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Location: |
Oceania, group of islands in the South Pacific Ocean, east of Papua New Guinea
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Geographic coordinates: |
8 00 S, 159 00 E
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Map references: |
Oceania
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Area: |
total: 28,450 sq km
land: 27,540 sq km
water: 910 sq km
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Area - comparative: |
slightly smaller than Maryland
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Land boundaries: |
0 km
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Coastline: |
5,313 km
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Maritime claims: |
measured from claimed archipelagic baselines
territorial sea: 12 nm
exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
continental shelf: 200 nm
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Climate: |
tropical monsoon; few extremes of temperature and weather
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Terrain: |
mostly rugged mountains with some low coral atolls
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Elevation extremes: |
lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m
highest point: Mount Makarakomburu 2,447 m
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Natural resources: |
fish, forests, gold, bauxite, phosphates, lead, zinc, nickel
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Land use: |
arable land: 0.64%
permanent crops: 2%
other: 97.36% (2001)
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Irrigated land: |
NA
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Natural hazards: |
typhoons, but rarely destructive; geologically active region with frequent earth tremors; volcanic activity
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Environment - current issues: |
deforestation; soil erosion; many of the surrounding coral reefs are dead or dying
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Environment - international agreements: |
party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Environmental Modification, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Marine Life Conservation, Ozone Layer Protection, Whaling
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements
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Geography - note: |
strategic location on sea routes between the South Pacific Ocean, the Solomon Sea, and the Coral Sea
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