Geography of the Bahamas
Location: Caribbean, chain of islands in the North Atlantic Ocean, southeast of Florida
Geographic coordinates:
24 15 N, 76 00 W
<p>Map references:
Central America and the Caribbean
<p>Area:
total:
13,940 sq km
land:
10,070 sq km
water:
3,870 sq km
Area comparative
- Australia comparative: 6 times larger than the Australian Capital Territory
- Canada comparative: a little over twice the size of Prince Edward Island
- United Kingdom comparative: slightly smaller than Northern Ireland
- United States comparative: slightly smaller than Connecticut
continental shelf: 200-m depth or to the depth of exploitation
exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
territorial sea: 12 nm <p>Climate: tropical marine; moderated by warm waters of Gulf Stream <p>Terrain: long, flat coral formations with some low rounded hills <p>Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m
highest point: Mount Alvernia, on Cat Island 63 m <p>Natural resources: salt, aragonite, timber <p>Land use:
arable land: 1%
permanent crops: 0%
permanent pastures: 0%
forests and woodland: 32%
other: 67% (1993 est.) <p>Irrigated land: NA sq km <p>Natural hazards: hurricanes and other tropical storms that cause extensive flood and wind damage <p>Environment - current issues: coral reef decay; solid waste disposal <p>Environment - international agreements:
party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements <p>Geography - note: strategic location adjacent to US and Cuba; extensive island chain
Reference
Much of the material in this article comes from the CIA World Factbook 2000.
- See also : Bahamas
Categories: Bahamas | Geography by country