About Jamaica

Out of Many, One People. 

Jamaica is one of the most diverse and colourful countries in the Caribbean. Our history, our culture and our people have propelled this small island of just 4,111 square miles to the international stage.

 

‘Wi likkle but wi tallawah’. Jamaica is the home of one of the most popular music forms in the world, Reggae; the home of the fastest man and woman on the track, Usain Bolt and Shelly Ann Fraser Pryce and the home of some of the best cuisine the world has ever tasted such as jerk pork and the Jamaican beef patty.

 

After the tumultuous years leading up to the abolition of slavery, Jamaica’s transition from a British colony to full sovereignty was marked by rationality and unity. Under the stewardship of the fathers of the nation, our heroes, Alexander Bustamante and Norman Washington Manley, Jamaica moved into the 20th century with full adult suffrage, Independence and a strong sense of nationhood and identity.

 

We have catalogued the nuances of these eras as well as the emblems we have as reminders in this section of the website, if you are doing research or just want to indulge your curiosity about a time long gone but not forgotten. This is Jamaica.

 

Source: Jamaica Information Service (JIS)

More information on Jamaica

• History of Jamaica
• The Architects of the Jamaican Constitution 1962
• Jamaica’s National Heroes
• Jamaica’s National Symbols
• The National Anthem and Pledge
•    One verse of the Jamaican National Anthem
• Emancipation
• Independence

The System of Government

• The Monarch
• The Governor General and King’s House Jamaica
• The Prime Minister and the Office of the Prime Minister
• The Leader of the Opposition
• Government Ministries
• Government Ministers
• Senators

 

Jamaica by the Numbers

 

The Economy

• GDP: J$1,524.4 billion
• GDP per capita: J$562.2 million
• Goods as a % of GDP: 24.5%
• Services as a % of GDP: 79.6%
• Interest Rates: 5.75% (6-month weighted average treasury yield as at Jan. 2013)
• Annual Average Exchange Rate: J$114.07 to US$1 (May 2015)

• Bank of Jamaica exchange rate

 

Trade & Investment

• Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) over the last 10 years: US$ 6.71billion
• FDI received in 2014: US$551 million
• ICT jobs facilitated by JAMPRO in 2014; 3237
• Export of Goods: US$ 1.4 billion
• Percentage growth in Exports: 9.7%
• Exports as a % of GDP: 10.6%

 

Population, Workforce and Education

• Population: 2.7 million
• Labour force: 1.3 million
• Professionals with a degree or diploma: 242,026
• Tertiary graduates in 2014: 15,760

 

Source: JAMPRO

 

 

For detailed statistics on Jamaica, please visit the Statistical Institute of Jamaica.