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Geography of Antigua and Barbuda

This article describes the geography of Antigua and Barbuda.

Location
Antigua and Barbuda are Caribbean islands between the Caribbean Sea and the North Atlantic Ocean, east-southeast of Puerto Rico
Geographic coordinates
Map references
Central America and the Caribbean
Area
  • Total: 442 kmē (Antigua 281 kmē; Barbuda 161 kmē)
  • Land: 442 kmē
  • Water: 0 kmē
  • Note: Includes Redonda
Area comparative
Land boundaries
0 km
Coastline
153 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
Climate
Tropical marine; little seasonal temperature variation
Terrain
Mostly low-lying limestone and coral islands, with some higher volcanic areas
Elevation extremes
  • Lowest point: Caribbean Sea 0 m
  • Highest point: Boggy Peak 402 m
Natural resources
NEGL; pleasant climate fosters tourism
Land use
  • Arable land: 18%
  • Permanent crops: 0%
  • Permanent pastures: 9%
  • Forests and woodland: 11%
  • Other: 62% (1993 est.)
Natural hazards
Hurricanes and tropical storms (July to October); periodic droughts
Environment--current issues
Water management, a major concern because of limited natural fresh water resources, is further hampered by the clearing of trees to increase crop production, causing rainfall to run off quickly
Environment--international agreements
  • Party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Whaling
  • Signed, but not ratified: None of the selected agreements

Reference

Much of the material in this article comes from the CIA World Factbook 2000 and the 2003 U.S. Department of State website.

Last updated: 08-18-2005 02:55:07