GEOGRAPHY
Location:
Caribbean, chain of islands in the North Atlantic Ocean, southeast
of Florida
Geographic coordinates:
24 15 N, 76 00 W
Map references: Central
America and the Caribbean
Area:
total: 13,940 sq km
land: 10,070 sq km
water: 3,870 sq km
Area—comparative:
slightly smaller than Connecticut
Land boundaries:
0 km
Coastline: 3,542
km
Maritime claims:
continental shelf: 200-m depth or to the depth of exploitation
exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
territorial sea: 12 nm
Climate: tropical
marine; moderated by warm waters of Gulf Stream
Terrain: long, flat
coral formations with some low rounded hills
Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m
highest point: Mount Alvernia, on Cat Island 63 m
Natural resources:
salt, aragonite, timber
Land use:
arable land: 1%
permanent crops: 0%
permanent pastures: 0%
forests and woodland: 32%
other: 67% (1993 est.)
Irrigated land: NA
sq km
Natural hazards:
hurricanes and other tropical storms that cause extensive flood
and wind damage
Environment—current
issues: coral reef decay; solid waste disposal
Environment—international
agreements:
party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Endangered Species,
Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer
Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements
Geography—note:
strategic location adjacent to US and Cuba; extensive island chain
