Location:
Caribbean, western one-third of the island of Hispaniola, between the Caribbean Sea and the North Atlantic Ocean, west of the Dominican Republic
Geographic coordinates:
19 00 N, 72 25 W
Map references:
Central America and the Caribbean
Area:
Area - comparative: Land boundaries:
Coastline: Maritime claims:
Climate: Terrain: Elevation extremes:
Natural resources: Land use:
Irrigated land: Total renewable water resources: Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural):
Natural hazards: Environment - current issues: Environment - international agreements:
Geography - note:
total:
27,750 sq km
country comparison to the world: 148
land:
27,560 sq km
water:
190 sq km
slightly smaller than Maryland
total:
376 km
border countries:
Dominican Republic 376 km
[see also: Land boundaries country ranks ]
1,771 km
[see also: Coastline country ranks ]
territorial sea:
12 nm
contiguous zone:
24 nm
exclusive economic zone:
200 nm
continental shelf:
to depth of exploitation
tropical; semiarid where mountains in east cut off trade winds
More Climate Details
mostly rough and mountainous
lowest point:
Caribbean Sea 0 m
highest point:
Chaine de la Selle 2,680 m
bauxite, copper, calcium carbonate, gold, marble, hydropower
arable land:
36.04%
permanent crops:
10.09%
other:
53.87% (2011)
970 sq km (2009)
[see also: Irrigated land country ranks ]
14.03 cu km (2011)
[see also: Total renewable water resources country ranks ]
total:
1.2 cu km/yr (17%/3%/80%)
per capita:
134.3 cu m/yr (2009)
lies in the middle of the hurricane belt and subject to severe storms from June to October; occasional flooding and earthquakes; periodic droughts
extensive deforestation (much of the remaining forested land is being cleared for agriculture and used as fuel); soil erosion; inadequate supplies of potable water
party to:
Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Marine Life Conservation, Ozone Layer Protection
signed, but not ratified:
Hazardous Wastes
shares island of Hispaniola with Dominican Republic (western one-third is Haiti, eastern two-thirds is the Dominican Republic)