Location: Caribbean, in the northern Caribbean Sea, about 160 km south of Cuba

Map references: Central America and the Caribbean, North America, Standard Time Zones of the World

Area:
total area: 10,990 sq km
land area: 10,830 sq km
comparative area: slightly smaller than Connecticut

Land boundaries: 0 km

Coastline: 1,022 km

Maritime claims:
exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
territorial sea: 12 nm

International disputes: none

Climate: tropical; hot, humid; temperate interior

Terrain: mostly mountains with narrow, discontinuous coastal plain

Natural resources: bauxite, gypsum, limestone

Land use:
arable land: 19%
permanent crops: 6%
meadows and pastures: 18%
forest and woodland: 28%
other: 29%

Irrigated land: 350 sq km (1989 est.)

Environment:
current issues: deforestation; water pollution
natural hazards: subject to hurricanes (especially July to November)
international agreements: party to - Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Marine Life Conservation, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution; signed, but not ratified - Biodiversity, Climate Change

Note: strategic location between Cayman Trench and Jamaica Channel, the main sea lanes for Panama Canal

NOTE: The information regarding Jamaica on this page is re-published from the 1995 World Fact Book of the United States Central Intelligence Agency. No claims are made regarding the accuracy of Jamaica Geography 1995 information contained here. All suggestions for corrections of any errors about Jamaica Geography 1995 should be addressed to the CIA.