Location Caribbean, islands in the Caribbean Sea, about one-third of the way from Puerto Rico to Trinidad and Tobago

Geographic coordinates 17 20 N, 62 45 W

Map references Central America and the Caribbean

Area
total: 261 sq km (Saint Kitts 168 sq km; Nevis 93 sq km)
water: 0 sq km
land: 261 sq km

Area - comparative 1.5 times the size of Washington, DC

Land boundaries 0 km

Coastline 135 km

Maritime claims
contiguous zone: 24 NM
exclusive economic zone: 200 NM
territorial sea: 12 NM
continental shelf: 200 NM or to the edge of the continental margin

Climate tropical tempered by constant sea breezes; little seasonal temperature variation; rainy season (May to November)

Terrain volcanic with mountainous interiors

Elevation extremes
lowest point: Caribbean Sea 0 m
highest point: Mount Liamuiga 1,156 m

Natural resources arable land

Land use
arable land: 17%
permanent crops: 3%
other: 80% (1998 est.)

Irrigated land NA sq km

Natural hazards hurricanes (July to October)

Environment - current issues NA

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

Geography - note with coastlines in the shape of a baseball bat and ball, the two volcanic islands are separated by a three-km-wide channel called The Narrows; on the southern tip of long, baseball bat-shaped Saint Kitts lies the Great Salt Pond; Nevis Peak sits in the center of its almost circular namesake island and its ball shape complements that of its sister island

NOTE: The information regarding Saint Kitts and Nevis 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 Saint Kitts and Nevis Geography 2002 information contained here. All suggestions for corrections of any errors about Saint Kitts and Nevis Geography 2002 should be addressed to the CIA.