Sustainable Agriculture Essay -- Research Paper Ranching Farming Paper

Supportable Agriculture Farming has been an essential segment of human social orders for quite a long time. It is so essential in certainty that it is frequently overlooked by those reliant on its items, however not legitimately engaged with the creation. As we enter the 21st century, horticulture is starting to get more consideration from the overall population as the ramifications of cultivating are acknowledged and the issue of potential overall food deficiency is tended to. With the future in center, a lot of agrarian foundation utilizes words like biotech, and cutting edge to portray their objectives for U.S. horticulture. With hardly any exemptions, conventional agriculturalists see a proceeding with pattern of modern rural practices that keep on driving creation to less, bigger, and progressively particular creation units which are practically liable for all phases of the creation internationally. This expanded specialization is reliant on new organic advances and data innovations at all levels from ranches on which the food is delivered to the business sectors where it is disseminated. While these estimates are genuine, a developing number of agriculturalists, concerned open, and instructors imagine a totally different future for horticulture. Such a view is spoken to in the works of John E. Ikerd, an agrarian business analyst and Professor Emeritus at the University of Missouri. In his paper, Practical Agriculture: a fundamental option in contrast to modern horticulture, Ikerd questions whether the controlling patterns of farming in the previous hundred years can keep on being the directing power of agribusiness. He contends the while the devices of the cutting edge future might be not quite the same as the apparatuses of the mechanical age, the goals to practice, mechan... ...l>. - Manageable Agriculture: A Positive Alternative to Industrial Agriculture 7 December, 1996. October 4, 2002 <http://www.ssu.missouri.edu/workforce/jikerd/papers/ks-hrtld.htm>. - Reevaluating the Role of Agriculture in the Future of Rural Communities 25, January 2002. October 4, 2002. <http://www.ssu.missouri.edu/workforce/JIkerd/papers/YaleRural%20Studies.html>. Beautiful, Jules N. Recovering Agriculture: Policies and Practice for Sustainability and Self-dependence. Washington, D.C.: Joseph Henry Press, 1995. - Supporting Policies and Practice. Facilitating Sustainable Agriculture. ed. N. G. Roling and M.A.E. Wagemakers. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. 1998. USDA Press Release. Fitting Farming Practices to Minimize Water Pollutionã ¤ 17 November 2000. November 10, 2002 <http://www.pestlaw.com/x/press/2000/USDA-20001117A.html>.

Company profile report Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Organization profile report - Essay Example For example, it has supported different worldwide occasions, for example, world cup, Olympic, head association, NBA and different games. The company’s history follows back to the year 1886. Out of close to home interest, a drug specialist situated in Atlanta, Dr. John S. Pemberton made a soda pop that soft drink booths sold. The advancement included making of an enhanced syrup, blended in with carbonated water and inspected for wellness. The pharmacist’s clerk, Frank M. Robinson, later named the refreshment and proceeded to structure its trademark that is as yet utilized particularly today. Inside the succeeding two years, before his passing in 1888, Dr. Pemberton sold out segments of the business to different investors. Larger part of these deals went to then Atlanta agent, Asa G. Candler. Asa’s administration extended circulation of the drink to past Atlanta. Soft drink wellsprings developed quickly past Atlanta and in 1894; Joseph Biedenharn built up the first packaging hardware in Quite a while. The developing interest for Coca-Cola and the longing for the product’s conveyability roused him to turn into the first to bottle the drink. After five years, three businesspersons, Benjamin Thomas, Joseph Whitehead and John Lupton, made sure about packaging and selling rights for Coca-Cola. They built up the principal ever huge scope packaging framework in Chattanooga, Tennessee. Early bottlers were obliged by item impersonation by contenders and nonattendance of bundling consistency. Hardened rivalry prompted consistent understanding among the bottlers to an unmistakable packaging of the drink. In 1916, they endorsed the structure of the formed container. The container put the brand beside the contenders and remained so until its exchange stamping 1977. Adverts of the item existed as right on time as the 1970s. It is during then that the brand’s advert relied upon and additionally drew from funs, companions and even noteworthy minutes. The organization likewise had its first PC

Managing Oneself By Peter F Drucker Management Essay

Overseeing Oneself By Peter F Drucker Management Essay In his article, Managing Oneself, Peter F. Drucker sets up the relationship among's prosperity and mindfulness. Accomplishment in the information economy goes to the individuals who know themselves, their qualities, their qualities, and how they best perform. We will have the option to accomplish results, stay serious and be fruitful by knowing our qualities and confinements. Moreover, by knowing our qualities and confinements, we can situate ourselves where we can best contribute and exceed expectations inside the association. Drucker recommends a self-evaluation utilizing the accompanying inquiries. What Are My Strengths? Becoming familiar with our qualities should be possible through criticism examination, and furthermore by looking at desires versus results. Realizing what our qualities are will permit us to boost our potential in territories in which we can exceed expectations, rather than sitting around idly attempting to develop aptitudes in zones of next to zero proficiencies. Realizing our qualities will let us figure out where we have a place. How Do I Perform? The manner in which we perform involves character. Everybody performs diversely and how we perform is one of a kind. Perceiving on the off chance that we are a peruser or an audience, just as, recognizing how we learn, can assist us with discovering how we perform. Seeing how we perform is basic to forestall sitting around idly and exertion in attempting to change the manner in which we learn and work. Rather, it is unmistakably progressively favorable to improve our presentation and do whatever it takes not to take on work we can't perform well or perform by any stretch of the imagination. What Are My Values? To work in an association whose esteem framework is unsatisfactory or incongruent with ones own sentences an individual both to dissatisfaction and to non-execution. Individuals and associations have values. So as to perform well or be successful in an association, both the estimations of the association and the individual must be sufficiently close so they can exist together. Worth clashes can bring about disappointment and poor or non-execution; along these lines, qualities ought to be an essential concentration in circumstances in where individual qualities are not in a state of harmony with an associations. Where Do I Belong? Knowing our qualities, how we perform and our qualities can assist us with responding to the inquiry, where do we have a place. This is significant in light of the fact that by knowing where we have a place, we can put ourselves where we can make the best commitments inside the association. It likewise can assist us with selecting the assignments and duties in which we are bound to exceed expectations dependent on what we think about our qualities, execution and qualities. What Should I Contribute? Or then again what should my commitments be? Commitments to our associations should have any kind of effect to improve things. Its outcomes ought to be obvious and quantifiable. In addtion, commitments ought to be founded on our given qualities, execution and values, and follow a strategy: what to do, where and how to begin, and what objectives and cutoff times to set. Overseeing oneself requires a high level of restraint, mindfulness and social aptitudes. Since we are all piece of society, we as a whole ought to know about our relationship duties. This is perceiving that an associations creation incorporates individuals with various qualities, qualities and execution levels, realizing them will assist us with working better with others and achieve more. With respect to relationship obligations, it is additionally critical to assume liability for correspondence. Compelling correspondence assists with building agreement, expanding proficiency and building trust. Through powerful correspondence, we can learn and comprehend individuals from our associations to guarantee we are in a state of harmony to accomplish our objectives and give our most prominent commitments to our organizations and society. What Leaders Really Do By John P. Kotter In his article, What Leaders Really Do, Kotter builds up the distinction among overseeing and driving. The key qualification he makes is that administration includes adapting to intricacy and authority has to do with adapting to change. Great administration brings a level of request and consistency to key measurements like the quality and benefit of items. As indicated by Kotter, administrators advance steadiness while pioneers press for change, and just associations that grasp the two sides of that logical inconsistency can flourish in tempestuous occasions. In spite of the fact that there are clear contrasts among overseeing and administration, compelling initiative can't be accomplished without acceptable administration. The executives has to do with goals and results. It requires arranging, sorting out, driving and controlling. A powerful chief will discover or will manage the important specialized and HR to complete things successfully; this is, with the most reduced expense and in the quickest time. Administration, interestingly, has to do with the social part of overseeing. In our associations, pioneers set up the course and vision. A supervisor will make a point to design in like manner and direct the fundamental assets to follow the bearing or vision of our pioneers in their association. Kotter likewise records the accompanying as exercises that pioneers dont do; They dont make arrangements, they dont take care of issues, they dont even sort out individuals. What pioneers truly do is get ready associations for change and help them adapt as they battle through it. Pioneers rouse change and plan associations to oversee change. Notwithstanding, in light of my work understanding, I can't help contradicting the creator on the possibility that pioneers dont plan, take care of issues or that they dont sort out One can contend that a pioneer may not has a similar degree of inclusion as a center director or chief in playing out these exercises; anyway viable pioneers do need to make arrangements, resolve issues and compose even move individuals. The level of commitment of a pioneer doing these activities will rely upon the kind of pioneer they are, the circumstance they are in and association they are driving. Another thought that is introduced in this article is that initiat ive has nothing to do with having appeal or other extraordinary character qualities. Despite the fact that the facts confirm that being charming isn't a prerequisite to be a pioneer, it has been exhibited by numerous investigations and speculations that an alluring pioneer positively affects their adherents. Individuals need to be driven by these people They move and propel, which thusly makes it simpler for a pioneer to viably impact others to act or change and work toward accomplishing the pioneers vision. All things considered, this is the exceptionally pith of successful initiative, to move and impact others to act and change. What makes a pioneer? By Daniel Goleman The term passionate knowledge was presented by Daniel Goleman in 1995. In his examination at about 200 huge worldwide organizations, he found that notwithstanding learned capacities and specialized aptitudes, powerful pioneers are indistinguishable in having a high level of enthusiastic insight. The five parts of passionate knowledge are: mindfulness, self-guideline, inspiration, compassion and social aptitudes. The initial three segments of passionate insight are self-administration aptitudes, the last two have to do with the people capacity to oversee associations with others. Why enthusiastic knowledge is so significant for pioneers? Mindfulness and Self-Regulation: The capacity to perceive, comprehend and control our feelings assumes a significant job in dynamic in business. Individuals who know how their sentiments and driving forces influence them and influence others, can settle on better choices and can adjust to changes all the more without any problem. Inspiration: Effective pioneers are headed to accomplish. Their energy goes past cash and status. Inspiration guarantees authoritative duty and assumes a job in the degrees of idealism inside the association. Sympathy: Carefully consider representatives emotions alongside different factors in dynamic. Individuals feel better when they are driven by somebody who minds and gets them. Compassion impacts efficiency and adequacy in cooperation and in holding ability. Social Skills: Knowing that in business, just as, in numerous other expert fields, nothing significant is cultivated independently. Utilizing successful relational abilities and systems administration permits pioneers to viably take care of business through others. In the associations where I have been an individual from, passionate knowledge has had the effect among powerful and ineffectual pioneers. On numerous events, high specialized and scholarly abilities of administrators have not been sufficient to put forth them compelling in their attempts to lead groups or the association by and large. Conversely, directors and CEOs who appear to realize themselves well, comprehend and control their feelings, appear to extend their uplifting mentality and approach onto different individuals from the association. They can see the master plan in circumstances of contention or issues. They stay in charge, not permitting their sentiments or feelings to meddle with their dynamic procedure, and think of innovative arrangements that others inside the association couldn't see (maybe in light of the fact that they let their emotions and negative considerations disrupt everything). They stay idealistic and can effectively persuade others even in circumstances when the chances for progress appear against them. They additionally show compassion and truly care about others; huge numbers of them are engaged with exercises or projects that help their networks or are tutors for their representatives. There is agreement in the manner they are seen. Everybody concurs they are individuals people with a characteristic capacity to keep up and manufacture connections in and outside the association. More than connections, they set up bonds, associations and systems that help to impact to take care of business viably. All the more significantly, they appear to consistently search for the upside or constructive side of an issue and cause individuals to feel great about being a piece of the association, which directly affects efficiency and achievement. They show others how its done and approach everybody with deference. For me, these characteristics and capacities r

Gallipoli - the movie Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Gallipoli - the film - Essay Example In any case, this fight simply denoted a start of a surge of others at various combat zones, for example, inside Belgium and France. The authentic World War 1 broke in the year 1914 with two, principle restricting unions of countries. By the way that Austria was a part to the British Empire, most Australians bolstered the clash of land. Numerous Australian men elected to battle the war on the side of the Britain and were carried abroad for preparing the British side selected to help Russia so as to overcome Turkey through which they would be in a situation to debilitate Germany (Commonwealth of Australia, 2005 p. 1-2). Through this, the students associated with different societies and along these lines figured out how to acknowledge decent variety. During the World War 1, April 25 of 1915 denoted an important event when the soldiers of Australia were conveyed to the landmass of Gallipoli so as to make sure about it deliberately for the simplicity of taking triumph from their counters who additionally peered toward the front line. The site was significant for the fight as it instructed great path for provisions through the ocean and furthermore as assaulting focuses with the security of rough precipices and long scope of viewership. The fight at Gallipoli is deciphered to have allowed the individuals of Australia to come out for the world to note on her ethics and respect, and to show her sway as an autonomous state. It is certain that the fight at Gallipoli adhered to the historical backdrop of this nation, not exclusively to the family members that lost their friends and family yet in addition to the nation in general; for through the war and the battle, the youthful Australian men were given an uncommon chance to exhibit their nationalism, a possibility that would have never been given. As portrayed from the film, the youngsters got an opportunity to travel wide and far and connect with different societies not the same as their indigenous one. The film, which was accomplished for a token of the notable war serves to help the individuals to remember the solid will, the obligation of society just as the exciting quality with which the men battled for protection of their national legacy; their territory. The youngsters battled determinedly in any event, when nothing else confronted them except for death, they would not turn around. Together with a great many other solid willed warriors, a great many youngsters gave up their lives for nationalism. Despite the fact that with unpleasant recollections of torment and misfortune, the name Gallipoli as embraced and utilized by the Australians implies pride, respect just as magnificence of the numerous youngsters who gave up their lives for people in the future in Australia. As history specialists uncover, the sheer repulsiveness that confronted the Australian at Gallipoli, their soul in assurance would not prevent them from their central goal; representing their country (Anon, nd, p.2). Thusly, t hese along others framed the premise through which the social advantages radiating from the war are industriously observed numerous years after the repulsiveness. Australia experienced through significant changes inside the time of 1980 to 1990. The major topical arrangements of the film as set during the 1980s are the advancement of a nation which blamelessness is apparent through the setting of mid 1900 preceding and during the World War 1. The transitioning of the nation is seen through the delineated symbolism of the steady loss of blamelessness of the Australian troopers who

Is Anne Franks Diary A Holocaust Work - Free Essay Example

The Diary of a Young Girl is part of the literary canon reserved for the educational establishment. Generation after generation of students read through the diary, reading it as a voice of optimism in the midst of one of the darkest hours in all of human history. It is common to look upon this diary as a fountain of positive energy daring to exist in spite of the menace of the Nazi machine. While there are elements of the book that are powerful, and while the book would not have been composed if the Holocaust had not taken place, it is problematic to define this book as a Holocaust work, at least in the terms in which it is commonly marketed. Instead, it is more appropriate to look it as a fragment, a look into the mind of one young woman who had the vast majority of her life taken from her. However, that look should not be conflated into a story, because we do not see Anne Frank in the diary after her arrest; we do not encounter her time in the camps through her diary; we do not come to the end of her days in her diary, as we do (in contrast) with Elie Wiesels father, who vanishes from a bunkroom on one dark night, having succumbed to dysentery. It is true that Frank wrote about her observations as showing the comical side of life in hiding (Frank 241). However, the comedy that emerges from her writing is of the darkest sort. There are all sorts of writing at work here, except for the motivation it is touted to contain. What does the diary tell us? There are moments of deep suspense, as one might expect when two families consisting of eight people are hiding in plain sight in a Netherlands teetering under the weight of its Nazi neighbor. However, much of the diary has very little to do with the menace of the Third Reich: at times, Anne writes about her own sexual curiosity, natural for someone of her age; there are moments when she shows idealistic tendencies to go along with her darker moments. She shows fear, joy, infatuation and desperation. There are nights when the bombing excursions overhead make her sanctuary shake with the impact of the ordnance. The fact that the families have to leave the toilet unflushed for ten hours on end, after eight people have used it, provides a most vivid image, although the smell lingering from the meal of spoiled potatoes and boiled lettuce might be just as rank. With that said, the commercialized version of the diary is not the one that one sees when one picks up the book. The death of Anne Frank turns out to have been somewhat ironic; at the point when she finally passed away, the Third Reich was collapsing, as the Russians were heading toward Auschwitz. Anne went to Bergen-Belsen as the Nazis were trying to destroy all evidence of their Final Solution at Auschwitz before the Russians could expose their plot. It was not a gas chamber or a death squad that took the life of Anne Frank; it was a typhus epidemic. This sort of outrage was also part and parcel of warehousing so many people so close together and with such little attention to matters of basic hygiene, but Anne Frank was not picked out for selection, she was not tricked into the showers that marked the end for so many, and she did not swing from a Nazi rope. There was never a way out of this situation for Anne Frank. This is what makes attempts to turn the book into some sort of empowering document ring so hollowly. How can a fragmentary memoir of a young woman who had no chance to survive turn into a motivational text? If anything, it serves as a paean to the utter absurdity of both that part of history and our own part, several decades down the timeline, in an eerie place where we have Holocaust survivors in our midst but also have Holocaust deniers as well, a bizarre version of the Einsteinian paradox in which a person would not continue to exist if he encountered a different version of himself as a result of time travel. When we turn the story of Anne Frank into a cute memoir of a brave girl hiding inside a wall, we take the story of Nazi Germany and we turn it into a sort of Nancy Drew mystery. If we are willing to look at the story as the musings of a young woman who saw nothing good ahead of herself but, even so, still had the natural thoughts of a young teenager. She notes that [i]n the evenings when its dark, [she would] often see long lines of good, innocent people accompanied by crying children, walking on and on, ordered about by a handful of men who bully and beat them until they nearly drop. No one is spared. The sick, the elderly, children, babies, and pregnant women â€Å" all are marched to their death (Frank). There is nothing cute in this representation; there is nothing motivational. Instead, there is just representation. Representation of what, you might ask? The bleak reality of the Nazi regime was that there was no way out as long as Hitler remained in control. The grotesque fetish known as the Final Solution has its analogue in the yellow stars of David that appeared in the aftermath of the inauguration of Donald J. Trump and in the global refusal to deal with the atrocities that Bashar el-Assad has carried out in Syria. Every time we turn a story like that of Anne Frank into kitsch, we ignore the lesson that that story would actually teach us.

Walt Disney Yen Financing - Free Essay Example

1. Should Disney hedge its yen royalty cash flow? Why or why not? If so, how much should be hedged and over what time period? Yes, Walt Disney Company should hedge its royalty cash flow to protect against currency fluctuations. The company has revenues in Yen and does not have expenses in Yen. Thus it would be converting the Yen to Dollar and so is exposed to foreign exchange risk. The value of Yen has declined recently and it is difficult to forecast what the value could be in the future. Also currency speculation should be left to speculators and Disney should not play on the exchange rate. It would be wise to reduce the risk due to changes in exchange rate. The royalty receipts form a significant part of the pre tax income of Disney and any adverse movement would impact the financial position of Disney. The maximum amount and the period should be the Yen royalties that accrue to Disney. At the moment the amount is Yen 8 billion. The royalties are expected to grow for all times in the future and so the hedging should be for the maximum maturity available which is 10 years. At the minimum, Disney may Disney may want to take enough money so as to reduce the debt to capitalization ratio back to 20% which now stands at 32%. The expected yen revenue stream of more than ? 8 billion every year would create 2. Assuming a hedge is desirable what hedging techniques available to the treasurer? What are the advantages and disadvantages of each? The various hedging techniques available and the advantages and disadvantages are : 1. Currency Options – In this Disney could buy dollar yen options allowing Disney the right to buy dollars against yen at a predetermine rate or could sell Put options allowing Disney to sell yen for dollars at a predetermined rate. The advantages of options are †¢ It gives the right but not the obligation. If the Option is out of the money it need not be exercised. †¢ Options have an unlimited upside but limited downside so will help Disney benefit from favorable rate movement. †¢ Options can be taken for high amounts using small margin money The disadvantages are †¢ The time period for which options are available is till 2 years only. Beyond 2 years the market is not liquid †¢ Options require payment of upfront premium and so there will be a cash outflow 2. Forward Contracts – In this Disney could take a forward contract through a bank and sell the Yen forward for US Dollars at a rate that is fixed now. The advantages are †¢ Forward contracts can be tailored to the needs and requirements of Disney †¢ Longer term contracts are available and Disney could hedge up to 10 years †¢ The forward contracts can be cancelled and so provide some flexibility in the future years The disadvantages are The rate is locked at the time of contract and so there is so upside benefit †¢ The forward contracts need to be honored at maturity and so Disney has to settle it †¢ As mentioned in the case, the forward contracts would be against the overall exposure to Disney and so would tie up lines of credit †¢ Forward contracts are exposed to default risks of the counterparty 3. Futures – Futu res are standardized contracts which are traded on the exchanges. That is the only difference between forward contracts and futures. Disney could buy or sell contracts on the futures exchange and hedge its exposure. The advantages are : †¢ They are liquid as they are traded on the exchange †¢ Using futures would not tie up the lines of credit with the banks †¢ There is not much default risk as the futures are market to market daily. The disadvantages are †¢ As these are standardized, they cannot be customized to the requirements †¢ Require a margin deposit †¢ The futures contracts are available for shorter periods only 4. Swaps – Disney could swap its exposure in Yen with Dollars so that its inflow is in Dollars and it pays Yen The advantages are †¢ Swaps are off balance sheet financing with only disclosure in notes. Thus the balance sheet looks better †¢ The two parties to Swap could customize the terms to their requirements †¢ Swap enables parties to access capital markets which they may not able to do directly The disadvantages are †¢ High fees to be paid to the intermediaries †¢ It is difficult to get counterparties with a perfect hedge 4. Yen 15 billion 10 year bullet loan The advantages are †¢ The time period would be 10 years †¢ The interest rate would be the Japanese prime rate The disadvantages are †¢ Since it is a bullet loan it does not help in hedging the year on year income †¢ Requires lump sum payment on maturity It is more expensive than the SWAP transaction †¢ Has upfront fees Other hedging methods such as issuing longer maturity Eurodollar note was not feasible because of the Disney’s temporarily high debt ratio. Also, Euroyen bonds are not an option because Disney was not eligible to issue them under Japanese regulations. 3. In light of the various other techniques for hedging currency exposures why the market for currency swap does exists? Who benefits and who looses in such an agreement? Can a swap really create value for a corporation? And if so where does the value come from? What risks does the swap carry for the various parties involved? The market for swap exists since it allows parties to access market which they might not be able to do directly. Also swaps are customizable between parties and so are more flexible. The duration of swaps could be the duration of the exposure. These advantages have led to the creation of the swap market. Swaps also help in broadening the investor base. Companies could raise money in different currencies and then use a swap to get back to their home currency. Swap also helps in lowering the overall cost of borrowing as also enable firms to change their payment stream to either fixed or floating. When the swap is initiated for the first time, it creates value since only if value is created will the parties agree for a swap. The value comes for the differing credit ratings of the firms. In interest rate swaps, two firms come together to swap their interest obligations and each mat find that it is paying a lower rate than before. The risks that the swaps carry is the changes in the market after the swap has taken place. In case of an fixed for floating swap, if the floating rate rise then the firm will have to pay more. Or in the case of currency swap, if the exchange rate movement is adverse, then there could be a loss. There is also a default risk since the agreement is between two parties. The swaps are not liquid and once entered may be difficult to come out of. 4. Evaluate Goldman’s proposal for an ECU bond issue accompanied by an ECU/yen swap. How does its â€Å"all-in† yen cost compare to that of the proposed yen term loan? Is it superior to hedging using outright forwards? (Note: â€Å"all-in† cost generally refers to that discount rate which equates the present discounted value of the future debt service payments with the financing proceeds less front-end fees [i. . the internal rate of return], expressed as an annual rate). The calculations are in the excel file ( we use the IRR function to calculate the internal rate of return. The cash flow details are from the exhibits) . We get the following costs 1. 10 years ECU Eurobond Issue – YTM is 9. 46% 2. SWAP ECU/Yen – YTM is 6. 89% 3. Yen 10 year Loan – YTM is 7. 61% The ECU/Yen swap is the cheapest, t hough it does not include fees, but it may still be the cheapest. In the outright forwards market we find that the Yen is appreciating. This is obviously a better choice since this would mean that Disney would get more dollars. An exercise has been done, where the Yen payments made by Disney are converted to USD at the forward rates. Using the same discounting rate as the cost of Swap, the PV of the Yen payments in USD comes to $69. 27 million. This is higher than the present value of the amount that Disney gets from IBJ which is $58. 23 million. Also the Swap does not cover the entire exposure of Disney in Yen. Therefore if it is possible than outright forward hedge is better than other alternatives

Geography of Jamaica

Jamaica is an island nation in the West Indies located in the Caribbean Sea. It is south of Cuba and for comparison, it is just under the size of Connecticut. Jamaica is 145 miles (234 km) long and 50 miles (80 km) wide at its widest point. Today, the country is a popular tourist destination and it has a native population of 2.8 million people. Fast Facts: Jamaica Capital: KingstonPopulation: 2,812,090 (2018)Official Language: English  Currency: Jamaican dollar (JMD)Form of Government: Parliamentary democracy under a constitutional monarchy; a commonwealth realmClimate: Tropical; hot, humid; temperate interiorTotal Area: 4,244 square miles (10,991 square kilometers)Highest Point: Blue Mountain Peak at 7,401 feet (2,256 meters)  Lowest Point: Caribbean Sea at 0 feet (0 meters) History of Jamaica The first inhabitants of Jamaica were the Arawaks from South America. In 1494, Christopher Columbus was the first European to reach and explore the island. Beginning in 1510, Spain began to inhabit the area and by that time, the Arawaks began to die off due to disease and war that came with the European settlers.In 1655, the British arrived in Jamaica and took the island from Spain. Shortly thereafter in 1670, Britain took full formal control of Jamaica. Throughout most of its history, Jamaica was known for its sugar production. In the late 1930s, Jamaica began to gain its independence from Britain and it had its first local elections in 1944. In 1962, Jamaica gained full independence but still remains a member of the British Commonwealth. Following its independence, Jamaicas economy began to grow but in the 1980s, it was hit by a severe recession. Shortly thereafter, however, its economy began to grow and tourism became a popular industry. In the late 1990s and early 2000s, drug trafficking and the related violence became a problem in Jamaica. Today, Jamaicas economy is still based largely on tourism and the related service sector and it has recently held various free democratic elections. For example, in 2006 Jamaica elected its first female Prime Minister, Portia Simpson Miller.​ Government of Jamaica Jamaicas government is considered a constitutional parliamentary democracy and a Commonwealth realm. It has an executive branch with Queen Elizabeth II as chief of state and a local position of head of state. Jamaica also has a legislative branch with a bicameral Parliament consisting of the Senate and House of Representatives. Jamaicas judicial branch is made up of a Supreme Court, Court of Appeal, Privy Council in the U.K., and the Caribbean Court of Justice. Jamaica is divided  in 14 parishes for local administration. Economy and Land Use in Jamaica Since tourism is a large part of Jamaicas economy, services and the related industries represent a significant portion of the countrys overall economy. Tourism revenues alone account for 20% of Jamaicas gross domestic product. Other industries in Jamaica include bauxite/alumina, agricultural processing, light manufacturing, rum, cement, metal, paper, chemical products, and telecommunications. Agriculture is also a big part of Jamaicas economy and its biggest products are sugarcane, bananas, coffee, citrus, yams, ackees, vegetables, poultry, goats, milk, crustaceans, and mollusks. Unemployment is high in Jamaica and as a result, the country has high crime rates and violence related to drug trafficking. Geography of Jamaica Jamaica has a varied topography with rugged mountains, some of which are volcanic, and narrow valleys and a coastal plain. It is located 90 miles (145 km) south of Cuba and 100 miles (161 km) west of Haiti. The climate of Jamaica is tropical and hot and humid on its coast and temperate inland. Kingston, Jamaicas capital has an average July high temperature of 90 degrees (32 °C) and a January average low of 66 degrees (19 °C). Sources Central Intelligence Agency.  CIA - The World Factbook - Jamaica.Infoplease.  Jamaica: History, Geography, Government, and Culture - Infoplease.com.United States Department of State.  Jamaica.