Page last updated on January 31, 2014

Location: Southern Africa, island in the Indian Ocean, east of Madagascar

Geographic coordinates:
20 17 S, 57 33 E

Map references:
Africa

Area:
total: 2,040 sq km
[see also: Area - total country ranks ]
country comparison to the world: 181
land: 2,030 sq km
water: 10 sq km
note: includes Agalega Islands, Cargados Carajos Shoals (Saint Brandon), and Rodrigues

Area - comparative:
almost 11 times the size of Washington, DC

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

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

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

Climate:
tropical, modified by southeast trade winds; warm, dry winter (May to November); hot, wet, humid summer (November to May)
More Climate Details

Terrain:
small coastal plain rising to discontinuous mountains encircling central plateau

Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Indian Ocean 0 m
[see also: Elevation extremes - lowest point country ranks ]
highest point: Mont Piton 828 m

Natural resources:
arable land, fish

Land use:
arable land: 38.24%
[see also: Land use - arable land country ranks ]
permanent crops: 1.96%
other: 59.8% (2011)

Irrigated land:
212.2 sq km (2003)
[see also: Irrigated land country ranks ]

Total renewable water resources:
2.75 cu km (2011)
[see also: Total renewable water resources country ranks ]

Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural):
total: 0.73 cu km/yr (30%/3%/68%)
[see also: Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural) - total country ranks ]
per capita: 568.2 cu m/yr (2003)

Natural hazards:
cyclones (November to April); almost completely surrounded by reefs that may pose maritime hazards

Environment - current issues:
water pollution, degradation of coral reefs

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

Geography - note:
the main island, from which the country derives its name, is of volcanic origin and is almost entirely surrounded by coral reefs; former home of the dodo, a large flightless bird related to pigeons, driven to extinction by the end of the 17th century through a combination of hunting and the introduction of predatory species