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Geography of Antigua and Barbuda

This article describes the geography of Antigua and Barbuda.

; Location:

Antigua and Barbuda are Caribbean islands between the Caribbean Sea and the North Atlantic Ocean, east-southeast of Puerto Rico
; Geographic coordinates:
17° 03′ N, 61° 48′ W
; Map references:
Central America and the Caribbean
; Area:
  • Total: 442 kmē (Antigua 281 kmē; Barbuda 161 kmē)
Land: 442 kmē
Water: 0 kmē
Note: Includes Redonda
; Area comparative:
Canada comparative: about the same size as St. John's
United Kingdom comparative: slightly larger than Saint Helena
United States comparative: 2.5 times the size of Washington, DC
; Land boundaries:
0 km
; Coastline:
153 km
; Maritime claims:
  • Contiguous zone: 24 nm
Continental shelf: 200 nm or to the edge of the continental margin
Exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
Territorial sea: 12 nm
; Climate:
Tropical marine; little seasonal temperature variation
; Terrain:
Mostly low-lying limestone and coral islands, with some higher volcanic areas
; Elevation extremes:
  • Lowest point: Caribbean Sea 0 m
Highest point: Boggy Peak 402 m
; Natural resources:
NEGL; pleasant climate fosters tourism
; Land use:
  • Arable land: 18%
Permanent crops: 0%
Permanent pastures: 9%
Forests and woodland: 11%
Other: 62% (1993 est.)
; Natural hazards:
Hurricanes and tropical storms (July to October); periodic droughts
; Environment--current issues:
Water management, a major concern because of limited natural fresh water resources, is further hampered by the clearing of trees to increase crop production, causing rainfall to run off quickly
; Environment--international agreements:
  • Party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Whaling
Signed, but not ratified: None of the selected agreements

Reference

Much of the material in this article comes from the
CIA World Factbook 2000 and the 2003 U.S. Department of State website.