Geography of Jamaica - Key Facts

Key Facts

Location

Caribbean, island in the Caribbean Sea, south of Cuba

Geographic coordinates

18°15′N 77°30′W / 18.25°N 77.5°W / 18.25; -77.5

Map references

Middle America and the Caribbean

Area

• Total: 10,991 km2 (4,244 sq mi)
• Land: 10,831 km2 (4,182 sq mi)
• Water: 160 km2 (62 sq mi)

Area – comparative

(Australia) About 2½ times as big as Kangaroo Island

(Canada) About twice Prince Edward Island's size

(UK) About half Wales's size

(USA) Slightly smaller than the state of Connecticut

Land boundaries

0 km

Longest River

Rio Minho (Jamaica) 92.8 km (57.7 mi)

Coastline

1 022 km (635 mi)

Maritime claims

• Measured from claimed archipelagic baselines
• Continental shelf: 200 m depth (656 ft) or to the depth of exploitation
• Exclusive economic zone: 200 nautical miles (370.4 km; 230.2 mi)
• Territorial sea: 12 nautical miles (22.2 km; 13.8 mi)

Climate

Tropical Marine; hot, humid; temperate interior

Terrain

Mostly mountains, with narrow, discontinuous coastal plains

Elevation extremes

• Lowest point: Caribbean Sea, 0 m
• Highest point: Blue Mountain Peak, 2256 metres (7402 ft)

Natural resources

Bauxite, gypsum, limestone

Land use

• Arable land: 14%
• Permanent crops: 6%
• Permanent pastures: 24%
• Forests and woodland: 17%
• Other: 39% (1993 est.)

Irrigated land

350 km2 (140 sq mi) (1993 est.)

Natural hazards

Hurricanes (especially July to November)

Environment—current issues

Heavy rates of deforestation; coastal waters polluted by industrial waste, sewage, and oil spills; damage to coral reefs; air pollution in Kingston results from vehicle emissions

Environment—international agreements

• Party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Marine Life Conservation, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands, Whaling
• Signed, but not ratified: None of the selected agreements

Geography—note

Strategic location between Cayman Trench and Jamaica Channel, the main sea lanes for Panama Canal