Geography

Barbados is the easternmost island of the Lesser Antilles, situated 480 km north of Guyana, 160 km east of St. Vincent, and 965 km southeast of Puerto Rico. This isolated pear-shaped island extends for 34 km along a north-south axis and has a maximum breadth of 23 km, giving it a total land area of 430 square kilometres.

Barbados is fringed with coral reefs. The island itself is characterised by lowlands or gently sloping, terraced plains, separated by rolling hills that generally parallel the coasts. Mount Hillaby is the highest point at 336 metres above sea level. Farther south, at Christ Church Ridge, elevations range from 60-90 m.

Eighty-five percent of the island's surface consists of coralline limestone 24-30 metres thick; Scotland District contains outcroppings of oceanic formations at the surface, however. Sugarcane is planted on almost 80 percent of the island's limestone surface. The soils vary in fertility; erosion is a problem, with crop loss resulting from landslides, washouts, and falling rocks. Most of the small streams are in Scotland District. The rest of the island has few surface streams; nevertheless, rainwater saturates the soil to produce underground channels such as the famous Coles Cave.

Facts and Figures

• Location: Barbados is an island between the Caribbean Sea and the North Atlantic Ocean, northeast of Venezuela
• Geographic coordinates: 13°10'N, 59°32'W
• Area:
  • Total: 431 sq km
  • Land: 431 sq km
  • Water: 0 sq km
• Land Boundaries: 0 km
• Coastline: 97 km
• Maritime Claims:
  • Exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
  • Territorial sea: 12 nm
• Climate: Tropical; rainy season (June to October)
• Terrain: Relatively flat; rises gently to central highland region
• Elevation Extremes:
  • Lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m
  • Highest point: Mount Hillaby 336 m
• Natural Resources:
  • Petroleum
  • Fish
  • Natural gas
• Land Use:
  • Arable land: 37%
  • Permanent crops: 2%
  • Permanent pastures: 5%
  • Forests and woodland: 12%
  • Other: 44%
• Irrigated Land: 50 sq km
• Natural Hazards:
  • Infrequent hurricanes
  • Periodic landslides
• Environmental Issues:
  • Pollution of coastal waters from waste disposal by ships
  • Soil erosion
  • Illegal solid waste disposal threatens contamination of aquifers