GEOGRAPHY
Location:
Southern Asia, island in the Indian Ocean, south of India
Geographic coordinates: 7 00 N, 81 00 E
Map references: Asia
Area:
total area: 65,610 sq km
land area: 64,740 sq km
comparative area: slightly larger than West Virginia
Land boundaries: 0 km
Coastline: 1,340 km
Maritime claims:
contiguous zone: 24 nm
continental shelf: 200 nm or to the edge of the continental
margin
exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
territorial sea: 12 nm
International disputes: none
Climate: tropical monsoon; northeast monsoon (December
to March); southwest monsoon (June to October)
Terrain: mostly low, flat to rolling plain; mountains in
south-central interior
lowest point: Indian Ocean 0 m
highest point: Pidurutalagala 2,524 m
Natural resources: limestone, graphite, mineral sands,
gems, phosphates, clay
Land use:
arable land: 16%
permanent crops: 17%
meadows and pastures: 7%
forest and woodland: 37%
other: 23%
Irrigated land: 5,600 sq km (1989 est.)
Environment:
current issues: deforestation; soil erosion; wildlife populations
threatened by poaching; coastal degradation from mining activities
and increased pollution; freshwater resources being polluted by
industrial wastes and sewage runoff
natural hazards: occasional cyclones and tornadoes
international agreements: party to - Biodiversity, Climate
Change, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous
Wastes, Law of the Sea, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection,
Wetlands, Whaling; signed, but not ratified - Marine Life Conservation
Geographic note: strategic location near major Indian Ocean
sea lanes
