Jamaica

LOCATED IN THE Caribbean, the Republic of Jamaica has a land area of 4,244 sq, mi, (10,990 sq, km.), with a population of 2,714,000 (2006 est.). It has a population density of 626 people per sq, mi, (241 people per sq, km.), making it the 49th most densely populated country in the world, with more than a third of the population living in Kingston, the country's capital. Fourteen percent of the land is arable, with a further 24 percent used for meadows and pasture. Although 27 percent of the country is still forested, the deforestation rate, 5 percent per year, is the highest of any country in the world. This is threatening wildlife diversity and contributing to ecological problems, not just in Jamaica, but also ...