Jamaica:
Jamaica gained full independence within the British
Commonwealth in 1962. Deteriorating economic conditions during the
1970s led to recurrent violence and a dropoff in tourism. Elections
in 1980 saw the democratic socialists voted out of office.
Subsequent governments have been open market oriented. Political
violence marred elections during the 1990s.
Jan Mayen:
This desolate, mountainous island was named after a Dutch
whaling captain who indisputably discovered it in 1614 (earlier
claims are inconclusive). Visited only occasionally by seal hunters
and trappers over the following centuries, the island came under
Norwegian sovereignty in 1929. The long dormant Beerenberg volcano
resumed activity in 1970; it is the northernmost active volcano on
earth.
Japan:
While retaining its time-honored culture, Japan rapidly
absorbed Western technology during the late 19th and early 20th
centuries. After its devastating defeat in World War II, Japan
recovered to become the second most powerful economy in the world
and a staunch ally of the US. While the emperor retains his throne
as a symbol of national unity, actual power rests in networks of
powerful politicians, bureaucrats, and business executives. The
economy experienced a major slowdown in the 1990s following three
decades of unprecedented growth.
Jarvis Island:
First discovered by the British in 1821, the
uninhabited island was annexed by the US in 1858, but abandoned in
1879 after tons of guano had been removed. The UK annexed the island
in 1889, but never carried out plans for further exploitation. The
US occupied and reclaimed the island in 1935. Abandoned after World
War II, the island is currently a National Wildlife Refuge
administered by the US Department of the Interior; a day beacon is
situated near the middle of the west coast.
Jersey:
The island of Jersey and the other Channel Islands represent
the last remnants of the medieval Dukedom of Normandy that held sway
in both France and England. These islands were the only British soil
occupied by German troops in World War II.
Johnston Atoll:
Both the US and the Kingdom of Hawaii annexed
Johnston Atoll in 1858, but it was the US that mined the guano
deposits until the late 1880s. The US Navy took over the atoll in
1934, and subsequently the US Air Force assumed control in 1948. The
site was used for high altitude nuclear tests in the 1950s and
1960s, and until late in 2000 the atoll was maintained as a storage
and disposal site for chemical weapons. Munitions destruction is now
complete, and cleanup and closure of the facility is progressing.
Jordan:
For most of its history since independence from British
administration in 1946, Jordan was ruled by King HUSSEIN
(1953-1999). A pragmatic ruler, he successfully navigated competing
pressures from the major powers (US, USSR, and UK), various Arab
states, Israel, and a large internal Palestinian population, through
several wars and coup attempts. In 1989 he resumed parliamentary
elections and gradually permitted political liberalization; in 1994
a formal peace treaty was signed with Israel. King ABDALLAH II - the
eldest son of King HUSSEIN and Princess MUNA - assumed the throne
following his father's death in February 1999. Since then, he has
consolidated his power and established his domestic priorities.
Juan de Nova Island:
Named after a famous 15th century Spanish
navigator and explorer, the island has been a French possession
since 1897. It has been exploited for its guano and phosphate.
Presently a small military garrison oversees a meteorological
station.
Kazakhstan:
Native Kazakhs, a mix of Turkic and Mongol nomadic
tribes who migrated into the region in the 13th century, were rarely
united as a single nation. The area was conquered by Russia in the
18th century and Kazakhstan became a Soviet Republic in 1936. During
the 1950s and 1960s agricultural "Virgin Lands" program, Soviet
citizens were encouraged to help cultivate Kazakhstan's northern
pastures. This influx of immigrants (mostly Russians, but also some
other deported nationalities) skewed the ethnic mixture and enabled
non-Kazakhs to outnumber natives. Independence has caused many of
these newcomers to emigrate. Current issues include: developing a
cohesive national identity; expanding the development of the
country's vast energy resources and exporting them to world markets;
and continuing to strengthen relations with neighboring states and
other foreign powers.
Kenya:
Revered president and liberation struggle icon Jomo KENYATTA
led Kenya from independence until his death in 1978, when current
President Daniel Toroitich arap MOI took power in a constitutional
succession. The country was a de facto one-party state from 1969
until 1982 when the ruling Kenya African National Union (KANU) made
itself the sole legal party in Kenya. MOI acceded to internal and
external pressure for political liberalization in late 1991. The
ethnically fractured opposition failed to dislodge KANU from power
in elections in 1992 and 1997, which were marred by violence and
fraud, but are viewed as having generally reflected the will of the
Kenyan people. The country faces a period of political uncertainty
because MOI is constitutionally required to step down at the next
elections that have to be held by early 2003.