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Location:
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Caribbean, islands in the Caribbean Sea, about one-third of the way from Puerto Rico to Trinidad and Tobago
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Geographic coordinates:
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17 20 N, 62 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: 261 sq km (Saint Kitts 168 sq km; Nevis 93 sq km)
water: 0 sq km
land: 261 sq km
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Area - comparative:
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1.5 times the size of Washington, DC
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Land boundaries:
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0 km
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Coastline:
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135 km
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Maritime claims:
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contiguous zone: 24 NM
exclusive economic zone: 200 NM
territorial sea: 12 NM
continental shelf: 200 NM or to the edge of the continental margin
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Climate:
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tropical tempered by constant sea breezes; little seasonal temperature variation; rainy season (May to November)
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Terrain:
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volcanic with mountainous interiors
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Elevation extremes:
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lowest point: Caribbean Sea 0 m
highest point: Mount Liamuiga 1,156 m
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Natural resources:
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arable land
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Land use:
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arable land: 16.67%
permanent crops: 2.78%
other: 80.55% (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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hurricanes (July to October)
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Environment - current issues:
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NA
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Environment - international agreements:
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party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Whaling
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements
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Geography - note:
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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
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