Location:
Oceania, island in the South Pacific Ocean, east of Tonga
Geographic coordinates:
19 02 S, 169 52 W
Map references:
Oceania
Area:
total: 260 sq km
water: 0 sq km
land: 260 sq km
Area - comparative:
1.5 times the size of Washington, DC
Land boundaries:
0 km
Coastline:
64 km
Maritime claims:
exclusive economic zone: 200 NM
territorial sea: 12 NM
Climate:
tropical; modified by southeast trade winds
Terrain:
steep limestone cliffs along coast, central plateau
Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m
highest point: unnamed location near Mutalau settlement 68 m
Natural resources:
fish, arable land
Land use:
arable land: 19.23%
permanent crops: 7.69%
other: 73.08% (1998 est.)
Irrigated land:
NA sq km
Natural hazards:
typhoons
Environment - current issues:
increasing attention to conservationist practices to counter loss
of soil fertility from traditional slash and burn agriculture
Environment - international agreements:
party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto
Protocol, Desertification
signed, but not ratified: Law of the Sea
Geography - note:
one of world's largest coral islands