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Location: Caribbean, between the Caribbean Sea and the North
Atlantic Ocean, east of Puerto Rico
Geographic coordinates: 18 30 N, 64 30 W
Map references: Central America and the Caribbean
Area:
total: 150 sq km
land: 150 sq km
water: 0 sq km
note: includes the island of Anegada
Area - comparative: about 0.9 times the size of Washington,
DC
Land boundaries: 0 km
Coastline: 80 km
Maritime claims:
exclusive fishing zone: 200 nm
territorial sea: 3 nm
Climate: subtropical; humid; temperatures moderated by trade
winds
Terrain: coral islands relatively flat; volcanic islands
steep, hilly
Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Caribbean Sea 0 m
highest point: Mount Sage 521 m
Natural resources: NEGL
Land use:
arable land: 20%
permanent crops: 7%
permanent pastures: 33%
forests and woodland: 7%
other: 33% (1993 est.)
Irrigated land: NA sq km
Natural hazards: hurricanes and tropical storms (July to
October)
Environment - current issues: limited natural fresh water
resources (except for a few seasonal streams and springs on Tortola,
most of the islands' water supply comes from wells and rainwater
catchment)
Geography - note: strong ties to nearby US Virgin Islands
and Puerto Rico
Background: First settled by the Dutch in 1648, the islands
were soon after (1672) annexed by the English.
The economy is closely tied to the larger and more populous US Virgin
Islands to the west; the US dollar is the legal currency.
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