Location: | Oceania, group of islands in the South Pacific Ocean, east of Papua New Guinea |
| Geographic coordinates: | 8 00 S, 159 00 E |
| Map references: | Oceania |
| Area: | total: 28,450 sq km
water: 910 sq km
land: 27,540 sq km |
| Area - comparative: | slightly smaller than Maryland |
| Land boundaries: | 0 km |
| Coastline: | 5,313 km |
| Maritime claims: | measured from claimed archipelagic baselines
continental shelf: 200 nm
exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
territorial sea: 12 nm |
| Climate: | tropical monsoon; few extremes of temperature and weather |
| Terrain: | mostly rugged mountains with some low coral atolls |
| Elevation extremes: | lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m
highest point: Mount Makarakomburu 2,447 m |
| Natural resources: | fish, forests, gold, bauxite, phosphates, lead, zinc, nickel |
| Land use: | arable land: 0.64%
permanent crops: 2%
other: 97.36% (2001) |
| Irrigated land: | NA sq km |
| Natural hazards: | typhoons, but rarely destructive; geologically active region with frequent earth tremors; volcanic activity |
| Environment - current issues: | deforestation; soil erosion; many of the surrounding coral reefs are dead or dying |
| Environment - international agreements: | party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Environmental Modification, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Marine Life Conservation, Ozone Layer Protection, Whaling
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements |
| Geography - note: | strategic location on sea routes between the South Pacific Ocean, the Solomon Sea, and the Coral Sea
Source: CIA World Factbook
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