GEOGRAPHY
Location: Caribbean, two island groups in
the Caribbean Sea - one includes Curacao and Bonaire north of
Venezuela; the other is east of the Virgin Islands
Geographic coordinates: 12 15 N, 68 45 W
Map references: North America
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
Geography - note: the five islands of the Netherlands
Antilles are divided geographically into the Leeward Islands
(northern) group (Saba, Sint Eustatius, and Sint Maarten) and
the Windward Islands (southern) group (Bonaire and Curacao)
