Chapter 90
chief of mission: Ambassador Giovanni CASTELLANETA chancery: 3000 Whitehaven Street NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 612-4400 FAX: [1] (202) 518-2151 consulate(s) general: Boston, Chicago, Houston, Miami, New York, Los Angeles, Philadelphia, San Francisco consulate(s): Detroit
Diplomatic representation from the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Ronald P. SPOGLI embassy: Via Vittorio Veneto 121, 00187-Rome mailing address: PSC 59, Box 100, APO AE 09624 telephone: [39] (06) 46741 FAX: [39] (06) 488-2672, 4674-2356 consulate(s) general: Florence, Milan, Naples
Flag description:
three equal vertical bands of green (hoist side), white, and red; similar to the flag of Ireland, which is longer and is green (hoist side), white, and orange; also similar to the flag of the Cote d'Ivoire, which has the colors reversed - orange (hoist side), white, and green; inspired by the French flag brought to Italy by Napoleon in 1797
Economy Italy
Economy - overview:
Italy has a diversified industrial economy with roughly the same total and per capita output as France and the UK. This capitalistic economy remains divided into a developed industrial north, dominated by private companies, and a less-developed, welfare-dependent, agricultural south, with 20% unemployment. Most raw materials needed by industry and more than 75% of energy requirements are imported. Over the past decade, Italy has pursued a tight fiscal policy in order to meet the requirements of the Economic and Monetary Unions and has benefited from lower interest and inflation rates. The current government has enacted numerous short-term reforms aimed at improving competitiveness and long-term growth. Italy has moved slowly, however, on implementing needed structural reforms, such as lightening the high tax burden and overhauling Italy's rigid labor market and over-generous pension system, because of the current economic slowdown and opposition from labor unions. But the leadership faces a severe economic constraint: Italy's official debt remains above 100% of GDP, and the government has found it difficult to bring the budget deficit down to a level that would allow a rapid decrease in that debt. The economy continues to grow by less than the euro-zone average and growth is expected to decelerate from 1.9% in 2006 and 2007 to under 1.5% in 2008 as the euro-zone and world economies slow.
GDP (purchasing power parity):
$1.8 trillion (2007 est.)
GDP (official exchange rate):
$2.105 trillion (2007 est.)
GDP - real growth rate:
1.4% (2007 est.)
GDP - per capita (PPP):
$30,900 (2007 est.)
GDP - composition by sector:
agriculture: 2% industry: 27% services: 70.9% (2007 est.)
Labor force:
24.74 million (2007 est.)
Labor force - by occupation:
agriculture: 5% industry: 32% services: 63% (2001)
Unemployment rate:
6.2% (2007 est.)
Population below poverty line:
NA%
Household income or consumption by percentage share:
lowest 10%: 2.3% highest 10%: 26.8% (2000)
Distribution of family income - Gini index:
33 (2005)
Investment (gross fixed):
21% of GDP (2007 est.)
Budget:
revenues: $991.2 billion expenditures: $1.031 trillion (2007 est.)
Fiscal year:
calendar year
Public debt:
104% of GDP (2007 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
1.8% (2007 est.)
Central bank discount rate:
NA
Commercial bank prime lending rate:
10.93% (31 December 2007)
Stock of money:
NA note: see entry for the European Union for money supply in the Euro Area; the European Central Bank (ECB) controls monetary policy for the 15 members of the Economic and Monetary Union (EMU); individual members of the EMU do not control the quantity of money and quasi money circulating within their own borders
Stock of quasi money:
NA (31 December 2007)
Stock of domestic credit:
$3.084 trillion (31 December 2007)
Agriculture - products:
fruits, vegetables, grapes, potatoes, sugar beets, soybeans, grain, olives; beef, dairy products; fish
Industries:
tourism, machinery, iron and steel, chemicals, food processing, textiles, motor vehicles, clothing, footwear, ceramics
Industrial production growth rate:
0.6% (2007 est.)
Electricity - production:
292.1 billion kWh (2007 est.)
Electricity - consumption:
316.3 billion kWh (2006 est.)
Electricity - exports:
2.64 billion kWh (2007 est.)
Electricity - imports:
48.57 billion kWh (2007 est.)
Electricity - production by source:
fossil fuel: 78.6% hydro: 18.4% nuclear: 0% other: 3% (2001)
Oil - production:
166,600 bbl/day (2007 est.)
Oil - consumption:
1.702 million bbl/day (2007 est.)
Oil - exports:
616,700 bbl/day (2005)
Oil - imports:
2.223 million bbl/day (2005)
Oil - proved reserves:
406.5 million bbl (1 January 2008 est.)
Natural gas - production:
9.706 billion cu m (2007 est.)
Natural gas - consumption:
84.89 billion cu m (2007 est.)
Natural gas - exports:
68 million cu m (2007 est.)
Natural gas - imports:
73.95 billion cu m (2007 est.)
Natural gas - proved reserves:
94.15 billion cu m (1 January 2008 est.)
Current account balance:
-$51.03 billion (2007 est.)
Exports:
$502.4 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)
Exports - commodities:
engineering products, textiles and clothing, production machinery, motor vehicles, transport equipment, chemicals; food, beverages and tobacco; minerals, and nonferrous metals
Exports - partners:
Germany 12.9%, France 11.4%, Spain 7.4%, US 6.8%, UK 5.8% (2007)
Imports:
$498.1 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)
Imports - commodities:
engineering products, chemicals, transport equipment, energy products, minerals and nonferrous metals, textiles and clothing; food, beverages, and tobacco
Imports - partners:
Germany 16.9%, France 9%, China 5.9%, Netherlands 5.5%, Belgium 4.3%, Spain 4.2% (2007)
Economic aid - donor:
ODA, $3.641 billion (2006)
Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:
$94.33 billion (31 December 2007 est.)
Debt - external:
$996.3 billion (31 December 2007)
Stock of direct foreign investment - at home:
$364.8 billion (2007 est.)
Stock of direct foreign investment - abroad:
$520.1 billion (2007 est.)
Market value of publicly traded shares:
$798.2 billion (2005)
Currency (code):
euro (EUR)
Currency code:
EUR
Exchange rates:
euros (EUR) per US dollar - 0.7345 (2007), 0.7964 (2006), 0.8041 (2005), 0.8054 (2004), 0.886 (2003)
Communications Italy
Telephones - main lines in use:
26.89 million (2006)
Telephones - mobile cellular:
78.571 million (2006)
Telephone system:
general assessment: modern, well developed, fast; fully automated telephone, telex, and data services domestic: high-capacity cable and microwave radio relay trunks international: country code - 39; a series of submarine cables provide links to Asia, Middle East, Europe, North Africa, and US; satellite earth stations - 3 Intelsat (with a total of 5 antennas - 3 for Atlantic Ocean and 2 for Indian Ocean), 1 Inmarsat (Atlantic Ocean region), and NA Eutelsat
Radio broadcast stations:
AM about 100, FM about 4,600, shortwave 9 (1998)
Radios:
50.5 million (1997)
Television broadcast stations:
358 (plus 4,728 repeaters) (1995)
Televisions:
30.3 million (1997)
Internet country code:
.it
Internet hosts:
17.702 million (2008)
Internet Service Providers (ISPs):
93 (Italy and Holy See) (2000)
Internet users:
32 million (2007)
Transportation Italy
Airports:
132 (2007)
Airports - with paved runways:
total: 101 over 3,047 m: 7 2,438 to 3,047 m: 32 1,524 to 2,437 m: 15 914 to 1,523 m: 34 under 914 m: 13 (2007)
Airports - with unpaved runways:
total: 31 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 11 under 914 m: 19 (2007)
Heliports:
5 (2007)
Pipelines:
gas 18,863 km; oil 1,258 km (2007)
Railways:
total: 19,460 km standard gauge: 18,038 km 1.435-m gauge (11,354 km electrified) narrow gauge: 123 km 1.000-m gauge (123 km electrified); 1,299 km 0.950-m gauge (161 km electrified) (2006)
Roadways:
total: 487,700 km paved: 487,700 km (includes 6,700 km of expressways) (2005)
Waterways:
2,400 km note: used for commercial traffic; of limited overall value compared to road and rail (2006)
Merchant marine:
total: 609 by type: bulk carrier 60, cargo 47, carrier 2, chemical tanker 159, combination ore/oil 1, container 25, liquefied gas 27, passenger 22, passenger/cargo 154, petroleum tanker 35, refrigerated cargo 4, roll on/roll off 33, specialized tanker 13, vehicle carrier 27 foreign-owned: 64 (Denmark 3, France 2, Greece 6, Japan 1, Lebanon 1, Nigeria 1, Norway 2, Portugal 1, Sweden 1, Switzerland 8, Taiwan 13, Turkey 1, UK 7, US 17) registered in other countries: 208 (Antigua and Barbuda 1, Bahamas 4, Belize 3, Cayman Islands 4, Cyprus 7, France 2, Liberia 41, Malta 50, Marshall Islands 3, Netherlands 1, Norway 4, Panama 28, Portugal 12, Russia 4, Saint Kitts and Nevis 1, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 17, Singapore 5, Slovakia 2, Spain 2, Sweden 9, Turkey 3, UK 5) (2008)
Ports and terminals:
Augusta, Genoa, Livorno, Ravenna, Sarroch, Taranto, Trieste, Venice
Military Italy
Military branches:
Italian Army (Esercito Italiano, EI), Italian Navy (Marina Militare Italiana, MMI), Italian Air Force (Aeronautica Militare Italiana, AMI), Carabinieri Corps (Arma dei Carabinieri, CC) (2008)
Military service age and obligation:
18-27 year of age for voluntary military service; conscription abolished January 2005; women may serve in any military branch; 10-month service obligation, with a reserve obligation to age 45 (Army and Air Force) or 39 (Navy) (2006)
Manpower available for military service:
males age 16-49: 13,884,079 females age 16-49: 13,158,378 (2008 est.)
Manpower fit for military service:
males age 16-49: 11,285,488 females age 16-49: 10,680,672 (2008 est.)
Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually:
male: 290,740 female: 273,569 (2008 est.)
Military expenditures:
1.8% of GDP (2005 est.)
Transnational Issues Italy
Disputes - international:
Italy's long coastline and developed economy entices tens of thousands of illegal immigrants from southeastern Europe and northern Africa
Illicit drugs:
important gateway for and consumer of Latin American cocaine and Southwest Asian heroin entering the European market; money laundering by organized crime and from smuggling
This page was last updated on 18 December, 2008
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@Jamaica
Introduction Jamaica
Background:
The island - discovered by Christopher COLUMBUS in 1494 - was settled by the Spanish early in the 16th century. The native Taino Indians, who had inhabited Jamaica for centuries, were gradually exterminated and replaced by African slaves. England seized the island in 1655 and established a plantation economy based on sugar, cocoa, and coffee. The abolition of slavery in 1834 freed a quarter million slaves, many of whom became small farmers. Jamaica gradually obtained increasing independence from Britain, and in 1958 it joined other British Caribbean colonies in forming the Federation of the West Indies. Jamaica gained full independence when it withdrew from the Federation in 1962. Deteriorating economic conditions during the 1970s led to recurrent violence as rival gangs affiliated with the major political parties evolved into powerful organized crime networks involved in international drug smuggling and money laundering. Violent crime, drug trafficking, and poverty pose significant challenges to the government today. Nonetheless, many rural and resort areas remain relatively safe and contribute substantially to the economy.
Geography Jamaica
Location:
Caribbean, island in the Caribbean Sea, south of Cuba
Geographic coordinates:
18 15 N, 77 30 W
Map references:
Central America and the Caribbean
Area:
total: 10,991 sq km land: 10,831 sq km water: 160 sq km
Area - comparative:
slightly smaller than Connecticut
Land boundaries:
0 km
Coastline:
1,022 km
Maritime claims:
measured from claimed archipelagic straight baselines territorial sea: 12 nm contiguous zone: 24 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm continental shelf: 200 nm or to edge of the continental margin
Climate:
tropical; hot, humid; temperate interior
Terrain:
mostly mountains, with narrow, discontinuous coastal plain
Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Caribbean Sea 0 m highest point: Blue Mountain Peak 2,256 m
Natural resources:
bauxite, gypsum, limestone
Land use:
arable land: 15.83% permanent crops: 10.01% other: 74.16% (2005)
Irrigated land:
250 sq km (2002)
Total renewable water resources:
9.4 cu km (2000)
Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural):
total: 0.41 cu km/yr (34%/17%/49%) per capita: 155 cu m/yr (2000)
Natural hazards:
hurricanes (especially July to November)
Environment - current issues:
heavy rates of deforestation; coastal waters polluted by industrial waste, sewage, and oil spills; damage to coral reefs; air pollution in Kingston results from vehicle emissions
Environment - international agreements:
party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Marine Life Conservation, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements
Geography - note:
strategic location between Cayman Trench and Jamaica Channel, the main sea lanes for the Panama Canal
People Jamaica
Population:
2,804,332 (July 2008 est.)
Age structure:
0-14 years: 32% (male 455,871/female 440,928) 15-64 years: 60.6% (male 837,241/female 861,906) 65 years and over: 7.4% (male 93,415/female 114,971) (2008 est.)
Median age:
total: 23.4 years male: 22.9 years female: 24 years (2008 est.)
Population growth rate:
0.779% (2008 est.)
Birth rate:
20.04 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)
Death rate:
6.37 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)
Net migration rate:
-5.88 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2008 est.)
Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.03 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.97 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.81 male(s)/female total population: 0.98 male(s)/female (2008 est.)
Infant mortality rate:
total: 15.57 deaths/1,000 live births male: 16.19 deaths/1,000 live births female: 14.92 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 73.59 years male: 71.88 years female: 75.38 years (2008 est.)
Total fertility rate:
2.3 children born/woman (2008 est.)
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
1.2% (2003 est.)
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
22,000 (2003 est.)
HIV/AIDS - deaths:
900 (2003 est.)
Nationality:
noun: Jamaican(s) adjective: Jamaican
Ethnic groups:
black 91.2%, mixed 6.2%, other or unknown 2.6% (2001 census)
Religions:
Protestant 62.5% (Seventh-Day Adventist 10.8%, Pentecostal 9.5%, Other Church of God 8.3%, Baptist 7.2%, New Testament Church of God 6.3%, Church of God in Jamaica 4.8%, Church of God of Prophecy 4.3%, Anglican 3.6%, other Christian 7.7%), Roman Catholic 2.6%, other or unspecified 14.2%, none 20.9%, (2001 census)
Languages:
English, English patois
Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over has ever attended school total population: 87.9% male: 84.1% female: 91.6% (2003 est.)
School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education):
total: 12 years male: 11 years female: 12 years (2003)
Education expenditures:
5.3% of GDP (2005)
Government Jamaica
Country name:
conventional long form: none conventional short form: Jamaica
Government type:
constitutional parliamentary democracy
Capital:
name: Kingston geographic coordinates: 18 00 N, 76 48 W time difference: UTC-5 (same time as Washington, DC during Standard Time)
Administrative divisions:
14 parishes; Clarendon, Hanover, Kingston, Manchester, Portland, Saint Andrew, Saint Ann, Saint Catherine, Saint Elizabeth, Saint James, Saint Mary, Saint Thomas, Trelawny, Westmoreland note: for local government purposes, Kingston and Saint Andrew were amalgamated in 1923 into the present single corporate body known as the Kingston and Saint Andrew Corporation
Independence:
6 August 1962 (from UK)
National holiday:
Independence Day, 6 August (1962)
Constitution:
6 August 1962
Legal system:
based on English common law; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
Suffrage:
18 years of age; universal
Executive branch:
chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952); represented by Governor General Kenneth O. HALL (since 15 February 2006) head of government: Prime Minister Bruce GOLDING (since 11 September 2007) cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the governor general on the advice of the prime minister elections: the monarch is hereditary; governor general appointed by the monarch on the recommendation of the prime minister; following legislative elections, the leader of the majority party or the leader of the majority coalition in the House of Representatives is appointed prime minister by the governor general; the deputy prime minister is recommended by the prime minister
Legislative branch:
bicameral Parliament consists of the Senate (a 21-member body appointed by the governor general on the recommendations of the prime minister and the leader of the opposition; ruling party is allocated 13 seats, and the opposition is allocated 8 seats) and the House of Representatives (60 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms) elections: last held 3 September 2007 (next to be held no later than October 2012) election results: percent of vote by party - JLP 50.1%, PNP 49.8%; seats by party - JLP 33, PNP 27
Judicial branch:
Supreme Court (judges appointed by the governor general on the advice of the prime minister); Court of Appeal
Political parties and leaders:
Jamaica Labor Party or JLP [Bruce GOLDING]; People's National Party or PNP [Portia SIMPSON-MILLER]; National Democratic Movement or NDM [Michael WILLIAMS]
Political pressure groups and leaders:
New Beginnings Movement or NBM; Rastafarians (black religious/racial cultists, pan-Africanists)
International organization participation:
ACP, C, Caricom, CDB, FAO, G-15, G-77, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt (signatory), ICRM, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO, ITSO, ITU, LAES, MIGA, NAM, OAS, OPANAL, OPCW, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO
Diplomatic representation in the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Anthony JOHNSON chancery: 1520 New Hampshire Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20036 telephone: [1] (202) 452-0660 FAX: [1] (202) 452-0081 consulate(s) general: Miami, New York
Diplomatic representation from the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Brenda LaGrange JOHNSON embassy: 142 Old Hope Road, Kingston 6 mailing address: P.O. Box 541, Kingston 5 telephone: [1] (876) 702-6000 FAX: [1] (876) 702-6001
Flag description:
diagonal yellow cross divides the flag into four triangles - green (top and bottom) and black (hoist side and outer side)
Economy Jamaica
Economy - overview:
The Jamaican economy is heavily dependent on services, which now account for more than 60% of GDP. The country continues to derive most of its foreign exchange from tourism, remittances, and bauxite/alumina. Remittances account for nearly 20% of GDP and are equivalent to tourism revenues. Jamaica's economy, already saddled with a record of sluggish growth, will suffer an economic setback from damages caused by Hurricane Dean in August 2007. The economy faces serious long-term problems: high but declining interest rates, increased foreign competition, exchange rate instability, a sizable merchandise trade deficit, large-scale unemployment and underemployment, and a debt-to-GDP ratio of 135%. Jamaica's onerous debt burden - the fourth highest per capita - is the result of government bailouts to ailing sectors of the economy, most notably the financial sector in the mid-to-late 1990s. Inflation also has declined, standing at about 7% at the end of 2007. High unemployment exacerbates the serious crime problem, including gang violence that is fueled by the drug trade. The GOLDING administration faces the difficult prospect of having to achieve fiscal discipline in order to maintain debt payments while simultaneously attacking a serious and growing crime problem that is hampering economic growth.
GDP (purchasing power parity):
$20.48 billion (2007 est.)
GDP (official exchange rate):
$11.21 billion (2007 est.)
GDP - real growth rate:
1.2% (2007 est.)
GDP - per capita (PPP):
$7,400 (2007 est.)
GDP - composition by sector:
agriculture: 5.1% industry: 32.7% services: 62.2% (2007 est.)
Labor force:
1.255 million (2007 est.)
Labor force - by occupation:
agriculture: 17% industry: 19% services: 64% (2006)
Unemployment rate:
9.9% (2007 est.)
Population below poverty line:
14.8% (2003 est.)
Household income or consumption by percentage share:
lowest 10%: 2.1% highest 10%: 35.8% (2004)
Distribution of family income - Gini index:
45.5 (2004)
Investment (gross fixed):
34.2% of GDP (2007 est.)
Budget:
revenues: $3.716 billion expenditures: $4.261 billion (2007 est.)
Fiscal year:
1 April - 31 March
Public debt:
126.5% of GDP (2007 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
9.5% (2007 est.)
Central bank discount rate:
NA (31 December 2007)
Commercial bank prime lending rate:
17.2% (31 December 2007)
Stock of money:
$1.369 billion (31 December 2007)
Stock of quasi money:
$4.54 billion (31 December 2007)
Stock of domestic credit:
$6.609 billion (31 December 2007)
Agriculture - products:
sugarcane, bananas, coffee, citrus, yams, ackees, vegetables; poultry, goats, milk; crustaceans, mollusks
Industries:
tourism, bauxite/alumina, agro processing, light manufactures, rum, cement, metal, paper, chemical products, telecommunications
Industrial production growth rate:
1.2% (2007 est.)
Electricity - production:
7.04 billion kWh (2006 est.)
Electricity - consumption:
6.1 billion kWh (2006 est.)
Electricity - exports:
0 kWh (2007 est.)
Electricity - imports:
0 kWh (2007 est.)
Electricity - production by source:
fossil fuel: 96.8% hydro: 1.8% nuclear: 0% other: 1.4% (2001)
Oil - production:
0 bbl/day (2005 est.)
Oil - consumption:
73,370 bbl/day (2006 est.)
Oil - exports:
1,535 bbl/day (2005)
Oil - imports:
71,280 bbl/day (2005)
Oil - proved reserves:
0 bbl (1 January 2006 est.)
Natural gas - production:
0 cu m (2007 est.)
Natural gas - consumption:
0 cu m (2007 est.)
Natural gas - exports:
0 cu m (2007 est.)
Natural gas - imports:
0 cu m (2007 est.)
Natural gas - proved reserves:
0 cu m (1 January 2006 est.)
Current account balance:
-$1.83 billion (2007 est.)
Exports:
$2.331 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)
Exports - commodities:
alumina, bauxite, sugar, bananas, rum, coffee, yams, beverages, chemicals, wearing apparel, mineral fuels
Exports - partners:
US 37.2%, Canada 15%, UK 9.7%, Netherlands 9.1% (2007)
Imports:
$5.784 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)
Imports - commodities:
food and other consumer goods, industrial supplies, fuel, parts and accessories of capital goods, machinery and transport equipment, construction materials
Imports - partners:
US 37.2%, Trinidad and Tobago 14.5%, Grenada 9.7%, Venezuela 8.3%, Brazil 4.2% (2007)
Economic aid - recipient:
$35.74 million (2005)
Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:
$1.905 billion (31 December 2007 est.)
Debt - external:
$9.657 billion (31 December 2007 est.)
Market value of publicly traded shares:
$12.28 billion (2006)
Currency (code):
Jamaican dollar (JMD)
Currency code:
JMD
Exchange rates:
Jamaican dollars (JMD) per US dollar - 69.034 (2007), 65.768 (2006), 62.51 (2005), 61.197 (2004), 57.741 (2003)
Communications Jamaica
Telephones - main lines in use:
342,000 (2006)
Telephones - mobile cellular:
2.495 million (2006)
Telephone system: