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Jamaica: map, flag, capital and key facts

Jamaica is a country in North America, in Central America and the Caribbean, with about 2.84 million people (2025) and an area of 10,990 square kilometres. Its capital is Kingston, and it has no land borders.

By Team Geography Last reviewed

Flag of Jamaica
Flag of Jamaica
Map showing where the country sits among its neighbours
Jamaica in solid, land neighbours outlined, capital marked.

Key facts about Jamaica

CapitalKingston
ContinentNorth America
RegionCentral America and the Caribbean
Population2,837,077 2025, World Bank. 138th of 195.
Area10,990 km² (4,243 sq mi) World Bank, surface area. 160th largest of 195.
Population density258 people per km²
Land neighboursNone. It has no land borders with another country.
UN statusMember state
Capital coordinates17.98° N, 76.77° W Kingston, Natural Earth.

No land borders

Jamaica shares no land border with another country. Its nearest neighbours are across the sea, as the map above shows.

From the Geography app

The app teaches each country through short hand written lenses: PLACE for physical geography, STORY for history and identity, NOW for the news, and THREAD for the ties between countries. Here is one of Jamaica's 5, in full.

PLACELens 1 of 5

A mountainous island in the heart of the Caribbean

Jamaica is the third largest island in the Caribbean, covering 10,991 square kilometers. The Blue Mountains rise to 2,256 meters in the east, catching moisture from the trade winds and creating one of the world's most prized coffee-growing microclimates. Two-thirds of the island is limestone plateau, riddled with sinkholes and underground rivers known as the Cockpit Country, a terrain so rugged it sheltered Maroon communities for centuries against British forces.

More on Cockpit Country

A dramatic karst landscape in western Jamaica, characterized by steep-sided conical hills and deep sinkholes. Its inaccessibility made it a natural fortress for the Maroons, descendants of escaped enslaved Africans who fought two wars against the British and won treaty rights that persist to this day.

4 more lenses on Jamaica in the app

  • STORY An island of 2.8 million that reshaped global music
  • NOW Debt, bauxite, and a category five landfall
  • NOW Violence, deportation, and the garrison system
  • THREAD A small island with a global diaspora

Titles only. The app brings each lens back on a spaced repetition schedule set by how well you knew it: New, Hazy or Clear.

Compare Jamaica with another country

Opens the country comparison tool with population, area, income and more side by side, every figure dated.

Common questions

What is the capital of Jamaica?
The capital of Jamaica is Kingston. Kingston lies at about 18.0 degrees north and 76.8 degrees west. Jamaica is in North America, in the region often called Central America and the Caribbean. It is home to about 2.84 million people.
What is the population of Jamaica?
About 2.84 million people live in Jamaica, according to the World Bank figures for 2025. That makes it the 138th most populous of the 195 countries. With an area of 10,990 square kilometres, that is about 258 people per square kilometre.
What countries border Jamaica?
None. Jamaica has no land borders with any other country. It is surrounded by sea, so every neighbour of Jamaica is across the water. It lies in North America, in the region often called Central America and the Caribbean. Its area is 10,990 square kilometres, and about 2.84 million people live there.
How big is Jamaica?
Jamaica covers 10,990 square kilometres, or about 4,243 square miles. That makes it the 160th largest of the 195 countries. The figure is total surface area, which includes inland water such as lakes and rivers. Its population of about 2.84 million gives a density of 258 people per square kilometre.

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