eri, CC) (2005)

Military service age and obligation:
voluntary military service; conscription abolished January 2005
(2006)

Manpower available for military service:
males age 18-49: 13,491,260
females age 18-49: 12,886,033 (2005 est.)

Manpower fit for military service:
males age 18-49: 10,963,513
females age 18-49: 10,452,189 (2005 est.)

Manpower reaching military service age annually:
males age 18-49: 286,344
females age 18-49: 270,099 (2005 est.)

Military expenditures - dollar figure:
$28,182.8 million (2003)

Military expenditures - percent of GDP:
1.8% (2004)

Transnational Issues Italy

Disputes - international:
Italy's long coastline and developed economy entices tens of
thousands of illegal immigrants from southeastern Europe and
northern Africa

Illicit drugs:
important gateway for and consumer of Latin American cocaine and
Southwest Asian heroin entering the European market; money
laundering by organized crime and from smuggling

This page was last updated on 8 February, 2007

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@Jamaica

Introduction Jamaica

Background:
The island - discovered by Christopher COLUMBUS in 1494 - was
settled by the Spanish early in the 16th century. The native Taino
Indians, who had inhabited Jamaica for centuries, were gradually
exterminated, replaced by African slaves. England siezed the island
in 1655 and a plantation economy - based on sugar, cocoa, and coffee
- was established. The abolition of slavery in 1834 freed a quarter
million slaves, many of which became small farmers. Jamaica
gradually obtained increasing independence from Britain, and in 1958
it joined other British Caribbean colonies in forming the Federation
of the West Indies. Jamaica gained full independence when it
withdrew from the federation in 1962. Deteriorating economic
conditions during the 1970s led to recurrent violence as rival gangs
created by the major political parties evolved into powerful
organized crime networks involved in international drug smuggling
and money laundering. The cycle of violence, drugs, and poverty has
served to impoverish large sectors of the populace. Nonetheless,
many rural and resort areas remain relatively safe and contribute
substantially to the economy.

Geography Jamaica

Location:
Caribbean, island in the Caribbean Sea, south