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
[see also: Area - total country ranks ]
land: 2,030 sq km
[see also: Area - land country ranks ]
water: 10 sq km
[see also: Area - water country ranks ]
note: includes Agalega Islands, Cargados Carajos Shoals (Saint Brandon), and Rodrigues
country comparison to the world: 181

Area - comparative:
almost 11 times the size of Washington, DC

Land boundaries:
0 km
[see also: Land boundaries country ranks ]

Coastline:
177 km
[see also: Coastline country ranks ]

Maritime claims:
measured from claimed archipelagic straight baselines
territorial sea: 12 nm
exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
continental shelf: 200 nm or to the edge of the continental margin

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:
mean elevation:
[see also: Mean Elevation country ranks ]
elevation extremes:
lowest point: Indian Ocean 0 m
highest point: Mont Piton 828 m

Natural resources:
arable land, fish

Land use:
agricultural land: 43.8% arable land 38.4%; permanent crops 2%; permanent pasture 3.4%
[see also: Land use - agricultural land country ranks ]
forest: 17.3%
[see also: Land use - forest country ranks ]
other: 38.9% (2011 est.)
[see also: Land use - other country ranks ]

Irrigated land:
190 sq km (2012)
[see also: Irrigated land country ranks ]

Total renewable water resources:
2.75 cu km (2011)
[see also: Total renewable water resources country ranks ]

Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural):
total: 0.73 cu km/yr (30%/3%/68%)
per capita: 568.2 cu m/yr (2003)

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: Antarctic-Marine Living Resources, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Life Conservation, 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; 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