Location:
Southeastern Asia, island in the Indian Ocean, south of Indonesia
Geographic coordinates:
10 30 S, 105 40 E
Map references:
Southeast Asia
Area:
total: 135 sq km
water: 0 sq km
land: 135 sq km
Area - comparative:
about 0.7 times the size of Washington, DC
Land boundaries:
0 km
Coastline:
80 km
Maritime claims:
contiguous zone: 12 NM
exclusive fishing zone: 200 NM
territorial sea: 12 NM
Climate:
tropical; heat and humidity moderated by trade winds
Terrain:
steep cliffs along coast rise abruptly to central plateau
Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Indian Ocean 0 m
highest point: Murray Hill 361 m
Natural resources:
phosphate, beaches
Land use:
arable land: 0%
permanent crops: 0%
other: 100%
note: mainly tropical rainforest; 63% of the island is a national
park (1998 est.)
Irrigated land:
NA sq km
Natural hazards:
the narrow fringing reef surrounding the island can be a maritime
hazard
Environment - current issues:
NA
Geography - note:
located along major sea lanes of Indian Ocean