Location Caribbean, two island groups in the Caribbean Sea - one includes Curacao and Bonaire north of Venezuela; the other is east of the Virgin Islands

Geographic coordinates 12 15 N, 68 45 W

Map references Central America and the Caribbean

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

Area - comparative more than five times the size of Washington, DC

Land boundaries
total: 10.2 km
border countries: Guadeloupe (Saint Martin) 10.2 km

Coastline 364 km

Maritime claims
exclusive fishing zone: 12 NM
territorial sea: 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% (1998 est.)

Irrigated land NA sq km

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

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)

NOTE: The information regarding Netherlands Antilles on this page is re-published from the 2002 World Fact Book of the United States Central Intelligence Agency. No claims are made regarding the accuracy of Netherlands Antilles Geography 2002 information contained here. All suggestions for corrections of any errors about Netherlands Antilles Geography 2002 should be addressed to the CIA.