| Location | Northern South America, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean, between Suriname and Venezuela |
| Geographic coordinates | 5 00 N, 59 00 W |
| Map references | South America |
| Area | total: 214,969 sq km land: 196,849 sq km water: 18,120 sq km |
| Area - comparative | slightly smaller than Idaho; almost twice the size of Tennessee |
| Land boundaries | total: 2,933 km border countries (3): Brazil 1308 km, Suriname 836 km, Venezuela 789 km |
| Coastline | 459 km |
| Maritime claims | territorial sea: 12 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm continental shelf: 200 nm or to the outer edge of the continental margin |
| Climate | tropical; hot, humid, moderated by northeast trade winds; two rainy seasons (May to August, November to January) |
| Terrain | mostly rolling highlands; low coastal plain; savanna in south |
| Elevation extremes | highest point: Laberintos del Norte on Mount Roraima 2,775 m lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m mean elevation: 207 m |
| Natural resources | bauxite, gold, diamonds, hardwood timber, shrimp, fish |
| Land use | agricultural land: 8.4% (2018 est.) arable land: 2.1% (2018 est.) permanent crops: 0.1% (2018 est.) permanent pasture: 6.2% (2018 est.) forest: 77.4% (2018 est.) other: 14.2% (2018 est.) |
| Irrigated land | 1,430 sq km (2012) |
| Total renewable water resources | 271 billion cubic meters (2017 est.) |
| Natural hazards | flash flood threat during rainy seasons |
| Geography - note | the third-smallest country in South America after Suriname and Uruguay; substantial portions of its western and eastern territories are claimed by Venezuela and Suriname respectively; contains some of the largest unspoiled rainforests on the continent |
Source: CIA World Factbook
This page was last updated on September 18, 2021
