Geography of Saint Kitts and Nevis

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

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

Land boundaries: 0 km

Coastline: 135 km

Maritime claims: territorial sea: 12 nm
contiguous zone: 24 nm
exclusive economic zone: 200 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: 19.44%; permanent crops: 2.78%; other: 77.78% (2005)

Irrigated land: NA

Total renewable water resources: 0.02 cu km (2000)

Natural hazards: hurricanes (July to October)

Environment - current issues: NA

Environment - international agreements: party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, 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 3-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.