| Location : |
Oceania, island group in the South Pacific Ocean, about two-thirds of the way from Hawaii to New Zealand |
| Geographic Coordinates : |
18 00 S, 175 00 E |
| Map References : |
Oceania |
| Area : |
total: 18,270 sq km
land: 18,270 sq km
water: 0 sq km |
| Area - Comparative : |
slightly smaller than New Jersey |
| Coastline : |
1,129 km |
| Maritime Claims : |
measured from claimed archipelagic straight baselines
territorial sea: 12 nm
exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
continental shelf: 200-m depth or to the depth of exploitation; rectilinear shelf claim added |
| Climate : |
tropical marine; only slight seasonal temperature variation |
| Terrain : |
mostly mountains of volcanic origin |
| Elevation Extremes : |
lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m
highest point: Tomanivi 1,324 m |
| Natural Resources : |
timber, fish, gold, copper, offshore oil potential, hydropower |
| Land Use : |
arable land: 10.95%
permanent crops: 4.65%
other: 84.4% (2001) |
| Irrigated Land : |
30 sq km (1998 est.) |
| Natural Hazards : |
cyclonic storms can occur from November to January |
| Environment - Current Issues : |
deforestation; soil erosion |
| Environment - International Agreements : |
party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Law of the Sea, Marine Life Conservation, Ozone Layer Protection, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements |
| Geography - Note : |
Includes 332 islands of which approximately 110 are inhabited. |
