| Location: |
Caribbean, island between the Caribbean Sea and the North Atlantic Ocean, about one-half of the way from Puerto Rico to Trinidad and Tobago |
| Geographic coordinates: |
15 25 N, 61 20 W |
| Map references: |
Central America and the Caribbean |
| Area: |
total: 754 sq km
land: 754 sq km
water: 0 sq km |
| Area - comparative: |
slightly more than four times the size of Washington, DC |
| Land boundaries: |
0 km |
| Coastline: |
148 km |
| Maritime claims: |
territorial sea: 12 nm
contiguous zone: 24 nm
exclusive economic zone: 200 nm |
| Climate: |
tropical; moderated by northeast trade winds; heavy rainfall |
| Terrain: |
rugged mountains of volcanic origin |
| Elevation extremes: |
lowest point: Caribbean Sea 0 m
highest point: Morne Diablatins 1,447 m |
| Natural resources: |
timber, hydropower, arable land |
| Land use: |
arable land: 6.67%
permanent crops: 21.33%
other: 72% (2005) |
| Irrigated land: |
NA |
| Natural hazards: |
flash floods are a constant threat; destructive hurricanes can be expected during the late summer months |
| Environment - current issues: |
NA |
| Environment - international agreements: |
party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Whaling
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements |
| Geography - note: |
known as 'The Nature Island of the Caribbean' due to its spectacular, lush, and varied flora and fauna, which are protected by an extensive natural park system; the most mountainous of the Lesser Antilles, its volcanic peaks are cones of lava craters and include Boiling Lake, the second-largest, thermally active lake in the world |
