Geography of Navassa Island

Location: Caribbean, island in the Caribbean Sea, 35 miles west of Tiburon Peninsula of Haiti.

Geographic coordinates: 18 25 N, 75 02 W

Area: total: 5.4 sq km; land: 5.4 sq km; water: 0 sq km

Land boundaries: 0 km

Coastline: 8 km

Maritime claims: territorial sea: 12 nm
exclusive economic zone: 200 nm

Climate: marine, tropical

Terrain: raised coral and limestone plateau, flat to undulating; ringed by vertical white cliffs (9 to 15 m high)

Elevation extremes: lowest point: Caribbean Sea 0 m
highest point: unnamed elevation on southwest side 77 m

Natural resources: guano

Land use: arable land: 0%; permanent crops: 0%; other: 100% (2005)

Natural hazards: hurricanes

Environment - current issues: NA

Geography - note: strategic location 160 km south of the US Naval Base at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba; mostly exposed rock with numerous solution holes but with enough grassland to support goat herds; dense stands of fig trees, scattered cactus.