Jamaica
Satellite: Sentinel-2 cloudless 2016 by EOX (CC BY 4.0). Outline and points © OpenStreetMap contributors / Natural Earth. North up.
In numbers
11,190km²
Area
640km
Coastline
measured on a simplified outline
2,256m
Highest point
Blue Mountain Peak
2,800,000
People
30°C
Warmest sea
September
586km
To the mainland
When to go to Jamaica
Best for the beach from December to April.
The sea is warmest in September (30 °C) and coolest in February (27 °C). You can swim comfortably all year (21 °C or more).
Averages 1991–2020. Sea: NOAA OISST, the water within 35 km of the coast. Air, rain and sun: NASA POWER. Best months weigh warm afternoons (23–30 °C), sea of 24 °C or more and few wet days.
Largest island of Jamaica, comprising most of its territory
Jamaica is an island in Jamaica. It belongs to Caribbean. It covers 11,190 km², with 640 km of coastline. Its highest point, Blue Mountain Peak, rises to 2,256 m. About 2,800,000 people live on it. The nearest mainland is 586 km away.
Getting there
- Norman Manley International Airport (KIN)main airport (4 on the island with scheduled flights)Car hire at KIN airport (Kingston)Discover Cars · Affiliate link↗
- FerriesPort Antonio - Navy Island
- 586 km from the mainlanddistance to the nearest continental coast
- From December to Aprilbest months to go (from 30 years of averages)
Plan the trip
Ferries, stays and things to do
Some links above are affiliate links: if you book through them we may earn a commission, at no extra cost to you. It never changes what the data on this page says.
On the island
What you find on Jamaica.
- 51beachesWicki Wacki beach, Small Lonely Beach, Crab Key Beach and 48 more
- 22viewpointsBlue Lagoon, Martha Brae Rafting Village, Rocklands Bird Sanctuary and 19 more
- 4lighthousesPortland Lighthouse, Negril Lighthouse, Lover's Leap and 1 more
- 2ferry terminalsErrol Flynn Marina, Ken Wright Cruise Ship Pier
- 7marinasErrol Flynn Marina Boatyard, Boundbrook Wharf, Errol Flynn Marina and 4 more
- 99named peaksBlue Mountain Peak, East Peak, High Peak and 96 more
- 1volcanoesExtinct Volcano
- 198waterfallsBig Dunn Falls, Y. S. Falls and 196 more
- 2castles and fortsFort Rocky, Colbeck Castle (1680)
- 62ruins and archaeological sitesFort Lindsay, 1790, Passage Fort (Historic), Stewart Castle and 59 more
- 3dive centresMarine Life Divers, Garfield diving station, Dressel Divers Montego Bay
- 1surf spotsJamnesia
- 1waymarked walking routesAugust Town Celebration Route
- 7campsitesFont Hill Pump House, Oĺd water pump house, MTA Farm and 4 more
- 521hotels, guesthouses and apartments
- 1,060restaurants, cafés and bars
Counted in OpenStreetMap, the map anyone can edit, inside the island's outline. A low number may only mean nobody has mapped it yet.
Cross-checked with our atlases
Jamaica in our other atlases
Everything Coastya, Peakyas, Lakeyas and Cascadyas know about what lies inside Jamaica, each with its own numbers.
38beaches and covesCoastya
2waterfallsCascadyas
Beach with the warmest sea
29.8°C
Esher Cove
sea in the warmest month · according to Coastya
38 beaches
on Coastya, the beach atlas
- Great Bay29.6°C
- Boston Beach29.4°C
- Puerto Seco Beach29.7°C
- James Bond Beach29.6°C
- Cornwall Beach29.8°C
- Wiltshire Beach29.7°C
- Gunboat Beach29.4°C
- Harmony Beach29.7°C
30 more on CoastyaOpen Coastya ↗
2 waterfalls
on Cascadyas, the waterfall atlas
- Mayfield Falls
- Llandovery Falls
Cascadyas is coming soonOpen Cascadyas ↗
The shape of the land.
On average the island stands 319 m above the sea. 42 % of it is below 200 m.
- 19 %0–50 m
- 23 %50–200 m
- 33 %200–500 m
- 23 %500–1,000 m
- 2 %1,000–2,000 m
Share of the island's area in each altitude band, from the Copernicus DEM (30 m, read at 30–240 m on large islands).
Size, for real
Next to islands you may know.
100 km
All outlines drawn to the same scale (Natural Earth and OpenStreetMap).
Towns on the island
- Kingston937,700 people
- New Kingston583,958 people
- Spanish Town145,018 people
- Portmore102,861 people
- Montego Bay82,867 people
- Mandeville47,115 people
- May Pen44,755 people
- Ocho Rios26,503 people
- Old Harbour26,024 people
- Linstead20,660 people
- Half Way Tree18,552 people
- Barrett Town17,169 people
Month by month
The weather on the island.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Afternoon high (°C) | 27 | 28 | 28 | 29 | 29 | 29 | 29 | 30 | 30 | 29 | 28 | 28 |
| Night low (°C) | 24 | 24 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 26 | 26 | 26 | 26 | 26 | 25 | 24 |
| Sea (°C) | 27 | 27 | 27 | 28 | 28 | 28 | 29 | 29 | 30 | 29 | 29 | 28 |
| Rain (mm) | 33 | 19 | 29 | 41 | 111 | 89 | 69 | 104 | 127 | 170 | 87 | 49 |
| Wet days | 8 | 6 | 8 | 8 | 16 | 13 | 11 | 16 | 19 | 20 | 13 | 9 |
| Sun h/day | 6.7 | 7.5 | 7.9 | 8.3 | 7.3 | 7.6 | 8.0 | 7.4 | 7.3 | 6.2 | 6.2 | 6.4 |
| Wind (km/h) | 21 | 21 | 20 | 19 | 21 | 23 | 22 | 19 | 16 | 16 | 18 | 20 |
Averages 1991–2020 for the ~55 km NASA POWER cell over the island; the sea from NOAA OISST.
Recent years
Warmer and cooler years at sea.
Each month's sea temperature compared with its 1991–2020 average, in degrees.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | +0.7 | +0.7 | +0.6 | +0.8 | +0.5 | +0.3 | +0.6 | +0.2 | +0.6 | +0.3 | +0.1 | +0.4 |
| 2021 | +0.5 | +0.5 | +0.4 | −0.1 | +0.3 | +0.3 | +0.1 | +0.3 | +0.2 | +0.4 | +0.6 | +0.5 |
| 2022 | +0.6 | +0.6 | +0.6 | +0.2 | −0.1 | −0.1 | +0.3 | +0.4 | +0.3 | +0.4 | +0.6 | +0.3 |
| 2023 | +0.4 | +0.2 | +0.2 | +0.5 | +0.9 | +0.8 | +0.8 | +1.1 | +1.4 | +1.4 | +1.1 | +0.9 |
| 2024 | +0.6 | +0.5 | +0.9 | +0.8 | +1.3 | +1.0 | +0.8 | +0.9 | +0.9 | +1.0 | +0.8 | +0.5 |
| 2025 | +0.7 | +0.8 | +1.1 | +0.5 | +0.6 | +0.5 | +0.3 | +0.8 | +0.8 | +0.9 | +0.4 | +0.6 |
+1 warmer than usual −1 cooler than usual
Photos
Seen by visitors.
United States
United Kingdom
Haiti
About these numbers
| Names, area, population | Wikidata (Q27119301) · CC0 |
|---|---|
| Outline | Natural Earth · public domain |
| Sea temperature | NOAA OISST v2.1 · 1991–2020 |
| Climate | NASA POWER · 1991–2020 |
| Relief, 3D model | Copernicus DEM GLO-30 · © DLR e.V., © Airbus Defence and Space GmbH, Copernicus/ESA |
| Beaches, ports, lighthouses, trails | © OpenStreetMap contributors · ODbL |
| Towns | GeoNames · CC BY 4.0 |
| Images | EOX Sentinel-2 cloudless 2016 · CC BY 4.0; Wikimedia Commons |
| Beaches, mountains, lakes and waterfalls | Coastya, Cascadyas — Wikidata · CC0; © OpenStreetMap contributors · ODbL; GeoNames · CC BY 4.0; NOAA OISST |
Every figure is an average, an estimate or a count from a public dataset. Licences and methods: data sources.
The family
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