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Location:
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Southern Africa, island in the Indian Ocean, east of Madagascar
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Geographic coordinates:
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21 06 S, 55 36 E
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Map references:
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world
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Area:
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total: 2,517 sq km
water: 10 sq km
land: 2,507 sq km
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Area - comparative:
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slightly smaller than Rhode Island
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Land boundaries:
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0 km
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Coastline:
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207 km
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Maritime claims:
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territorial sea: 12 nm
exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
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Climate:
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tropical, but temperature moderates with elevation; cool and dry from May to November, hot and rainy from November to April
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Terrain:
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mostly rugged and mountainous; fertile lowlands along coast
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Elevation extremes:
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lowest point: Indian Ocean 0 m
highest point: Piton des Neiges 3,069 m
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Natural resources:
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fish, arable land, hydropower
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Land use:
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arable land: 13.6%
permanent crops: 1.2%
other: 85.2% (2001)
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Irrigated land:
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120 sq km (1998 est.)
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Natural hazards:
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periodic, devastating cyclones (December to April); Piton de la Fournaise on the southeastern coast is an active volcano
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Environment - current issues:
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NA
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Geography - note:
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this mountainous, volcanic island has an active volcano, Piton de la Fournaise; there is a tropical cyclone center at Saint-Denis, which is the monitoring station for the whole of the Indian Ocean
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