Geography_of_Jamaica

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Geography of Jamaica Geography of Jamaica Jamaica Native name: Xaymaca Sobriquet: Land of Wood and Water Map of Jamaica Geography Location Coordinates Caribbean Sea 18°15′N 77°30′W / 18.25°N 77.5°W / 18.25; -77.5Coordinates: 18°15′N 77°30′W / 18.25°N 77.5°W / 18.25; -77.5 Greater Antilles 10,911 km2 (4,213 sq mi) (71st) 154 mi (248 km) 52 mi (84 km) 1,022 km (635 mi) Blue Mountain Peak (7,402 ft (2,256 m)) Jamaica lies 90 miles (145 km) south of Cuba and 118 miles (190 km) west of Haiti. At its greatest extent, Jamaica is 146 miles (235 km) long, and it varies between 21 and 52 miles (35-85 km) wide. With an area of 10,911 square kilometres, Jamaica is the largest island of the Commonwealth Caribbean and the third largest of the Greater Antilles, after Cuba and Hispaniola. Along the south coast are a number of small islands, such as the Port Royal Cays. Pedro Bank, an area of shallow seas, with a number of cays (low islands or reefs), extending generally east to west for over 160 kilometres, lies southwest of Jamaica. To the southeast lies Morant Bank, with the Morant Cays, fifty-one kilometres from Morant Point, the easternmost point of mainland Jamaica. Alice Shoal, 260 km southwest of the main island of Jamaica, falls within the Jamaica-Colombia Joint Regime. Archipelago Area Length Width Coastline Highest point Country Jamaica Largest city Geology and landforms Jamaica and the other islands of the Antilles evolved from an arc of ancient volcanoes that rose from the sea millions of years ago. During periods of submersion, thick layers of limestone were laid down over the old igneous and metamorphic rock. In many places, the limestone is thousands of feet thick. The country can be divided into three landform regions: the eastern mountains, the central valleys and plateaus, and the coastal plains. The highest area is that of the Blue Mountains. These eastern mountains are formed by a central ridge of metamorphic rock running northwest to southeast from which many long spurs jut to the north and south. For a distance of over 3 kilometers, the crest of the ridge exceeds 1,800 meters. The highest point is Blue Mountain Peak at 7,402 feet (2,256 m). The Blue Mountains rise to these elevations from the coastal plain in the space of about sixteen kilometers, thus producing one of the steepest general gradients in the world. In this part of the country, the old metamorphic rock reveals itself through the surrounding limestone.To the north of the Kingston (651,880) Demographics Population Density Ethnic groups 2,804,332 (as of 2008) 252 /km² (650 /sq mi) 90.0% Black, 1.5% East Indian, 0.4% White, 7.3% Multiracial 1 From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Blue Mountains lies the strongly tilted limestone plateau forming the John Crow Mountains. This range rises to elevations of over 1,000 meters. To the west, in the central part of the country, are two high rolling plateaus: the Dry Harbour Mountains to the north and the Manchester Plateau to the south. Between the two, the land is rugged and here, also, the limestone layers are broken by the older rocks. Streams that rise in the region flow outward and sink soon after reaching the limestone layers. The limestone plateau covers two-thirds of the country, so that karst formations dominate the island. Karst is formed by the erosion of the limestone in solution. Sinkholes, caves and caverns, disappearing streams, hummocky hills, and terra rosa (residual red) soils in the valleys are distinguishing features of a karst landscape; all these are present in Jamaica. To the west of the mountains is the rugged terrain of the Cockpit Country, one of the world’s most dramatic examples of karst topography. The Cockpit Country is pockmarked with steep-sided hollows, as much as 120 meters deep in places, which are separated by conical hills and ridges. On the north, the main defining feature is the fault-based "Escarpment", a long ridge that extends from Flagstaff in the west, through Windsor in the centre, to Campbells and the start of the Barbecue Bottom Road (B10). The Barbecue Bottom Road, which runs north-south, high along the side of a deep, fault-based valley in the east, is the only drivable route across the Cockpit Country. However, there are two old, historical trails that cross further west, the Troy Trail, and the Quick Step Trail, both of which are seldom used as of 2006 and difficult to find. In the southwest, near Quick Step, is the district known as the "Land of Look Behind," so named because Spanish horsemen venturing into this region of hostile runaway slaves were said to have ridden two to a mount, one rider facing to the rear to keep a precautionary watch. Where the ridges between sinkholes in the plateau area have dissolved, flat-bottomed basins or valleys have been formed that are filled with terra rosa soils, some of the most productive on the island. The largest basin is the Vale of Clarendon, eighty kilometers long and thirtytwo kilometers wide. Queen of Spains Valley, Nassau Valley, and Cave Valley were formed by the same process. Geography of Jamaica Coasts The coastline of Jamaica is one of many contrasts. The northeast shore is severely eroded by the ocean. There are many small inlets in the rugged coastline, but no coastal plain of any extent. A narrow strip of plains along the northern coast offers calm seas and white sand beaches. Behind the beaches is a flat raised plain of uplifted coral reef. The southern coast has small stretches of plains lined by black sand beaches. These are backed by cliffs of limestone where the plateaus end. In many stretches with no coastal plain, the cliffs drop 300 meters straight to the sea. In the southwest, broad plains stretch inland for a number of kilometers. The Black River courses seventy kilometers through the largest of these plains. The swamplands of the Great Morass and the Upper Morass fill much of the plains. The western coastline contains the island’s finest beaches. Climate Two types of climate are found in Jamaica. An upland tropical climate prevails on the windward side of the mountains, whereas a semiarid climate predominates on the leeward side. Warm trade winds from the east and northeast bring rainfall throughout the year. The rainfall is heaviest from May to October, with peaks in those two months. The average rainfall is 1,960 millimetres (77 in) per year. Rainfall is much greater in the mountain areas facing the north and east, however. Where the higher elevations of the John Crow Mountains and the Blue Mountains catch the rain from the moisture-laden winds, rainfall exceeds 5,080 millimetres (200 in) per year. Since the southwestern half of the island lies in the rain shadow of the mountains, it has a semiarid climate and receives fewer than 760 millimetres (30 in) of rainfall annually. Climate chart for Kingston J F M A M J J A S O N D 18 19 20 30 100 74 42 98 114 177 65 47 30 30 30 31 32 21 21 22 23 24 32 33 33 32 24 24 24 24 32 23 31 31 23 22 2 From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia average temperatures in °C precipitation totals in mm source: Meteorological Service, Jamaica Imperial conversion J F M A M J J A S O Geography of Jamaica Vegetation Although most of Jamaica’s native vegetation has been stripped in order to make room for cultivation, some areas have been left virtuN D ally undisturbed since the time of Columbus. Indigenous vegetation can be found along the northern coast from Rio Bueno to Discovery 0.7 0.7 0.8 1.2 3.9 2.9 1.7 3.9 4.5 7 2.6 1.9 Bay, in the highest parts of the Blue Mountains, and in the heart of the Cockpit 86 86 86 88 90 90 91 91 90 90 88 88 Country. 70 70 72 73 75 75 75 75 75 73 73 72 average temperatures in °F precipitation totals in inches Temperatures are fairly constant throughout the year, averaging 25 °C to 30 °C in the lowlands and 15 °C to 22 °C at higher elevations. Temperatures may dip to below 10 °C at the peaks of the Blue Mountains. The island receives, in addition to the northeast trade winds, refreshing onshore breezes during the day and cooling offshore breezes at night. These are known on Jamaica as the "Doctor Breeze" and the "Undertaker’s Breeze," Jamaica’s parishes, main rivers and main respectively. centres Jamaica lies in the Atlantic hurricane belt; as a result, the island sometimes experiences Location significant storm damage. Powerful hurCaribbean, island in the Caribbean Sea, ricanes which have hit the island directly south of Cuba causing death and destruction include HurGeographic coordinates ricane Charlie in 1951 and Hurricane Gilbert 18°15′N 77°30′W / 18.25°N 77.5°W / in 1988. Several other powerful hurricanes 18.25; -77.5 have passed near to the island with damaging effects. In 1980, for example, HurMap references ricane Allen destroyed nearly all Jamaica’s Central America and the Caribbean banana crop. In recent years, Hurricane Ivan (2004) swept past the island causing heavy Area damage and a number of deaths; in 2005, • Total: 10 991 km² Hurricanes Dennis and Emily brought heavy • Land: 10 831 km² rains to the island. A Category 4 hurricane, • Water: 160 km² Hurricane Dean, caused some deaths and Area – comparative heavy damage to Jamaica in August 2007. (Australia) About 2½ times as big as The first recorded hurricane to hit Jamaica Kangaroo Island was in 1519. The island has been struck by tropical cyclones regularly. During two of the (Canada) About twice Prince Edward coldest periods in the last 250 years (1780s Island’s size and 1810s), the frequency of hurricanes in the Jamaica region was unusually high. (UK) About half Wales’s size Another peak of activity occurred in the 1910s, the coldest decade of the 20th cen(USA) Slightly smaller than the state of tury. On the other hand, hurricane formation Connecticut was greatly diminished from 1968 to 1994, Land boundaries which for some reason coincides with the [1] 0 km great Sahel drought. Key facts 3 From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Longest River Black River (70 km) Coastline 1 022 km Maritime claims • Measured from claimed archipelagic baselines • Continental shelf: 200 m depth or to the depth of exploitation • Exclusive economic zone: 200 nautical miles (370 km) • Territorial sea: 12 nautical miles Climate Tropical Marine; hot, humid; temperate interior Terrain Mostly mountains, with narrow, discontinuous coastal plains 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 km² (1993 est.) Natural hazards Hurricanes (especially July to November) Environment--current issues Heavy rates of deforestation; coastal waters polluted by industrial waste, Geography of Jamaica 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, Whaling • 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 See also • Jamaica • List of cities and towns in Jamaica References [1] Chenoweth, Michael (2003). The 18th century climate of Jamaica derived from the journals of Thomas Thistlewood, 1750-1786. Transactions of the American Philosophical Society. 93. Philadelphia: American Philosophical Society. ISBN 087169932X. • This article incorporates public domain material from websites or documents of the Library of Congress Country Studies. • This article incorporates public domain material from websites or documents of the CIA World Factbook. Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geography_of_Jamaica" Categories: Geography of Jamaica This page was last modified on 19 May 2009, at 22:58 (UTC). All text is available under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License. (See Copyrights for details.) Wikipedia® is a registered trademark of the Wikimedia Foundation, Inc., a U.S. registered 501(c)(3) taxdeductible nonprofit charity. Privacy policy About Wikipedia Disclaimers 4