Science Fair Project Encyclopedia
Geography of the U.S. Virgin Islands
Location: Caribbean, islands between the Caribbean Sea and the North Atlantic Ocean, east of Puerto Rico
Map references: Central America and the Caribbean
Area:
total:
352 sq km
land:
349 sq km
water:
3 sq km
Area - comparative: twice the size of Washington, DC
Land boundaries: 0 km
Coastline: 188 km
Maritime claims:
exclusive economic zone:
200 nm
territorial sea:
12 nm
Climate: subtropical, tempered by easterly trade winds, relatively low humidity, little seasonal temperature variation; rainy season May to November
Terrain: mostly hilly to rugged and mountainous with little level land
Elevation extremes:
lowest point:
Caribbean Sea 0 m
highest point:
Crown Mountain 474 m
Natural resources: sun, sand, sea, surf
Land use:
arable land:
15%
permanent crops:
6%
permanent pastures:
26%
forests and woodland:
6%
other:
47% (1993 est.)
Irrigated land: NA sq km
Natural hazards: several hurricanes in recent years; frequent and severe droughts and floods; occasional earthquakes
Environment - current issues: lack of natural freshwater resources
Geography - note: important location along the Anegada Passage - a key shipping lane for the Panama Canal; Saint Thomas has one of the best natural, deepwater harbors in the Caribbean
The contents of this article is licensed from www.wikipedia.org under the GNU Free Documentation License. Click here to see the transparent copy and copyright details