Netherlands Antilles Geography Profile 2008

Location

Caribbean, two island groups in the Caribbean Sea - composed of five islands, Curacao and Bonaire located off the coast of Venezuela, and Sint Maarten, Saba, and Sint Eustatius lie east of the US Virgin Islands

Geographic coordinates

12 15 N, 68 45 W

Map references

Central America and the Caribbean

Area

total: 960 sq km
land: 960 sq km
water: 0 sq km
note: includes Bonaire, Curacao, Saba, Sint Eustatius, and Sint Maarten (Dutch part of the island of Saint Martin)

Area - comparative

more than five times the size of Washington, DC

Land boundaries

total: 15 km
border countries: Saint Martin 15 km

Coastline

364 km

Maritime claims

territorial sea: 12 nm
exclusive fishing zone: 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% (2005)

Irrigated land

NA

Natural hazards

Sint Maarten, Saba, and Sint Eustatius are subject to hurricanes from July to October; Curacao and Bonaire are south of Caribbean hurricane belt and are rarely threatened

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); the island of Saint Martin is the smallest landmass in the world shared by two independent states, the French territory of Saint Martin and the Dutch territory of Sint Maarten