Location: | Oceania, group of atolls and reefs in the North Pacific Ocean, about one-half of the way from Hawaii to Australia |
Geographic coordinates: | 9 00 N, 168 00 E |
Map references: | Oceania |
Area: | total: 181.3 sq km note: includes the atolls of Bikini, Enewetak, Kwajalein, Majuro, Rongelap, and Utirik water: 0 sq km land: 181.3 sq km |
Area - comparative: | about the size of Washington, DC |
Land boundaries: | 0 km |
Coastline: | 370.4 km |
Maritime claims: | territorial sea: 12 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm contiguous zone: 24 nm |
Climate: | tropical; hot and humid; wet season from May to November; islands border typhoon belt |
Terrain: | low coral limestone and sand islands |
Elevation extremes: | lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m highest point: unnamed location on Likiep 10 m |
Natural resources: | coconut products, marine products, deep seabed minerals |
Land use: | arable land: 16.67% permanent crops: 38.89% other: 44.44% (2001) |
Irrigated land: | 0 sq km |
Natural hazards: | infrequent typhoons |
Environment - current issues: | inadequate supplies of potable water; pollution of Majuro lagoon from household waste and discharges from fishing vessels |
Environment - international agreements: | party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements |
Geography - note: | two archipelagic island chains of 30 atolls and 1,152 islands; Bikini and Enewetak are former US nuclear test sites; Kwajalein, the famous World War II battleground, is now used as a US missile test range
Source: CIA World Factbook
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