Geography of Barbados
Location: | Caribbean, island in the North Atlantic Ocean, northeast of Venezuela |
Geographic coordinates: | 13 10 N, 59 32 W |
Map references: | Central America and the Caribbean |
Area: | total: 431 sq km land: 431 sq km water: 0 sq km |
Area - comparative: | 2.5 times the size of Washington, DC |
Land boundaries: | 0 km |
Coastline: | 97 km |
Maritime claims: | territorial sea: 12 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm |
Climate: | tropical; rainy season (June to October) |
Terrain: | relatively flat; rises gently to central highland region |
Elevation extremes: | lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m highest point: Mount Hillaby 336 m |
Natural resources: | petroleum, fish, natural gas |
Land use: | arable land: 37.21% permanent crops: 2.33% other: 60.46% (2005) |
Irrigated land: | 50 sq km (2003) |
Natural hazards: | infrequent hurricanes; periodic landslides |
Environment - current issues: | pollution of coastal waters from waste disposal by ships; soil erosion; illegal solid waste disposal threatens contamination of aquifers |
Environment - international agreements: | party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements |
Geography - note: | easternmost Caribbean island |