Please review the details below for additional information on Jamaica Geography.
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: 10,991 sq km land: 10,831 sq km water: 160 sq km
Area - comparative:slightly smaller than Connecticut
Land boundaries:0 km
Coastline:1,022 km
Maritime claims:measured from claimed archipelagic straight baselines territorial sea: 12 nm contiguous zone: 24 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm continental shelf: 200 nm or to edge of the continental margin
Climate:tropical; hot, humid; temperate interior
Terrain:mostly mountains, with narrow, discontinuous coastal plain
Elevation extremes:lowest point: Caribbean Sea 0 m highest point: Blue Mountain Peak 2,256 m
Natural resources:bauxite, gypsum, limestone
Land use:arable land: 15.83% permanent crops: 10.01% other: 74.16% (2005)Irrigated land:250 sq km (2002)
Total renewable water resources:9.4 cu km (2000)Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural):total: 0.41 cu km/yr (34%/17%/49%) per capita: 155 cu m/yr (2000)
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, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Marine Life Conservation, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements
Geography - note:strategic location between Cayman Trench and Jamaica Channel, the main sea lanes for the Panama Canal
| < Prev | Next > |
|---|
