|
Location:
|
Middle America, bordering the North Pacific Ocean, between Guatemala and Honduras
|
|
Geographic coordinates:
|
13 50 N, 88 55 W
|
|
Map references:
|
Central America and the Caribbean
|
|
Area:
|
total: 21,040 sq km
water: 320 sq km
land: 20,720 sq km
|
|
Area - comparative:
|
slightly smaller than Massachusetts
|
|
Land boundaries:
|
total: 545 km
border countries: Guatemala 203 km, Honduras 342 km
|
|
Coastline:
|
307 km
|
|
Maritime claims:
|
territorial sea: 200 NM
|
|
Climate:
|
tropical; rainy season (May to October); dry season (November to April); tropical on coast; temperate in uplands
|
|
Terrain:
|
mostly mountains with narrow coastal belt and central plateau
|
|
Elevation extremes:
|
lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m
highest point: Cerro El Pital 2,730 m
|
|
Natural resources:
|
hydropower, geothermal power, petroleum, arable land
|
|
Land use:
|
arable land: 27.27%
permanent crops: 12.11%
other: 60.62% (1998 est.)
|
|
Irrigated land:
|
360 sq km (1998 est.)
|
|
Natural hazards:
|
known as the Land of Volcanoes; frequent and sometimes very destructive earthquakes and volcanic activity; extremely susceptible to hurricanes
|
|
Environment - current issues:
|
deforestation; soil erosion; water pollution; contamination of soils from disposal of toxic wastes
|
|
Environment - international agreements:
|
party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Wetlands
signed, but not ratified: Law of the Sea
|
|
Geography - note:
|
smallest Central American country and only one without a coastline on Caribbean Sea
|
