Location:
Caribbean, two island groups in the Caribbean Sea - one includes
Curacao and Bonaire north of Venezuela; the other is east of the
Virgin Islands
Geographic coordinates:
12 15 N, 68 45 W
Map references:
Central America and the Caribbean
Area:
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
Area - comparative:
more than five times the size of Washington, DC
Land boundaries:
total: 10.2 km
border countries: Guadeloupe (Saint Martin) 10.2 km
Coastline:
364 km
Maritime claims:
exclusive fishing zone: 12 NM
territorial sea: 12 NM
Climate:
tropical; ameliorated by northeast trade winds
Terrain:
generally hilly, volcanic interiors
Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Caribbean Sea 0 m
highest point: Mount Scenery 862 m
Natural resources:
phosphates (Curacao only), salt (Bonaire only)
Land use:
arable land: 10%
permanent crops: 0%
other: 90% (1998 est.)
Irrigated land:
NA sq km
Natural hazards:
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
Environment - current issues:
NA
Geography - note:
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)