Navassa Island Geography Profile 2007

Location

Caribbean, island in the Caribbean Sea, 35 miles west of Tiburon Peninsula of Haiti

Geographic coordinates

18 25 N, 75 02 W

Map references

Central America and the Caribbean

Area

total: 5.4 sq km
land: 5.4 sq km
water: 0 sq km

Area - comparative

about nine times the size of The Mall in Washington, DC

Land boundaries

0 km

Coastline

8 km

Maritime claims

territorial sea: 12 nm
exclusive economic zone: 200 nm

Climate

marine, tropical

Terrain

raised coral and limestone plateau, flat to undulating; ringed by vertical white cliffs (9 to 15 m high)

Elevation extremes

lowest point: Caribbean Sea 0 m
highest point: unnamed location on southwest side 77 m

Natural resources

guano

Land use

arable land: 0%
permanent crops: 0%
other: 100% (2005)

Natural hazards

hurricanes

Environment - current issues

NA

Geography - note

strategic location 160 km south of the US Naval Base at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba; mostly exposed rock with numerous solution holes but with enough grassland to support goat herds; dense stands of fig trees, scattered cactus