From: Jack.Crawford@f620.n260.z1.fidonet.org (Jack Crawford)
Newsgroups: k12.ed.soc-studies
Subject: Jamaica               2/2
Date: Fri, 06 Nov 92 21:22:00 PDT
Organization: FidoNet node 1:260/620 - W-FL Teacher Resour, Stanley NY

>>> Continued from previous message
ECONOMY Overview: The economy is based on sugar, bauxite, and tourism.  In
1985 it suffered a setback with the closure of some facilities in the
bauxite and alumina industry, a major source of hard currency earnings.
Since 1986 an economic recovery has been under way. In 1987 conditions
began to improve for the bauxite and alumina industry because of increases
in world metal prices. The recovery has also been supported by growth in
the manufacturing and tourism sectors. In September 1988, Hurricane
Gilbert inflicted severe damage on crops and the electric power system, a
sharp but temporary setback to the economy. By October 1989 the economic
recovery from the hurricane was largely complete and real growth was up
about 3% for 1989. In 1990, 3.5% economic growth was led by mining and
tourism.

GDP: $3.9 billion, per capita $1,580; real growth rate 3.5% (1990)

Inflation rate (consumer prices): 16.0% (1990)

Unemployment rate: 18.2% (1990)

Budget: revenues $1.0 billion; expenditures $1.1 billion, including
capital expenditures of $197 million (FY90 est.)

Exports: $1.02 billion (f.o.b., 1990);

commodities--bauxite, alumina, sugar, bananas;

partners--US 36%, UK, Canada, Norway, Trinidad and Tobago

Imports: $1.83 billion (c.i.f., 1990);

commodities--petroleum, machinery, food, consumer goods, construction
goods;

partners--US 48%, UK, Venezuela, Canada, Japan, Trinidad and Tobago

External debt: $4.1 billion (1990 est.)

Industrial production: growth rate 3% (1989 est.); accounts for almost 25%
of GDP

Electricity: 1,122,000 kW capacity; 2,508 million kWh produced, 1,030 kWh
per capita (1990)

Industries: tourism, bauxite mining, textiles, food processing, light
manufactures

Agriculture: accounts for about 9% of GDP, 22% of work force, and 17% of
exports; commercial crops--sugarcane, bananas, coffee, citrus, potatoes,
and vegetables; livestock and livestock products include poultry, goats,
milk; not self-sufficient in grain, meat, and dairy products

Illicit drugs: illicit cultivation of cannabis; transshipment point for
ships carrying cocaine and cannabis from central and South America to
North America

Economic aid: US commitments, including Ex-Im (FY70-89), $1.2 billion;
Western (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments (1970-88),
$1.45 billion; OPEC bilateral aid (1979-89), $27 million; Communist
countries (1974-89), $349 million

Currency: Jamaican dollar (plural--dollars); 1 Jamaican dollar (J$) = 100
cents

Exchange rates: Jamaican dollars (J$) per US$1--8.106 (January 1991),
7.184 (1990), 5.7446 (1989), 5.4886 (1988), 5.4867 (1987), 5.4778 (1986),
5.5586 (1985)

Fiscal year: 1 April-31 March

COMMUNICATIONS Railroads: 370 km, all 1.435-meter standard gauge, single
track

Highways: 18,200 km total; 12,600 km paved, 3,200 km gravel, 2,400 km
improved earth

Pipelines: refined products, 10 km

Ports: Kingston, Montego Bay

Merchant marine: 5 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 13,048 GRT/21,412
DWT; includes 1 cargo, 1 container, 1 roll-on/roll-off cargo, 1 petroleum,
oils, and lubricants (POL) tanker, 1 bulk

Civil air: 6 major transport aircraft

Airports: 41 total, 25 usable; 14 with permanent-surface runways; none
with runways over 3,659 m; 2 with runways 2,440-3,659 m; 2 with runways
1,220-2,439 m

Telecommunications: fully automatic domestic telephone network; 127,000
telephones; stations--10 AM, 17 FM, 8 TV; 2 Atlantic Ocean INTELSAT earth
stations; 3 coaxial submarine cables

DEFENSE FORCES Branches: Jamaica Defense Force (includes Coast Guard and
Air Wing), Jamaica Constabulary Force

Manpower availability: males 15-49, 628,225; 446,229 fit for military
service; no conscription; 26,442 reach minimum volunteer age (18) annually

Defense expenditures: $20 million, less than 1% of GDP (FY91)

(Compliments of the CIA!)

 * SLMR 2.1a * 

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