Geography of Jamaica
This article describes the geography of Jamaica.
- Location:
Caribbean, island in the Caribbean Sea, south of Cuba
- Geographic coordinates:
- 18° 15′ N, 77° 30′ W
- Map references:
- Central America and the Caribbean
- Area:
- Total: 10,990 km²
- Land: 10,830 km²
- Water: 160 km²
- Area--comparative:
- Slightly smaller than Connecticut
- Land boundaries:
- 0 km
- Coastline:
- 1,022 km
- Maritime claims:
- Measured from claimed archipelagic baselines
- Continental shelf: 200 m depth or to the depth of exploitation
- Exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
- Territorial sea: 12 nm
- Climate:
- Tropical; hot, humid; temperate interior
- Terrain:
- Mostly mountains, with narrow, discontinuous coastal plain
- Elevation extremes:
- Land use:
- Arable land: 14%
- Permanent crops: 6%
- Permanent pastures: 24%
- Forests and woodland: 17%
- Other: 39% (1993 est.)
- Irrigated land:
- 350 km² (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
See also: Jamaica
Cities
