| Location | Caribbean, western one-third of the island of Hispaniola, between the Caribbean Sea and the North Atlantic Ocean, west of the Dominican Republic |
|
| Geographic coordinates | 19 00 N, 72 25 W |
|
| Zone | Central America |
|
| Area | total: 27,750 sq km
land: 27,560 sq km
water: 190 sq km |
|
| Land boundaries | total: 360 km
border countries: Dominican Republic 360 km |
|
| Coastline | 1,771 km |
|
| Maritime claims | territorial sea: 12 nm
contiguous zone: 24 nm
exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
continental shelf: to depth of exploitation |
|
| Climate | tropical; semiarid where mountains in east cut off trade winds |
|
| Terrain | mostly rough and mountainous |
|
| Elevation extremes | lowest point: Caribbean Sea 0 m
highest point: Chaine de la Selle 2,680 m |
|
| Natural resources | bauxite, copper, calcium carbonate, gold, marble, hydropower |
|
| Irrigated land | 1,771 km |
|
| Natural hazards | lies in the middle of the hurricane belt and subject to severe storms from June to October; occasional flooding and earthquakes; periodic droughts |
|
Environment -
current issues | extensive deforestation (much of the remaining forested land is being cleared for agriculture and used as fuel); soil erosion; inadequate supplies of potable water |
|
Environment -
international agreements | party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Marine Life Conservation, Ozone Layer Protection
signed, but not ratified: Hazardous Wastes |
|
| Geography - note | shares island of Hispaniola with Dominican Republic (western one-third is Haiti, eastern two-thirds is the Dominican Republic) |
|
