Jamaica is located to the south of Cuba and forms part of the Greater Antilles, at latitude 18o15’N, longitude 77 o30’W. It is the largest island of the English-speaking Caribbean with a total area of 10 990 km2 . In 2012, the total physical cultivated area was estimated at 220 000 ha, of which 55 percent (120 000 ha) consisted of temporary crops and 45 percent (100 000 ha) of permanent crops (Table 1). Permanent meadows and pasture cover 229 000 ha, which brings to total agricultural area to 449 000 ha. The country is divided into fourteen administrative districts, called Parishes. The capital is Kingston.

The country has three landform regions: the eastern mountains, the central valleys and plateaus, and the coastal plains. There are a series of mountain ranges along the major WNW-ESE axis of the island. In the eastern third, these mountains generally exceed elevations of 1 000 m with Blue Mountain Peak, the highest point, rising to a height of 2 256 m. North of the Blue Mountains lie the John Crow Mountains. Major alluvial lowlands occur in the southern half of the island, where they are often associated with coastal swamps. The other main topographical feature is a narrow and discontinuous coastal plain. Karst formations dominate the island.

Climate

The island’s climate can be classified as tropical maritime, hot and humid with a temperate interior. Mean daily temperatures range from 26°C in February to 30°C in August in the lowlands, and from 15°C to 22°C at higher elevations. Daily sunshine hours are fairly constant throughout the year, averaging about 8.2 hours in the southern plains.

Long-term mean annual rainfall over the island is about 2 051 mm. Much of the rainfall results from the northeasterly trade winds, which deposit most of their moisture on the northern slopes of the axial mountain ranges, while the southern half of the island is in rain shadow. Annual rainfall on the northeastern slopes of the Blue Mountain Range is generally 3 000 to 5 000 mm, whereas in the south coastal plains of Saint Catherine and Clarendon it is generally less than 1 500 mm. Annual rainfall exhibits a characteristic pattern, with a primary maximum in October and another in May. The main dry season lasts from December to April.

Jamaica regularly comes under the influence of tropical storms and hurricanes during the period of July to November, characterized by flood-producing rainfall of high intensity and magnitude.

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