| 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: 10,991 sq km land: 10,831 sq km water: 160 sq km |
| Area - comparative | about half the size of New Jersey; slightly smaller than Connecticut |
| Land boundaries | total: 0 km |
| Coastline | 1,022 km |
| 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 measured from claimed archipelagic straight baselines |
| Climate | tropical; hot, humid; temperate interior |
| Terrain | mostly mountains, with narrow, discontinuous coastal plain |
| Elevation extremes | highest point: Blue Mountain Peak 2,256 m lowest point: Caribbean Sea 0 m mean elevation: 18 m |
| Natural resources | bauxite, alumina, gypsum, limestone |
| Land use | agricultural land: 41.4% (2018 est.) arable land: 11.1% (2018 est.) permanent crops: 9.2% (2018 est.) permanent pasture: 21.1% (2018 est.) forest: 31.1% (2018 est.) other: 27.5% (2018 est.) |
| Irrigated land | 250 sq km (2012) |
| Total renewable water resources | 10.823 billion cubic meters (2017 est.) |
| Natural hazards | hurricanes (especially July to November) |
| Geography - note | 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 |
Source: CIA World Factbook
This page was last updated on September 18, 2021
