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
[see also: Area - total country ranks ]
land: 10,831 sq km
[see also: Area - land country ranks ]
water: 160 sq km
[see also: Area - water country ranks ]
country comparison to the world: 167

Area - comparative:
about half the size of New Jersey; slightly smaller than Connecticut

Land boundaries:
0 km

Coastline:
1,022 km
[see also: Coastline country ranks ]

Maritime claims:
measured from claimed archipelagic straight baselines
territorial sea: 12 nm
[see also: Maritime claims - territorial sea country ranks ]
contiguous zone: 24 nm
[see also: Maritime claims - contiguous zone country ranks ]
exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
[see also: Maritime claims - exclusive economic zone country ranks ]
continental shelf: 200 nm or to edge of the continental margin
[see also: Maritime claims - continental shelf country ranks ]

Climate:
tropical; hot, humid; temperate interior
More Climate Details

Terrain:
mostly mountains, with narrow, discontinuous coastal plain

Elevation:
mean elevation: 18 m
[see also: Elevation - mean elevation country ranks ]
elevation extremes: lowest point: Caribbean Sea 0 m highest point: Blue Mountain Peak 2,256 m

Natural resources:
bauxite, gypsum, limestone

Land use:
agricultural land: 41.4% arable land 11.1%; permanent crops 9.2%; permanent pasture 21.1%
[see also: Land use - agricultural land country ranks ]
forest: 31.1%
[see also: Land use - forest country ranks ]
other: 27.5% (2011 est.)
[see also: Land use - other country ranks ]

Irrigated land:
250 sq km (2012)
[see also: Irrigated land country ranks ]

Population - distribution:
population density is high throughout, but increases in and around Kingston, Montego Bay, and Port Esquivel

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 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:
third largest island in the Caribbean (after Cuba and Hispaniola); strategic location between Cayman Trench and Jamaica Channel, the main sea lanes for the Panama Canal