Overview of Jamaica and the
Caribbean
Topic 1
Jamaica’s location
Jamaica is an island in the Caribbean region. It is in the northern and western
hemispheres. It is at latitude 18° N, longitude 76 to 78° W. It is situated in the
Caribbean Sea, and is part of the Greater Antilles group of islands. To the north
is our nearest neighbour, the island of Cuba, to the east is Haiti/the Dominican
Republic, to the west are the Central American countries of Belize and Mexico.
South America is to the south.
90°00'W
25°00'N
85°00'W
USA
80°00'W
75°00'W
70°00'W
65°00'W
ATLANTIC
OCEAN
0
CUBA
20°00'N
r
e
HAITI
a
t
C
500
750
1000 kilometres
e
r
A n
t i l l e s
JAMAICA
e
e
b
L
s
i
DOMINICAN
REPUBLIC
s
b
r
15°00'N
r
250
ncer
Tropic of Ca
Scale 1:22 000 000
G
MEXICO
a
55°00'W
N
Gulf of Mexico
BELIZE
60°00'W
a
n
S
e
a
PACIFIC
OCEAN
t i l l e s
A n
e
10°00'N
The Caribbean
Jamaica has an area of 11 425 km2.
Jamaica’s physical features and parishes
Jamaica is a mountainous island. The main mountain chain runs west to east
across the centre of the island. In the centre the mountains are mostly limestone
or karst, including Cockpit Country. In the east are the Blue Mountains and
the John Crow Mountains.
In the south are flat plains which provide good fertile land for farming,
settlements and roads.
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The main rivers are the Rio Grande, Rio Cobre, Rio Minho, Rio Negro, Great
River, Cabarita. The rivers begin in the mountains and then flow either to the
north or south coast. The Plantain Garden River is the only one which flows
from west to east.
78°00'W
77°00'W
77°30'W
76°30'W
N
18°30'N
G
iver
Cabar
R
at
re
ita River
Cockpit
Country
o
Ri
M
ou
obre
nt
Liguanea
Plain
ain
s
lain
tain G
arden River
P
Rio Minho
St Jago
Plains
ns
ai
18°00'N
nt
ou
M
ow
Cr e
hn nd
Jo Gra
Rio
The
Blu
e
Ri o C
N
egro
Vere
Plains
0
CARIBBEAN SEA
20
40 kilometres
Scale 1:1 300 000
Jamaica’s physical features
The uses of rivers
Rivers provide a number of important resources, including:
■
■
■
■
■
water for drinking, washing, and other domestic uses
water for irrigating crops
water for industrial uses
hydro-electric power
tourist attractions – waterfalls, rafting, boat rides
N
Lucea
Montego Bay
Falmouth
St Ann’s
Bay
Port
Maria
HANOVER ST JAMES
CORNWALL TRELAWNY
ST ANN
ST MARY
WESTMORELAND
Black River
ST ELIZABETH
Mandeville
ER
Jamaica’s countries,
parishes and parish
capitals
Port
Antonio
MIDDLESEX
HEST
MANC
Savannala-Mar
ST CATHERINE
CLARENDON
May
Pen
Spanish
Town
PORTLAND
ST
ANDREW
SURREY
Half WayTree
ST THOMAS
Kingston
Morant
Bay
0
20
40 kilometres
Scale 1:1 700 000
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Parishes: location, size, relief and rivers
Parish
Clarendon
Hanover
Kingston
Manchester
Portland
St Andrew
Location/county
South Middlesex
North-west Cornwall
South-west Surrey
South-west
Middlesex
Size (km2)
1196
450
22
Relief
Mocho Mts
Dolphin Head
Liguanea Plain
830
Don Figuerero Mts, May Day Mts
North Surrey
814
South-west Surrey
North-west
St Ann
Middlesex
St Catherine
South-east Middlesex
St Elizabeth
South-east Cornwall
St James
North Cornwall
St Mary
North-east Middlesex
St Thomas
South-east Surrey
Trelawny
North-east Cornwall
Westmoreland South-west Cornwall
Rivers
Milk, Rio Minho
Cabarita
Hope
431
Blue Mts: High Peak (2082 m),
Middle Peak (2256 m), John Crow Mts
Blue Mts, Red Hills, Liguanea Plain
1213
Dry Harbour Mts (Albion 839 m)
Roaring
1192
1212
595
611
743
875
807
Bull Head Mts, St Jago Plains, Hellshire Hills
Nassau Mts, Santa Cruz Mts, Pedro Plains
Cockpit Country
Blue Mts, Mt Telegraph (1301 m)
Macca Sucker (1330 m)
Cockpit Country (Cockpit 746 m)
George’s Plain
Rio Cobre
Rio Negro
Great, Montego
White, Rio Nuevo
Plantain Garden, Yallahs, Morant
Martha Brae
Cabarita
Rio Grande
Hope
The Caribbean’s location
The Caribbean region is located in the area of the Caribbean Sea, between the
Atlantic Ocean and the mainland of Central America. The Caribbean is in the
northern and western hemispheres. It lies north of the Equator and mostly
south of the Tropic of Cancer. It covers an area from latitude 4° N to 27° N,
and from longitude 48° W to 90° W about 4020 km in size. To the north is the
United States, to the west are Central America and the Pacific Ocean, to the
south is South America and to the east is the Atlantic Ocean.
The Caribbean’s physical features and countries
The Caribbean region is made up of islands and also some countries which
are part of mainland Central and South America, such as Belize, in Central
America, and Guyana and Venezuela, in South America.
The Caribbean has a chain of islands, The West Indies stretching from the
Bahamas and Cuba south and east to Trinidad and Tobago. These are in three
main groups: the Bahamas, the Greater Antilles and the Lesser Antilles.
The Greater Antilles include Cuba, Dominica, Hispaniola (Haiti and the
Dominican Republic) and Peurto Rico. The Lesser Antilles group is divided
into the Leeward Islands, the Windward Islands, the Netherlands Antilles and
includes Barbados and Trinidad and Tobago.
The Caribbean islands, and even some of the mainland countries, are mostly
made of limestone, from coral. This is a region where the Earth’s plates
meet, so there are some volcanic islands, such as Montserrat and St Lucia.
Some countries are very flat and low-lying, such as the Cayman Islands and
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25°00'N
85°00'W
USA
80°00'W
75°00'W
70°00'W
65°00'W
Gulf of Mexico
BAHAMAS
Tropic of Cancer
0
CUBA
20°00'N
G
MEXICO
Cayman Islands
(UK)
r
e
HAITI
r
Neth.
Puerto
Antilles
Rico (USA)
A n
t i l l
e s
e
a
n
r
se
b
e
a
PACIFIC
OCEAN
A n t i l l e s
S
Neth.
Antilles
10°00'N
Montserrat (UK)
s
b
d
ar s
ew d
e lan
e
DOMINICAN
REPUBLIC
Is
t
JAMAICA
i
1000 kilometres
750
e
HONDURAS
r
500
L
15°00'N
a
ATLANTIC
OCEAN
Scale 1:20 000 000
C
BELIZE
55°00'W
N
L
a
250
60°00'W
ST LUCIA
Wi
n
Isl dward
and
s
90°00'W
BARBADOS
TRINIDAD
AND TOBAGO
VENEZUELA
GUYANA
The Caribbean
Barbados. Other countries, such as Jamaica, the Dominican Republic and
Trinidad, and mainland countries such as Guyana, Honduras and Venezuela,
are mountainous.
The mainland countries and the larger, more mountainous islands have many
rivers, but some countries, such as the Cayman Islands, lack rivers and have
difficulty supplying enough water for domestic use.
Here are some examples of the range of Caribbean physical features:
■
■
■
■
■
■
■
■
■
Mainland countries of Central and South America: Belize and Guyana
are Caribbean because of their common historical, eonomic and cultural
backgrounds.
Island nations: Jamaica, Cuba, Trinidad and Tobago
Volcanic islands: Montserrat (active), St Lucia (dormant)
Coral islands: the Bahamas
Limestone islands: Jamaica, Cayman Islands
Mountain ranges: Blue Mountains ( Jamaica), Sierra Maestra (Cuba),
Northern Range (Trinidad), Pakaraima Mts (Guyana)
Mountainous islands: Dominica, St Kitts and Nevis, St Lucia, Montserrat,
Guadeloupe
Flat, low-lying islands: Barbados, Cayman Islands, Bahamas
Rivers: Essequibo (Guyana), Belize River (Belize)
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Caribbean countries can also be grouped by language and colonial history:
■
■
■
■
English, eg Jamaica, Trinidad, Barbados, Belize
Spanish, eg Cuba, Guatemala, Mexico
French, eg Haiti, St Martin, Martinique, Guadeloupe
Dutch, eg Netherlands Antilles, Curacao, St Maarten
Caribbean countries and their capitals
Country
Anguilla
Antigua and Barbuda
Aruba
Bahamas
Barbados
British Virgin Islands
Cayman Islands
Cuba
Curacao
Capital
The Valley
St John’s
Oranjestad
Nassau
Bridgetown
Road Town
George Town
Havana
Willemstad
Dominica
Dominican Republic
Grenada
Roseau
Santo Domingo
St George’s
Country
Guadeloupe
Haiti
Jamaica
Martinique
Montserrat
Puerto Rico
St Kitts and Nevis
St Lucia
St Vincent and the
Grenadines
Trinidad and Tobago
Turks and Caicos Islands
US Virgin Islands
Capital
Basse-Terre
Port-au-Prince
Kingston
Fort de France
Plymouth
San Juan
Basseterre
Castries
Kingstown
Port of Spain
Cockburn Town
Charlotte Amalie
Exercise 1
1
What is the name of the area of water that surrounds Jamaica?
A the Atlantic Ocean
B the Caribbean Sea
C the Mediterranean Sea
D the Pacific Ocean
2
Jamaica is part of a group of islands known as the
A Bahamas
B Netherlands Antilles
C Greater Antilles
D Lesser Antilles
3
George’s, Pedro and the Liguanea are all
A coastal plains
B mountain ranges
C mountain peaks
D waterfalls
.
.
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4
In which area of Jamaica is the Blue Mountain range?
A the east
B the north
C the south
D the west
5
What are the three Jamaican counties called?
A Cornwall, Middlesex and Kingston
B Cornwall, Middlesex and Surrey
C Middlesex, St Ann and Manchester
D Surrey, Manchester and St Ann
6
Which parish is indicated on the
map by ‘X’?
A Clarendon
B St Ann
C St Catherine
D Trelawny
7
The Caribbean region lies between which lines of latitude?
A 4° N and 27° N
B 14° N and 37° N
C 40° N and 67° N
D 48° N and 100° N
8
Which of these countries has a coastline on the Gulf of Mexico?
A Cuba
B Dominica
C St Lucia
D Trinidad and Tobago
9
The Bahamas are
A volcanic islands
B mountainous islands
C low-lying coral islands
D on the mainland
10
In which of the following islands is French the official language?
A Cuba
B Martinique
C St Lucia
D Trinidad and Tobago
x
.
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