| Location: |
Caribbean, western one-third of the island of Hispaniola, between the Caribbean Sea and the North Atlantic Ocean, west of the Dominican Republic |
| Geographic coordinates: |
19 00 N, 72 25 W |
| Map references: |
Central America and the Caribbean |
| Area: |
total: 27,750 sq km
land: 27,560 sq km
water: 190 sq km |
| Area - comparative: |
slightly smaller than Maryland |
| Land boundaries: |
total: 360 km
border countries: Dominican Republic 360 km |
| Coastline: |
1,771 km |
| Maritime claims: |
territorial sea: 12 nm
contiguous zone: 24 nm
exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
continental shelf: to depth of exploitation |
| Climate: |
tropical; semiarid where mountains in east cut off trade winds |
| Terrain: |
mostly rough and mountainous |
| Elevation extremes: |
lowest point: Caribbean Sea 0 m
highest point: Chaine de la Selle 2,680 m |
| Natural resources: |
bauxite, copper, calcium carbonate, gold, marble, hydropower |
| Land use: |
arable land: 28.11%
permanent crops: 11.53%
other: 60.36% (2005) |
| Irrigated land: |
920 sq km (2003) |
| Natural hazards: |
lies in the middle of the hurricane belt and subject to severe storms from June to October; occasional flooding and earthquakes; periodic droughts |
| Environment - current issues: |
extensive deforestation (much of the remaining forested land is being cleared for agriculture and used as fuel); soil erosion; inadequate supplies of potable water |
| Environment - international agreements: |
party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Marine Life Conservation, Ozone Layer Protection
signed, but not ratified: Hazardous Wastes |
| Geography - note: |
shares island of Hispaniola with Dominican Republic (western one-third is Haiti, eastern two-thirds is the Dominican Republic) |
