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:
- 17° 03′ N, 61° 48′ W
- Map references:
- Central America and the Caribbean
- Area:
- Total: 442 km² (Antigua 281 km²; Barbuda 161 km²)
- Land: 442 km²
- Water: 0 km²
- 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.
