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Jamaica is the third largest island of the Greater Antilles of the West Indies, (about the size of Connecticut in the United States). Its maximum length, from east to west, is 235 km (146 mi), and its maximum width is approximately 80 km (about 50 mi).
The terrain is mountainous, except for several tracts of lowlands in the southern coastal area. The fabled Blue Mountains dominate the eastern end of the island, and create perfect growing conditions for high-quality coffee. Jamaica belongs to the Central American region of the Western Hemisphere. The West Indian islands are actually the summits of a submarine range of mountains, which in prehistoric times perhaps formed one large land mass connecting Central America to Venezuela in South America.
During the ages, vast changes took place in this region of the earth's crust. The land subsided beneath the sea. When it rose again only the highest parts of it appeared above the surface of the sea. These formed the Caribbean islands, which have remained separate and distinct islands ever since.
