Page last updated on February 21,

Location:
Caribbean, islands between the Caribbean Sea and the North Atlantic Ocean, northeast of Venezuela

Geographic coordinates:
11 00 N, 61 00 W

Map references:
Central America and the Caribbean

Area:
total: 5,128 sq km
[see also: Area - total country ranks ]
country comparison to the world: 174
land: 5,128 sq km
[see also: Area - land country ranks ]
water: 0 sq km
[see also: Area - water country ranks ]

Area - comparative:
slightly smaller than Delaware

Land boundaries:
0 km
[see also: Land boundaries country ranks ]

Coastline:
362 km
[see also: Coastline country ranks ]

Maritime claims:
measured from claimed archipelagic baselines
territorial sea: 12 nm
contiguous zone: 24 nm
exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
continental shelf: 200 nm or to the outer edge of the continental margin

Climate:
tropical; rainy season (June to December)
More Climate Details

Terrain:
mostly plains with some hills and low mountains

Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Caribbean Sea 0 m
[see also: Elevation extremes - lowest point country ranks ]
highest point: El Cerro del Aripo 940 m
[see also: Elevation extremes - highest point country ranks ]

Natural resources:
petroleum, natural gas, asphalt

Land use:
arable land: 14.62%
[see also: Land use - arable land country ranks ]
permanent crops: 9.16%
[see also: Land use - permanent crops country ranks ]
other: 76.22% (2005)
[see also: Land use - other country ranks ]

Irrigated land:
70 sq km (2008)
[see also: Irrigated land country ranks ]

Total renewable water resources:
3.8 cu km (2000)
[see also: Total renewable water resources country ranks ]

Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural):
total: 0.31 cu km/yr (68%/26%/6%)
[see also: Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural) - total country ranks ]
per capita: 237 cu m/yr (2000)
[see also: Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural) - per capita country ranks ]

Natural hazards:
outside usual path of hurricanes and other tropical storms

Environment - current issues:
water pollution from agricultural chemicals, industrial wastes, and raw sewage; oil pollution of beaches; deforestation; soil erosion

Environment - international agreements:
party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Marine Life Conservation, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Geography - note:
Pitch Lake, on Trinidad's southwestern coast, is the world's largest natural reservoir of asphalt