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:
Area - comparative: Land boundaries:
0 km
Coastline: Maritime claims:
measured from claimed archipelagic straight baselines
Climate: Terrain: Elevation extremes:
Natural resources: Land use:
Irrigated land: Total renewable water resources: Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural):
Natural hazards: Environment - current issues: Environment - international agreements:
Geography - note:
total:
10,991 sq km
country comparison to the world: 168
land:
10,831 sq km
water:
160 sq km
slightly smaller than Connecticut
[see also: Land boundaries country ranks ]
1,022 km
[see also: Coastline country ranks ]
territorial sea:
12 nm
contiguous zone:
24 nm
exclusive economic zone:
200 nm
continental shelf:
200 nm or to edge of the continental margin
tropical; hot, humid; temperate interior
More Climate Details
mostly mountains, with narrow, discontinuous coastal plain
lowest point:
Caribbean Sea 0 m
highest point:
Blue Mountain Peak 2,256 m
bauxite, gypsum, limestone
arable land:
10.92%
permanent crops:
9.1%
other:
79.98% (2011)
252.2 sq km (2003)
[see also: Irrigated land country ranks ]
9.4 cu km (2011)
[see also: Total renewable water resources country ranks ]
total:
0.93 cu km/yr (32%/16%/52%)
per capita:
369.9 cu m/yr (2009)
hurricanes (especially July to November)
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
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
strategic location between Cayman Trench and Jamaica Channel, the main sea lanes for the Panama Canal