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area 10,957 sq km/4,230 sq ml

capital Kingston

Major towns/cities Montero Bay, Spanish town, St.
Not to be republished
Andrew, Portmore

Physical features Mountains tropical island : Blue

Mountains (so called because of the haze over them)
©KTBS
head of state Elizabeth II from 1962, represented by

Governor General Howard Felix Hanlan Cooke from 1991

Political system Constitutional Monarchy

administrative divisions 14 parishes
Political parties Jamaica Labour Party (JLP),

Moderate, Centrist: People`s National Party (PNP), Left

of Centre, National Democratic Movement (NDM), Centrist
Population 2,447,000 (1995 est)

Population growth rate 0.7% (1990-95) ; 1.0%

(2000-05)

Ethnic distribution Nearly 80% of African descent;

About 15% of mixed African-European origin. There
are also Chinese, Indian, and European minorities

life expectancy 71 (men), 76 (women)

literacy rate Men 98%, women 99%
language English, Jamaican creole

Religions Protestant 70% , Rastafarian

currency Jamaican dollar

gdP (US$) 3.91 billion (1994)

growth rate 0.8% (1994)

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