conventional long form: none
conventional short form: Jamaica

JM

constitutional parliamentary democracy

Kingston

14 parishes; Clarendon, Hanover, Kingston,
Manchester, Portland, Saint Andrew, Saint Ann, Saint Catherine, Saint
Elizabeth, Saint James, Saint Mary, Saint Thomas, Trelawny,
Westmoreland

6 August 1962 (from UK)

Independence Day (first Monday in August) (1962)

6 August 1962

based on English common law; has not accepted compulsory
ICJ jurisdiction

18 years of age; universal

chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952),
represented by Governor General Sir Howard Felix COOKE (since 1 August
1991)
head of government: Prime Minister Percival James PATTERSON (since 30
March 1992) and Deputy Prime Minister Seymour MULLINGS (since NA 1993)
cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the governor general on the advice of
the prime minister
elections: none; the monarch is hereditary; governor general appointed
by the monarch on the recommendation of the prime minister; prime
minister and deputy prime minister appointed by the governor general

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 eight seats) and the House of Representatives (60 seats;
members are elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms)
elections: last held 18 December 1997 (next to be held by March 2002)
election results: percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - PNP
50, JLP 10

Supreme Court, judges appointed by the governor
general on the advice of the prime minister; Court of Appeal

Jamaica Labor Party or JLP [Edward
SEAGA]; National Democratic Movement or NDM ; People's
National Party or PNP

New Beginnings Movement or NBM;
Rastafarians (black religious/racial cultists, pan-Africanists)

ACP, C, Caricom, CCC, CDB,
ECLAC, FAO, G-15, G-19, G-77, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU, ICRM,
IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO (pending member), ILO, IMF, IMO, Intelsat,
Interpol, IOC, IOM (observer), ISO, ITU, LAES, NAM, OAS, OPANAL, OPCW,
UN, UN Security Council (temporary), UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCL,
WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO

chief of mission: Ambassador Richard Leighton BERNAL
chancery: 1520 New Hampshire Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20036
telephone:  (202) 452-0660
FAX:  (202) 452-0081
consulate(s) general: Miami and New York

chief of mission: Ambassador Stanley Louis MCLELLAND
embassy: Jamaica Mutual Life Center, 2 Oxford Road, 3rd floor,
Kingston
mailing address: use embassy street address
telephone:  (809) 929-4850 through 4859
FAX:  (809) 926-6743

diagonal yellow cross divides the flag into four
triangles - green (top and bottom) and black (hoist side and outer
side)