| 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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| Zone | Central America |
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| Area | total: 10,991 sq km
land: 10,831 sq km
water: 160 sq km |
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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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| Irrigated land | 1,022 km |
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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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