Barbados

Barbados Geography

Location
Caribbean, island in the North Atlantic Ocean, northeast of Venezuela

Geographic coordinates
13 10 N, 59 32 W

Area
total: 431 sq km
land: 431 sq km
water: 0 sq km

Area - comparative
2.5 times the size of Washington, DC

Land boundaries
0 km

Coastline
97 km

Maritime claims
territorial sea: 12 nm
exclusive economic zone: 200 nm

Climate
tropical; rainy season (June to October)

Terrain
relatively flat; rises gently to central highland region

Elevation extremes
lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m
highest point: Mount Hillaby 336 m

Natural resources
petroleum, fish, natural gas

Land use
arable land: 37.21%
permanent crops: 2.33%
other: 60.46% (2001)

Irrigated land
10 sq km (1998 est.)

Natural hazards
infrequent hurricanes; periodic landslides

Environment - current issues
pollution of coastal waters from waste disposal by ships; soil erosion; illegal solid waste disposal threatens contamination of aquifers

Environment - international agreements
party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Geography - note
easternmost Caribbean island



- Info Provided by the CIA World Factbook -