| Location | Southern Africa, island in the Indian Ocean, about 800 km (500 mi) east of Madagascar |
| Geographic coordinates | 20 17 S, 57 33 E |
| Map references | Africa |
| 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 | total: 0 km |
| Coastline | 177 km |
| Maritime claims | territorial sea: 12 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm continental shelf: 200 nm or to the edge of the continental margin measured from claimed archipelagic straight baselines |
| 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 | highest point: Mont Piton 828 m lowest point: Indian Ocean 0 m |
| Natural resources | arable land, fish |
| Land use | agricultural land: 43.8% (2018 est.) arable land: 38.4% (2018 est.) permanent crops: 2% (2018 est.) permanent pasture: 3.4% (2018 est.) forest: 17.3% (2018 est.) other: 38.9% (2018 est.) |
| Irrigated land | 190 sq km (2012) |
| Total renewable water resources | 2.751 billion cubic meters (2017 est.) |
| Natural hazards | cyclones (November to April); almost completely surrounded by reefs that may pose maritime hazards |
| 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 |
Source: CIA World Factbook
This page was last updated on September 18, 2021
