Location:
Oceania, group of islands in the South Pacific Ocean, east of Papua New Guinea
Geographic coordinates:
8 00 S, 159 00 E
Map references:
Oceania
Area:
Area - comparative: Land boundaries:
0 km
Coastline: Maritime claims:
measured from claimed archipelagic baselines
Climate: Terrain: Elevation extremes:
Natural resources: Land use:
Irrigated land: Total renewable water resources: Natural hazards: Environment - current issues: Environment - international agreements:
Geography - note:
total:
28,896 sq km
country comparison to the world: 144
land:
27,986 sq km
water:
910 sq km
slightly smaller than Maryland
[see also: Land boundaries country ranks ]
5,313 km
[see also: Coastline country ranks ]
territorial sea:
12 nm
exclusive economic zone:
200 nm
continental shelf:
200 nm
tropical monsoon; few extremes of temperature and weather
mostly rugged mountains with some low coral atolls
lowest point:
Pacific Ocean 0 m
highest point:
Mount Popomanaseu 2,310 m
fish, forests, gold, bauxite, phosphates, lead, zinc, nickel
arable land:
0.62%
permanent crops:
2.25%
other:
97.13% (2011)
NA
[see also: Irrigated land country ranks ]
44.7 cu km (2011)
[see also: Total renewable water resources country ranks ]
typhoons, but rarely destructive; geologically active region with frequent earthquakes, tremors, and volcanic activity; tsunamis
volcanism:
Tinakula (elev. 851 m) has frequent eruption activity, while an eruption of Savo (elev. 485 m) could affect the capital Honiara on nearby Guadalcanal
deforestation; soil erosion; many of the surrounding coral reefs are dead or dying
party to:
Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Environmental Modification, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Marine Life Conservation, Ozone Layer Protection, Whaling
signed, but not ratified:
none of the selected agreements
strategic location on sea routes between the South Pacific Ocean, the Solomon Sea, and the Coral Sea; on 2 April 2007 an undersea earthquake measuring 8.1 on the Richter scale occurred 345 km WNW of the capital Honiara; the resulting tsunami devastated coastal areas of Western and Choiseul provinces with dozens of deaths and thousands dislocated; the provincial capital of Gizo was especially hard hit