Barbados Geography - 2023

GEOGRAPHICAL NAMES 

Location

Caribbean, island in the North Atlantic Ocean, northeast of Venezuela

Geographic coordinates

13 10 N, 59 32 W

Map references

Central America and the Caribbean

Area

total: 430 sq km

land: 430 sq km

water: 0 sq km

Area - comparative

2.5 times the size of Washington, DC

Land boundaries

total: 0 km

Coastline

97 km

Maritime claims

territorial sea: 12 nm

exclusive economic zone: 200 nm

Climate

tropical; rainy season (June to October)

Terrain

relatively flat; rises gently to central highland region

Elevation

highest point: Mount Hillaby 336 m

lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m

Natural resources

petroleum, fish, natural gas

Land use

agricultural land: 32.6% (2018 est.)

arable land: 25.6% (2018 est.)

permanent crops: 2.3% (2018 est.)

permanent pasture: 4.7% (2018 est.)

forest: 19.4% (2018 est.)

other: 48% (2018 est.)

Irrigated land

50 sq km (2012)

Population distribution

most densely populated country in the eastern Caribbean; approximately one-third live in urban areas

Natural hazards

infrequent hurricanes; periodic landslides

Geography - note

easternmost Caribbean island

NOTE: The information regarding Barbados on this page is re-published from the 2023 World Fact Book of the United States Central Intelligence Agency and other sources. No claims are made regarding the accuracy of Barbados 2023 information contained here. All suggestions for corrections of any errors about Barbados 2023 should be addressed to the CIA or the source cited on each page.