Jamaica: Government#
| Country name | conventional long form: none conventional short form: Jamaica etymology: from the native Taino word "haymaca" meaning "land of wood and water" or possibly "land of springs" |
|---|---|
| Government type | parliamentary democracy (Parliament) under a constitutional monarchy; a Commonwealth realm |
| Capital | Kingston
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 | Emancipation Day, 1 August (1834); Independence Day, 6 August (1962) |
| Constitution | several previous (preindependence); latest drafted 1961-62, submitted to British Parliament 24 July 1962, entered into force 6 August 1962 (at independence); amended many times, last in 2015 (2016) |
| Legal system | common law system based on the English model |
| International law organization participation | has not submitted an ICJ jurisdiction declaration; non-party state to the ICCt |
| Citizenship | citizenship by birth: yes citizenship by descent: yes dual citizenship recognized: yes residency requirement for naturalization: 4 out of the previous 5 years |
| Suffrage | 18 years of age; universal |
| Executive branch | 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 Andrew HOLNESS (since 3 March 2016) cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the governor general on the advice of the prime minister elections/appointments: 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 majority coalition in the House of Representatives is appointed prime minister by the governor general |
| Legislative branch | description: bicameral Parliament consists of the Senate (21 seats; members appointed by the governor general on the recommendation of the prime minister and the minority party leader, 13 seats allocated to the ruling party, and 8 seats allocated to the minority party; members serve 5-year terms) and the House of Representatives (63 seats; members directly elected in single-seat constituencies by simple majority vote to serve 5-year terms) elections: last held on 29 December 2011 (next to be held no later than December 2016) election results: percent of vote by party - PNP 53.3%, JLP 46.6%; seats by party - PNP 41, JLP 22 |
| Judicial branch | highest resident court(s): Court of Appeal (consists of president of the court and a minimum of 4 judges; Supreme Court (40 judges organized in specialized divisions); note - appeals beyond Jamaica's highest courts are referred to the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council (in London) rather than to the Caribbean Court of Justice (the appellate court implemented for member states of the Caribbean Community) judge selection and term of office: chief justice of the Supreme Court and president of the Court of Appeal appointed by the governor-general on the advice of the prime minister; other judges of both courts appointed by the governor-general on the advice of the Judicial Service Commission; judges of both courts serve till age 70 subordinate courts: resident magistrate courts, district courts, and petty sessions courts |
| Political parties and leaders | Jamaica Labor Party or JLP (Andrew HOLNESS) 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 |
| International organization participation | ACP, AOSIS, C, Caricom, CDB, CELAC, FAO, G-15, G-77, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC (NGOs), ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO, ITSO, ITU, LAES, MIGA, NAM, OAS, OPANAL, OPCW, Petrocaribe, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNITAR, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WFTU (NGOs), WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO |
| Diplomatic representation in the US | chief of mission: Ambassador Ralph Samuel THOMAS (since 9 September 2015) chancery: 1520 New Hampshire Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20036 telephone: (1) (202) 452-0660 FAX: (1) (202) 452-0036 consulate(s) general: Miami, New York consulate(s): Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Concord (MA), Houston, Los Angeles, Philadelphia (PA), Richmond (VA), San Francisco, Seattle |
| Diplomatic representation from the US | chief of mission: Ambassador Luis G. MORENO (since 13 January 2015) 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 fly 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 |
| National symbol(s) | green-and-black streamertail (bird), Guaiacum officinale (Guaiacwood); national colors: green, yellow, black |
| National anthem | name: "Jamaica, Land We Love" lyrics/music: Hugh Braham SHERLOCK/Robert Charles LIGHTBOURNE note: adopted 1962 |