Jamaica – country information

Country name	Jamaica
Official name	Jamaica
Capital	Kingston
Continent	North America
Area	10,991 km2
Population	2,711,476 (2012)
Foundation of a state	8/6/1962
The highest mountains	Blue Mountains Peak 2256 m
State system	constitutional monarchy with a bicameral parliament
The biggest cities	Kingston (capital) 110,000 (conurbation 660,000), Spanish Town 100,000, Montego Bay 90,000
Official language	English
Ethnicity/National Composition	blacks 76%, mulattoes and mestizos 15%, Indians 3.5%, others 5.5%
Religious affiliation	Protestants 57%, Roman Catholics 5%, Atheists and no religion 18%, Rastafarians 5%, others 15%
Currency	1 Jamaican dollar (J$) = 100 cents
gross domestic product (GDP)	US$8,916 (2012)
Average life expectancy of the population	73.24 years (2006)
Structure of GDP	agriculture, forestry and fishing 7.5%, mining 9.5%, industry 22.5%, construction 12.5%, services 48%

Country overview

According to Abbreviationfinder, Jamaica is a state on the island of the same name in the Caribbean Sea 150 km south of Cuba.

Country data

Location: Caribbean

Time zone: CET – 6 (during summer time: CET – 7)

Total area: 10,991 km²

Land area: 10,831 km²

Water area: 160 km²

Length of the state border: 0 km

Coastline: 1,022 km

Capital: Kingston

Parishes: 14
Clarendon, Hanover, Kingston, Manchester, Portland, Saint Andrew, Saint Ann, Saint Catherine, Saint Elizabeth, Saint James, Saint Mary, Saint Thomas, Trelawny, Westmoreland

Electricity: 110, 220 V / 50 Hz

Telephone code: 00 1876 (Source: Allcitycodes)

Highest point: Blue Mountain Peak 2,256 m

Population

Population: approx. 2.9 million residents (Countryaah, 2021)

Population growth: 0.7% per year

Population density (residents per km²): 264

Life expectancy: 72 (male), 75 (female)

Official language: English

Religions:

• 65% Protestants
• 2% Roman Catholic
• 33% other

Climate

In the hot, humid tropical climate there are hardly any seasonal differences. The duration of sunshine is very high all year round.

With around 30 ° C it is hot in summer. Even in winter it is still pleasantly warm at around 15 ° C.

Most of the rain falls in summer from late May to early October.

Currency / finance

Currency unit: Jamaican dollar (JMD)

Division: 1 dollar = 100 cents

ATMs: are available in larger cities.

International credit cards: These are accepted by many hotels and shops.

Regulations: Foreign currencies can be imported and exported in unlimited amounts. There is an obligation to declare.

The import and export of the local currency is prohibited.

In order to be able to exchange unneeded national currency back, you must be able to present all exchange receipts. You should therefore always make sure that you receive a receipt every time you change money and that you keep it safe.

Occasionally, all currency exchange receipts are requested when leaving the country.

Customs regulations

The following may be carried duty-free:

• 200 cigarettes or 50 cigars
• 1 liter of alcoholic beverages
• small amounts of perfume

(Information applies to people aged 18 and over)

Tourists and people in transit can bring items of personal use with them duty-free.

Travel advice

An increase in Zika virus infections is currently being observed in the region. The Zika virus is transmitted to humans by mosquitoes.

The Federal Foreign Office recommends that pregnant women refrain from avoidable trips to ZIKA virus outbreak areas, as the risk of early childhood malformations if the woman is infected cannot currently be ruled out.

The crime rate, especially armed violence, has risen sharply in recent years.

Behavioral advice

Valuables and unneeded cash should be deposited in the hotel safe.

After dark, you shouldn’t be traveling alone at night, even in larger cities.

Economy

The most important source of foreign exchange is tourism. Many hundreds of thousands of visitors visit the country every year.

Agricultural production serves for the self-sufficiency of the population and for the export of tropical fruits all over the world.

The extraction and processing of mineral resources have increased significantly in recent years and have become important branches of the economy.

Industries: bauxite mining, building materials, chemistry, agriculture, food production, light engineering, paper production, textiles, tourism

Natural resources: bauxite, gypsum, limestone

Land use:

• Land: 14%
• Grain cultivation: 6%
• Pasture area: 24%
• Forests: 17%
• other: 39%

Plants

The flora and tree world in Jamaica consists of a mixture of originally native species and many imported species.

You can see mahogany trees, mango trees, palm trees, allspice trees and cedars, for example.

Animals

The birdlife of Jamaica is particularly diverse. Among them there are about two dozen different species of birds that only live here.

Many parrots and hummingbirds can be found across the country.