Real size
How big is Jamaica really?
10,900 km²
4,220 sq mi · 7th smallest of the 167 here · about the size of Qatar
Normal web maps show it about the right size
Jamaica covers 10,900 km² (4,220 sq mi), about the size of Qatar. It sits close to the equator, where normal web maps barely stretch land, so they show it at about its real size, and make countries farther from the equator look bigger than it.
Measured from our map outlines, so official figures can differ by a few percent. Ranks count the 167 countries and territories on these pages: those over 5,000 km², not counting disputed territories.
- Real area
- 10,900 km²
- Size rank
- 161st of 167
- On a normal web map
- About right
- Latitude
- 18°N
Countries about the same size
- QatarAbout the same size
- VanuatuAbout the same size
- GambiaJamaica is 1.1 times the size of the Gambia
- LebanonJamaica is 1.1 times the size of Lebanon
- BahamasThe Bahamas is 1.2 times the size of Jamaica
Jamaica through history
Borders here have moved many times. Step through our maps, from 2000 BCE to today, to see who ruled this land before, and how big their realms really were.
Open the history map →Browse the eras →
Common questions
- How big is Jamaica?
- Jamaica covers about 10,900 km² (4,220 sq mi). It is the 7th smallest of the 167 countries and territories on these pages (those over 5,000 km²).
- Do maps show Jamaica at the right size?
- Mostly. Jamaica lies close enough to the equator that a normal web map draws it only about 1.1 times too big, while countries far to the north or south are drawn several times too big.
- Is Jamaica bigger than Qatar?
- They are about the same size: within 5% of each other.