Sources

https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/
http://www.state.gov/
http://www.theanimalspot.com/
http://www.homeaway.com/?cid=P_Homeaway%20Brand_T_G_Homeaway_homeaway._E&k_clickid=4e7b44ba-87e1-26e8-6bb3-00001f38c41e
http://www.polyvore.com/
http://www.tripadvisor.com/

The future of Jamaica

Jamaica's lush and scenic environment attracts many tourists year round from all over the world. However, Jamaica may not be this way for very long. Pollution from idustrial waste, sewage, vehicle emissions, and oil spills, as well as deforestation, destruction of coral reefs, and extinction of Jamaican wildlife, threatens Jamaica's ecosystem and the beauty of the country. Increasing crime rates, job losses and a debt crisis puts Jamaica in a very bad spot for the future.

Jamaican culture

Most Jamaicans are protestant and speak english, however many jamaicans, especially in rural areas speak Patois, a combination of English and some African languages. The Family in Jamaican culture is very important, as it is the people you spend most of your life with. Trust is very important in Jamaica, and many Jamaicans do not trust those in authority. The people of Jamaica are very religous, Jamaica, a small island, has more churches per capita than anywhere in the world. The Rastafarians are a group in Jamaica that rose in the 1930's and believes that they are a lost tribe from israel, and were taken to Jamaica by slavery, and they must return to ethiopia. They believe that Africa is the birthplace of mankind. They also believe that Haile Selassie I, the last emporer of Ethiopia, was the second coming of Jesus Christ on earth. Politness and courtesy are also highly practiced in Jamaica.

(Haile Selassie I)

Jamaica's government

Jamaica is a constitutional monarchy and a parlimentary democracy based on the U.K. model. The Jamaican constitution consists of 10 chapters, and 138 articles. The government is split into three branches, the Executive, Legislative, and Judicial.

The political parties in Jamaica are the People's National party, The Jamaican labour party, National Democratic Movement, and the New Nation Coalition. Suffrage in Jamaica starts at the age of 18. The Jamaican capital building is pictured below.

Jamaican demographics

Ethnic groups:
black 91.2%, mixed 6.2%, other or unknown 2.6%


Religions:
Protestant 62.5%, Roman Catholic 2.6%, other or unspecified 14.2%, none 20.9%

Population:
2,889,187

Birth rate:
18.89 births

Death rate:
6.59 deaths

mortality rate:
89 deaths

Infant mortality rate:
14.3 deaths

Literacy rate:
age 15 and over has ever attended school
total population: 87.9%
male: 84.1%
female: 91.6%

The Jamaican flag

The Jamaican flag is symbolized by the motto "Hardships there are but the land is green and the sun shineth". The black triangles on the flag represent the adversity Jamaica has overcome, and for the hardships it may have in the future. The green triangles on the flag represent hope and agriculture. The golden saltire on the flag stands for the mineral wealth of Jamaica, and for sunlight.

Jamaica's economic activities

Jamaica's primary economic activity is mining large amount of Bauxite in the mountains of the island. Bauxite is the country's main export, and is a huge part of economy of Jamaica. Tourism is a tertiary economic activity in Jamaica. The islands rainforests, beaches and the Jamaican culture atrract many people. Jamaica has a relatively low level of development, the country's GDP is 24.58 billion.

The country has a high rate of unemployment/underemployment, the unemployment rate in Jamaica increased from 12.4 percent in 2010 to 12.7 percent in 2011. The percent of Jamaica's population below the poverty line is 16.5 percent. the country has a debt to GDP ratio of 120 percent. this is probably because of many government bailouts, primarily in the financial sector, in the 1990's. the government created the Jamaican Debt Exchange in an attempt to reduce the country's debt. Jamaica's debt greatly hinders spending on infrastructure and social programs, contributing to job losses. the rising amount of job losses also raises the amount of crime in the country, which is becoming a serious problem.