Location:
Caribbean, island between the Caribbean Sea and the North Atlantic Ocean, about halfway between Puerto Rico and Trinidad and Tobago

Geographic coordinates:
15 25 N, 61 20 W

Map references:
Central America and the Caribbean

Area:
total: 751 sq km
[see also: Area - total country ranks ]
land: 751 sq km
[see also: Area - land country ranks ]
water: NEGL
[see also: Area - water country ranks ]
country comparison to the world (CIA rank, may be based on non-current data): 189

Area - comparative:
slightly more than four times the size of Washington, DC

Land boundaries:
0 km

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

Maritime claims:
territorial sea: 12 nm
[see also: Maritime claims - territorial sea country ranks ]
exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
[see also: Maritime claims - exclusive economic zone country ranks ]
contiguous zone: 24 nm
[see also: Maritime claims - contiguous zone country ranks ]

Climate:
tropical; moderated by northeast trade winds; heavy rainfall
More Climate Details

Terrain:
rugged mountains of volcanic origin

Elevation:
lowest point: Caribbean Sea 0 m
highest point: Morne Diablotins 1,447 m

Natural resources:
timber, hydropower, arable land

Land use:
agricultural land: 34.7% (2011 est.)
[see also: Land use - agricultural land country ranks ]
arable land: 8% (2011 est.)
[see also: Land use - arable land country ranks ]
permanent crops: 24% (2011 est.)
[see also: Land use - permanent crops country ranks ]
permanent pasture: 2.7% (2011 est.)
[see also: Land use - permanent pasture country ranks ]
forest: 59.2% (2011 est.)
[see also: Land use - forest country ranks ]
other: 6.1% (2011 est.)
[see also: Land use country ranks ]

Irrigated land:
NA
[see also: Irrigated land country ranks ]

Population distribution:
population is mosly clustered along the coast, with roughly a third living in the parish of St. George, in or around the capital of Roseau; the volcanic interior is sparsely populated

Natural hazards:
flash floods are a constant threat; destructive hurricanes can be expected during the late summer months

volcanism: Dominica was the last island to be formed in the Caribbean some 26 million years ago, it lies in the middle of the volcanic island arc of the Lesser Antilles that extends from the island of Saba in the north to Grenada in the south; of the 16 volcanoes that make up this arc, five are located on Dominica, more than any other island in the Caribbean: Morne aux Diables (861 m), Morne Diablotins (1,430 m), Morne Trois Pitons (1,387 m), Watt Mountain (1,224 m), which last erupted in 1997, and Morne Plat Pays (940 m); the two best known volcanic features on Dominica, the Valley of Desolation and the Boiling Lake thermal areas, lie on the flanks of Watt Mountain and both are popular tourist destinations

Environment - current issues:
water shortages a continuing concern; pollution from agrochemicals and from untreated sewage; forests endangered by the expansion of farming; soil erosion; pollution of the coastal zone by agricultural and industrial chemicals, and untreated sewage

Environment - international agreements:
party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Whaling
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Geography - note:
known as "The Nature Island of the Caribbean" due to its spectacular, lush, and varied flora and fauna, which are protected by an extensive natural park system; the most mountainous of the Lesser Antilles, its volcanic peaks are cones of lava craters and include Boiling Lake, the second-largest, thermally active lake in the world