| Location | Oceania, island group consisting of nine coral atolls in the South Pacific Ocean, about half way from Hawaii to Australia |
| Geographic coordinates | 8 00 S, 178 00 E |
| Map references | Oceania |
| Area | total: 26 sq km land: 26 sq km water: 0 sq km |
| Area - comparative | 0.1 times the size of Washington, DC |
| Land boundaries | total: 0 km |
| Coastline | 24 km |
| Maritime claims | territorial sea: 12 nm contiguous zone: 24 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm |
| Climate | tropical; moderated by easterly trade winds (March to November); westerly gales and heavy rain (November to March) |
| Terrain | low-lying and narrow coral atolls |
| Elevation extremes | highest point: unnamed location 5 m lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m mean elevation: 2 m |
| Natural resources | fish, coconut (copra) |
| Land use | agricultural land: 60% (2018 est.) arable land: 0% (2018 est.) permanent crops: 60% (2018 est.) permanent pasture: 0% (2018 est.) forest: 33.3% (2018 est.) other: 6.7% (2018 est.) |
| Irrigated land | 0 sq km (2012) |
| Total renewable water resources | 0 cubic meters (2017 est.) |
| Natural hazards | severe tropical storms are usually rare, but in 1997 there were three cyclones; low levels of islands make them sensitive to changes in sea level |
| Geography - note | one of the smallest and most remote countries on Earth; six of the nine coral atolls - Nanumea, Nui, Vaitupu, Nukufetau, Funafuti, and Nukulaelae - have lagoons open to the ocean; Nanumaya and Niutao have landlocked lagoons; Niulakita does not have a lagoon |
Source: CIA World Factbook
This page was last updated on September 18, 2021
