, Seventh-Day Adventist 9%, Pentecostal 7.6%, Methodist
2.7%, United Church 2.7%, Brethren 1.1%, Jehovah's Witness 1.6%,
Moravian 1.1%), Roman Catholic 4%, other, including some spiritual
cults 34.7%

Languages: English, Creole

Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over has ever attended school
total population: 85%
male: 80.8%
female: 89.1% (1995 est.)

Government

Country name:
conventional long form: none
conventional short form: Jamaica

Data code: JM

Government type: parliamentary democracy

Capital: Kingston

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

Independence: 6 August 1962 (from UK)

National holiday: Independence Day (first Monday in 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:
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

Legislative branch: 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 13 seats, opposition 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

Judicial branch: Supreme Court (judges appointed by the governor
general on the advice of the prime minister)

Political parties and leaders: People's National Party or PNP [P.

Political pressure groups and leaders: Rastafarians (black
religious/racial cultists, pan-A