Geography of Mauritius
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Mauritius_rel90.jpg
Location: Southern Africa, island in the Indian Ocean, east of Madagascar
Geographic coordinates: Template:Coor dm
Map references: World
Area:
total:
2,040 sq km
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
Coastline: 177 km
Maritime claims:
continental shelf:
200 nm or to the edge of the continental margin
exclusive economic zone:
200 nm
territorial sea:
12 nm
exclusive economic zone:
200 NM
Climate: tropical, modified by southeast trade winds; warm, dry winter (May to November); hot, wet, humid summer (November to May)
Terrain: small coastal plain rising to discontinuous mountains encircling central plateau
Elevation extremes:
lowest point:
Indian Ocean 0 m
highest point:
Mont Piton 828 m
Natural resources: arable land, fish
Land use:
arable land:
49.26%
permanent crops:
2.96%
permanent pastures:
3%
forests and woodland:
22%
other:
23% (1993 est.)
Irrigated land: 200 sq km (1998 est.)
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:
Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Life Conservation, Nuclear Test Ban, 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