Where is Jamaica

Ask any Jamaican "Where is Jamaica?" and you'll see that we're visibly shaken. You know where the USA is, don't you? And the UK? Well, how could you possibly not know where Jamaica is located, seeing that we're the most important place in the world? Are you from planet earth?

Everyone knows that we're just under Cuba, to the right of Mexico and the left of Haiti. A hop and a skip to the left and you'll be in Grand Cayman. We're close enough to Florida that the flights could be a lot cheaper. But so far away from the UK that you better take food along if you don't want to starve on the nine-hour flight.

All that, and you're still asking "Where is Jamaica located?" Well if you really have to be accurate, with latitudes and hemispheres and all that, here goes:

Jamaica is in the West Indies, which is an archipelago of islands between southeast United States and northern South America. The island is in the Northern and Western Hemispheres, located at latitude 17 degrees North (approximately), and between longitude 77 and 79 degrees West. It is surrounded by the Caribbean sea. We form a part of the Greater Antilles, which also include Cuba, Puerto Rico and Hispaniola (Dominican Republic and Haiti). These are the largest islands in the archipelago, found in the north west Caribbean.

Our closest neighbours are Cuba which is 90 miles (140 km) to the north, and Haiti which is 118 miles (190 km) to the east.

Click on the thumbnail map below to see Jamaica's location in the Caribbean Sea, courtesy of www.paradise-islands.org (opens a new window).

The table below shows approximate distances and flight times from Kingston to some of the major cities of the Caribbean and the world. You'll notice that Jamaica is closer to Florida than it is to fellow Caribbean counries like Barbados, Trinidad and Guyana. Just goes to show how big the Caribbean actually is.

From Kingston to: Approximate distance in miles Approximate flying time
Miami, Florida 580 1hr 25m
New York, New York 1578 3 hr 45 m
London, England 4690 9hr 45m
Toronto, Canada 1791 3hr 40m
Bridgetown, Barbados 1182 2hr 38m
Georgetown, Guyana 1474 3hr 5m
Port of Spain, Trinidad 1131 2hr 30m
Berlin, Germany 5252 10hr 50m
Beijing, China 8360 17hr 30m
Bogota, Colombia 926 2hr
Johannesburg, South Africa 7592 15hr 45m
Madrid, Spain 4550 9hr 30m
Mexico City, Mexico 1467 3hr 5m
Paris, France 4808 10hr
Sydney, Ausralia 9294 19hr 20m

Hopefully you now have a better idea on the whereabouts of Jamaica, and you won't have to ask that ego-bruising question "Where is  jamaica?" ever again.

We're right here, waiting to meet you!

Return from Where is Jamaica to Real Jamaica Vacations

Other Great Pages

History of Jamaica

Christmas in Jamaica

Jamaican Animals

Jamaica People

Jamaican Climate