11--Central+America+&+Caribbean--Jamaica

toc =  = = = = = = = = = =Geographical Profile/Political Information=



Relative Location: Caribbean, South of Cuba Absolute Location: 18 15 N, 77 30 W Distance and direction from Lancaster PA: SE; 1518.1 miles Size: 10,991 sq km Major physical features: Mountainous Major cultural characteristics:
 * Food: A lot of the foods are not processed, and consist of a lot of fruits. Plantains are very popular in this area. Any special occasion in accompanied by curried goat.


 * Entertainment:No matter where one is in Jamaica there is always music, Jamaica is known for it's musical diversity.


 * Manners: A child does not "talk back"; men hold doors open for women; men also help with heavy tasks

Major Cities: Portmore- the fastest growing area in Jamaica, Kingston- capitol, Montego Bay- huge tourist area Capitol: Kingston Type of governments: constitutional parliamentary democracy and a Commonwealth realm Head of State: Queen Elizabeth II Head of government: Prime Minister Bruce Golding Global Organizations: WTO

=Economic Information= Currency and exchange rate against the U.S. dollar: US $1 = J $56.6

Natural resources: bauxite, gypsum, limestone

Agricultural products: sugarcane, bananas, citrus, yams, coffee, vegetables, goats, milk, mollusks

Industries: tourism, light manufactures, rum, cement, metal, paper, telecommunications, chemical products

Imports: foods and consumer goods, industrial supplies, fuel, machinery, construction materials

Import Partners: US, Trinidad and Tobago, Venezuela

Exports: alumina, rum, sugar, coffee, yams, beverages, chemicals, apparel, bauxite

Export partners: US, Canada, UK, Netherlands, France, and Russia

GDP: $11.92 billion

GDP per capita: $8,300

HDI: 0.766

HDI Ranking: 100th

Unemployment rate: 14.5%

=Population Information= Current population: 2,847,232

Population Density: 259.05

Age distribution:
 * 0-14 years: 31.4%
 * 15-64 years: 61.1%
 * 65 years and over: 7.5%

Natural rate of increase: 0.747%

How long will it take for Jamaica to double in size: 2.677 years

Literacy rate: 87.9%

Infant mortality rate: 15.22 deaths/1,000 live births

Life expectancy at age 1: 73.53 years

Physical quality of life index: 63.047

Ethnic groups:
 * black 91.2%
 * mixed 6.2%
 * unknown 2.6%

Chief religions:
 * Protestant 62.5%
 * Roman Catholic 2.6%
 * unspecified 14.2%
 * none 20.9%

Main language: English, English patois

=Human Rights Information= Since poverty is the key human rights concern, there are a lot of other concerns that are formed because of it. Crime and violence are not a surprising sight in Jamaica, especially with the presence of gangs in Jamaica. Public services are actually very under resourced, thus causing price spikes. Another concern is violence and discrimination against women. There is a problem with domestic violence, rape, and under reporting of issues that occur. Human trafficking and discrimination against gays and those with HIV/AIDS continues to persist as problems.

A more positive side, Jamaica, even though poverty stricken, has bountiful natural resources. The culture has an international impact and continues to keep spirits up. One thing that is being done to help with the discrimination is allowing children to at least complete secondary school

=Environmental Information= There are several environmental issues around Jamaica. There are heavy rates of deforestation, which is when all of the trees are being cut down without being re-planted. The coastal waters are also being polluted by waste, sewage, and oil spills. This is a threat to not only the people who depend on the water for other uses, but also the manufacturing of products.

Air pollution is a huge problem in Kingston. This is because of the large amounts of vehicle emissions. This is again a huge risk to human life.

=Decision Statement= Our group chose to move to Jamaica. There were several factors as to why. One being it's abundance of natural resources. Having a lot of natural resources not only keeps the country strong within itself but also keeps the ability to trade with other countries without under supplying itself. Jamaica also has a lot of food as its natural resource keeping the people rich in that aspect.

Another reason being the culture. The culture is surrounded by community, manners, and happiness. The people don't disrespect eachother, and children are taught to respect others. Children are also put through secondary school. The culture is also pretty healthy even though it is surrounded by food. This is because the foods are not really processed.

Finally Jamaica has a stable government. And even though there are human rights issues, there are human rights issues almost everywhere. There is generally a high tolerance for differences in Jamaica. The only environmental issues are deforestation and air pollution.

=Bibliography=

"CIA - The World Factbook." //Welcome to the CIA Web Site — Central Intelligence Agency//. Web. 01 June 2010. . "Culture of Jamaica - Traditional, People, Clothing, Women, Beliefs, Food, Customs, Family, Social, Marriage, Men, Life, Population, Rituals, History and Ethnic Relations." //Countries and Their Cultures//. Web. 01 June 2010. . "Distance Calculator: How Far Is It? — Infoplease.com." //Infoplease: Encyclopedia, Almanac, Atlas, Biographies, Dictionary, Thesaurus. Free Online Reference, Research & Homework Help. — Infoplease.com//. Web. 01 June 2010. . "Human Development Report 2009 - Country Fact Sheets - Jamaica." //Statistics | Human Development Reports (HDR) | United Nations Development Programme (UNDP)//. Web. 01 June 2010. . "Jamaica Human Rights." //Amnesty International USA - Protect Human Rights//. Web. 01 June 2010. . Way, The. "Major Jamaican Cities!" //My Island Jamaica, The Dream Caribbean Paradise!// Web. 01 June 2010. .