Jamaica - Geography

Here, let us take a look at the Geography of Jamaica. 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. Mother's mean age at first birth is 21.2 years (2008 est.) (Note: data represents median age at first birth among women 25-29), whereas, the Maternal mortality ratio is 99 deaths/100,000 live births (2020 est.)

Geographical data of Jamaica
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
Tarrain mostly mountains, with narrow, discontinuous coastal plain
Natural Resources bauxite, alumina, gypsum, limestone
Natural Hazards hurricanes (especially July to November)
Irrigated Land 250 sq km (2012)
Major rivers (by length in km)
Major aquifers
Land Boundaries 0 km
Border Countries
Coastline 1,022 km
Climate tropical; hot, humid; temperate interior
Area
Total Area
Land Area 10,831 sq km
Water Area 160 sq km
comparative Area about half the size of New Jersey; slightly smaller than Connecticut
Maritime Claims
Territorial sea 12 nm
Contiguous zone 24 nm
Exclusive economic zone 200 nm
Continental shelf 200 nm or to edge of the continental margin
Elevations
Highest point Blue Mountain Peak 2,256 m
Lowest point Caribbean Sea 0 m
Mean elevation 18 m
Land Use
Agricultural land 41.4% (2018 est.)
Agricultural land: arable land arable land: 11.1% (2018 est.)
Agricultural land: permanent crops permanent crops: 9.2% (2018 est.)
Agricultural land: permanent pasture permanent pasture: 21.1% (2018 est.)
Forest 31.1% (2018 est.)
Other 27.5% (2018 est.)
Population Distribution

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

People and Society

In Jamaica, the different Ethnic groups are such that we have: Black 92.1%, mixed 6.1%, East Indian 0.8%, other 0.4%, unspecified 0.7% (2011 est.)

Population
Pop growth rate 0.1% (2024 est.)
Birth rate 15.6 births/1,000 population (2024 est.)
Death rate 7.5 deaths/1,000 population (2024 est.)
Health expenditure 6.6% of GDP (2020)
Physicians Density
Hospital bed Density 1.7 beds/1,000 population (2017)
Total fertility rate 2.05 children born/woman (2024 est.)
Gross reproduction rate 1 (2024 est.)
Contraceptive prevalence rate NA
Est married women (ages 15-49) 32.7% (2023 est.)
Literacy age 15 and over has ever attended school
Education expenditures 6% of GDP (2021 est.)
Net Migration rate -7.1 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2024 est.)
Nationality Jamaican | Jamaican(s)
Languages English, Jamaican patois
Religions Protestant 64.8% (includes Seventh Day Adventist 12.0%, Pentecostal 11.0%, Other Church of God 9.2%, New Testament Church of God 7.2%, Baptist 6.7%, Church of God in Jamaica 4.8%, Church of God of Prophecy 4.5%, Anglican 2.8%, United Church 2.1%, Methodist 1.6%, Revived 1.4%, Brethren 0.9%, and Moravian 0.7%), Roman Catholic 2.2%, Jehovah's Witness 1.9%, Rastafarian 1.1%, other 6.5%, none 21.3%, unspecified 2.3% (2011 est.)
Age Structure
0-14 years 23.8% (male 342,691/female 329,773)
15-64 years 65.7% (male 914,364/female 941,816)
65 years and over 10.4% (2024 est.) (male 140,440/female 154,629)
Dependency Ratios
Total dependency ratio 38
Youth dependency ratio 28
Elderly dependency ratio 13.4
Potential support ratio 7.4 (2021 est.)
Median Age
Total 30.9 years (2024 est.)
Male 30.1 years
Female 31.7 years
Urbanization
Urban population 57.4% of total population (2023)
Rate of urbanization 0.79% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)
Major urban areas (Pop) 597,000 KINGSTON (capital) (2023).
Sex Ratio
At birth 1.05 male(s)/female
0-14 years 1.04 male(s)/female
15-64 years 0.97 male(s)/female
65 years and over 0.91 male(s)/female
Total population 0.98 male(s)/female (2024 est.)
Infant Motality
Total 10.7 deaths/1,000 live births (2024 est.)
Male 11.9 deaths/1,000 live births
Female 9.4 deaths/1,000 live births
Life Expectancy at birth
Total population 76.3 years (2024 est.)
Male 74.5 years
Female 78.1 years
Drinking Water Sources
Improved: urban urban: 98.3% of population
Improved: rural rural: 93.9% of population
Improved: total total: 96.4% of population
Unimproved: urban urban: 1.7% of population
Unimproved: rural rural: 6.1% of population
Unimproved: total total: 3.6% of population (2020 est.)
Sanitation facility acess
Improved: urban urban: 98.6% of population
Improved: rural rural: 99.4% of population
Improved: total total: 98.9% of population
Unimproved: urban urban: 1.4% of population
Unimproved: rural rural: 0.6% of population
Unimproved: total total: 1.1% of population (2020 est.)
Alcohol consumption per capita
Total 3.46 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
Beer 1.19 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
Wine 0.25 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
Spirits 1.66 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
Other alcohols 0.35 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
Tobacco use
Total 9.4% (2020 est.)
Male 15% (2020 est.)
Female 3.8% (2020 est.)
Demographic profile
All Important Facts about Jamaica

Want to know more about Jamaica? Check all different factbooks for Jamaica below.

Jamaica is found in Caribbean