Geography of Saint Kitts and Nevis
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 |
Land boundaries: | 0 km |
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% (2005) |
Irrigated land: | NA |
Natural hazards: | hurricanes (July to October) |
Environment - current issues: | NA |
Environment - international agreements: | party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, 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 |