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:14parishes; Clarendon, Hanover, Kingston, Manchester, Portland, SaintAndrew, Saint Ann, Saint Catherine, Saint Elizabeth, Saint James, SaintMary, Saint Thomas, Trelawny, Westmoreland note:for local government purposes, Kingston and Saint Andrew wereamalgamated in 1923 into the present single corporate body known as theKingston 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:chiefof state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952); represented byGovernor 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 onthe recommendation of the prime minister; following legislativeelections, the leader of the majority party or the leader of themajority coalition in the House of Representatives is appointed primeminister by the governor general; the deputy prime minister isrecommended by the prime minister
Legislative branch:bicameralParliament consists of the Senate (a 21-member body appointed by thegovernor general on the recommendations of the prime minister and theleader of the opposition; ruling party is allocated 13 seats, and theopposition is allocated 8 seats) and the House of Representatives (60seats; 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:JamaicaLabor Party or JLP [Bruce GOLDING]; People's National Party or PNP[Portia SIMPSON-MILLER]; National Democratic Movement or NDM [MichaelWILLIAMS]
International organization participation:ACP,C, Caricom, CDB, FAO, G-15, G-77, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt(signatory), ICRM, IDA, 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) 702-6348
Flag description:diagonal yellow cross divides the flag into four triangles - green (top and bottom) and black (hoist side and outer side)
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