Location:Caribbean, two island groups in the Caribbean Sea - composed of five islands, Curacao and Bonaire located off the coast of Venezuela, and Sint Maarten, Saba, and Sint Eustatius lie east of the US Virgin Islands
Geographic coordinates:12 15 N, 68 45 W
Map references:Central America and the Caribbean
Area:total: 960 sq km land: 960 sq km water: 0 sq km note: includes Bonaire, Curacao, Saba, Sint Eustatius, and Sint Maarten (Dutch part of the island of Saint Martin)
Area - comparative:more than five times the size of Washington, DC
Land boundaries:total: 15 km border countries: Saint Martin 15 km
Coastline:364 km
Maritime claims:territorial sea: 12 nm exclusive fishing zone: 12 nm
Climate:tropical; ameliorated by northeast trade winds
Terrain:generally hilly, volcanic interiors
Elevation extremes:lowest point: Caribbean Sea 0 m highest point: Mount Scenery 862 m
Natural resources:phosphates (Curacao only), salt (Bonaire only)
Land use:arable land: 10% permanent crops: 0% other: 90% (2005)
Natural hazards:Sint Maarten, Saba, and Sint Eustatius are subject to hurricanes from July to October; Curacao and Bonaire are south of Caribbean hurricane belt and are rarely threatened
Geography - note:the five islands of the Netherlands Antilles are divided geographically into the Leeward Islands (northern) group (Saba, Sint Eustatius, and Sint Maarten) and the Windward Islands (southern) group (Bonaire and Curacao); the island of Saint Martin is the smallest landmass in the world shared by two independent states, the French territory of Saint Martin and the Dutch territory of Sint Maarten
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