| 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 sq km
land:
10,830 sq km
water:
160 sq km
|
| Area - comparative: |
slightly smaller than Connecticut
|
| Maritime claims: |
measured from claimed archipelagic baselines
contiguous zone:
24 NM
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: |
lowest point:
Caribbean Sea 0 m
highest point:
Blue Mountain Peak 2,256 m
|
| Natural resources: |
bauxite, gypsum, limestone
|
| Land use: |
arable land:
14%
permanent crops:
6%
permanent pastures:
24%
forests and woodland:
17%
other:
39% (1993 est.)
|
| Irrigated land: |
350 sq km (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
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
|
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