Antigua and Barbuda Geography
actual Travel Guide > Facts > Antigua and Barbuda > Geography
Location:
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: 442.6 sq km (Antigua 280 sq km; Barbuda 161 sq km)
land: 442.6 sq km
water: 0 sq km
note: includes Redonda, 1.6 sq km.
Area - comparative:
2.5 times the size of Washington, DC.
Land boundaries:
0 km.
Coastline:
153 km.
Maritime claims:
territorial sea: 12 nm
contiguous zone: 24 nm
exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
continental shelf: 200 nm or to the edge of the continental margin.
Climate:
tropical maritime; 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: 18.18%
permanent crops: 4.55%
other: 77.27% (2005).
Irrigated land:
NA.
Total renewable water resources:
0.1 cu km (2000).
Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural):
total: 0.005 cu km/yr (60%/20%/20%)
per capita: 63 cu m/yr (1990).
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, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands, Whaling
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements.
Geography - note:
Antigua has a deeply indented shoreline with many natural harbors and beaches; Barbuda has a large western harbor.
This page was last updated on May 15, 2008
|
Antigua and Barbuda Geography 2008 |
actual travel guide | travel destinations | travel news | webcams | scuba diving
© 2006-2008 actualTravelGuide.com . Terms of use. Contacts.