Jamaica Channel

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Geographical location

The Jamaica Channel is a strait in the Caribbean Sea, which ( in the west) and separates the islands of Hispaniola, Jamaica (in the east ). Together with the Windward Passage in the north it connects the Caribbean Sea and the North Atlantic. Due to its location 1000 km north-east of the Panama Canal, the channel is a main shipping route that is heavily frequented by cargo ships with destination Pacific Ocean off the east coast of the U.S. and Canada as well as from Europe.

The strait is about 190 km wide and reaches depths of up to 1200 m.

In Jamaica Channel is the uninhabited limestone and coral island of Navassa, about 55 kilometers west of Haiti with an area of 5.2 km ².