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Location:
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Caribbean, two island groups in the Caribbean Sea - one includes Curacao and Bonaire north of Venezuela; the other is east of the Virgin Islands
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Geographic coordinates:
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12 15 N, 68 45 W
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Map references:
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Central America and the Caribbean
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Area:
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total: 960 sq km
note: includes Bonaire, Curacao, Saba, Sint Eustatius, and Sint Maarten (Dutch part of the island of Saint Martin)
water: 0 sq km
land: 960 sq km
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Area - comparative:
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more than five times the size of Washington, DC
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Land boundaries:
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total: 10.2 km
border countries: Guadeloupe (Saint Martin) 10.2 km
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Coastline:
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364 km
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Maritime claims:
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exclusive fishing zone: 12 NM
territorial sea: 12 NM
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Climate:
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tropical; ameliorated by northeast trade winds
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Terrain:
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generally hilly, volcanic interiors
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Elevation extremes:
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lowest point: Caribbean Sea 0 m
highest point: Mount Scenery 862 m
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Natural resources:
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phosphates (Curacao only), salt (Bonaire only)
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Land use:
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arable land: 10%
permanent crops: 0%
other: 90% (1998 est.)
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Irrigated land:
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NA sq km
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Natural hazards:
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Curacao and Bonaire are south of Caribbean hurricane belt and are rarely threatened; Sint Maarten, Saba, and Sint Eustatius are subject to hurricanes from July to October
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Environment - current issues:
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NA
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Geography - note:
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the five islands of the Netherlands Antilles are divided geographically into the Leeward Islands (northern) group (Saba, Sint Eustatius, and Sint Maarten) and the Windward Islands (southern) group (Bonaire and Curacao)
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