| Location : |
Caribbean, islands in the Caribbean Sea, about one-third of the way from Puerto Rico to Trinidad and Tobago |
| Geographic Coordinates : |
17 20 N, 62 45 W |
| Map References : |
Central America and the Caribbean |
| Area : |
total: 261 sq km (Saint Kitts 168 sq km; Nevis 93 sq km)
land: 261 sq km
water: 0 sq km |
| Area - Comparative : |
1.5 times the size of Washington, DC |
| Coastline : |
135 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 tempered by constant sea breezes; little seasonal temperature variation; rainy season (May to November) |
| Terrain : |
volcanic with mountainous interiors |
| Elevation Extremes : |
lowest point: Caribbean Sea 0 m
highest point: Mount Liamuiga 1,156 m |
| Natural Resources : |
arable land |
| Land Use : |
arable land: 19.44%
permanent crops: 2.78%
other: 77.78% (2001) |
| Natural Hazards : |
hurricanes (July to October) |
| Environment - International Agreements : |
party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Whaling
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements |
| Geography - Note : |
With coastlines in the shape of a baseball bat and ball, the two volcanic islands are separated by a three-km-wide channel called The Narrows; on the southern tip of long, baseball bat-shaped Saint Kitts lies the Great Salt Pond; Nevis Peak sits in the center of its almost circular namesake island and its ball shape complements that of its sister island. |
