| Location : |
Caribbean, islands between the Caribbean Sea and the North Atlantic Ocean, northeast of Venezuela |
| Geographic Coordinates : |
11 00 N, 61 00 W |
| Map References : |
Central America and the Caribbean |
| Area : |
total: 5,128 sq km
land: 5,128 sq km
water: 0 sq km |
| Area - Comparative : |
slightly smaller than Delaware |
| Coastline : |
362 km |
| Maritime Claims : |
measured from claimed archipelagic baselines
territorial sea: 12 nm
contiguous zone: 24 nm
exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
continental shelf: 200 nm or to the outer edge of the continental margin |
| Climate : |
tropical; rainy season (June to December) |
| Terrain : |
mostly plains with some hills and low mountains |
| Elevation Extremes : |
lowest point: Caribbean Sea 0 m
highest point: El Cerro del Aripo 940 m |
| Natural Resources : |
petroleum, natural gas, asphalt |
| Land Use : |
arable land: 14.62%
permanent crops: 9.16%
other: 76.22% (2001) |
| Irrigated Land : |
30 sq km (1998 est.) |
| Natural Hazards : |
outside usual path of hurricanes and other tropical storms |
| Environment - Current Issues : |
water pollution from agricultural chemicals, industrial wastes, and raw sewage; oil pollution of beaches; deforestation; soil erosion |
| Environment - International Agreements : |
party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Life Conservation, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements |
| Geography - Note : |
Pitch Lake, on Trinidad's southwestern coast, is the world's largest natural reservoir of asphalt. |
