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Location: |
Caribbean, island in the Caribbean Sea, south of Cuba
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Geographic coordinates: |
18 15 N, 77 30 W
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Map references: |
Central America and the Caribbean
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Area: |
total: 10,991 sq km
land: 10,831 sq km
water: 160 sq km
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Area - comparative: |
slightly smaller than Connecticut
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Land boundaries: |
0 km
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Coastline: |
1,022 km
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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
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Climate: |
tropical; hot, humid; temperate interior
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Terrain: |
mostly mountains, with narrow, discontinuous coastal plain
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Elevation extremes: |
lowest point: Caribbean Sea 0 m
highest point: Blue Mountain Peak 2,256 m
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Natural resources: |
bauxite, gypsum, limestone
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Land use: |
arable land: 16.07%
permanent crops: 10.16%
other: 73.77% (2001)
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Irrigated land: |
250 sq km (1998 est.)
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Natural hazards: |
hurricanes (especially July to November)
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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
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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
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Geography - note: |
strategic location between Cayman Trench and Jamaica Channel, the main sea lanes for the Panama Canal
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