Country name:
conventional long form: none
conventional short form:
Jamaica
Government type:
constitutional parliamentary democracy and a Commonwealth realm
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 the 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: Legislative branch: Judicial branch: Political parties and leaders: Political pressure groups and leaders: International organization participation: Diplomatic representation in the US: Diplomatic representation from the US: Flag description: National anthem:
chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952); represented by Governor General Dr. Patrick L. ALLEN (since 26 February 2009)
head of government:
Prime Minister Bruce GOLDING (since 11 September 2007)
cabinet:
Cabinet is appointed by the governor general on the advice of the prime minister
(For more information visit the 
)
elections:
the monarchy 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 recommended by the prime minister
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 elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms)
elections:
last held on 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
Supreme Court (judges appointed by the governor general on the advice of the prime minister); Court of Appeal; Privy Council in UK; member of the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ)
Jamaica Labor Party or JLP [Bruce GOLDING]; People's National Party or PNP [Portia SIMPSON-MILLER]; National Democratic Movement or NDM [Michael WILLIAMS]
New Beginnings Movement or NBM; Rastafarians (black religious/racial cultists, pan-Africanists)
ACP, AOSIS, C, Caricom, CDB, FAO, G-15, G-77, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICRM, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO, ITSO, ITU, LAES, MIGA, NAM, OAS, OPANAL, OPCW, PetroCaribe, RG, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO
chief of mission: Ambassador Audrey P. MARKS
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
chief of mission: Ambassador Pamela BRIDGEWATER
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
diagonal yellow cross divides the flag into four triangles - green (top and bottom) and black (hoist side and outer side); green represents hope, vegetation, and agriculture, black reflects hardships overcome and to be faced, and yellow recalls golden sunshine and the island's natural resources
name: "Jamaica, Land We Love"
lyrics/music:
Hugh Braham SHERLOCK/Robert Charles LIGHTBOURNE
note:
adopted 1962
