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Location:
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Caribbean, island in the North Atlantic Ocean, northeast of Venezuela |
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Geographic coordinates:
| 13 10 N, 59 32 W |
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Map references:
| Central America and the Caribbean |
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Area:
| total: 431 sq km
land: 431 sq km
water: 0 sq km |
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Area - comparative:
| 2.5 times the size of Washington, DC |
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Land boundaries:
| 0 km |
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Coastline:
| 97 km |
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Maritime claims:
| territorial sea: 12 nm
exclusive economic zone: 200 nm |
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Climate:
| tropical; rainy season (June to October) |
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Terrain:
| relatively flat; rises gently to central highland region |
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Elevation extremes:
| lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m
highest point: Mount Hillaby 336 m |
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Natural resources:
| petroleum, fish, natural gas |
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Land use:
| arable land: 37.21%
permanent crops: 2.33%
other: 60.46% (2001) |
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Irrigated land:
| 10 sq km (1998 est.) |
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Natural hazards:
| infrequent hurricanes; periodic landslides |
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Environment - current issues:
| pollution of coastal waters from waste disposal by ships; soil erosion; illegal solid waste disposal threatens contamination of aquifers |
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Environment - international agreements:
| party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements |
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Geography - note:
| easternmost Caribbean island |
