Jamaica is the largest English speaking island in the Caribbean: 600 miles south of Florida. It is 146 miles long, between 22 to 55 miles wide and has considerable variation in landscape from the coral sands and ironshore cliffs of the shoreline, through coastal wetlands, plains and highlands to the misty peaks of the Blue Mountains. It has a maritime tropical climate. The warm trade winds that blow by day are called "sea breeze" or "doctor breeze". The average daily temperature varies according to elevation from a high of 86F at sea level to a low of 63F in the mountains. The average annual rainfall ranges from 300 inches on the eastern slopes of the Blue Mountains to 230 inches in some parts of the south coast. During the cooler months, December to March the island sometimes experiences northerners: chill winds and high seas associated with a cold front to the North. July to September are the warmest months, There is a fresh sea breeze by day and a gentle breeze from the mountains by night. During the summer season temperatures are only a couple of degrees warmer than in the winter. The rainy season is usually during the fall. Usually brief showers followed by sunshine. Overcast days are rare.

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EMPEROR HAILE SELASSIE