Netherlands Antilles: Geography
Location:
Caribbean, two island groups in the Caribbean Sea - one includes Curacao and Bonaire north of Venezuela and the other is east of the Virgin Islands
Geographic coordinates:
12 15 N, 68 45 W
Map references:
Central America and the Caribbean
Area:
total:
960 sq km
land:
960 sq km
water:
0 sq km
note:
includes Bonaire, Curacao, Saba, Sint Eustatius, and Sint Maarten (Dutch part of the island of Saint Martin)
Area - comparative:
more than five times the size of Washington, DC
Land boundaries:
total:
10.2 km
border countries:
Guadeloupe (Saint Martin) 10.2 km
Coastline:
364 km
Maritime claims:
exclusive fishing zone:
12 nm
territorial sea:
12 nm
Climate:
tropical; ameliorated by northeast trade winds
Terrain:
generally hilly, volcanic interiors
Elevation extremes:
lowest point:
Caribbean Sea 0 m
highest point:
Mount Scenery 862 m
Natural resources:
phosphates (Curacao only), salt (Bonaire only)
Land use:
arable land:
10%
permanent crops:
0%
permanent pastures:
0%
forests and woodland:
0%
other:
90% (1993 est.)
Irrigated land:
NA sq km
Natural hazards:
Curacao and Bonaire are south of Caribbean hurricane belt and are rarely threatened; Sint Maarten, Saba, and Sint Eustatius are subject to hurricanes from July to October
Environment - current issues:
NA
Source: CIA World Factbook 2000
(In general, information available as of 1 January 2000 was used in the preparation of this edition.)
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