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government


cabinet: Ministers of State appointed by the president with the approval of the House of Representatives; the cabinet is responsible to the president


elections: president elected by popular vote for a five-year term; election last held 14 May 2002 (next to be held NA May 2007); note - president's tenure of office is limited to two five-year terms


election results: Ahmad Tejan KABBAH reelected president; percent of vote - Ahmad Tejan KABBAH (SLPP) 70.6%, Ernest KOROMA (APC) 22.4%
chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952), represented by Governor General Sir Howard Felix COOKE (since 1 August 1991)


head of government: Prime Minister Percival James PATTERSON (since 30 March 1992)


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 NA (2001) NA (2001)
Exports - commodities diamonds, rutile, cocoa, coffee, fish (1999) alumina, bauxite, sugar, bananas, rum, coffee, yams, beverages, chemicals, wearing apparel, mineral fuels
Exports - partners Belgium 61.2%, Germany 14.2%, UK 4.5%, US 4.5% (2003) US 29.6%, UK 11%, Canada 10.8%, France 7.9%, Norway 6.8%, Germany 6.2%, China 6%, Netherlands 4.4% (2003)
Fiscal year calendar year 1 April - 31 March
Flag description three equal horizontal bands of light green (top), white, and light blue diagonal yellow cross divides the flag into four triangles - green (top and bottom) and black (hoist side and outer side)
GDP purchasing power parity - $3.057 billion (2003 est.) purchasing power parity - $10.61 billion (2003 est.)
GDP - composition by sector agriculture: 49%


industry: 31%


services: 21% (2001 est.)
agriculture: 6.7%


industry: 37.2%


services: 56.2% (2003 est.)
GDP - per capita purchasing power parity - $500 (2003 est.) purchasing power parity - $3,900 (2003 est.)
GDP - real growth rate 6.5% (2003 est.) 1.9% (2003 est.)
Geographic coordinates 8 30 N, 11 30 W 18 15 N, 77 30 W
Geography - note rainfall along the coast can reach 495 cm (195 inches) a year, making it one of the wettest places along coastal, western Africa strategic location between Cayman Trench and Jamaica Channel, the main sea lanes for the Panama Canal
Heliports 2 (2003 est.) -
Highways total: 11,330 km


paved: 895 km


unpaved: 10,435 km (1999)
total: 18,700 km


paved: 13,109 km


unpaved: 5,591 km (1999 est.)
Household income or consumption by percentage share lowest 10%: 0.5%


highest 10%: 43.6% (1989)
lowest 10%: 2.7%


highest 10%: 30.3% (2000)
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; substantial money-laundering activity; Colombian narcotics traffickers favor Jamaica for illicit financial transactions
Imports NA (2001) NA (2001)
Imports - commodities foodstuffs, machinery and equipment, fuels and lubricants, chemicals (1995) food and other consumer goods, industrial supplies, fuel, parts and accessories of capital goods, machinery and transport equipment, construction materials
Imports - partners Germany 23.7%, UK 9.9%, Cote d'Ivoire 7.4%, France 7.4%, US 5.3%, Netherlands 5.1%, Ukraine 4.6% (2003) US 39.8%, Trinidad and Tobago 9.7%, Germany 5.6%, Venezuela 4.5%, France 4.5%, Japan 4.2% (2003)
Independence 27 April 1961 (from UK) 6 August 1962 (from UK)
Industrial production growth rate NA -2% (2000 est.)
Industries mining (diamonds); small-scale manufacturing (beverages, textiles, cigarettes, footwear); petroleum refining tourism, bauxite/alumina, textiles, agro processing, wearing apparel, light manufactures, rum, cement, metal, paper, chemical products, telecommunications
Infant mortality rate total: 145.24 deaths/1,000 live births


male: 162.64 deaths/1,000 live births


female: 127.32 deaths/1,000 live births (2004 est.)
total: 12.81 deaths/1,000 live births


male: 13.82 deaths/1,000 live births


female: 11.75 deaths/1,000 live births (2004 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices) 1% (2002 est.) 10.3% (2003 est.)
International organization participation ACP, AfDB, AU, C, ECOWAS, FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ITU, MIGA, NAM, OIC, OPCW, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO 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 (observer), ISO, ITU, LAES, MIGA, NAM, OAS, OPANAL, OPCW, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO
Irrigated land 290 sq km (1998 est.) 250 sq km (1998 est.)
Judicial branch Supreme Court; Appeals Court; High Court Supreme Court (judges appointed by the governor general on the advice of the prime minister); Court of Appeal
Labor force 1.369 million (1981 est.) 1.13 million (2003)
Labor force - by occupation agriculture NA, industry NA, services NA agriculture 21%, industry 19%, services 60% (1998)
Land boundaries total: 958 km


border countries: Guinea 652 km, Liberia 306 km
0 km
Land use arable land: 6.98%


permanent crops: 0.89%


other: 92.13% (2001)
arable land: 16.07%


permanent crops: 10.16%


other: 73.77% (2001)
Languages English (official, regular use limited to literate minority), Mende (principal vernacular in the south), Temne (principal vernacular in the north), Krio (English-based Creole, spoken by the descendants of freed Jamaican slaves who were settled in the Freetown area, a lingua franca and a first language for 10% of the population but understood by 95%) English, patois English
Legal system based on English law and customary laws indigenous to local tribes; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction based on English common law; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
Legislative branch unicameral Parliament (124 seats - 112 elected by popular vote, 12 filled by paramount chiefs elected in separate elections; members serve five-year terms)


elections: last held 14 May 2002 (next to be held NA May 2007)


election results: percent of vote by party - SLPP 70.06%, APC 22.35%, PLP 3%, others 4.59%; seats by party - SLPP 83, APC 27, PLP 2
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 in 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: 42.69 years


male: 40.23 years


female: 45.21 years (2004 est.)
total population: 76.07 years


male: 74.04 years


female: 78.21 years (2004 est.)
Literacy definition: age 15 and over can read and write English, Mende, Temne, or Arabic


total population: 31.4%


male: 45.4%


female: 18.2% (1995 est.)
definition: age 15 and over has ever attended school


total population: 87.9%


male: 84.1%


female: 91.6% (2003 est.)
Location Western Africa, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean, between Guinea and Liberia Caribbean, island in the Caribbean Sea, south of Cuba
Map references Africa Central America and the Caribbean
Maritime claims territorial sea: 12 nm


contiguous zone: 24 nm


exclusive economic zone: 200 nm


continental shelf: 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: 2 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 7,435 GRT/8,750 DWT


by type: cargo 2 (2004 est.)
total: 6 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 74,881 GRT/100,682 DWT


by type: bulk 2, petroleum tanker 1, refrigerated cargo 2, short-sea/passenger 1


foreign-owned: Greece 2, Iceland 1, Latvia 1, United States 2 (2004 est.)
Military branches Army (RSLAF) Jamaica Defense Force: Ground Forces, Coast Guard, Air Wing
Military expenditures - dollar figure $11.7 million (2003) $31 million (2003)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP 1.5% (2003) 0.4% (2003)
Military manpower - availability males age 15-49: 1,265,140 (2004 est.) males age 15-49: 764,266 (2004 est.)
Military manpower - fit for military service males age 15-49: 614,338 (2004 est.) males age 15-49: 533,768 (2004 est.)
Military manpower - reaching military age annually - males: 27,126 (2004 est.)
National holiday Independence Day, 27 April (1961) Independence Day, first Monday in August (1962)
Nationality noun: Sierra Leonean(s)


adjective: Sierra Leonean
noun: Jamaican(s)


adjective: Jamaican
Natural hazards dry, sand-laden harmattan winds blow from the Sahara (December to February); sandstorms, dust storms hurricanes (especially July to November)
Natural resources diamonds, titanium ore, bauxite, iron ore, gold, chromite bauxite, gypsum, limestone
Net migration rate 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population


note: refugees currently in surrounding countries are slowly returning (2004 est.)
-4.92 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2004 est.)
Political parties and leaders All People's Congress or APC [Ben KANU]; Peace and Liberation Party or PLP [Darlington MORRISON, interim chairman]; Sierra Leone People's Party or SLPP [Sama BANYA]; numerous others Jamaica Labor Party or JLP [Edward SEAGA]; National Democratic Movement or NDM [Hyacinth BENNETT]; People's National Party or PNP [Percival James PATTERSON]
Political pressure groups and leaders Trade Unions and Student Unions New Beginnings Movement or NBM; Rastafarians (black religious/racial cultists, pan-Africanists)
Population 5,883,889 (July 2004 est.) 2,713,130 (July 2004 est.)
Population below poverty line 68% (1989 est.) 19.7% (2002 est.)
Population growth rate 2.27% (2004 est.) 0.66% (2004 est.)
Ports and harbors Bonthe, Freetown, Pepel Alligator Pond, Discovery Bay, Kingston, Montego Bay, Ocho Rios, Port Antonio, Rocky Point, Port Esquivel (Longswharf)
Radio broadcast stations AM 1, FM 9, shortwave 1 (1999) 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 Muslim 60%, indigenous beliefs 30%, Christian 10% Protestant 61.3% (Church of God 21.2%, Baptist 8.8%, Anglican 5.5%, Seventh-Day Adventist 9%, Pentecostal 7.6%, Methodist 2.7%, United Church 2.7%, Brethren 1.1%, Jehovah's Witness 1.6%, Moravian 1.1%), Roman Catholic 4%, other including some spiritual cults 34.7%
Sex ratio at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female


under 15 years: 0.96 male(s)/female


15-64 years: 0.91 male(s)/female


65 years and over: 0.92 male(s)/female


total population: 0.93 male(s)/female (2004 est.)
at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female


under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female


15-64 years: 1 male(s)/female


65 years and over: 0.8 male(s)/female


total population: 1 male(s)/female (2004 est.)
Suffrage 18 years of age; universal 18 years of age; universal
Telephone system general assessment: marginal telephone and telegraph service


domestic: the national microwave radio relay trunk system connects Freetown to Bo and Kenema


international: country code - 232; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean)
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 24,000 (2002) 444,400 (2002)
Telephones - mobile cellular 67,000 (2002) 1.4 million (2002)
Television broadcast stations 2 (1999) 7 (1997)
Terrain coastal belt of mangrove swamps, wooded hill country, upland plateau, mountains in east mostly mountains, with narrow, discontinuous coastal plain
Total fertility rate 5.79 children born/woman (2004 est.) 1.98 children born/woman (2004 est.)
Unemployment rate NA 15.9% (2003 est.)
Waterways 800 km (2003) -
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