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jamaica |
5 definitions found From Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913) [web1913]: Jamaica \Ja*mai"ca\, n. One of the West India is islands. {Jamaica ginger}, a variety of ginger, called also {white ginger}, prepared in Jamaica from the best roots, which are deprived of their epidermis and dried separately. {Jamaica pepper}, allspice. {Jamaica rose} (Bot.), a West Indian melastomaceous shrub ({Blakea trinervis}), with showy pink flowers. From Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913) [web1913]: Nutmeg \Nut"meg\, n. [OE. notemuge note nut + OF muge musk, of the same origin as E. musk; cf OF noix muguette nutmeg, F. noix muscade. See {Nut}, and {Musk}.] (Bot.) The kernel of the fruit of the nutmeg tree ({Myristica fragrans}), a native of the Molucca Islands, but cultivated elsewhere in the tropics. Note: This fruit is a nearly spherical drupe, of the size of a pear, of a yellowish color without and almost white within. This opens into two nearly equal longitudinal valves, inclosing the nut surrounded by its aril, which is mace The nutmeg is an aromatic, very grateful to the taste and smell, and much used in cookery. Other species of {Myristica} yield nutmegs of inferior quality. {American}, {Calabash}, or {Jamaica}, {nutmeg}, the fruit of a tropical shrub ({Monodora Myristica}). It is about the size of an orange, and contains many aromatic seeds imbedded in pulp. {Brazilian nutmeg}, the fruit of a lauraceous tree, {Cryptocarya moschata}. {California nutmeg}, tree of the Yew family ({Torreya Californica}), growing in the Western United States, and having a seed which resembles a nutmeg in appearance, but is strongly impregnated with turpentine. {Clove nutmeg}, the {Ravensara aromatica}, a laura ceous tree of Madagascar. The foliage is used as a spice, but the seed is acrid and caustic. {Jamaica nutmeg}. See American nutmeg (above). {Nutmeg bird} (Zo["o]l.), an Indian finch ({Munia punctularia}). {Nutmeg butter}, a solid oil extracted from the nutmeg by expression. {Nutmeg flower} (Bot.), a ranunculaceous herb ({Nigella sativa}) with small black aromatic seeds, which are used medicinally and for excluding moths from furs and clothing. {Nutmeg liver} (Med.), a name applied to the liver, when as the result of heart or lung disease, it undergoes congestion and pigmentation about the central veins of its lobules, giving it an appearance resembling that of a nutmeg. {Nutmeg melon} (Bot.), a small variety of muskmelon of a rich flavor. {Nutmeg pigeon} (Zo["o]l.), any one of several species of pigeons of the genus {Myristicivora}, native of the East Indies and Australia. The color is usually white, or cream-white, with black on the wings and tail. {Nutmeg wood} (Bot.), the wood of the Palmyra palm. {Peruvian nutmeg}, the aromatic seed of a South American tree ({Laurelia sempervirens}). {Plume nutmeg} (Bot.), a spicy tree of Australia ({Atherosperma moschata}). From WordNet r 1.6 [wn]: Jamaica n 1: a country on the island of Jamaica; became independent of England in 1962; much poverty; the major industry is tourism [syn: {Jamaica}] 2: an island in the West Indies south of Cuba and west of Haiti [syn: {Jamaica}] From U.S. Gazetteer (1990) [gazetteer]: Jamaica, IA (city, FIPS 39225) Location: 41.84550 N, 94.30719 W Population (1990): 232 (104 housing units) Area: 1.2 sq km (land), 0.0 sq km (water) Zip code(s): 50128 Jamaica, NY Zip code(s): 11430, 11432, 11433, 11434, 11435, 11436 Jamaica, VA Zip code(s): 23079 Jamaica, VT Zip code(s): 05343 From The CIA World Factbook (1995) [world95]: Jamaica Jamaica:Geography Location: Caribbean, island in the Caribbean Sea, south of Cuba Map references: Central America and the Caribbean Area: total area: 10,990 sq km land area: 10,830 sq km comparative area: slightly smaller than Connecticut Land boundaries: 0 km Coastline: 1,022 km Maritime claims: continental shelf: 200-m depth or to the depth of exploitation exclusive economic zone: 200 nm territorial sea: 12 nm International disputes: none Climate: tropical; hot, humid; temperate interior Terrain: mostly mountains with narrow, discontinuous coastal plain Natural resources: bauxite, gypsum, limestone Land use: arable land: 19% permanent crops: 6% meadows and pastures: 18% forest and woodland: 28% other: 29% Irrigated land: 350 sq km (1989 est.) Environment: current issues: deforestation; coastal waters polluted by industrial waste, sewage, and oil spills; damage to coral reefs; air pollution in Kingston results from vehicle emissions natural hazards: hurricanes (especially July to November) international agreements: party to - Biodiversity, Climate Change, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Marine Life Conservation, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution Note: strategic location between Cayman Trench and Jamaica Channel, the main sea lanes for Panama Canal Jamaica:People Population: 2,574,291 (July 1995 est.) Age structure: 0-14 years: 33% (female 412,565; male 431,043) 15-64 years: 60% (female 786,700; male 770,681) 65 years and over: 7% (female 96,348; male 76,954) (July 1995 est.) Population growth rate: 0.78% (1995 est.) Birth rate: 22.03 births/1,000 population (1995 est.) Death rate: 5.62 deaths/1,000 population (1995 est.) Net migration rate: -8.65 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1995 est.) Infant mortality rate: 16.1 deaths/1,000 live births (1995 est.) Life expectancy at birth: total population: 74.65 years male: 72.39 years female: 77.01 years (1995 est.) Total fertility rate: 2.42 children born/woman (1995 est.) Nationality: noun: Jamaican(s) adjective: Jamaican Ethnic divisions: African 76.3%, Afro-European 15.1%, East Indian and Afro-East Indian 3%, white 3.2%, Chinese and Afro-Chinese 1.2%, other 1.2% Religions: Protestant 55.9% (Church of God 18.4%, Baptist 10%, Anglican 7.1%, Seventh-Day Adventist 6.9%, Pentecostal 5.2%, Methodist 3.1%, United Church 2.7%, other 2.5%), Roman Catholic 5%, other including some spiritual cults 39.1% (1982) Languages: English, Creole Literacy: age 15 and over has ever attended school (1987) total population: 82% male: 77% female: 86% Labor force: 1,062,100 by occupation: services 41%, agriculture 22.5%, industry 19%, unemployed 17.5% (1989) Jamaica:Government Names: conventional long form: none conventional short form: Jamaica Digraph: JM Type: parliamentary democracy Capital: Kingston 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 Independence: 6 August 1962 (from UK) National holiday: Independence Day (first Monday in 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 Sir Howard COOKE (since 1 August 1991) head of government: Prime Minister P. J. PATTERSON (since 30 March 1992); Deputy Prime Minister Seymour MULLINGS (since NA 1993) cabinet: Cabinet; appointed by the governor general on the advice of the prime minister Legislative branch: bicameral Parliament Senate: consists of a 21-member body appointed by the governor general House of Representatives: elections last held 30 March 1993 (next to be held by March 1998); results - percent of vote by party NA seats - (60 total) PNP 52, JLP 8 Judicial branch: Supreme Court Political parties and leaders: People's National Party (PNP) P. J. PATTERSON; Jamaica Labor Party (JLP), Edward SEAGA Other political or pressure groups: Rastafarians (black religious/racial cultists, pan-Africanists); New Beginnings Movement (NBM) Member of: ACP, C, CARICOM CCC, CDB, ECLAC FAO, G-15, G-19, G-77, GATT, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU ICRM, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS ILO, IMF, IMO, INTELSAT, INTERPOL, IOC, ISO, ITU, LAES, NAM, OAS, OPANAL UN UNCTAD UNESCO, UNIDO UNITAR, UPU, WCL, WFTU WHO WIPO, WMO, WTO Diplomatic representation in US: chief of mission: Ambassador Richard Leighton BERNAL chancery: 1520 New Hampshire Avenue NW Washington, DC 20036 telephone: [1] (202) 452-0660 FAX: [1] (202) 452-0081 consulate(s) general: Miami and New York US diplomatic representation: chief of mission: Ambassador J. Gary COOPER (since October 1994) embassy: Jamaica Mutual Life Center, 2 Oxford Road, 3rd floor, Kingston mailing address: use embassy street address telephone: [1] (809) 929-4850 through 4859 FAX: [1] (809) 926-6743 Flag: diagonal yellow cross divides the flag into four triangles - green (top and bottom) and black (hoist side and fly side) Economy Overview: Key sectors in this island economy are bauxite (alumina and bauxite account for more than half of exports) and tourism. The government's tight fiscal and monetary policies, which have been partially successful in curbing inflation, have held growth to 1.2% in 1993 and 2.0% in 1994. National product: GDP - purchasing power parity - $7.8 billion (1994 est.) National product real growth rate: 2% (1994 est.) National product per capita: $3,050 (1994 est.) Inflation rate (consumer prices): 26.7% (1994) Unemployment rate: 15.7% (1992) Budget: revenues: $600 million expenditures: $736 million, including capital expenditures of $NA (FY90/91 est.) Exports: $1.2 billion (f.o.b., 1994 est.) commodities: alumina, bauxite, sugar, bananas, rum partners: US 47%, UK 11%, Canada 9%, Norway 7%; France 4% (1993) Imports: $2.2 billion (f.o.b., 1994 est.) commodities: machinery and transport equipment, construction materials, fuel, food, chemicals partners: US 54%, Japan 4.0%, Mexico 6%, UK 4%, Venezuela 3% (1993) External debt: $3.6 billion (1994 est.) Industrial production: growth rate 0.4% (1992); accounts for almost 30% of GDP Electricity: capacity: 730,000 kW production: 2.6 billion kWh consumption per capita: 988 kWh (1993) Industries: bauxite mining, tourism, textiles, food processing, light manufactures Agriculture: accounts for about 7% of GDP, 22% of work force, and 17% of exports; commercial crops - sugarcane, bananas, coffee, citrus, potatoes, vegetables; livestock and livestock products include poultry, goats, milk; not self-sufficient in grain, meat, and dairy products Illicit drugs: transshipment point for cocaine from Central and South America to North America and Europe; illicit cultivation of cannabis; government has an active cannabis eradication program Economic aid: recipient: US commitments, including Ex-Im (FY70-89), $1.2 billion; other countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments (1970-89), $1.6 billion Currency: 1 Jamaican dollar (J$) = 100 cents Exchange rates: Jamaican dollars (J$) per US$1 - 33.195 (December 1994), 33.986 (1994), 24.949 (1993), 22.960 (1992), 12.116 (1991), 7.184 (1990) Fiscal year: 1 April - 31 March Jamaica:Transportation Railroads: total: 370 km standard gauge: 370 km 1.435-m gauge Highways: total: 18,200 km paved: 12,600 km unpaved: gravel 3,200 km improved earth 2,400 km Pipelines: petroleum products 10 km Ports: Alligator Pond, Discovery Bay, Kingston, Montego Bay, Ocho Rios, Port Antonio, Longs Wharf, Rocky Point Merchant marine: total: 3 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 5,931 GRT/10,545 DWT ships by type: bulk 1, oil tanker 1, roll-on/roll-off cargo 1 Airports: total: 41 with paved runways 2,438 to 3,047 m: 2 with paved runways 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 with paved runways 914 to 1,523 m: 3 with paved runways under 914 m: 31 with unpaved runways 914 to 1,523 m: 4 Jamaica:Communications Telephone system: 127,000 telephones; fully automatic domestic telephone network local: NA intercity: NA international: 2 INTELSAT (Atlantic Ocean) earth stations; 3 coaxial submarine cables Radio: broadcast stations: AM 10, FM 17, shortwave 0 radios: NA Television: broadcast stations: 8 televisions: NA Jamaica:Defense Forces Branches: Jamaica Defense Force (includes Ground Forces, Coast Guard and Air Wing), Jamaica Constabulary Force Manpower availability: males age 15-49 670,958; males fit for military service 475,235; males reach military age (18) annually 26,244 (1995 est.) Defense expenditures: exchange rate conversion - $19.3 million, 1% of GDP (FY91/92)
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