Head of state: Queen Elizabeth II Prime minister: Portia Simpson-Miller
Population
73,599,190
2,889,187
Life Expectancy
55.740 years
73.430 years
Capital City
Kingston
Largest city
Kinshasa (population: 7,785,960)
Kingston (population: 937,700)
Human Development Index
0.361
0.771
GDP per capita
$9,100 US
Literacy Rate
67.2%
87.9%
Corruption Perception Index
1.7
3.1
Percentage of Women in Parliament
7.7%
13.6%
Wealthiest Citizens
Unemployment Rate
12.700%
Death Penalty
NA
Legal
Political System
republic
constitutional parliamentary democracy
Independence date
6 August 1962 (from UK)
Religions
Roman Catholic 50%, Protestant 20%, Kimbanguist 10%, Muslim 10%, other (includes syncretic sects and indigenous beliefs) 10%
Protestant 62.5% (Seventh-Day Adventist 10.8%, Pentecostal 9.5%, Other Church of God 8.3%, Baptist 7.2%, New Testament Church of God 6.3%, Church of God in Jamaica 4.8%, Church of God of Prophecy 4.3%, Anglican 3.6%, other Christian 7.7%), Roman Catholic 2.6%, other or unspecified 14.2%, none 20.9%, (2001 census)
Languages
French (official), Lingala (a lingua franca trade language), Kingwana (a dialect of Kiswahili or Swahili), Kikongo, Tshiluba
Jamaican dollars (JMD) per US dollar - 72.236 (2008 est.), 69.034 (2007), 65.768 (2006), 62.51 (2005), 61.197 (2004)
Military Budget as percentage of GDP
0.600%
Beijing Olympics Medal Count
0
11
Location
Central Africa, northeast of Angola
Caribbean, island in the Caribbean Sea, south of Cuba
Area
2,344,858 km sq
10,991 km sq
Coastline
37 km
1,022 km
Climate
tropical; hot and humid in equatorial river basin; cooler and drier in southern highlands; cooler and wetter in eastern highlands; north of Equator - wet season (April to October), dry season (December to February); south of Equator - wet season (November to March), dry season (April to October)
