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'Location:'
Caribbean, islands southeast of Florida, north of Venezuela, east of Puerto Rico; between the Caribbean Sea and the North Atlantic Ocean, bordering the Virgin Islands Trough and the Anegada Passage and roughly south of the Puerto Rico Trench
'Geographic coordinates:'
'Map references:'
Central America and the Caribbean
'Islands:'
Saint Croix, Saint Thomas, Saint John, Water Island, many other islands
'Area:'

''total:''
352 km²

''land:''
349 km²

''water:''
3 km²
'Area - comparative:'
twice the size of Washington, D.C.
'Land boundaries:'
0 km
'Coastline:'
188 km
'Maritime claims:'

''exclusive economic zone:''

''territorial sea:''
'Climate:'
subtropical, tempered by easterly trade winds, relatively low humidity, little seasonal temperature variation; rainy season May to November
'Terrain:'
most of the islands, including Saint Thomas and Saint John, are volcanic in origin and are mostly hilly to rugged and mountainous with little level land; Saint Croix was formed by a coral reef and is flatter
'Elevation extremes:'

''lowest point:''
Caribbean Sea 0 m

''highest point:''
Crown Mountain (Saint Thomas) 474 m
'Natural resources:'
sun, sand, sea, surf
'Land use:'

''arable land:''
15%

''permanent crops:''
6%

''permanent pastures:''
26%

''forests and woodland:''
6%

''other:''
47% (1993 est.)
'Irrigated land:'
NA km²
'Natural hazards:'
several hurricanes in recent years; frequent and severe droughts and floods; occasional earthquakes; rare tsunamis
'Environment - current issues:'
lack of natural freshwater resources
'Geography - note:'
important location along the Anegada Passage - a key shipping lane for the Panama Canal; Charlotte Amalie, Saint Thomas is one of the best natural, deepwater harbors in the Caribbean; well-known beaches include Magens Bay (Saint Thomas) and Trunk Bay (Saint John);
coral reefs include Virgin Islands Coral Reef National Monument and the Buck Island Reef National Monument; more than half of Saint John and nearly all of Hassel Island are owned by the U.S. National Park Service