Bouvet Island Geography - 2023

GEOGRAPHICAL NAMES 

Location

island in the South Atlantic Ocean, southwest of the Cape of Good Hope (South Africa)

Geographic coordinates

54 26 S, 3 24 E

Map references

Antarctic Region

Area

total: 49 sq km

land: 49 sq km

water: 0 sq km

Area - comparative

about 0.3 times the size of Washington, DC

Land boundaries

total: 0 km

Coastline

29.6 km

Maritime claims

territorial sea: 4 nm

Climate

antarctic

Terrain

volcanic; coast is mostly inaccessible

Elevation

highest point: Olavtoppen (Olav Peak) 780 m

lowest point: South Atlantic Ocean 0 m

Natural resources

none

Land use

agricultural land: 0% (2018 est.)

arable land: 0% (2018 est.)

permanent crops: 0% (2018 est.)

permanent pasture: 0% (2018 est.)

forest: 0% (2018 est.)

other: 100% (2018 est.)

Natural hazards

occasional volcanism, rock slides; harsh climate, surrounded by pack ice in winter

Geography - note

almost entirely covered by glacial ice (93%); declared a nature reserve by Norway; the distance from Bouvet Island to Norway is 12,776 km, which is almost one-third the circumference of the earth

NOTE: The information regarding Bouvet Island 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 Bouvet Island 2023 information contained here. All suggestions for corrections of any errors about Bouvet Island 2023 should be addressed to the CIA or the source cited on each page.