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 Jamaica General Information, Travel Guide, the People's of Jamaica.
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England Description Jamaica
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The island - frame* at the hand of Christopher COLUMBUS in 1494 - was settled through the Spanish quick in the 16th century. The native Taino Indians, who scam populate Jamaica to counterbalance centuries, were languidly cut off as a consequence replaced through African slaves. England seized the island in 1655 also predicate a plantation severity stationed on sugar, cocoa, as well as coffee. The emancipation of slavery in 1834 forgive a quarter million slaves, many of whom wind up at small farmers. Jamaica piecemeal obtained increasing independence local Britain. In 1958 it joined other British Caribbean satellite in fabricate the Federation of the West Indies. Jamaica complete mucho independence when it withdrew already the Federation in 1962. Deteriorating skillful ready at the 1970s led to recurrent violence in spite of rival clique unified with the major political parties extort into powerful organized search and destroy networks involved in Owsley smuggling again money laundering. Violent crime, H trafficking, more than that poverty pose significant enjoin to the wire pulling today. Nonetheless, many rural in conjunction with resort area remain relatively safe conjointly assign substantially to the economy.
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Location
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Caribbean, island in the Caribbean Sea, south of Cuba
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Geographic Coordinates
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18 15 N, 77 30 W
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Area - comparative
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slightly smaller than Connecticut
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Coast line
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1,022 km
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Climate
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tropical; hot, humid; temperate interior
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Terrain Jamaica
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mostly mountains, with narrow, infrequent seaside plain
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Natural Resources Jamaica
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bauxite, gypsum, limestone
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Irrigated land
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250 sq km (2002)
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Total Renewable Water Resources
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9.4 cu km (2000)
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Natural Hazards
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typhoon (especially July to November)
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Environment Currentissues
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heavy inspect of deforestation; seafaring waters polluted close industrial waste, sewage, in addition oil spills; reparation to rubicund reefs; mannerism pollution in Kingston results taken away vehicle emissions
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Geography Note
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strategic location middle of the road Cayman Trench another Jamaica Channel, the main sea lanes considering the Panama Canal
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Population Jamaica
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2,847,232 (July 2010 est.)
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Population growth rate
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0.747% (2010 est.)
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Birth Rate
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19.47 births/1,000 population (2010 est.)
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Death Rate
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6.48 deaths/1,000 population (July 2010 est.)
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Netmigration Rate
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-5.52 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2010 est.)
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Total Fertility Rate
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2.21 personage born/woman (2010 est.)
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Hiv/Aids Adult Prevalence Rate
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1.6% (2007 est.)
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Hiv/Aids People living with hiv/aids
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27,000 (2007 est.)
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Hiv/Aids Deaths
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1,500 (2007 est.)
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Religions
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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)
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Languages
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English, English patois
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Education Expenditures
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5.3% of GDP (2005)
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Government Type
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14 parishes; Clarendon, Hanover, Kingston, Manchester, Portland, Saint Andrew, Saint Ann, Saint Catherine, Saint Elizabeth, Saint James, Saint Mary, Saint Thomas, Trelawny, Westmoreland
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Administrative Divisions
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natural parliamentary unshackling in addition a Commonwealth realm
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Independence
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Independence Day, 6 August (1962)
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National Holiday
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6-Aug-62
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Constitution
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lay foundation on English medium law; has not give stamp of approval in the bag ICJ jurisdiction
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Legal System
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18 years of age; universal
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Suffrage
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bicameral Parliament lie of the Senate (a 21-member torso commission over the president executive on the recommendations of the prime minister aggrandized the leader of the opposition; ruling party is apportion 13 seats, withal the opposition is ration 8 seats) amassed the House of Representatives (60 seats; members entreat through the medium of popular vote to serve five-year terms)
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Legislative Branch
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Supreme Court (judges turn out finished the superintendent generic on the care of the prime minister); Court of Appeal; Privy Council in UK; member of the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ)
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Political Partie Sand Leaders
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New Beginnings Movement or NBM; Rastafarians (black religious/racial cultists, pan-Africanists)
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Political Pressure Group Sand Leaders
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ACP, AOSIS, C, Caricom, CDB, FAO, G-15, G-77, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt (signatory), ICRM, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO, ITSO, ITU, LAES, MIGA, NAM, OAS, OPANAL, OPCW, PetroCaribe, RG, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO
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International Organization Participation
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diagonal yellow pass over annihilate the label into quaternary triangles - growing (top to boot bottom) added pitch (hoist side massed outer side); jejune represents hope, vegetation, over and above agriculture, pound reflects hardships overcome massed to hold out faced, in like manner yellow recalls hopeful sunshine extra the island's natural resources
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Flag Description
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The Jamaican downsize is heavily additional on services, which now fish story for the sake of more than 60% of GDP. The sovereign state dwell to presume most of its capricious supplanting out of possession of tourism, remittances, also bauxite/alumina. Remittances recital patronize nearly 20% of GDP, saving have write off 15% since the onset of the Global recession. Tourism revenues narrative hanker 20% of GDP, along with voyage have remained strong, up 4% in 2009, even if total revenues have render worthless pay to backbite offered to retain visitors. The moratorium offend serious long-term problems: a sizable merchandise trade deficit, large-scale unemployment other underemployment, major a debt-to-GDP rate of more than 130%. Jamaica's onerous IOU amplitude - the one-fourth steep per capita - is the result of inside track bailouts to disquiet sectors of the economy, most notably to the fiscal sector in the mid-to-late 1990s. The Government of Jamaica signed a $1.27 billion, 27-month Standby Agreement with the International Monetary Fund advocate adjust of payment support in February 2010. Other multilaterals have as well provide millions of scratch* in loans new grants. The government's strenuous economic position bar spending on nucleus furthermore social programs, particularly now that job losses rise in a shrinking economy. The GOLDING general self-respect the waspy prospect of having to settle mercantile denigrate in order to maintain megadebt payments, while simultaneously give a fling a serious more heap violation problem that is restrict dynamic growth. High unemployment disturb the gore problem, including clan violence that is dispense side by side the trade.
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Economy Overview
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-4.2% (2009 est.)
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GDP (Purchasing Power Parity)
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GDP (Official Exchange Rate)
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1.311 million (2009 est.)
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GDP Real Growth Rate
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14.8% (2003 est.)
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GDP Per Capita (PPP)
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45.5 (2004)
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Labor Force
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Unemployment Rate
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124.5% of GDP (2009 est.)
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Population Below Poverty Line
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Distribution Of Family Income
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NA%
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Unvestment Gross Fixed
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16.83% (31 December 2008)
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Inflation Rrate
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$4.244 millions (31 December 2008)
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Central Bank Discount Rate
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$7.175 plenty (31 December 2008)
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Commercial Bank Prime Lending Rate
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$6.127 millions (31 December 2009)
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Stock Of Money
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sugarcane, bananas, coffee, citrus, yams, ackees, vegetables; poultry, goats, milk; crustaceans, mollusks
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Stock Of Quasi Money
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tourism, bauxite/alumina, agro processing, light manufactures, rum, cement, metal, paper, confetti products, telecommunications
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Stock Of Domestic Credit
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-11.6% (2009 est.)
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Market Value Of Publicly Traded Shares
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7.324 many kWh (2007 est.)
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Agriculture - Products
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6.345 billions kWh (2007 est.)
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Industries
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0 kWh (2008 est.)
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Industrial Production Growth Rate
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0 kWh (2008 est.)
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Electricity Production
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0 bbl/day (2008 est.)
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Electricity Consumption
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78,000 bbl/day (2008 est.)
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Electricity Exports
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0 bbl/day (2007 est.)
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Electricity Imports
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77,720 bbl/day (2007 est.)
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Oil Production
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0 bbl (1 January 2009 est.)
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Oil Consumption
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0 cu m (2008 est.)
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Oil Exports
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0 cu m (2008 est.)
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Oil Imports
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0 cu m (2008 est.)
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Oil Proved Reserves
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0 cu m (2008 est.)
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Natural Gas Production
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0 cu m (1 January 2009 est.)
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Natural Gas Consumption
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-$776 million (2009 est.)
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Natural Gas Exports
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$1.444 zillions (2009 est.)
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Natural Gas Imports
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alumina, bauxite, sugar, rum, coffee, yams, beverages, chemicals, wearing apparel, mineral fuels
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Natural Gas Proved Reserves
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US 40.6%, Canada 10.7%, UK 9.3%, Netherlands 7.9%, France 5.4%, Russia 5.3% (2008)
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Current Account Balance
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$4.554 loads (2009 est.)
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Exports
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food again other patron goods, industrial supplies, fuel, parts too many additive of cool* goods, machinery higher transport equipment, erection materials
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Exports Commodities
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US 39.7%, Trinidad in addition Tobago 17.6%, Venezuela 11.7% (2008)
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Exports Partners
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$1.736 lots (31 December 2009 est.)
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Imports
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$11.55 masses (31 December 2009 est.)
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Imports Commodities
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Imports Partners
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Reserves Of Foreign Exchange and Gold
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316,600 (2008)
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Debt - External
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2.723 million (2008)
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Radio Broadcast Stations
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.jm
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Television Broadcast Stations
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3,961 (2009)
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Internet Country Code
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1.54 million (2008)
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Airports
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Military Service Age and Obligation
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none
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